Now on Resy: Happy Camper, The Purple Pig, Marchesa, and More Local Favorites

It’s impossible not to have a good time at Happy Camper (Old Town or Wrigleyville). Sure, there’s an actual camper, tire swings, and swaths of twinkle lights that make you think you’re partying under the stars. But the pizzas — neither thick nor thin, but just right — never disappoint, the ornately garnished cocktails are fun, and an afternoon on the patio can fix many ills.

This Wicker Park spot is all about the kitsch factor, from neon pink flamingos and disco balls to an actual Winnebago on the patio. Go with a few besties, find a spot on the rooftop deck, drink a Trashy Tea (or Aperol spritz if you’re feeling fancy), and share a few pizzas. A good time will be had by all.

You have to love a spot that reminds you to just be awesome (via a big brightly lit sign). From the same group as Paradise Park and Happy Camper, Homeslice is a pizza paradise with every type of topping combo imaginable. And thanks to a bevy of apps, like jalapeño poppers, wings, and elote dip, it’s the perfect spot for a group who just wants to eat, drink, and be merry.

Pink lights, lots of draping greenery, Miami night vibes — it’s all here, even in the daytime. Expect cocktails and light bites that don’t take themselves too seriously; you shouldn’t either. Just go for a good time.

You won’t go wrong at this Gold Coast gathering place in the Viceroy hotel, with its tempting international menu highlighting Midwest farms and one convivial dining room defined by sky-high ceilings, art deco accents, and hints of a yacht club vibe.

Here’s an elevated hot spot from Chicago’s prolific Boka Restaurant Group (Boka, Girl & the Goat, Momotaro, etc.) — a ritzy 18th-floor rooftop bar with a shimmering pool, killer views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan, a stylish cocktail menu, and enough bar bites to fuel an evening’s worth of fun.

You’ll want to be a regular at this Magnificent Mile standout, where James Beard Award-winning chef Jimmy Bannos Jr. serves a meaty Mediterranean-accented menu (with plenty of seafood and vegetable dishes, too) that demonstrates why he’s been dubbed “The Prince of Pork.” 

You’ve got to love a restaurant whose two signature dishes are a beef and duck fat hot dog served Chicago-style, and a whole rotisserie-roasted duck with duck-fat potatoes — and there’s plenty more that you’ll crave at this neighborhood Bridgeport treasure from chef Kevin Hickey, of Allium fame.

If classic housemade cakes and pastries and an array of New York- and Detroit-style pizzas sound good to you, step right up to this luminous seasonally inspired café from cake artist Andrea Alvarez Reno and her husband, Joel Reno, a former pastry chef at Everest and at San Francisco’s three-star Quince.

You’ll want to dress in high style at this luxurious French restaurant created by Kathryn Alvera and Jason Clark (of Narcisse and Prosecco), with its classic menu (think escargots and steak frites), its gallery of original Picasso lithos, and its waiting-for-Michelin vibe.

Come to this buzzy Logan Square brewpub for Middle Brow’s unconventionally delicious beers, house-baked breads, and seriously good pizzas — including thin-crust 14″ tavern-style pies, cut into little squares for easy eating, once a week on Tavern Tuesdays.

You’ll want to become a regular — if you’re not already — at this well-loved white-tablecloth neighborhood Italian in Lakeview. Bring the family or bring a date, but come with an appetite for classic homestyle Italian fare, from bruschetta to veal Marsala, with plenty of pasta along the way.

When Spiro Papageorge moved his popular restaurant across the street from the original location after 15 years, he took everything with him — the warm welcome, the sunny atmosphere, and the classic Greek dishes, from mezedes appetizers to flame-broiled kebabs.

Those who know book an earlier Cebu Resy to lay claim to one of the few lechons available every night — slow-roasted for three hours, this Filipino standby is not to miss. But there are lots to love on the menu at this sibling-owned spot, from a perfect halo-halo to crackly lumpia. Pro tip: If you’re looking for a feast, go for the set Kamayan menu on Sunday nights.

Wraparound windows and glowing blond wood accent give Brian Goewey’s Downers Grove version of his popular Italian mini-chain a vibrant backdrop for his wood-fired pizzas (made with imported Italian flour and housemade mozzarella), fresh pastas, craveable small plates, and more.

The domed red-tiled wood-burning pizza oven is hard at work at Brian Goewey’s Elmhurst location of his Gia Mia, and the salads, small plates, pastas, and more are just as excellent as you’d expect from this chef-driven mini-chain.

The only question at this outpost of Brian Goewey’s Gia Mia restaurants is whether to enjoy your Neapolitan-style pizza, fresh pasta, and other Italian fare at the engaging marble-top bar or under an umbrella on the breezy patio.

You’ll find Gia Mia’s usual bright Italian fare at this location — the salads and small plates, the fresh pasta, the wood-fired pizzas, and more — with an added attraction: a brick-paved patio on 1st Street Plaza, complete with splashing fountain, shaded by trees and café umbrellas.

The sign on the wood-slat façade outside Brian Goewey’s original Gia Mia in Wheaton reads “Pizza Bar” — but the authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas are just the beginning at this bustling Hale Street charmer, where the pastas are freshly made and the small-plate Italian dishes cover all the bases.

Brian Goewey turns figuratively east from his mini-empire of suburban Italian restaurants (Livia Italian Eatery, the Gia Mias) with this cool but lively pan-Asian place in St. Charles, where the menu offers everything from sushi to pad Thai to Korean fried chicken.

This casually elegant Northern Italian essential in Geneva sources local ingredients, often organic, for its appetizers, pastas, flatbreads, salads, and generously portioned main dishes. Gorgonzola-crusted lamb chops are a customer favorite.

This French-accented Japanese bistro brings something special to the Gold Coast restaurant scene with its sleek decor and cliché-busting menu. (When’s the last time you saw a restaurant that serves nigiri and sashimi and a serious cheese plate?)