Heaven On Seven

After a morning of sight-seeing head over to lively Heaven on Seven for a relaxing respite and a piping hot bowl of New Orleans gumbo.

If you’re a gumbo fanatic, the bowl here is thick, spicy and hearty enough to fuel even the busiest worker.

This 29-year-old Chicago institution, located on the seventh floor of the historic Garland building, is also known for its jalapeno corn muffins, linguini with New Orleans-style barbecued oysters, po’ boy sandwiches and soft-shell crab salad.

Most popular as a lunch spot, Heaven on Seven also serves up a hearty breakfast offering everything from omelets to French toast. Every third Friday of each month, chef and owner Jimmy Bannos features a special dinner with details featured on the restaurant's website.

You're guaranteed to feel right at home in this restaurant, which that features a small horseshoe shaped counter. It is noisy, happy and the lunch crowd ranges from Chicago businessmen to shoppers and visitors to the city.

Heaven on Seven enjoys a prime location close to attractions such as The Art Institute, State Street Shopping, the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park and Orchestra hall.

Lunch lines can be long, but they move fast. If you’re in a hurry, sit at the counter where there’s usually no wait.

One wall is devoted to an array of bottled hot sauces, and be sure to take a peek at the dessert case. The pecan pie, chocolate bourbon pecan pie and bread puddings are sure to please — if you have room.

- by Lori Rotenberk , Chicago Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Lori Rotenberk

Lori Rotenberk graduated from Drake University and is a Chicago-based journalist whose work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsweek and various magazines. She worked as a staff reporter on The Chicago Sun-Times, the suburban section of The Chicago Tribune and The Des Moines Register. In addition, she has studied fiction writing in adult education at the University of Chicago.