Chicago is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country. If you have any doubts, just take a stroll through the neighborhoods. Some are admittedly more readily identifiable as ”ethnic.”
There are the beautiful murals in the largely Hispanic Pilsen district, for example. Along a stretch of North Milwaukee Avenue, the signs in the shop windows are invariably in Polish. Farther north, the pungent aroma of curry and other enticing Indian scents wafts through the air along West Devon.
Then there are the Swedish bakeries of Andersonville, the German delicatessens of Lincoln Square and the magnificent churches in the Ukrainian Village.
There`s no shortage of ethnic entertainment either in Chicago. You can choose from serenading mariachi bands in Mexican restaurants to German oompah bands, from rousing Eastern Europe music to belly dancing in Greektown.
On any given night you can catch reggae music, traditional Irish music, salsa bands and music from Russia (Moscow At Night), the Ukraine (Galan`s) or Greece (Deni`s Den). Some spots-such as Cafe Continental on North Lincoln Avenue-offer a mix of various European cultures.
In addition to recognizably ethnic neighborhoods, there are also numerous ethnic groups in the Chicago metropolitan area whose numbers may not be very large but who have nevertheless added immeasurably to the ethnic vitality of the city. To ignore these ”invisible ethnics” would be an injustice.
Because of space limitations (and the abundance of ethnic groups in Chicago), not every group is represented here. Nor have we included blues bars, restaurants, delicatessens, bakeries, newspapers and fraternal associations in this sampler. Also excluded are Irish import shops-there are too many of them.
Instead, we chosen to concentrate on a rather selective list of ethnic arts and crafts shops, art galleries, museums, theaters, nightclubs, dance troupes, bookshops, record stores and restaurants that offer entertainment. Check with individual clubs for show times:
African-American
ART GALLERIES
African Art Gallery: 2828 N. Clark St.; 472-7868.
Les Primitifs Gallery: 706 N. Wells St.; 787-9440.
Isobel Neal Gallery: 200 W. Superior St.; 944-1570. African-American artists.
Nicole Gallery: 734 W. North Ave.; 787-7716. Haitian art.
BOOKSHOPS
African American Book Center: 7524 S. Cottage Grove Ave.; 651-0700.
CLUBS AND THEATERS
Caribbean Village: 1706 E. 75th St.; 363-3065. West Indian music, reggae, calypso.
Chicago Theatre Co.: Parkway Theater, 500 E. 67th St.; 493-1305. African- American theater group.
The Equator Club: 4715 N. Broadway; 728-2411. African music.
Exedus II: 3477 N. Clark St.; 348-3998. Reggae.
Langano Bar: 3519 N. Clark St.; 929-9383. African and Caribbean music.
Kuumba Theatre: Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren St.; 461-9000.
Negril Restaurant & Lounge: 6232 N. Broadway; 761-4133. Reggae club.
New Regal Theater: 1645 E. 79th St.; 721-9230. Big-name talent in the blues, jazz and soul fields.
Wild Hare and Singing Armadillo Frog Sanctuary: 3530 N. Clark St.;
327-0800. Reggae.
DANCE GROUPS
Muntu Dance Theatre: 6800 S. Wentworth Ave.; 602-1135. African and African-American dance.
Najwa Dance Corps: 414 W. Goethe St.; 664-7943. From traditional dances of Africa to the Charleston. Appearing 2 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Chicago Public Library Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
GIFT SHOPS
Window to Africa: 5210 S. Harper Ave.; 955-7742; 842 Custer Ave., Evanston; 708-475-6696. African art, clothes and jewelry.
MUSEUMS
Du Sable Museum of African American History: 740 E. 56th Pl.; 947-0600. Exhibits, lectures, films, classes, workshops, publications, events;
collection of sculpture, masks, dolls, jewelry; library.
Angles and Celts
BARS
The Abbey Pub: 3420 W. Grace St.; 478-4408. Traditional Irish music. Food, too.
The Atlantic Restaurant: 7115 W. Grand Ave.; 622-3259. Food and entertainment.
The Duke of Perth: 2913 N. Clark St.; 477-1741. Chicago`s only exclusively Scottish pub. ”Open pipe night” first Saturday of the month. Bring your own bagpipes. Live entertainment most Saturdays.
Irish Village: 6215 W. Diversey Ave.; 237-7555. Food and entertainment.
Kitty O`Shea`s: 720 S. Michigan Ave.; 922-4400. Irish food and Irish music.
