Readers' Choice: Best of Chicago

We asked, you voted: 2010's best shopping, dining, drinking & doing!

Theater reviewer Terry Teachout recently opined, in no less than the Wall Street Journal, that “the Windy City is blowing the Big Apple out of its once-secure spot at the top of America’s theatrical tree.”

As flattering as the compliment was, we suspect the collective reaction of Chicagoans was: “We know.” Though it’s unlikely we’ll ever shake our “Second City” nickname, it’s clear to anyone who calls Chicago home that we’re second-to-none. From Terry’s beloved theater scene, to our global cuisine offerings, to a summer’s worth of outdoor festivals, to shopping on and off the Mag Mile, Chicago is a city that rarely leaves one without an acceptable diversion.

At TCW, we certainly have our favorites city hot spots, and share a love of our home that, on these warm summer days, leaves us gazing wishfully out at sun-streaked Michigan Avenue. So when we turned the tables and allowed you, the reader, to tell us your picks for the best of Chicago, it was no surprise when the resulting votes numbered in the thousands. The winners were at turns inevitable, surprising and, in some cases, informative. (New cupcake recommendations? Yes, please!) Here, then, are your picks for the best our fair city has to offer: our 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards.

Jump to categories:
Around Town
Body & Beauty
Personalities
Shopping Destinations
Top Eats