The Time Out Chicago blog team

With its deep Italian roots and sizable Italian-American population, Chicago is home to some of the country’s best Italian restaurants. Whether it's handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, traditional baked goods or gelato, there's no shortage of Italian specialties to enjoy across the city. To help you navigate the scene, we asked six local chefs to share their favorite spots for red-sauce classics, Italian markets, Italian beef and plenty more. The picks span everything from swanky, white-tablecloth restaurants to no-fuss institutions that have been serving the community for decades. Together, they offer taste of the flavors and traditions that make Chicago's Italian scene so special. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Chicago Photograph: Matt ReevesAdalina Italian Soo Ahn - Adalina Italian, Adalina Prime, Arla A former professional golfer turned chef, Soo Ahn leads Chicago hospitality group Hospitality Included, the team behind glitzy Italian restaurant Adalina, globally-inspired steakhouse Adalina Prime and Mediterranean-Japanese rooftop restaurant Arla. After serving as executive chef at Michelin-starred Band of Bohemia, Ahn stepped into the national spotlight as a contestant on season 21 of Bravo’s Top Chef. His cooking style draws on his Korean heritage, childhood cravings, fast-food nostalgia and classical technique. Best pizza Spacca Napoli Vito & Nick's Pequod's Red-sauce joints La Scarola Club Lucky Elina's Elevated Italian Tre Dita Monteverde Alla Vita ...

Halloween won’t fall on a Saturday for another 11 years, so here at Time Out Chicago, we’re going all out. Even better? We get an extra hour of Halloweekend when the clocks fall back on Sunday, November 1. Naturally, we’re going to make every minute count. Over the past few weeks, our team has been experiencing and curating guides on where to party, drink and be spooked on Halloween in Chicago. Some of our favorite things we’ve done this year include First Lady’s Creepy Cruise, which is equal parts ghost tour and architecture tour, and Second City’s hilarious Halloween-themed improv show Travel Can Be Murder. Whether you’re looking to party in your Elizabeth Holmes or Freaky Nikki costume, or you’re throwing on cat ears (once again) to take your kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, we’ve got your Halloween plans covered. Staying in? Queue up a scary movie marathon with the best horror movies of the year, or test your limits by watching one of the scariest movies of all time (according to science).  RECOMMENDED: The best Halloween bars and parties in Chicago No matter what your plans are, there’s no excuse not to get in the spooky spirit this Halloweekend. Read on to discover the best things to do over Halloween weekend in Chicago.  1. Haunted Halsted Halloween Fest & Parade Wanna see some of the best Halloween costumes in the city? Head to Northalsted, where hundreds of people show off their creations at this spooky festival and procession. During the day, a...

Get ready to bust out your best yellow outfits because the Bananas are coming back. For the third consecutive summer, the world-famous Savannah Bananas are bringing their high-energy antics masquerading as baseball back to Chicago. This time around, however, they’re going big and hitting the gridiron. The Bananas previously took on the Firefighters at Rate Field in 2025 and at Wrigley Field in 2026, but now they're officially moving on up and taking over Soldier Field on July 10 and 11, 2027. The two-game showdown will feature the rival Party Animals acting as the home squad, marking the first time baseball has ever been played inside the historic 102-year-old NFL stadium. The Chicago stop was revealed during the league’s annual City Selection Show in Savannah, Georgia, where owner Jesse Cole unveiled the most ambitious tour to date for the six-team Banana Ball Championship League. The 2027 World Tour is taking the sport's wildly entertaining approach to America's pastime—where fan catches count as outs and walking a batter is strictly outlawed—to unprecedented venues. For the first time ever, the league is packing its passports for international games in Monterrey and Tijuana, Mexico, as well as games in Winnipeg and Toronto, Canada. RECOMMENDED: First look: Inside the swanky suites at Chicago Fire’s new McDonald’s Park The tour spans 23 MLB venues, 10 football stadiums and 33 minor league ballparks. Iconic stops include the Field of Dreams in Iowa, Cooperstown and the...