Porch song trilogy: The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce invites residents and visitors to celebrate summer with the return of the stroll-worthy Porchfest in Lake View and Roscoe Village—two neighborhood music festivals transforming front porches into intimate live music stages across the North Side.
Porchfest Lake View took place May 31 but Porchfest Roscoe Village will be Sunday, June 28, at 1-5 p.m.
—A colorful experience: 360 CHICAGO—the observation deck atop the former John Hancock Center—will kick off Pride Month with a “Pride in the Sky” Sip & Paint experience taking place Tuesday, June 2, at 7-8:30 p.m.
Led by local drag performer Kimberly Summer, the guided painting experience will invite guests to paint a vibrant Chicago skyline complete with a rainbow while taking in panoramic skyline views from the observation deck.
Admission includes one complimentary cocktail from the Sip & View menu which will also feature a specialty Pride-themed drink. Artists of all skill levels are welcome to attend, and 25% of ticket proceeds will benefit AIDS Foundation Chicago. Tickets are $75 and available at 360CHICAGO.com.
And now on to culinary items…—
RESTAURANT PICK: As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close, it’s fitting that Mieko Fujii Sensei—an instructor from the Japanese Culture Center in Chicago—honors this column with her restaurant choices.
“There are really so many Japanese restaurants in Chicago,” she stated. “Some are great for special occasions, while others are nice casual places to go with friends. For casual dining with friends, I like Cocoro and Kaizan as well as Gaijin, which is famous for Osaka-style okonomiyaki [a type of savory Japanese pancake].
“For special occasions, I think restaurants such as Omakase Shoji, Nobu and Miru are very nice choices. Of course, there are many other excellent restaurants as well, but since I have not been to them myself, I cannot really give detailed recommendations.
“Also, in the suburbs, there are many casual Japanese restaurants where Japanese businesspeople often go for everyday meals.”
—Shaking things up: Protein Bar & Kitchen is celebrating Pride Month by partnering with two local LGBTQ+ personalities to launch a pair of menu items.
Working with Director of Culinary Laura Camerer, TikTok sensation Jools Lebron and NBC Chicago’s Matthew Rodrigues curated unique protein shakes featuring their favorite flavors and high-quality ingredients. Throughout June, Protein Bar & Kitchen will donate 10% of all proceeds from these specialty shakes to the Center on Halsted.
Inspired by the name she uses for her devoted followers, Lebron’s creation is the Divalicious($11.99, with 25 grams of protein)—a mix of blueberry and mango, fortified with collagen and whey protein, and augmented with a double coconut cloud finish. Rodrigues’ creation is theNut Job($11.99, with 22 grams of protein); it’s made with peanut butter, banana, double cocoa malt, fortified with whey protein and creatine, and finished with a date drizzle. The shakes are available at Protein Bar’s locations or online.
In addition, there will be the Blue Moon Over Brooklynshake; inspired by the viral romance series Heated Rivalry, it will be available via the app only and “on the DL,” an ode to the show. This shake includes blueberry, almond milk, vanilla whey protein and chia seeds—and don’t forget with June being LGBTQ+ Pride Month, he extra banana!
—Pride—a deeper love: And several other spots are offering specials to celebrate the queer community:
- LondonHouse will celebrate Pride Month this year with its Love Is Love dessert, made with white chocolate mousse, rainbow cake, sugar cookie, apricot, strawberry, and raspberry. Ten percent of proceeds will go to Center on Halsted.
- I|O Godfrey will offer its Rainbow Sangria and Rainbow Maki, with proceeds going to Center on Halsted.
- Stan’s Donuts will celebrate Pride Month with colorful, limited-time treats available June 26-28. The Pride Donut features Stan’s signature rainbow-colored glazes layered on a classic yeast donut, while the Rainbow Sprinkled Cake Donut puts a festive twist on the brand’s traditional vanilla cake donut with rainbow sprinkles. Twenty-five cents from each sale will go to Howard Brown Health.
