Welcome to Pilsen, Little Italy, and Chinatown

Making the Most of Your Time

Pilsen buzzes on weekends and during the Fiesta del Sol festival (at the end of July). On the second Friday of each month, neighborhood galleries stay open late for an art crawl. At night Little Italy's restaurants and bars bustle. On Sunday the Maxwell Street Market hums. Browse the shops and sample the goods along Wentworth Avenue or Chinatown Square. And don't forget to tour the nearby 19th-century Prairie Avenue homes, where many of the people who shaped Chicago lived.

Getting Here

If you're driving to Pilsen, take I–290 west to the Damen Avenue exit, and go south on Damen to 19th Street. There's parking at the National Museum of Mexican Art plus metered street parking. For Little Italy and University Village, take the Kennedy Expressway's Taylor Street exit and head west. Chinatown is west of Michigan Avenue via Cermak Road. There’s a parking lot at Chinatown Gate, on Wentworth Avenue. Turn east off Michigan Avenue on East 21st Street to reach Prairie Avenue.

If you choose to use public transportation, the El's Pink Line stops at the 18th Street station in the Pilsen area. Check out the station's colorful murals. Take the Blue Line to UIC/Halsted for University Village and the No. 9 Ashland bus to Little Italy. For Chinatown, take the El's Red Line south to Cermak.

Quick Bites

Cafe Jumping Bean. You'll find Mexican hot chocolate, focaccia pizzas, and fresh sandwiches at this cozy neighborhood coffee shop. 1439 W. 18th St., Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois, 60608. 312/455–0019.

Joy Yee Noodles. From a massive menu, pan-Asian dishes arrive in a flash. The mouthwatering portions may be huge, but the prices aren't. Chinatown Square Mall, 2139 S. China Pl., Chinatown, Chicago, Illinois, 60616. 312/328–0001; www.joyyeechicago.com.

Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli. The corned-beef sandwich here is the one that other local delis aim to beat. Manny's has always been popular with Chicago politicians—so if these walls could talk, they'd spill a lot of secrets. 1141 S. Jefferson St., West Loop, Chicago, Illinois, 60607. 312/939–2855; www.mannysdeli.com.

Pompei. Head to this branch of a local restaurant empire for salads, house-made pasta, and its famous thick, bready squares of pizza. 1531 W. Taylor St., Little Italy, Chicago, Illinois, 60607. 312/421–5179; www.pompeiusa.com.

Skylark. Located at the unassuming intersection of Halsted and Cermak, this dimly lit, cash-only dive bar is off the beaten track but well worth the journey. Locals love its cheap, greasy comfort food—especially the tater tot basket and mac and cheese plate. 2149 S. Halsted St., Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois. 312/948–5275; www.skylarkchicago.com.

El Milagro Tortilla. The chicken mole and the rest of the home-style Mexican food served here come with very reasonable prices attached. 1927 S. Blue Island Ave., Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois, 60608. 312/421–7443; www.el-milagro.com.

Top Reasons to Go

Gallery-hop: On second Fridays in Pilsen the art galleries stay open late.

Shop: Haggle with the locals at the legendary Maxwell Street Market on Sunday.

Appreciate history: See where Chicago greats like Marshall Field and George Pullman lived in the Prairie Avenue Historic District.

Safety

The railway tracks and vacant lots between Pilsen and Little Italy make it unsafe to walk between the two neighborhoods. Drive if possible, or take the Blue Line to either UIC–Halsted or Racine to explore University Village and Little Italy; then take the Pink Line to 18th Street for Pilsen. Chinatown and Prairie Avenue are a bit removed from the heart of the city and bordered by slowly gentrifying neighborhoods, so be cautious and aware. Limit your visit to well-lighted and well-populated main streets after dark.