The Time Out Chicago blog team

The holliest, jolliest time of year is right around the corner, bringing with it a beloved Chicago commuter tradition: hopping aboard a train or bus festooned with twinkling lights, commandeered by Santa and his elves and blaring holiday tunes at top volume. That’s right: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has finally announced the schedules for its Holiday Train and Holiday Bus, revealing when you can expect to see Santa making pre-Christmas Eve journeys through the city. The CTA Holiday Train will begin running on Saturday, November 29, with trips scheduled on every CTA line throughout November and December as part of regular service. As usual, the six-car train will be headlined by an open-air platform hosting Santa and his crew of reindeer, as well as LED signs, colorful interior decorations and more lights than ever before. Photos with Santa have also returned, with designated photo op dates for both the Holiday Train and Bus. Photos will be taken by a CTA employee using your device, so free up some extra storage space for the occasion.  RECOMMENDED: These are the best spots to see dazzling holiday Christmas lights in Chicago right now Photograph: Courtesy Chicago Transit Authority If you prefer to experience holiday cheer at street level, you’ll be happy to learn that the CTA Holiday Bus will make an appearance on a whopping 19 routes throughout the city this year. This year’s bus will be adorned by a jovial wrap featuring Chicago landmarks, nods to...

Wicker Park is about to lose one of its longest-running smoky institutions. After 31 years on Division Street, Smoke Daddy BBQ will serve its final brisket on January 4, 2026, Block Club Chicago reports—though the space won’t stay quiet for long. The closure, confirmed to the outlet by Josh Rutherford of 4 Star Restaurant Group, marks the end of an era for 1804 W. Division Street, where Smoke Daddy first fired up in 1994. Back then, it was “more of a bar that just happened to have some barbecue,” Rutherford said. Over the years, it grew into a neighborhood fixture with a revamped dining room, a steady roster of live music and an unmistakable perfume of ribs that drifted down the block. Still, three decades is a long time in restaurant years and the post-pandemic landscape hasn’t exactly been kind to legacy spots. With barbecue competition heating up across the city and shifting dining habits in the neighborhood, 4 Star decided it was time for a reboot. A new concept will replace Smoke Daddy in the same location sometime in 2026—details still under wraps—but the team hints it will be a full transformation. If you’re a Smoke Daddy loyalist, take a breath: the Wrigleyville outpost, which opened in 2018 inside Hotel Zachary, isn’t going anywhere. Your pulled pork fix will survive. In the meantime, the OG isn’t bowing out quietly. The restaurant is rolling out a months-long farewell tour, complete with all-day happy hours, a 1994 throwback night, a pig roast and a final...

Chicago’s fine-dining scene just picked up some serious sparkle. At last night’s Michelin Guide Northeast Cities ceremony in Philadelphia, two Chicago restaurants walked away with fresh stars—one a major promotion and one a glittering debut—cementing the city’s status as a heavyweight in the regional guide. Photograph: Kristen Mendiola Kasama, already a national obsession and the pride of Ukrainian Village, officially joined the two-star club. The Filipino tasting menu spot from husband-and-wife duo Tim Flores and Genie Kwon has long been where pastry dreams collide with modern Filipino cooking—and, now, the inspectors agree. The guide’s write-up calls out the restaurant’s “striking originality,” highlighting dishes like the adobo with mussels and mushrooms and a sweet-corn semifreddo (a.k.a. the “mais con yelo” dessert that in-the-know Chicagoans have been bragging about for years).  Photograph: Jack X. Li Meanwhile, Feld, Chicago’s seasonal, hyperlocal, farm-obsessed newcomer (also in Ukrainian Village) secured its very first Michelin star. Chef Jacob Potashnick’s menu is a greenmarket fever dream: asparagus in multiple forms, halibut surrounded by maitake three ways and sour cherries sourced from trees in the restaurant’s backyard. The inspectors also awarded the restaurant a coveted Green Star for sustainability, thanks to its commitment to responsible sourcing and waste reduction. If you’re sensing a theme, Ukrainian Village is quietly having a Michelin moment....