Eclectic Avenue: Armitage to Howard

Map: Chris Gallevo

12 Espresso yourself
Not just another of West Bucktown’s many java joints, Ipsento Coffee House is a delightful respite nestled among taco restaurants and dry cleaners. Frothy cappuccinos are brewed with genuine friendliness, decent sandwiches and Red Hen baked goods are on the menu, and rare Kentucky bottled sodas line the cooler. The details are all accounted for; there’s even a weather report drawn on the chalkboard next to the sidewalk patio. 2035 N Western Ave, 773-384-1780.—LV

13 Stick to your ribs
We loved this father-and-son rib joint back when it was smokin’ out the Austin neighborhood. But with Honey 1 BBQ’s relocation to Western Avenue about a year ago, we now have a handful of red-and-white gingham–topped tables where we can sit down and dig into the smoky, slow-cooked slabs on the spot instead of hauling them home. And thanks to the BYOB status, we can wash down the sweet-and-spicy pork with summery wheat beers. 2241 N Western Ave, 773-227-5130.—Heather Shouse

Quenchers

14 A thirst for life
With about 279 brews—from imports like Löwenbräu to domestics such as Lakefront Dark Lager—Quenchers’ comfy, two-room space boasts the best selection on the avenue. While some patrons complain it’s being overrun by scenesters, we haven’t noticed. The free jazz shows (which happen most Tuesdays and Fridays, but check quenchers.com, because it changes) are always enjoyable. Also a kick, if you’re properly intoxicated, is the live-band karaoke on Sundays, where you’ll hear everything from the Violent Femmes to the Rolling Stones. 2401 N Western Ave, 773-276-9730.—Tim Lowery

15 Via Chicago
At first sight, the “Theater” in Viaduct Theater may seem like a stretch: It’s little more than a warehouse divided into two flexible spaces. Yet the Viaduct is the unofficial home to the pop culture–riffing House Theatre and an itinerant home to loads of theater companies and bands. We loved Thom Pain (based on nothing), produced by Theater Wit, which showed here this year. And with a full bar, it’s one of the few theaters where you can simultaneously take in both a show and a hard drink. 3111 N Western Ave, 773-296-6024.—Novid Parsi

16 Curry favor
With a gajillion Thai restaurants in Chicago, why do we love Sticky Rice so much? The room is bright and cheery, the menu covers a wide range of dishes (from pedestrian to WTF), and chef-owner Kritsana Moungkeow has a savvy hand with specialties like the insanely good fermented pork sausage and the shredded papaya salad with crispy pork and salty egg. 4018 N Western Ave, 773-588-0133.—Hank Sartin

17 Live on the wedge
Like a chunk of stinky Limburger, The Cheese Stands Alone sticks out like a tiny, fragrant jewel on this stretch of the avenue in Lincoln Square. Owners Matt and Sarah Parker handpick more than 100 varieties of cheese for a selection that includes American artisan and farmhouse cheeses (try the Three Sisters’ Serena from California); European standbys (snackable aged Gouda); and even squeaky, please-the-kids curds made right over the northern border. 4547 N Western Ave, 773-293-3870.—Judy Sutton Taylor

18 Comic gold
There’s no mistaking the city’s oldest comic shop for anything else: Variety Comics’ storefront boasts life-size panels of Superman, Batman, et al. Step into Variety’s cramped basement interior, and you’re surrounded: new comics on racks, old ones in boxes and hot sellers in plastic bags. Rick V (he didn’t want his last name used), the owner with the encyclopedic pop-culture brain, sits ensconced behind stacks of comics at the counter. Looking for that particular issue of Justice League or Tales from the Crypt you had when you were a kid? If Rick doesn’t have it, he can find it. Variety is the no-bullshit, cool dive bar of Chicago comic shops. If that aesthetic doesn’t work for you, take it up with The Thing outside. 4602 N Western Ave, 773-334-2550.—Web Behrens

