Neighborhood 48H guide
River North: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Marina City’s corncob towers, deep-dish pizza, a Portillo’s Italian beef and hotel rooftops.
River North sits just north of the river, between the Magnificent Mile and the North Branch. It is dense with restaurants, bars and galleries, and the Marina City towers stand on the riverbank.
Photo gallery
Photo: Spatms · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Restaurants and bars on every block, and the Loop is a short walk across the river.
Who it's for: Food-focused travelers and groups who want nightlife within walking distance.
Pros
- Dense restaurant and bar scene
- Walk to the Loop and Mag Mile
- Rooftop bars
Cons
- Loud on weekend nights
- Pricey parking
- Touristy chain restaurants
48H in River North
Italian beef, deep dish and a rooftop.
12:00 – Portillo’s
Italian beef and Chicago dogs at the big Ontario Street location.
14:00 – Marina City and the river
Look up at the 1960s towers from the State Street Bridge.
19:00 – Pizzeria Uno
The 1943 original deep-dish spot; expect a wait.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Eat
Eat
Portillo’s & Barnelli’s
100 W Ontario St
Chicago’s Italian beef and hot dog chain at its big downtown location.
Official site / map →
See / do
See / do
Marina City
300 N State St
Bertrand Goldberg’s 1960s ‘corncob’ towers on the river.
Photo: Spatms · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
The Godfrey Hotel Chicago
127 W Huron St
Boutique hotel with the I|O rooftop lounge.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
Freehand Chicago
19 E Ohio St
Private rooms and shared dorms, with the Broken Shaker bar.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for River North.
Chicago requires short-term rentals to be registered with the city, and some buildings and precincts ban them. Look for the city registration number on the listing before you book.
Browse vacation rentals in River North on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Chicago
- The Loop — The Art Institute, Millennium Park’s Bean, the Riverwalk and a rooftop above Michigan Avenue.
- Magnificent Mile / Streeterville — Michigan Avenue’s shops, the 1869 Water Tower, the Billy Goat Tavern and Navy Pier.
- Gold Coast — Astor Street mansions, Oak Street Beach and the Drake’s Palm Court.
- West Loop / Fulton Market — Randolph Street’s Restaurant Row: Au Cheval’s burger, Girl & the Goat and Fulton Market’s old warehouses.
- Wicker Park — The six-way corner at North, Damen and Milwaukee, Big Star tacos, Myopic Books and The 606 trail.
- Lincoln Park — The free Lincoln Park Zoo, the glass Conservatory, Pequod’s pan pizza and late-night blues at Kingston Mines.
- Lakeview / Wrigleyville — Wrigley Field’s red marquee, Murphy’s Bleachers and a hotel across the street from the ballpark.
- South Loop / Museum Campus — The Field Museum, Buckingham Fountain and live blues at Buddy Guy’s Legends.
- Hyde Park — Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, the Museum of Science and Industry, the new Obama Presidential Center and Promontory Point.