Best Family Restaurants in Kathy Osterman Beach House

"Steaming bowls of noodles have been a fixture of chef Bill Kim’s menus ever since he opened his first restaurant, and diners have always been eager to slurp his latest creations. Originally launched as a delivery-only concept, Bill Kim Ramen Bar specializes in broths that draw on Korean, Vietnamese and Mexican flavors, garnished with a creative array of toppings. Whether you’re looking for a conventional bowl or ramen or something a bit more adventurous, Kim has something you can enjoy by the spoonful."

"Whether you snag a tabletop grill for a DIY experience or relax and let Bill Kim and crew do all the work, start with the golf-ball-size crispy tofu, move on to the tea-smoked duck, and finish with the textural delights of the seafood hot pot.L Mon–Sat, D nightly."

"Its popularity inspired Chef Kim to open a second location just this year. Other than their famous dumplings, Urbanbelly favorites include the Phat Rice (or Noodle) and the Wok Fired Rice Cakes."

"Floriole functioned as a stand at Chicago's beloved Green City Market for nearly five years before it became a brick-and-mortar restaurant. As such, expect market-driven fare that prizes freshness and seasonality above all else. Those priorities manifest in menu items like late-season roasted tomato and swiss chard quiche, ricotta toast topped with plums and honey, and pea salad with radishes, turnips, and spring onions."

"Find your way to this cute cafe and you’ll be forced to leave all your cravings at bay. Order their Concord grape and salty brown butter walnut tarts, honey pie, coffee cake, almond croissant, or even pecan roll, and you’ll find your senses thanking you for such a lovely reward. The cafe is well lit, and the environment is clean and chic, service too, is friendly and quick."

"Probably the most modernized bakery on this list, Floriole quickly rose to the top after its inception. This Lincoln Park bakery in Chicago is beautifully designed and even features a relatively large cafe area where you can sit and enjoy your pastry. The bakery is specifically European-style, featuring wines and beers to accompany your sweets, and plenty of coffee."

"At Demera, no one will scold you for eating with your hands. That’s because Ethiopian cuisine is typically eaten by using your hands to scoop up vegetables and lentils with a spongy and porous flatbread called injera. Get a sampling of the bright, colorful dishes, which include split red lentils, slow-cooked collard greens, split yellow peas and sautéed garden beets."

"Rated as the best Ethiopian food in the Windy City, this is a gem among the best places to eat in Chicago. This Michelin Guide recommended restaurant is a great place to take a group of friends for a family-style night out. The interior is bright, friendly, and easy to plop down in a seat and get your eat on."

"Demera prides themselves on making authentic Ethiopian food made from scratch, including an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu. If you’re new to the cuisine, ask for the vegetarian messob. Your waiter will bring out four of the restaurant’s most popular veg-friendly dishes, all perfectly portioned for one."

"Here since the 1970s and continuing to sustain their vintage vibes, this American restaurant in Chicago has a long history of dishing out the best diner eats, for a pretty awesome price. Juicy burgers, shakes, famous wings, great appetizers, and a large salad bar that actually makes eating salad sound fun. This is one of the best affordable restaurants in Chicago because of the large selection of food to choose from."

"RJ Grunt’s is the original Lettuce Entertain You entry, and its longevity means you might wait in long lines for its extensive weekend brunch buffet."

"Strollers are aplenty along Southport Avenue so it's no surprise that Crosby's Kitchen is a haven for tikes in this Lakeview neighborhood brimming with young families. The best part is that it's not just friendly for the young ones, it's also great for older kids and adults dining sans kids, complete with a wine menu. Order yourself a Bloody Mary and the table some monkey bread to start and choose from a kid's menu or the regular menu for brunch, lunch or dinner."

"Restaurants American Lake View. This ultra kid-friendly restaurant in the Southport Corridor caters to parents in every way possible with wide doors that fit your stroller, a stroller valet and step stools in the bathroom. Your little ones will undoubtedly want the ice cream-topped skillet cookie for dessert—so be a sport and help them indulge."

"This restaurant was designed with kids in mind, namely the daughter, Crosby, of one of the owners. Her influence served them well — extra-wide doors accommodate strollers, and there’s a sink in the dining room, so kids can wash up. The kids’ menu is pretty standard, but adds a few different dishes like the chicken leg that comes straight off their signature rotisserie."

