It’s no secret that food truck freaks love to support local businesses. So, we thought we’d ask you guys what your favorite local businesses are and share them with everyone else! Here’s a roundup of some great places fellow food truck aficionados have suggested to hit up for your holiday gifts.
Foodie Things
Green Grocer
Address: 1402 West Grand Avenue Chicago, IL 60642
Phone: (312) 624-9508
Hood: Wicker Park
Transit: Grand & Noble
Possible gifts: Local/organic food stuffs, wine, gift certificates,
Filbert’s Root Beer
Address: 3430 South Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608
Phone: (773) 847-1520
Hood: McKinley Park
Transit: Ashland & 34th Street
Possible gifts: Old school sodas. This place has been around for 85+ years, so you could even pick up sodas as a unique host(ess) gift for someone who loves all things Chicago
Polo Cafe
Address: 3322 South Morgan Street Chicago, IL 60608
Phone: (773) 927-7656
Hood: McKinley Park
Transit: Google Map it, but reviews say parking is easy so drive if you can.
Possible gifts: From what we read, this is a breakfast lover’s heaven. So, pick them up a gift certificate and note on your card that their crème brulee and brunch get rave reviews.
Olympic Meats
Address: 3322 South Morgan Street Chicago, IL 60608
Phone: (773) 927-7656
Hood: McKinley Park
Transit: Google Map it, but reviews say parking is easy so drive if you can.
Possible gifts: When Food Truck Freak fan Kristina MC recommended this place, we scratched our heads a bit thinking of this as a holiday shopping place. Then, we remembered there are some men in our lives whose biggest smiles only come when they’re behind the BBQ, pampering a sexy cut of meat. (For us, these also happen to be very difficult people to buy presents for.) After seeing that you can purchase gift certificates online, we can definitely see giving a GC to dude who is in his element at the BBQ. This gift definitely rivals the myriad of barbeque gadgets you might otherwise consider for the same gift recipient.
Northwestern Cutlery
Address: 810 West Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 421-3666
Hood: West Loop
Transit: Halsted & Lake
Possible gifts: Knives! The good ones can get pricey, so this is a great gift for someone who would appreciate solid kitchen tools but might not splurge on them for themselves.
Printer’s Row Wine Shop
Address: 719 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 663-9314
Hood: Printer’s Row
Transit: Harrison
Possible gifts: Wine Club membership, beer and wine
Books, Music & Toys
The Book Cellar
Address: 4736 North Lincoln Avenue #1, Chicago, IL 60625
Phone: (773) 293-2665
Hood: Lincoln Square
Transit: Western-Brown
Possible gifts: Books, books and more books!
Sandmeyer’s Book Store
Address: 714 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 922-2104
Hood: Printer’s Row
Transit: Harrison
Possible gifts: Books, books and more books!
Timeless Toys
Address: 4749 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625
Phone: (773) 334-4445
Hood: Lincoln Square
Transit: Western-Brown
Possible gifts: Toys and other fun stuff for kids
Gramaphone
Address: 2843 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60657
Phone: (773) 472-3683
Hood: Lincoln Park/Boystown
Transit: Diversey
Possible gifts: Vinyl records, sweet tees, music posters and of course gift certificates
Quimby’s
Address: 1854 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: (773) 342-0910
Hood: Wicker Park
Transit: North Ave & Wolcott
Possible gifts: When Barnes & Noble just doesn’t cut it, this is the place to go. One review says, “categories include ‘Conspiracy,’ ‘Politics & Revolution,’ and ‘Lowbrow Art.’”
Home, Art, Jewelry & More
Hazel
Address: 1902 west Montrose chicago, il 60613
Phone: 773.769.2227
Hood: Ravenswood
Transit: Damen & Division
Possible gifts: Artisan-crafted artwork, jewelry, and home goods
Embellish Boutique
Address: 4161 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: (773) 525-4400
Hood: Ravenswood
Transit: Lincoln & Berteau
Possible gifts: Jewelry!
The Haymaker Shop
Address: 5507 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (773) 681-0798
Hood: Andersonville
Transit: Clark & Catalpa
Possible gifts: Housewares, art, furniture
Cattails Inc.
Address: 1935 West Division Street, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: (773) 486-1621
Hood: Wicker Park/East Village
Transit: Damen & Division
Possible gifts: Who doesn’t love a bouquet of flowers arranged by a neighborhood florist? You often get a lot more variety and originality when you choose a place like Cattails over an big, chain internet florist.
Gethsemane Gardens & More
Address: 5739 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60660
Phone: ((773) 878-5915
Hood: Edgewater
Transit: Edgewater & Clark
Possible gifts: Artwork, ornaments, tree toppers, candles, potpourri, Bavarian pewter collectibles, and more.
Lilliana’s European Salon
Address: 1517 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (773) 334-5240
Hood: Andersonville
Transit: Foster & Ashland
Architectural Artifacts
Address: 4325 North Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: (773) 348-0622
Hood: Lincoln Aquare
Transit: Montrose-Brown
Possible gifts: You’ll find little (and ginormous) bits of Chicago and architectural history here. It’s a giant warehouse full of antiques big and small.
Scout
Address: 5221 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (773) 275-5700
Hood: Andersonville
Transit: Foster & Clark
Possible gifts: Sweet antiques
White Nest
Jewelry from White Nest
Address: Shop on their website or on Etsy
Possible gifts: Super cool artisan jewelry, home accessories, and artwork
Note: Don’t forget about wrapping your gift! Here’s a nifty guide with ideas of how to wrap your gifts so their wrapping is as awesome as their contents.
