Word of mouth Swift & Sons
BREAKFAST MEETING Little Goat
820 West Randolph Street, Chicago littlegoat chicago.com Star chef Stephanie Izard’s diner is just across the street from her flagship restaurant, Girl & the Goat. Open at 7am, Little Goat sells housemade breads, Stumptown coffee and heartier options (feeling bold enough for kimchi, bacon, Asian-style eggs and pancakes?), making it a treat for business associates.
DRINKS WITH CLIENTS Three Dots and a Dash
435 North Clark Street, Chicago threedots chicago.com Enter from an alleyway, like you would a speakeasy, to discover a world of outlandish tropical cocktails and an upbeat crowd that packs the space, to sample the tiki trend at its best. What makes it different? Fresh fruit combined with the inventive use of spices by some of the city’s best mixologists. Grab a signature ceramic tiki mug and toast a triumph or entertain clients who like lively evenings at this in-the-know spot.
DINING ALONE GT Fish & Oyster
531 North Wells Street, Chicago gtoyster.com A seat at the bar in this upscale seafood spot comes with its own form of entertainment: the oyster-shucking barmen who labour over huge iced bins of shellfish behind a thick pane of glass, opening bivalves for hungry customers as the orders roll in. Chef Giuseppe Tentori sources Chicago’s best oysters so let your server choose a sampling of the night’s offerings for you – it’s a great way to get a tasting and start up a conversation about shellfish, Chicago or… anything.
BUSINESS DINNER
1000 West Fulton Market, Chicago swiftandsons chicago.com Steakhouses hold a revered position in Chicago’s business circles and Swift & Sons is the best of a new crop to tempt expenseaccount holders. Housed in a former coldstorage building in the city’s meatpacking district (also home to Google’s offices), Swift & Sons provides plenty of stalwarts, such as seafood towers and aged beef, but the dishes are far from standard. When your clients are done working their way from French onion soup to beef Wellington, they’ll thank you.
COFFEE PIT STOP Do-Rite Donuts
50 West Randolph Street, Chicago doritedonuts.com For a morning coffee, grab a cup of locally roasted Dark Matter at no-frills Do-Rite Donuts, a centrally located spot where you can also get your hands on some of Chicago’s best doughnuts (Pistachio-Meyer Lemon is a favourite). It’s open from 6.30am until 2pm – or earlier if the doughnuts run out. Walk south one block to enjoy your coffee and doughnut in the shadow of Chicago’s Picasso sculpture located in Daley Plaza. Or try La Colombe’s West Loop location (955 West Randolph Street), where the coffee hits a reliably high mark and the snacks are sourced from Floriole, one of the city’s top bakeries.