North Center

North Center is a really nice neighborhood for couples and families. I have a friend with 2 young kids who lives there and loves it. It’s fairly quiet, safe, and still has a lot to do.

A lot of the restaurants in the area are bar & grill/pub type places. Orange Garden has been in the neighborhood FOREVER and is a really good Chinese place. Mrs. Murphy and Sons is an awesome Irish restaurant that will totally change the way you feel about Irish food. They also have a great whiskey list.

I’ve mostly been to the bars in the area. Martyr’s is a nice place to see live music – they have all kinds of different bands play, including a lot of international/world music. The Globe Pub has been a favorite of mine since it opened. They have tons of different beers, good food and open REALLY early for soccer games (which is what they’re known for). The Black Rock also has decent bar food and is a good spot to hang out with friends.

If you have a day to kill, stop by Architectural Artifacts. It’s a salvage shop that has old furniture, doors, tiles, pillars, fireplaces – random stuff from demolished buildings around the world. They have a museum too. Poking around here can be really fun if you like antiques or home décor. It’s really expensive, but fun to just look around.

North Center is a popular area, which also encompasses Roscoe Village and St. Bens. Its location in the North Side makes it convenient to all of Chicago’s hot spots, many of which are found right here. The boundaries of North Center are Ravenswood Avenue on the east, the Chicago River on the west, Montrose Avenue on the north, and Diversey Parkway on the south.

My favorite area of North Center is Roscoe Village, which is where I live. All of North Center is filled with fun eateries, bars, and tons of family-friendly areas. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Wrigley Field, Lincoln Park, and many other points of interest, North Center is far enough away from the hectic life of the city without giving up the convenience many people crave.

Families will find North Center and all of its sub-neighborhoods to be quite family-friendly. There are many prominent schools in the area for all ages. You’ll also find a few boutiques that cater to families, including Be By Baby, which fea

North Center is a nice, safe area that's close to the more happening areas while still removed enough to be a quieter neighborhood. I feel like you could really raise a family there, and I know a lot of the younger professional crowd as started to flock there, although I wouldn't say it has that much to hold my interest.
One place I would recommend for dinner is Sola, which is a nicer restaurant with some great food. I've visited North Center more than once just to eat there, so it is certainly a highlight.
Walking around, you'll see a number of stores that seem interesting, but for me, they just don't seem like the places you'll want to see all the time. Some art galleries and furniture stores where you can find something unique, but really, after you furnish your place, do you really need a furniture store nearby? I don't. Art galleries are nice, and certainly add an air of class to the area, but again, not terribly helpful if you ask me.
Transportation is good, with access to the Kennedy and the El stops here, but that can be said of most neighborhoods, so it's nothing special.
Overall, I don't think North Center would be a half bad place to live. It's safe and pretty quiet, and you're close enough to the more exciting areas to make it a good resting place.