First of all many thks to everyone who has helped out getting us to this point.... we feel we will have good handle on what we're doing and very comfortable on place-location-Sheraton Towers of where we are staying. Last piece to fill, are places to suggest for eating during our 3.5 -- 4 day stay. Have seen some other threads on ideas but would like to see some feedback to look for some consistency or maybe some not mentioned. We are looking for mixture somewhat....fine dining probably one nite, then anything goes other days, evenings and such. Husband more of Meat person, wife favs Italian, Mex and both of us enjoy the Grills, Sports Bar ( with good food ). Most of our time looks like will be spent relatively close to Hotel, Chi Arch, mag mile, millineum park but would like suggestion good place to have lunch before Cubs game Sunday --July4th.. We are very much looking frwd to our visit and hope we can return the fav someday to any who plan to visit -Houston, Tx area and surrounding cities .

Here are some ideas for near Wrigley:

Uncommon Ground has a fantastic menu (breakfast or lunch). They also have nice outdoor seating.
www.uncommonground.com -> You will want the Clark location.

There are lots of bars/restaurants right near Wrigley to be a part of the pre-game action. There is a large strip of establishments along Clark.

We always go to either Goose Island, Casey Moran's or the Gingerman (Gingerman is more post-game for us - this is more of an "in the know bar" so to speak).

The Cubby Bear and Murphy's Bleachers are "classic" Cubs bars. You should check them out...just know it's quite the party atmosphere and can have a younger crowd. I am not often in the mood for these places, but it's worth just peeking your head in to see what you think.

There is also Harry Carey's which is great. You can always check them out and then pick one. They are pretty close to each other. Uncommon Ground is not a Cubs bar, but has great food and is a little further north than the other places.

I'd love to visit Houston sometime!! I will let you know when we do!

We went to the Cubby Bear before the Cubs game that we went to. Really enjoyed it and spent a lot of time here. Definitely a party atmosphere, especially since it was Cardinals @ Cubs.

I agree with the Harry Caray's suggestion. Their menu can fit under both the meat and Italian categories. You can go to the one near Wrigley or the downtown location.

If you want a good steak after the game that's much less expensive than the downtown places, Select Cut Steak House is at 2808 N Halsted at Diversey, about 1.5 miles south of Wrigley.

As for other places, Italian Village on Monroe in The Loop has been around forever and there's Rosebud on Rush. The big pizza places are all a short walk from the Sheraton. You can choose from Giordano's, Lou Malnatti's, Gino's East or Pizzeria Uno. Everyone can give you a hundred reasons why you should or shouldn't go to each of them, but most is personal preference. If you opt for Giordano's, they have several locations around downtown. The one at Superior/Rush is usually the most crowded. There's one at Michigan/E Lake where you can usually get a table with no wait.

Check www.chicagoreader.com or www.metromix.com for other ideas. You can search by neighborhood, price or cuisine and see what sounds good. You can also try www.opentable.com which lets you search by neighborhood or cuisine, shows menus and availability, then allows you to your own reservations online.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will be taking all of our sites, eating places, and activities and trying to make a good agenda...as far as what to do first, second...what is close to what...you have all been very helpful..thanks so much.

If it helps, the Wrigleyville stuff is all close together. You can easily peek into many/all of the suggestions above within maybe 15 minutes. I'm excited to hear about your trip!

In Wrigleyville, pretty much all the recommendations above are good. I would also add Mia Francesa's, which is one of the best Italian restaurants, to the list along with Lucky's, which has huge sandwiches and was on Man v. Food if you're a Food Network watcher. Also, Yak-Zies is right by Wrigley and has great wings.