Tour of Lincoln Square

After Devon Avenue, Lincoln Square is my favorite neighborhood to wander about. Where else can you find marzipan for baking, Za'atar to dust over buttered bread, and a knife skills class to inspire home cooked meals (which really can’t be beat)? Hidden across this historically German neighborhood are cultural gems just waiting to be discovered, including a segment of the Berlin Wall and an ornate lamp from the city of Hamburg.

My trips to the commercial heart of the Lincoln Square, or “the Square” as locals call it, often include a stop at Genes Sausage Shop & Delicatessen. The 18,000 square foot market stocks hard-to-find ingredients including duck fat, smoked fish, and Oblatten (translation: baking wafers) for making cookies. Gene’s produces 40 plus varieties of smoked sausages and meats in-house. It also sells a wide variety of imported spirits and beer. Flavored with grapefruit, Stiegl Radler is my favorite beverage among them.

Savory Spice Shop is located just across Lincoln Avenue. It is a relatively new but very welcome addition to the Square. As you might have guessed, it stocks a wide array of spices, dried herbs and spice blends, including Za'atar. I am particular fond of the herb offerings as they are very fresh. Savory Spice Shop is also a great place to find vanilla beans. You can take your pick among three varieties: Mexican, Tahitian, and the more common Madagascar "Bourbon." I also like to stock up on true cinnamon. I learned from staff at the store that the spice commonly labeled as cinnamon in the U.S. is actually its botanical cousin, cassia.

The Chopping Block is a hop and a skip south of Savory Spice Shop. It started as a small store front in Lincoln Park, but has grown into the largest recreational cooking school in the U.S.! The Lincoln Square location, which opened in 2003, has a spacious teaching kitchen on the second floor and an outdoor classroom out back. If you’re eager to learn cooking fundamentals, I recommend taking their knife skills class. I signed up years ago, and have benefited from the instruction ever since!

At the end of my mini-excursion, I like to stop at Flirty Cupcakes, which opened a cupcake garage in the neighborhood last year. 

Interested in learning more about Lincoln Square after this jaunt through the neighborhood? Then check out our guided Tour of Lincoln Square. It's also a great way to entertain out-of-town guests you're hosting this summer.