- Step into The Gwen (at Upstairs at The Gwen) for “The Queen’s Drag Tipsy Tea,” an afternoon of glamour, tea and entertainment on Saturday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m. One standout guest will also be crowned the coveted “Diamond of the Season” in celebration of exceptional style and presence. Tickets are $95 per person and available now via OpenTable.
- Also on June 6, celebrate Pride Month at The Goddess and Grocer’s first-ever Pride Month Drag Brunch at 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Bucktown location. Guests can enjoy performances from Amira Slick, Lezbian Minnelli, Barbie Slick and Ash Wednesday alongside brunch favorites, two Crafthouse cocktails and a slice of the brand’s iconic rainbow cake. Tickets are $45 per person and include the full drag brunch experience, with vegan and gluten-free entrée options available.
- And also on June 6, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, will host a vibrant Pride brunch at 11 a.m.-2 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland.
—Smyth-ical: And speaking of restaurant picks, Chicago’s Smyth just received a huge honor, as it was just named The Best Restaurant in North America, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna and The Best Restaurant in Midwest USA in the 2026 edition of the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
It was the only Chicago restaurant to be named to the overall top 50 North America list. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants stated, in part, “Smyth is all about partnership: of the couple at the helm (Karen Urie Shields on pastry and John Shields on [savory]), but also between ingredients, instinct and technique.”
In order, the rest of the top 10 North American restaurants included Eight (Calgary, Alberta, Canada); Restaurant Pearl Morissette (Lincoln, Ontario, Canada); Dakar NOLA (New Orleans); Mon Lapin (Montreal); Albi (D.C.); Atomix (New York City); Quetzal (Toronto); Tanière3 (Québec City, Québec, Canada); and César (New York City).
—Summer lovin’: Swingin’ Summer starts at Chicago’s The Dandy Crown (694 N. Milwaukee Ave.) this June with a new cocktail menu and fun (and free) summer events every week.
Regarding the latter, The Dandy Crown welcomes dog-friendly dogs on its patio, and each Saturday afternoon from June to August will be home to the Dandy Dog Days of Summerat 3-6 p.m. Each week will host a different dog meet-up, like a dating mixer that lets the dogs decide compatibility. As always, the first Tuesday of the month is for thematic trivia, featuring Heated Rivalry Trivia on June 2, Harry Potter Trivia on July 7, and ‘90s Trivia on Aug. 4. Check out the Events page for up-to-date details.
As for drinks, the cocktail menu includes both cost-conscious daily specials, like the daily $10 Jack Black Dandy Lemonade (fresh-squeezed State fair style lemonade with lemon zest and sea salt with Jack Daniel’s blackberry whiskey), along with non-alcoholic options and a new THC cocktail, Floating (Nowadays 2mg THC Spirit, Freddie’s Root Beer and melted vanilla ice cream). There will also be concoctions such as the Cafe Cabana (espresso-infused Skyy Vodka, Mr. Black, toasted macadamia, white chocolate and coconut) and the Coney Island (Cruzan White Rum, strawberry and melted vanilla ice cream).
—Early queue: Early bird tickets go on sale June 1 for Green City Market’s Chef BBQ, which will take place Thursday, Sept. 10, in LIncoln Park.
More than 100 of Chicago’s top restaurants, brewers, winemakers and mixologists provide tasting portions of locally inspired dishes and craft beverages highlighting ingredients from Green City Market’s local, sustainable farmers.
—Give it away now: Stan’s Donuts is celebrating National Donut Day on Friday, June 5, with a FREE limited-edition chocolate dipped donut, with any purchase, at all Stan’s locations and inside Mariano’s stores.
Plus, there’s a fun giveaway: Customers can hunt for special green and pink donuts. Anyone who finds a green donut will win free donuts for life; anyone who finds a pink donut will win free donuts for a year. Each location will have one “free donuts for a year” winner.
—Don’t forget to find much more Chicagoland restaurant news at SAVOR with Andrew—and you can subscribe for free!
Until next time…