The Near North Side had more permitted sidewalk cafés than any other Chicago community area in the 2025 season: 196, by the city’s own permit file — down from 227 in 2019. Lake View (131), the Near West Side (121), West Town (110), and the Loop (108) complete the top five, and the ten areas below hold 951 of the city’s 1,169 permitted cafés, 81 percent. The split inside the top ten is the story our full analysis found citywide: six of these areas sit below their 2019 count — the Loop deepest, at 75 percent of its 144 — while Lincoln Park, Logan Square, North Center, and Lincoln Square all sit above theirs. A café here is a distinct permit-holder — an account-and-site pair — in the complete 2025 season, per the full analysis. These are permit records, and this page takes no position on where anyone should live, eat, or invest.
1. The Near North Side — 196 permitted cafés
The Near North Side had 196 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — down from 227 in 2019 (86 percent of that count). A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
2. Lake View — 131 permitted cafés
Lake View had 131 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — down from 136 in 2019 (96 percent of that count). A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
3. The Near West Side — 121 permitted cafés
The Near West Side had 121 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — down from 124 in 2019 (98 percent of that count). A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
4. West Town — 110 permitted cafés
West Town had 110 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — down from 127 in 2019 (87 percent of that count). A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
5. The Loop — 108 permitted cafés
The Loop had 108 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — down from 144 in 2019 (75 percent of that count). A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
6. Lincoln Park — 79 permitted cafés
Lincoln Park had 79 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — up from 63 in 2019. A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
7. Logan Square — 64 permitted cafés
Logan Square had 64 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — up from 59 in 2019. A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
8. North Center — 52 permitted cafés
North Center had 52 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — up from 46 in 2019. A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
9. Lincoln Square — 48 permitted cafés
Lincoln Square had 48 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — up from 38 in 2019. A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
10. Edgewater — 42 permitted cafés
Edgewater had 42 distinct permitted sidewalk cafés in the 2025 season, per the city’s permit file — down from 51 in 2019 (82 percent of that count). A permit covers seating on the public way for one season; the count is permit-holders, never tables, seats, or open doors.
Questions these numbers can answer
Which Chicago community area has the most sidewalk cafés? The Near North Side, with 196 distinct permitted cafés in the 2025 season — ahead of Lake View at 131 and the Near West Side at 121. All three sat below their 2019 counts.
Does the Loop have fewer sidewalk cafés than before the pandemic? Yes: 108 permitted cafés in the 2025 season against 144 in 2019 — 75 percent, the deepest shortfall among the areas with the most cafés, while citywide the count recovered to 98 percent (1,169 against 1,192).
What counts as a sidewalk café here? A distinct account-and-site pair holding a sidewalk-café permit issued for the season — the city’s permission for outdoor restaurant seating on the public way. One permit equals one season; the permit file records permission, not whether tables were ever set out.
Where these numbers come from
City of Chicago Sidewalk Cafe Permits file (nxj5-ix6z), retrieved August 8, 2026: permits issued in calendar 2025 (one permit covers one season, verified in the file), deduped to distinct account-and-site pairs, placed in community areas by the parent analysis’s region-code crosswalk. The full recovery geography, the permit-holder turnover, and every caveat: Chicago’s Sidewalk Cafés Are Nearly Back to Their 2019 Count. The Loop Is at 75 Percent.
Computed by KCM Desk from records current to August 8, 2026. If you spot an error, corrections come first.