A College Kid’s Guide to Evanston
It’s always amazed me how different a place feels once it’s familiar. How the off campus basements I once stood in, tense and self-aware, are now the same places I crave so deeply. By senior year I’d open doors without knocking in the very same spaces that I refused to enter without at least 4 girls flacking my sides. Very quickly, Evanston felt like hearing footsteps from down the hall and knowing who was approaching just by their cadence. I’d walk across the street barefoot (don’t recommend,) cry on public street corners, and feel unabashedly comfortable basically dancing in the streets when my Discover Weekly really hit a certain week. Going to school in Evanston, a sweet suburb, life felt so cohesive every day.
That being said, I started Northwestern dragging my feet. I’m from a suburb outside New York City which essentially means I was once the elitist girl who swore New York was the only real city and, transitively, Westchester the only proper suburb. There was a time where Evanston didn’t feel like home, and where it felt like I was being bombarded with tall faceless nameless strangers.
Northwestern is full of Venn-Diagrams of people and vibes and circles. But what makes it home is that no matter how far away from someone on that map you are, you share the small town of Evanston, and the bright, glossy windy city of Chicago (if you want to.) Here are the spaces and places that helped transform Northwestern from a concept, a scary mess of bubbles I didn’t understand, to my favorite home. (I spent a ton of time in downtown Chicago, but focused specifically on local Evanston spots here.)
Coffeelab: No place feels like home until a barista at a local coffee shop memorizes your order. On Noyes Street, home to my senior year apartment, Coffeelab has everything your go-to-coffee-shop needs: bright light, tables to sprawl out your econ textbooks on, wifi, great coffee and snacks, etc. It’s the best place to roll up hungover, clad in pajamas and last night's makeup, cry, study for your final, and run into your ex.
Tomate: If I had to pick one place to put in the epicenter of the multitude of Northwestern Venn Diagrams, I would pick Tomate. This small, vibrant, hole-in-the-wall-esque Mexican spot is home to Polo, one of the kindest men you’ll ever meet, and objectively the best burritos. Whether you just failed a final or are stumbling from one backyard tailgate to the next, the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Tomate will make your day better. When I think about Northwestern, I think about Tomate, about waiting in line in between that kid from my econ class who I swore never left the library and that older boy who I went on a blind date with and never spoke to again. Tomate’s pure kindness and deliciousness is a magnet to all corners of Northwestern, and it’s the place I will visit every time I go back to Evanston.
Pro tip: Get your burrito extra crispy and always add guac
D&Ds / The Supermarket: Half of D&Ds is a mom-and-pop grocery store, home to a small sandwich counter in the back. Banter with Penelope, the wittiest checkout lady in the world at the front, and then head to the back counter for one of these filling sub-style Italian sandwiches. My personal favorite is The Penthouse. D&D Dogs. The other entrance to D&Ds is an enclave of your hungover fantasy: juicy breakfast sandwiches, giant hot dogs, and incredible milkshakes. Roll in in your big T-shirt and no pants and order a Goliath.
Als Deli: The oldest establishment in Evanston, Als Deli, a quaint French establishment that still doesn’t have an electronic cash register, remains a highlight of the collective Northwestern experience. Get a butter cookie here after your Tomate burrito if you really want to have the best day of your life. (Their tomato soup is also one of my personal favorites.)
Cozy Noodles & Rice: The most reliable Evanston restaurant — truly the only restaurant of 23 that I called during the Polar Vortex in 2019 that was open (see below pic.) Affordable, BYOB, cozy (as the name suggests,) soothing Thai food. I usually opt for their pad see ew or one of the curries. A fun place to go if you want to get tipsy before a formal or if it’s a wholesome winter night and you want to lie horizontal on the couch after.
Union Squared: I’m still an obnoxious New Yorker deep down; I’m not going to tell you to come to Northwestern for deep dish pizza. That being said, Evanston is home to one of my favorite pizza places of all time. They have Detroit styled pizzas (big, Sicilian styled pies,) a great brussel sprout salad, and tons of beers/canned drinks. The space is an outdoor biergarten with little twinkly lights and fun music.
Soban Korean: BYOB Korean food in a small, dark space. A new Evanston staple, but an important one nonetheless. Order the hot stone bibimbap.
Foodstuffs: Foodstuffs is on Central Street, a bit of a walk away from Northwestern, but is the place to go for a great make your own salad or some gorgeous pastries. Also the best place for people to watch suburban families.
Bat17: A sports bar in the heart of Downtown Evanston with some of the best burgers/sandwiches around. Come here for a beer tower and a sandwich so large you literally struggle to fit it in your mouth (not the best first date spot.)
Taco Diablo / Five & Dime / Lulus: These three restaurants are located side by side and owned by the same restaurant group. Taco Diablo is famous for their Taco Tuesday deals (amazing tacos and margs.) Lulus is a hidden gem of Evanston: an Asian fusion spot that’s affordable, soothing, and delicious. Five & Dime is a rooftop bar/restaurant with American food (and some gems from Lulus and Taco Diablo,) and incredible drinks. We all want to pretend to be cooler than the Pink Drink Girl, but do yourself a favor and just order the Yes Please!
Bookends & Beginnings: Like anything else, the best thing about college is also the worst: moments alone are rare. No matter the type of person you are, you’ll get used to the definition of privacy being stretched and bended to mean something bigger, and to falling asleep to the sound of Build Me Up Buttercup being slurred out by a bunch of overtired, overworked, incredibly joyful 21 year-olds. That being said, sometimes we all need a moment to ourselves, to zoom out and escape the Evanston bubble. Bookends & Beginnings is a small, hidden bookstore in an alleyway on Sherman Ave. Whether you need a new book or just need that quiet moment alone, come here, explore, and chat with the employees about their new favorite books.
South / North Beach: Despite the perception of Northwestern as the arctic iceberg of colleges, campus transforms itself into a beach town from May-September. Almost all my spring moments of free time were spent at South or North Beach, of walking to class with sand in my hair and bathing suit straps poking out of my shirt.
The Lakefill: The long stretch of grass/rocks along the lake on campus with a small but sure of view of the Chicago skyline. In the spring you come here between classes and find everyone you know, blasting music and pretending to do work but really just playing spike ball.
