Wheeling
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Wheeling

Wheeling

Chicago suburb known for Milwaukee Avenue's Restaurant Row and its Korean, Indian, and Filipino kitchens.

Wheeling is a northwest suburb of Chicago, about 30 miles from the Loop. On its own the town is quiet and suburban, but it has one genuine claim to fame: Restaurant Row along Milwaukee Avenue, where a remarkable concentration of restaurants -- many of them Korean, Indian, and Filipino -- draws diners from across the Chicago metropolitan area. If you are tired of downtown prices and want to eat very well for less, Wheeling is worth the drive.

The stretch of Milwaukee Avenue between Dundee Road and Lake-Cook Road is where the action is. Korean barbecue spots, South Indian dosa houses, and Filipino grills sit side by side with Mexican taquerias and Polish delis. The diversity reflects the town's immigrant communities, and the quality is high because these places are cooking for their own people, not for tourists. Lunch on a weekday is the best time to go -- you will have the places to yourself and the prices are even lower.

Beyond the restaurants, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a striking white temple right on Milwaukee Avenue, and the Des Plaines River Trail cuts through the western edge of town for a walk or a bike ride before lunch. Chicago Executive Airport on the south side is one of the busiest general aviation fields in the country. But honestly, the food is the reason to come here. Plan your visit around an empty stomach.

Guide

Eating Out

The reason most people drive out to Wheeling is the food. The Milwaukee Avenue corridor is dense with Korean, Japanese, South Indian, Filipino, Mexican, and Polish kitchens, and the standards are high across the board. Lunch is usually the best value — cheaper menus and shorter waits than dinner.

Notable Korean barbecue rooms cluster around the Lake-Cook Road end of the strip; Indian and Pakistani spots run down toward Dundee. The Polish delis south of town are excellent for pierogi and stuffed cabbage to take home.

Guide

Getting There

Wheeling is about 30 miles northwest of central Chicago.

By car. From the Loop, take I-90/94 west, then I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) north to the Willow Road or Lake-Cook Road exits, then east to Milwaukee Avenue. Allow 45 minutes to an hour in normal traffic, longer at rush hour.

By Metra. The Metra North Central Service runs from Chicago Union Station to Wheeling — the station is just east of Milwaukee Avenue on Dundee Road. Trains are infrequent, especially on weekends; check the schedule.

By air. O'Hare International Airport (ORD) is about 15 minutes south of Wheeling by car — a useful detail if you fly in and want to skip downtown traffic. Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) within Wheeling itself handles general aviation only.

Guide

Things to Do

Wheeling's main attraction is Restaurant Row along Milwaukee Avenue. Beyond eating, there is a striking Hindu temple, a small Metra commuter line through town, and access to the forest preserves along the Des Plaines River — pleasant for a walk or a bike ride before lunch.

Guide

When to Go

Wheeling is a year-round eating destination — the restaurants do not change much with the seasons.

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times for outdoor activity, with the Des Plaines River Trail at its best in October when the leaves turn. Summer is hot, humid, and busy — patios fill up and weekend dinner waits get long. Winter is grey and cold but a quiet time to take a long lunch in a warm Korean barbecue room without queueing.

If you are flying into O'Hare and have a few hours to kill, Wheeling makes a far better lunch stop than anything around the terminals.