Retro-cute as can be, little Spinning J harks back to a 1950s soda fountain, with a line of counter stools and a smattering of booths where you can sip egg creams and malts made with housemade syrups in flavors such as Thai tea and bay rum cola. Classic sandwiches, hearty soups and sweet and savory pies also please the artsy-crafty patrons.
Spinning J
Top choice in Chicago
Contact
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.97 MILES
Built in 1914, Wrigley Field – aka the Friendly Confines – is the second-oldest baseball park in the major leagues. It’s home to the Chicago Cubs and…
9.54 MILES
The MSI is the largest science museum in the Western hemisphere and a place to completely geek out. Highlights include a WWII German U-boat nestled in an…
4.02 MILES
The second-largest art museum in the country, the Art Institute houses a treasure trove from around the globe. The collection of impressionist and…
4.05 MILES
There's free admission to Millennium Park, the playful heart of the city. It shines with whimsical public art, both permanent and temporary exhibits, and…
3.46 MILES
Willis Tower is Chicago's tallest building (and one of the world's loftiest). Breathe deeply during the ear-popping, 70-second elevator ride to the 103rd…
Field Museum of Natural History
4.71 MILES
The Field Museum houses some 30 million artifacts and includes everything but the kitchen sink – beetles, mummies, gemstones, Bushman the stuffed ape –…
4.53 MILES
Half-mile-long Navy Pier is one of Chicago's most-visited attractions, sporting a 196ft Ferris wheel and other carnival rides ($9 to $18 each), an IMAX…
National Museum of Mexican Art
3.22 MILES
Founded in 1982, this vibrant museum – the largest Latinx arts institution in the US – has become one of the city’s best. The vivid permanent collection…
Nearby Chicago attractions
1. Puerto Rican Flag Sculpture
0.25 MILES
This 45-ton, steel sculpture marks the western end of the Paseo Boricua, aka Puerto Rican Promenade. It has a twin a half mile east at Artesian Ave.
2. National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
0.38 MILES
The museum fills the old horse stables in Humboldt Park. It's worth a stroll inside to see what free art and cultural exhibits are showing. These might…
0.44 MILES
The Formal Garden sits in Humboldt Park's southern expanse, near where Humboldt Dr and Luis Munoz Marin Dr intersect. It's rich with jelly-bean-colored…
0.48 MILES
The 1907 Prairie School boathouse rises up from the lagoon’s edge and serves as the park’s showpiece. A cafe inside serves beyond-the-norm sandwiches and…
0.52 MILES
The Paseo Boricua, aka Puerto Rican Promenade, is a half-mile-long stretch of Division St where many Puerto Rican shops and restaurants do business. It’s…
0.54 MILES
This 207-acre park, which lends its name to the surrounding neighborhood, comes out of nowhere and gobsmacks you with Mother Nature. A lagoon brushed by…
7. Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art
0.63 MILES
Founded in 1971, this collection acts as the westernmost anchor to a string of West Town art galleries. Two rooms display a permanent collection of…
8. St Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral
0.68 MILES
Take a minute to wander past St Nicholas, which is the less traditional of the neighborhood’s main Ukrainian churches. Built in 1913, its 13 domes…