Neighborhood Guide
A booming neighborhood located along the hot Milwaukee Avenue corridor, Wicker Park is known for its nightlife, especially at the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues, and for its dynamic restaurant scene not only on Milwaukee Ave., but also along Division Street. Diverse housing stock includes historic mansions built by early “beer barons”, as well as new construction condominiums, and everything in between.
The neighborhood’s namesake park, located on Damen Ave. just south of North Ave., is a popular gathering place, with a farmer’s market in the warmer months and the recent pilot of an ice skating rink in the winter.
One of two major commercial thoroughfares, Milwaukee Avenue, today is home to businesses to suit every taste. Clothing boutiques, salons, furniture stores, and professional offices, together with popular restaurants including the Bongo Room and Unami Burger, call Wicker Park home. Neighborhood staple Myopic Books has been open to night owl readers for years, staying open until 11 p.m. The buildings themselves date to the beginning of the 20th century, and are protected from demolition by a local landmark district.
A trip along Division Street offers a glimpse at the area’s nightlife with restaurants and bars like Smoke Daddy BBQ, Milk & Honey, and the Boundary, among others.
Some of the neighborhood’s finest homes line Pierce and Hoyne Streets, south of North Avenue. They were built by many of the early immigrant mercantile class that was attracted to the area’s dynamism and are preserved today.