Chicago Printmakers Collaborative

19 Prints charming
The Chicago Printmakers Collaborative has been inviting people to see its etchings for eighteen years. The six resident artists have 24/7 access to their own studios, and another 12 to 18 artists use the equipment monthly. (Since 2004, former resident artist Carrie Iverson has shocked Western passersby with The Façade Project, an installation covering the CPC’s windows with 648 photos of American soldiers killed in Iraq.) But in essence, this is a one-stop shop for anyone interested in printmaking—making it, learning it or buying it. The CPC offers private instruction in lithography, etching, screen printing and other types of printmaking to people of all skill levels (so don’t shy away, beginners). The bustling workshop area doubles as a gallery space where visitors can purchase pieces by resident artists and other printmakers. The CPC is open to the public Saturdays from noon to 5pm and by appointment. During Chicago Artists Month in October, there’ll be an open house with demonstrations.  4642 N Western Ave, 773-293-2070, chicagoprintmakers.com.—Lauren Weinberg

DANK Haus German Cultural Center

20 Teutonic nights
If you like a little German culture with your jazz, head to DANK Haus German Cultural Center. An intersection of tradition and nouveau art and culture, it is still the meeting place for German-speaking locals and their offspring. The old-timers flock from surrounding suburbs for the monthly Stammtisch—a ritual of getting together to speak Deutsch, listen to music and drink beer. “Of course we have good beer; we don’t screw around,” says executive director Wally Rozak. He has also brought in some new blood by renovating its “musty old museum” into a fresher space, and they were recently awarded a grant by the city to design a green roof on the Skyline Lodge terrace. Hosting First Fridays Jazz on the Terrace and monthly film screenings with subtitles also helps lure in the youngsters, though you can still check out artifacts in the museum and classic German films with no subtitles if you’re hard-core Teutonic. The best room in the century-old building is the medieval room, accessed only by members of the debate society Schlaraffia, who speak in an arcane German dialect, drink ale from steins and lock debate losers in a pretend corner jail (complete with bars and a lock) until they’ve made up an impromptu song that satisfies the other members. The action doesn’t stop there; a rifle-shooting society practices its sharpshooting in the film space, and classrooms take up two floors of the building, offering all levels of German-language courses for adults and children. The gallery space will host shows in August featuring avant-garde muralist and painter Lothar Speer as well as contemporary photographer Hagen Dost—both Chicago gems. 4740 N Western Ave, 773-561-9181, dankhaus.com.—Maria Raynes

21 Goal-oriented goods
Lincoln Square football boutique Chicago Soccer boasts the best apparel, with national and international team jerseys starting at $21 to $65 for adidas, Joma and Nike. When you step inside, the wood floors make it feel like a trendy upscale neighborhood shop. It may seem tiny, but Chicago Soccer is packed with all things footie (including hunky soccerphile shoppers). If you’re hard-core field material, you’ll also find everything you could possibly need to get your game going, from shin guards to trophies. Need some new kicks? Try them out on the store’s artificial turf. 4839 N Western Ave, 773-271-2255, chicagosoccer.net.—Jill Dudones

22 Pack-rat paradise
At street level, the furniture at Penn Dutchman seems to have spilled out from inside the jam-packed shop. Once you enter, you’ll discover it’s bigger than you thought—upstairs is a granny’s attic wonderland. The Dutchman hoards all kinds of printed material, from old postcards to sheet music. Ask to see the collection of vintage mug shots, complete with the felons’ fingerprints. 4912 N Western Ave, 773-271-2208, penn-dutchman.com.—Asimina Chremos

Candlelite Chicago

23 Off-the-charts pie
There have been grumblings of late about changes to the menu, but Candlelite Chicago still draws crowds for their crispy thin-crust pizzas. Yes, the pizza crust has gotten a little thicker, and the fries a little thinner. But the stars of the show at this 60-plus–year-old sports bar—bought a few years back by a bunch of regulars after the original owners closed it—are still the pizzas (two-for-one on Tuesdays!) and the to-die-for garlic fries. 7452 N Western Ave, 773-465-0087.—JST