Food and Farms

Morning, it’s Burbs Explored, your trusted guide for exploring and living well in the Chicago suburbs. On the agenda this week:

• Our favorite farmers markets across the suburbs

• New restaurants we want to check out

• Spring farm festivals worth the drive

• A curated list of upcoming events

Have a great week and as always, please reply back with any questions, feedback, or local recommendations.

Weekly Spotlight

As spring slowly arrives, so do the outdoor markets across the Chicago suburbs. With the Geneva and Wheaton French Markets opening last weekend and several others kicking off over the next few weeks, we wanted to share our favorite markets across the burbs. Check out our guide below, which includes updated dates and times for each.

What are your favorite outdoor markets in the suburbs? Hit reply and let us know what places we should check out!

News & Updates

• Deere Park in Highwood opened last week in the former Greenwood space. The new American brasserie comes from industry vets Todd Stein and Josh Kaplan. We have heard great things about the redesigned space and fresh seasonal menu. Definitely adding to our list of places to try soon (link)

• Eater Chicago profiled Chef José Sosa (The Greggory, South Barrington) and his return to the suburbs (link)

• Soul Good Coffee, the popular mobile coffee bar and pop-up at Sketchbook Brewing, will be opening their own location in Skokie (link)

• Buttermilk Cafe will be coming to Wilmette later this year in the vacant space formerly occupied by Bakers Square (link)

• Portillo’s is testing a breakfast menu at select locations this summer (link)

• The Crossroads of Schaumburg has broken ground of its new multi-tenant shopping center located at the northwest corner of Meacham and Golf Road, which will include restaurants such as Lazy Dog, Piccolo Buco, Cava, Velvet Taco, Crisp & Green, and Naansense (link)

SAVE THE DATE: FARM FESTIVALS

• Kuipers Family Farm will be kicking off their Spring events with Tulip Fest opening late April and their Dino Farm Adventure opening in May

• Siegel’s Cottonwood Farm will be hosting their Barn Babies event with cuddly baby animals, tons of family activities, food trucks, and more on May 10-11 (link)

• Abbey Farms Honey Fest will be happening on May 17th with live music, kids crafts, farm fun, and plenty of honey products (link)

Upcoming Events

NORTH SHORE

• Sketchbook Brewing Laughs and Drafts | April 17 (Skokie)

• Spring Egg Hunt | April 19 (Glencoe)

• 52nd Annual Egg Hunt | April 19 (Winnetka)

• Buck Russell’s Cupcake Workshop | April 19 (Wilmette)

• Lake Glenview Fish Release Day | April 19 (Glenview)

• Wilmette French Market Opening Day | April 19 (Wilmette)

• Alma Padel Easter Egg Hunt | April 19 (Glenview)

• Hewn Bakery: Bake a Difference | April 23 (Evanston)

• Elawa Farm Golden Gills Farm Dinner | April 25-26 (Lake Forest)

• Tala Coffee Class 102: Brewing Basics | April 26 (Libertyville)

• Winter Market on Main | April 27 (Skokie)

• Une Année Brewery Spring Makers Market | April 27 (Niles)

• Spirit Elephant Party on the Patio! | April 30 (Winnetka)

• Elawa Farm Cooking Class: Wisconsin Supper Club | April 30 (Lake Forest)

• Ravinia Spring Series | May 2-4 (Highland Park)

• Tala Coffee Class 101: Roastery Tour & Cupping | May 3 (Libertyville)

• Evanston Made Makers Market | May 4 (Evanston)

• Touch-A-Truck Family Festival | May 4 (Glenview)

• Live music at Evanston Space | Ongoing (Evanston)

NORTHWEST SUBURBS

• Spring Floral Workshop with Fleur + Form | April 17-18 (Barrington)

• Underwater EGGstravaganza | April 17 (Schaumburg)

• Long Grove Bunny Hop | April 19 (Long Grove)

• Bon Appetit: Community Food & Drink Festival | April 24 (Hoffman Estates)

• Woodstock Indoor Farmers Market | April 26 (Woodstock)

• Polyanna Brewing Bockfest | April 26 (Roselle)

• Craft Beer Festival | April 26 (Long Grove)

• Farmers Market at The Dole | April 27 (Crystal Lake)

• Park Ridge Wine Walk | April 27 (Park Ridge)

• Whiskey & Roses | April 30 (Hoffman Estates)

• Derby de Mayo Pub Crawl | May 3 (Mount Prospect)

• Chicagoland Spring Race | May 4 (Schaumburg)

• Mikerphone Brewing MotherCluckin’ Throwdown | May 4 (Elk Grove Village)

• The Distance Social’s Whiskey and Cigar Social | May 8 (East Dundee)

• Barrington Spring Wine Walk | May 10 (Barrington)

• Swing Into Spring | May 10 (Arlington Heights)

• Reptile Show at The Arb | May 10 (South Barrington)

• Mother’s Day 5K | May 11 (Barrington)

• Cookie Crawl 2025 | May 14 (Arlington Heights)

• Duke’s Alehouse SustainabiliTEA Party | May 17 (Algonquin)

• Standup Comedy at the Improv | Ongoing (Schaumburg)

WESTERN SUBURBS

• Easter Egg Painting at JoJo's shakeBAR | Through April 20 (Naperville)

• Flashlight Egg Hunt | April 17 (Glen Ellyn)

• Red Oaks Farm Table Dinner | April 17 (Wheaton)

• Preservation Wine Dinner | April 17 (Geneva)

• Publican Quality Bread Dinner Series | April 18 (Oak Park)

• Solemn Oath Viking Family Spring Hunt | April 19 (Naperville)

• Spring Fun At The Forge | April 19 (Lemont)

• The Great Egg Hunt | April 19 (Naperville)

• The Morton Arboretum Easter Brunch | April 20 (Lisle)

• Brookfield Zoo Whirl Gala | April 26 (Brookfield)

• The Graceful Ordinary Bourbon Dinner | April 28 (St. Charles)

• Niche Wine Dinner | April 30 (Geneva)

• Moto Imoto Sake Dinner | May 1 (St. Charles)

• Hale Street Tents Return | May 3 (Wheaton)

• Food Truck Festival | May 3 (Naperville)

• Tails on the Trails | May 4 (Lisle)

• One Lake Beer Supper | May 7 (Oak Park)

• Hinsdale Kitchen Walk | May 9 (Hinsdale)

• The Morton Arboretum Spring Wine Tasting | May 10 (Lisle)

• Zoo Uncorked: Flocktails & Feathers | May 10 (Brookfield)

• Picklepalooza at Noon Whistle Brewing | May 17 (Naperville)

• Standup Comedy at The Comedy Vault | Ongoing (Batavia)

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