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Edgewater is a lakefront community area on the north side of Chicago. It’s bounded by Foster Avenue to the south, Devon Avenue to the north, Ravenswood Avenue to the west, and Lake Michigan to the east.
Edgewater is heavily residential and commercial with a few historic neighborhoods mixed in. You’ll also find some decent beaches along with some great restaurants.
Edgewater Beach
Edgewater Beach is a neighborhood right on Lake Michigan. It’s mostly a residential neighborhood.
History of Edgewater Beach
Edgewater Beach was once home to the Edgewater Beach Hotel (closed in 1967) as well as several mansions built between the 1880s and 1920s. Many mansions sat along Sheridan Road, which is the main road running through the area and the northern terminus of Lake Shore Drive. Only a handful of those mansions exist today, having been replaced by several high-rise condominiums.
Beaches
Beaches at Edgewater Beach include Osterman Beach and Lane Beach. Osterman Beach, also known as Ardmore Beach, is named for Kathy Osterman (1943-1992), an alderman for Edgewater. Lane Beach, also known as Thorndale Avenue Beach, is named for George A. Lane (1903-1974), a Chicago lawyer and local resident. Swimming is only allowed at either beach between 11am and 7pm, when lifeguards are on duty during beach season.
Colvin House
One of the mansions that still stand along Sheridan Road is the Colvin House. It was built in 1909 by architect George Maher (1864-1926) for Edwin Colvin, his wife Clara, and their four children. Colvin moved to Chicago in 1885 and worked in the printing industry, becoming an executive with F.W. Hall Printing Company. The house was designated a Chicago Landmark on October 5, 1994. Today, it’s used as an event venue.
Bob Newhart Show
In popular culture, Edgewater Beach was the fictional home of Bob and Emily Hartley of The Bob Newhart Show, at the Thorndale Beach North Condominiums at 5901 North Sheridan.
Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church
Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, which was founded in 1926, is located at the corner of Hollywood and Sheridan. The current church was consecrated in 1956.
Where to Eat in Edgewater
Edgewater has some great restaurants. I’ve been fortunate to visit some of these while visiting my friend Pete, who lived in Edgewater Beach.
Calo Ristorante
First, in the lively Andersonville neighborhood is Calo Ristorante. Located on North Clark Street between Balmoral and Summerdale, this Italian eatery has some of the best and most authentic Italian dishes I’ve ever had. I visited for dinner one evening with my mom on Pete’s suggestion.
We started with the polipetti alla griglia, which is grilled baby octopus served over cannellini beans and rapini sautéed in garlic and olive oil. It was a great introduction of what was to come.
For my main course, I had the pappardelle capesante, which is pappardelle served with scallops, cremini mushrooms, and caramelized onions in a creamy roasted garlic and spinach sauce. My mom had the fettuccini monte e mare, which includes fettuccini with little neck clams, grilled shrimp, portobello mushrooms, spinach, and garlic in a white wine sauce. Both of our meals were incredible.
Ethiopian Diamond
If you’re looking for excellent Ethiopian cuisine, look no further than Ethiopian Diamond at 6120 North Broadway. It’s considered one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in Chicago.
Marisol and I went for lunch one afternoon with Pete and his wife, Sarah. They had ordered delivery several times but had never actually visited the restaurant, so it was a new experience for all of us.
We started with an order of sambusas, which are stuffed triangular pastries similar to samosas or empanadas. Two per person came with our meals (see below). Since there were several different options, we got a couple of each and shared. The sambusas are stuffed with whole lentil, spinach, chicken, beef, or potato and carrot.
For our main course, we wanted to try a little bit of everything. Since there were four of us, we decided on one meat sampler for two and one tibs sampler for two. Each dish is served on injera, a spongy flatbread. The meat sampler includes yesga alicha (mild beef stew), doro wat, kay wat, yemisir wat, kik alicha, and quosta. The tibs sampler comes with zilzil tibs, doro tibs, yebeg tibs, yemisir wat, gomen, quosta, and tekelgomen. A couple items were repeated but we didn’t mind because everything disappeared. It was a wonderful combination of flavors.
At the end of our meal, we had a traditional Ethiopian coffee. It’s served in a clay pot and was a great way to finish the experience. We all enjoyed every bite and I can’t wait to get back to Ethiopian Diamond on my next trip home.
Lickity Split
To satisfy our sweet tooth, we popped into Lickity Split, which is on the next corner down from Ethiopian Diamond. It’s one of my favorite places to visit when I’m in the area.
Lickity Split has a great selection of frozen custard served in sundaes, shakes, or concretes (custard blended with your choice of toppings). There’s also a candy shop offering different retro candies and other sweets.
It was a difficult choice, but I opted for the tasty turtle sundae. Its vanilla custard topped with hot fudge, caramel, salted pecans, whipped cream, and a cherry.
