South Loop Neighborhood
The South Loop is south of Congress Parkway and east of the Chicago River, excepting Printer's Row. The southern boundary for the community area is Roosevelt Road; though often describes an area as far south as 18th Street or Cermak Road. It includes River City, the northern half of Dearborn Park, and portions of State Street, Wabash Avenue, and Michigan Avenue. The South Loop is one of Chicago's fastest growing communities, and is also home to some of the oldest buildings in Chicago. The South Loop is historically where many of the original families of Chicago settled and started the great city. Up until about ten years ago the South Loop was a neighborhood of Chicago rarely visited by tourists or locals from outside the area. In the last decade that has all changed with the constant construction of new buildings and refurbishments of the old. The South Loop is now one of the hot spots for restaurants and shopping; however, even with all this new attention, the South Loop still retains its original mellow vibe. There are no crowds and retains a peaceful and pleasant allure.
Opera, 1301 S. Wabash Ave.
This restaurant is currently closed. The link above will take you to a the site of a sister restaurant.
Zapatista, 1307 S. Wabash Ave.
Zapatista is a restaurant named after the infamous Emiliano Zapata, and it features Mexican cuisine from all the regions of Mexico. Zapatista can can be booked for private events, or just for carry-out. This great restaurant will satisfy your every craving for Mexican food when you are visiting Chicago. Try out the famous Baja-style fish tacos, or the Gulf seafood with a Spanish flair that will surely knock your socks off!
Gioco, 1312 S. Wabash Ave #1
Gioco, which means "game" in Italian, is a little Italian restaurant in the heart of South Loop. This restaurant is built into an original building from the 1890s, and features a walk-in safe built into the wall, used by the Chicago gangsters (Al Capone, Frank Nitti, George "Bugs" Moran and Earl "Hymie" Weiss ) for one of the gambling and/or brothel houses that dominated the area in the early 1900s. This quaint restaurant combines modern with antique, and when combined with delicious food, it becomes a must-eat restaurant in Chicago.
Prairie Rose Restaurant
This restaurant is currently closed.
The Chicago Firehouse was erected in 1905 by the famous architect Charles Hermann. It is constructed of yellow brick and limestone rather than the more common red brick making it an interesting sight. The upstairs living quarters were host to the filming of the movie Backdraft, and now they have been converted into a beautiful banquet hall. It was important to the designers to try and preserve as much of the original building as possible, and today the Firehouse still serves the Chicago public, but in a slightly different way through American Classic Cuisine.
Soldier Field, 1410 South Museum Campus Drive
Soldier Field underwent a major renovation to transform the venue into a world-class stadium and reopened in fall of 2003. To preserve Soldier Field, the classic colonnades were saved intact as a lasting monument to Soldier Field’s glorious past, and a 250-foot granite-wall sculpture serves as a memorial to the men and women who served in the armed forces.
You can call 312-235-7244 for information on tours of Soldier Field.
Kroll's is a family business established over seventy years ago by Caroline Kroll, and is now in its fourth generation. In 1936 in Greenbay, Wisconsin, Kroll's began as an 8x10 foot plywood structure that served charcoal grilled take-out, mostly burgers. Kroll's South Loop is newly opened by the great-granddaughters of Caroline, and they plan on carrying on the Kroll family tradition of great food and fantastic service.
McCormick Place is the premier convention facility in North America. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan on the edge of Burnham Park. The facility attracts 3 million visitors annually, and is comprised of state-of-the-art buildings making it the perfect place for large conventions. In addition, an expansive series of pedestrian promenades and sky bridges link the entire campus. The Grand Concourse connecting South and North and the Central Concourse in West are also locations for retail shops, cafes, restaurants and other visitor amenities. Also, the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is located right next to McCormick Place, and is the perfect hotel to stay in if you are attending a convention there.
