Best view of...the water

Photograph by Nicole Radja

DeLaCosta (River East Arts Center, 465 E Illinois St, 312-464-1700)
Last summer, DeLaCosta offered decent outdoor options: a sidewalk café in the front and a patio overlooking the Chicago River in the back. Nice, but also kind of a tease—the restaurant is so close to the river, yet the water still seemed out of reach. This summer it’s rectifying the situation by adding a “floating dock”—40 seats that aren’t just beside the river, they’re on it. Decorated with flowers and vines, the dock is only available for apps and cocktails. But with icy, rum-infused mango-peach “poptails” (cocktails in Popsicle form) at your disposal, you won’t want for much else.

—David Tamarkin

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