Red Lion Pub: 2446 N. Lincoln Ave.; 348-2695. Cozy Lincoln Park watering hole.
DANCE
Evanston Scottish Country Dancers: 1615 Washington, Evanston;
708-328-5486. Frances Gillan, instructor. Classes in Scottish country dance.
Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Chicago Branch: contact: Bill Moorhead, 708-848-2332. Founded in Glasgow in 1923, today there are more than 150 branches worldwide. All levels of instruction.
Trinity Dance Academy: Chicago`s best-known Irish dancing school. Contact: Mark Howard, 774-5961. Other dancing schools include the Cross-keys School of Irish Dancing, 708-361-0923; Dennehy Irish Dancers, 708-636-8241;
and Sheila Tully School of Irish Stepdancing, 708-998-0066.
CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
British Club of Chicago: 2831 W. Lawrence Ave.; 784-8732. Special events, lectures.
The Illinois Saint Andrew Society: 2748 DesPlaines Ave., North Riverside; 708-447-5092. Oldest philanthropic organization in Illinois. Sponsors concerts and events including the Feast of the Haggis, Nov. 17 at the Hilton and Towers.
Irish American Heritage Center: 4626 N. Knox Ave.; 282-7035. Classes, concerts, programs, exhibitions.
Irish Theatre Guild: c/o Atlantic Pub, 2505 N. Harlem Ave.; 637-3800. Plays by Irish and Irish-American playwrights.
The Scottish Cultural Society: P.O. Box 486, Lombard; 708-629-2227. Sponsors the Scottish Fair each October as well as concerts and lectures throughout the year.
The Welsh Harp Society: c/o Karen Mueller, president, 838 Elgin, Forest Park. Biannual publication, Y Delyn; sponsors concerts, too.
Asian
GIFT SHOPS
China Arts: 2306 W. Devon Ave.; 508-0118.
China Arts & Gifts: 235 W. Cermak Rd.; 225-7261.
India Gifts & Foods: 1031 W. Belmont Ave.; 348-4392.
Thai Imports: 108 W. Chicago Ave.; 642-1270. Thai wood carvings, ceramics and textiles.
ART GALLERIES
East West Contemporary Art: 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza; 664-8003. Chinese contemporary art.
BARS
Nisei Lounge: 3439 N. Sheffield St.; 525-0557. Japanese-American bar. The name refers to second-generation Japanese.
BOOKSHOPS
China Books & Periodicals: 55 E. Washington St.; 782-6004.
Chinatown Books & Gifts: 2214 S. Wentworth Ave.; 326-1761.
Japan Books & Records: 3450 W. Peterson Ave.; 463-7755. Japanese-language books and videos.
Korean Books: 5800 N. Lincoln Ave.; 769-1010.
Scholars Bookstore: 1379 W. 53d St.; 288-6565. Specializing in Asian studies.
CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
Japanese Cultural Center: 1016 W. Belmont Ave.; 525-3141. Classes and lectures in karate, zen meditation, Japanese cooking and language.
German
BARS AND CLUBS
Chicago Brauhaus: 4732 N. Lincoln Ave.; 784-4444. German and American cuisine. Entertainment nightly Wednesdays-Mondays.
Edelweiss Restaurant: 7650 W. Irving Park Rd., Norridge; 708-452-6040. Entertainment Fridays-Sundays.
Golden Ox Restaurant: 1578 N. Clybourn Ave.; 664-0780. Restaurant and entertainment.
Karl Laschet`s Inn: 2119 W. Irving Park Rd.; 478-7915. Friendly German bar.
Resi`s Bierstube: 2034 W. Irving Park Rd.; 472-1749. Comfortable German bar.
Schulien`s: 2100 W. Irving Park Rd.; 478-2100. Evocative Old World restaurant and saloon. Magic tricks, too.
Zum Deutschen Eck: 2924 N. Southport Ave.; 525-8121. German and American cuisine. German ”sing-alongs” Friday-Sunday evenings.
Zum Lieben Augustin: 4600 N. Lincoln Ave.; 334-2919. Restaurant and night club.
CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
Goethe Institute: 401 N. Michigan Ave.; 329-0915. Sponsors German-language classes, conferences, lectures, film, concerts, exhibitions, author readings.
Greek
CLUBS
Deni`s Den: 2941 N. Clark St.; 348-8888. Greek music and food.
Neon Greek Village: 310 S. Halsted St.; 648-9800. Belly dancing.
