The Oak Parker

Some bars are built for the neighborhood, and some just happen to sit in one — the Oak Parker is firmly the former. It bills itself as a modern neighborhood bar with a serious kitchen, and the menu backs up the swagger: house-made pastrami stacked on rye, crispy chicken schnitzel, smash burgers, hand-cut fries under woodsman gravy, and a navy bean soup that tastes like someone’s grandmother is quietly in charge. Downstairs, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar handles the drinks — the espresso martini gets name-checked a lot — and the whole place is organized around music, which keeps the energy warmer than your average gastropub.

It lands as one of the more grown-up rooms in Oak Park, equally suited to a date night, a group taking over a booth, or a solo seat at the bar with the game on. There’s a patio for the warm months, too. It’s high on our list as the kind of do-a-little-of-everything spot a good town needs — and Oak Park clearly knows it.