The best Lincoln Park restaurants

The signature pan pizza—in all its glory with a ring of caramelized cheese around the crust—remains the same. Skip flavorless fried-vegetable appetizers, salads and sandwiches and save your appetite for a couple of ginormous slices of a sausage pie, dotted with perfectly spiced, Ping-Pong-ball–size pieces of seasoned ground pork.

One of the best Italian restaurants in town isn’t tucked away on some corner in Little Italy. Surprisingly, it’s smack-dab in Lincoln Park. Chef Riccardo Michi’s family founded the Bice restaurant empire in Milan, so he knows a thing or two about regional Italian food.

You’re crazy if you start your meal at Rickshaw Republic with anything other than its crackly, gingery, twice-fried chicken wings. Some other takes on Indonesian street food are also successful, and we're also sold on the creative interior, the BYOB no-corkage-fee policy and refreshing desserts such as the jackfruit shaved ice.

The sister restaurant to Summer House Santa Monica, Stella Barra looks like a dark sports bar, but is actually turning out delicious pizzas, like the fennel-heavy sausage, which has an airy, crispy crust. Pair it with a Sicilian Highball—basically a deeper, bitter, more delicious Moscow Mule.

Nothing’s changed much in the 83 years since this Old Town rib institution started packing in the crowds, and that’s okay with us. We’ll still cram our way into the old tavern to wait among the masses (no reservations are taken) for the falling-off-the-bone, baked-then-grilled baby backs.