Lisa Shames

Lisa Shames is a freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Magazine.

Magdalena Lopez, center, helps her fellow seniors as they take part in painting tote bags at the Back of the Yards Coffeehouse, in Chicago on May 11, 2026. The Back of the Yards Coffeehouse hosts rotating Senior Monday events, like painting totes, chair yoga, and culinary demonstrations. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Food and drink aren’t the only items being served at restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Community is also on the menu.

June 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Chicago restaurants, bars and coffee shops are thoughtfully embracing the meaning of hospitality and creating unique ways to connect to their communities beyond the food and drinks they serve.

Shop and Snack

July 2, 2026 at 11:19 a.m.

Cool places to grab a bite are popping up inside more and more stores. Here are three new favorites.

Guests sit at a 24-person dinner table while eating the first course during a South Side + Friends Chef Series monthly dinner in Chicago, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Nate Swanson/for the Chicago Tribune)

Restaurants embrace the return of communal tables as diners look for deeper connections when eating out

April 6, 2026 at 6:19 p.m.

Diners are looking for deeper meaning and connection when eating out and restaurants and supper clubs are happy to oblige with the return of communal tables.

Spanish Fiesta

July 2, 2026 at 11:17 a.m.

James Martin’s weekend dinners at Bocadillo Market bring strangers together over a multicourse meal.

Annie Leahy, left, applauds her opponent, Becca Petersen, after it was announced that Petersen won the Speed Rack bartending competition at Thalia Hall in Chicago on Feb. 23, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Speed Rack, an electrifying cocktail-making competition, uplifts female-identifying bartenders

February 24, 2026 at 1:55 p.m.

Its name originated as a joke, but Speed Rack, the world’s first and only all-women and femme bartending competition, is anything but.

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Monday, Funday

July 2, 2026 at 11:22 a.m.

Once overlooked, the first weeknight is fast becoming one of the best for going out, thanks to some enticing specials.

Rise and Shine

July 2, 2026 at 11:22 a.m.

Luella’s Southern Kitchen, now in new digs in Albany Park, goes all in on daily brunch.

Monica Casillas-Rios, bar director for Elske, 1350 W. Randolph St. in Chicago, makes a nonalcoholic cocktail, Jan. 8, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

For Dry January, hospitality industry experts discuss why they’re cutting back on alcohol

January 14, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Those in the hospitality industry are especially vulnerable to the downsides of drinking with easy access to alcohol, spirit brand-sponsored trips, alcohol-focused conferences and a social life that often revolves...

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The Epicurean Guide to Chicago’s Airports

July 2, 2026 at 11:25 a.m.

Our food writers offer their picks for what to eat at O’Hare and Midway.

Former Chicago Bears player Israel Idonije at his recently opened Buttercup café in Chicago, Oct. 2, 2025. Buttercup is a café by day and an amaro bar and small bites place at night. Idonije is putting his mark on the hospitality scene in the South Loop where he lives. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Former Bears player Israel Idonije tackles a new challenge: Restaurants in his South Loop neighborhood

November 9, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Former Chicago Bears defensive end and South Loop resident Israel Idonije strives to uplift his neighborhood, one restaurant and bar at a time.

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