"Southern comfort at this Burbank Cafe ranges from barbecue to Tex-Mex, including ribs, po' boys and fried chicken, but the pulled pork is one of the true standouts. It cooks for 12 hours in a garlic-infused achiote paste before spending another hour in the smoker. After being shredded and getting doused in pan juice, it's ready to be served."

"Huck Finn Restaurant serves up hearty American meals all day, but regulars swear by their donuts.|© Salim Virji / Flickr. Huck Finn Restaurant serves up hearty home cooking all day long in three Chicagoland locations. While best known—or perhaps most appreciated—for its donuts, the diner has excellent breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, too."

"This diner mini-chain has three locations on the South Side that provide patrons with a satisfyingly sweet finish to every meal. Chow on golden brown pancakes, club sandwiches, and burgers but make sure to save some room for a donut delight. The signature treat features one of Huck’s donuts topped with choice of ice cream and whipped cream."

"Flub A Dub Chub's Hotdog Emporium is a small, family-owned, good ol' Chicago dog shop. Customers can get fries or tots with their Flubby (100 percent Vienna Beef) or Chubby (quarter-pound grilled Vienna Beef) dog. Not much beats the perfect simplicity of this hole-in-the-wall spot."

"Most Popular: The Flub BLT ($7) or Chicago’s Best BBQ Pulled Pork Hot Dog ($9). Here’s a confession. Flub’s is probably the most overlooked, best-kept secret in all of Chicago."

"It doesn’t get any more old school than Chicago’s oldest family-owned bakery, which has been servicing Humboldt Park sweet tooths since 1911. As a specialty, Roeser’s offers low-glycemic options for birthday boys and girls who could benefit from reduced sugar, carbs and calories. Follow the bakery’s iconic neon sign to find cakes baked using recipes perfected over 4 generations with culinary skills to decorate to any theme you could possibly imagine, including a wide variety of licensed character cakes."

"A staple of Chicago’s Humboldt Park for over 100 years, this Roeser’s Bakery celebrates true vintage fashion by selling incredible baked goods for cheap. This bakery in Chicago features custom cakes, tortes, and cookies and more, making Roeser’s Bakery everyone’s go-to place for amazing quality sweets."

"One of Chicago's oldest food purveyors, venerable Roeser's Bakery has been in business in Humboldt Park for more than 100 years. Beautiful custom cakes and tortes are a specialty, but don't miss the cookies and holiday items at this long-running local institution."

"If you judge an ice cream shop solely on how close it looks to a Willy Wonka-type Wonderland, then Windy City Sweets is your golden ticket. This classic Lakeview haunt is chock full of so much Americana sweets and ice cream that you practically get a cavity just by entering the front door. The candy (and fudge!) supply is great, but the ice cream is truly special."

"The place is called Coalfire Pizza because its super thin crust style pizza is cooked in a brick oven at over 800 degrees. For those who prefer more of a traditional Neapolitan style pizza, Coalfire does the trick. It makes its dough fresh daily and its meats and vegetables are delivered every morning so it can include the freshest ingredients in every dish."

"It might surprise you that a thin crust pizza place made a top list for Chicago, but it is well deserved. Coalfire Pizza makes their pies in an 800 degree oven and their topping combinations are outside the box, yet perfect. They have everything from Vodka Meatball to Lasagna pizza — all worth a try."

"Also on the sands of North Avenue Beach, the resort-inspired Shore Club feels like an island getaway without leaving the city. Offering three different spaces — the Patio, the Oasis, and the Restaurant — the Shore Club’s menu features Mediterranean-inspired shared plates and plenty of summer-y cocktails. In the exclusive Oasis area, reserve a private cabana where you can lounge in a daybed while enjoying personalized bottle service."

"When a restaurant’s mascot is a pig named Reginald Swinebottom III that smokes a pipe and wears a monocle and top hat, and the menu states that “Brunch is not brunch without booze. That’s just a late breakfast, or an awkward lunch,” you know you’re in for a fun ride. So, head over to Edgewater, knock back a Spiked Kyoto Black Cold Brew gilded with FEW Bourbon or a shot of Bailey’s, grab a Spicy Pickled Egg, and pull up a seat."