Cocktails and Coffee Cakes

What to eat at Christkindlmarket, our favorite cocktails, and Smoque BBQ coming to the suburbs

Author

Joe Arendt
December 12, 2024

Morning, it’s Burbs Explored, your (new) favorite Chicago Suburbs weekly newsletter! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and finding time to have some fun. As always, our goal is to help you discover new places and fun things to do in the Chicago suburbs. This week we have highlights from a trip to Christkindlmarket, our favorite places for cocktails, a popular Chicago BBQ spot is coming to the burbs, and a great lineup of upcoming events.

As you may or may not know, we just launched a few weeks ago and have a ton of new guides, interviews, and more in the works but we want to hear from you! Let us know what places and events we should check out, and any feedback you have on the newsletter. Feel free to reply to this email or send us a message here.

Weekend Routine

Weekly highlights from the Burbs Explored team and community on where they eat, drink, shop, and play across the Chicago suburbs.

  • We braved the crowds and went to Christkindlmarket in Aurora. While everyone deservedly goes for the boots full of warm glühwein and gooey raclette sandwiches, our favorites this year were the sweets - the coffee cake from Dave’s was incredible (might go back to to get another one) and we loved the Puffy Houzz stroopwafel dipped in Nutella and M&Ms.

  • This past weekend, we also enjoyed coffee and breakfast sandwiches from Five & Hoek (Wheaton)

  • Tasty tacos from A Toda Madre (Glen Ellyn). My favorites are the Bien Trucha and Pescado. Also love their Margaritas :)

  • Took my daughter to the The Fun Playce in Naperville, a new indoor play place that just opened last month, which we will definitely visit again this Winter.

- Sara (Glen Ellyn)

Weekly Updates

  • One of our favorite BBQ spots in Chicago, Smoque, is coming to Glenview (link)

  • Sky Zone, the popular indoor active entertainment destination, opened their latest location in Schaumburg (link)

  • Looking for a fun holiday pop-up experience? Check out JoJo’s Winter Wonderland (Naperville), Cortland’s Garage Home Alone Pop Up (Arlington Heights) or Pit & Tap’s Deck the Halls (Wilmette)

  • Two Burbs Explored favorites, Petite Vie Brasserie (Western Springs) and Mana (La Grange) were featured in Chicago Mag’s 25 Best Things to Eat Right Now (link)

  • We recently added Tags Bakery and Three Tarts to our favorite bakeries, donuts, and sweet treats guide (link). Who else should we add?

  • Dining in the city this month? Michelin announced its 2024 Stars and Bib Gourmands for Chicago (link). Still waiting for them to venture out to the suburbs…

  • Arlington Heights and the Chicago Bears agreed on new tax deal for the former Arlington racecourse property that will include a deadline for them to make a decision on whether they will be moving to the burbs (links)

  • Don’t usually cover high school sports but former Bears kicker Robbie Gould was announced as the new head football coach at Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights (link)

Burbs Explored guides highlight our favorite places to eat, drink, shop, and play across the suburbs. The guides are meant to be highly curated lists that help you discover new spots in your town, hidden gems you might not find with a Google search, and places worth making a drive to check out. We do not allow businesses to pay for inclusion; the only way to make the list is by offering a high quality experience, service, or product.

This week we are highlighting our favorite places to get a cocktail as we celebrate the holidays with friends, family, and co-workers. Whether you like the classics like a Manhattan or dirty martini or something festive and new, the places below should have you covered.

NORTH SHORE

  • 28 Mile Distilling Company (Highwood)

  • The Bar at Deer Path Inn (Lake Forest)

  • The Old Mill Lounge (Lake Forest)

  • Pomeroy (Winnetka)

  • Ward Eight (Evanston)

NORTHWEST SUBURBS

  • Foxtail On The Lake (Des Plaines)

  • Lago (Lake Zurich)

  • Mockingbird (East Dundee)

  • Region Kitchen + Bar (Barrington)

  • The Distance Social (East Dundee)

WESTERN SUBURBS

  • Alchemist (Geneva)

  • Barrel + Rye (Geneva)

  • Common Good Cocktail House (Glen Ellyn)

  • Craft Urban (Geneva)

  • Maize + Mash (Glen Ellyn)

  • The Northcott Liquorette (Naperville)

  • Preservation (Geneva)

  • Santo Cielo (Naperville)

  • The Graceful Ordinary (St. Charles)

  • The Parlour (Glen Ellyn)

  • The Walrus Room (Glen Ellyn)

On our radar to try: Milwalky Trace (Libertyville), Subourbon (Wheaton), Opry Provisions (Western Springs), Copper Fiddle Distillery (Lake Zurich)

What are we missing? Let us know your favorite places for cocktails by replying to this email or sending us a message here.

Upcoming Events

FEATURED EVENT: Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lightscape

NORTH SHORE

NORTHWEST SUBURBS

WESTERN SUBURBS

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