If you’ve ever wondered what Chicago nightlife was like in the early parts of the last century, take a trip to one of Logan Square’s newest enclaves, Longman & Eagle.The restaurant opened at the end of January and, once spring rolls around, will be like an old-time traditional inn complete with six rooms and breakfast in the morning. For the time being, it’s a great place to grab a whiskey drink — try the Longman Manhattan, made with Wild Turkey 101-proof bourbon — or some craft beer and enjoy the fineries of a modern gastropub with an old-time feel. Some of the eats include roasted marrow bones with red onion jam and sourdough crostini, as well as wild boar sloppy joes.

The place gets packed and there’s often a wait. A tip: if you’d like stick around after dinner for a post-meal drink, it’s not uncommon for the staff to offer to buy your final round if you’re willing to move to the bar so they can seat the next table.

When I just feel like a quick, ethnic bite but don’t need any thrills, I like to make my way to Sinbad’s in Lakeview. I’ve been going there for years, and while I have found better shawarma elsewhere, the friendly staff and amazing juice bar keeps me coming back almost weekly. It all started when I lived just a few doors down from the place on Belmont, and now when I come in they start making my usual order — the beef shawarma dinner served over a bed of rice, tomato and cucumber salad with pita bread and a side of sauce. Whenever friends from the suburbs come in and visit I usually make sure we stop there for a quick bite, and they usually end up hitting Google to try to find Mediterranean food out where they live.

[Longman & Eagle photo via dumin. Sinbad's photo via soumit]