The city's arts district around the theatres, home to Pappy's Smokehouse, City Foundry's food hall and the Fountain on Locust.
Pappy's smokes Memphis-style ribs over apple and cherry wood in Midtown and lands on national BBQ lists. The ribs are the order, and they sell out daily.
Order: Dry-rubbed ribs smoked over apple and cherry wood.
Tip: Arrive before noon at weekends; they smoke a fixed amount each day and close when it is gone. Cash and card both work.
An Art Deco soda fountain in Grand Center, The Fountain on Locust pairs retro sandwiches and salads with ice-cream martinis and over-the-top sundaes.
Order: An ice cream martini and a sandwich.
Tip: The ice cream martinis are the signature; pair one with a sandwich. A good pre-theatre stop.
Reine Bayoc's SweetArt bakes plant-based cakes, cupcakes and savoury plates with strong vegan and gluten-free options, a longtime favourite now in Midtown.
Tip: It is the city's go-to for vegan celebration cakes. The savoury cafe menu is a bonus alongside the case.
Worth the queue: Vegan cakes and cupcakes
At City Foundry in Midtown, City Winery pairs house-made and curated wines with a full restaurant and a live-music room, a wine bar built around the stage.
Signature pour: A glass of City Winery's own production
Wine focus: House-made and curated eco-friendly wines
Food: Full restaurant menu
Tip: Pair dinner and wine with a concert; check the calendar. The on-site production wines are worth a flight.
At City Foundry, City Winery is a wine bar, restaurant and live-music room in one, pouring house-made and curated wines before and during concerts in Midtown.
Signature drink: House-made wines
Food: Full restaurant menu
Tip: Pair a flight with a show; check the music calendar. The on-site production wines are worth trying by the glass.
An Art Deco soda fountain in Grand Center, The Fountain on Locust pours ice-cream martinis and plates retro sandwiches and over-the-top sundaes.
Try: Ice cream martinis and sandwiches
Tip: The ice cream martinis are the signature; pair one with a sandwich. A good pre-theatre stop in Grand Center.
Urban Chestnut's original Midtown brewery and biergarten pours its German and American lineup near Grand Center, the first home of a big local craft name.
Tip: The biergarten is the draw in warm months. Tours of the brewing operation run on select days; check the calendar.
A Midtown food hall in a reclaimed foundry, City Foundry gathers about 20 stalls plus a brewery and cinema, the city's biggest food-hall destination.
Tip: Graze across several stalls; the dumpling and taco counters are reliable. City Winery and a cinema share the building.
A hand-painted Art Deco room in Grand Center, The Fountain on Locust pairs brunch sandwiches and salads with ice-cream martinis and big sundaes.
Order: An ice cream martini with a sandwich.
Tip: The ice cream martinis are the signature, even at brunch. A good stop before a Grand Center matinee.