Whole Foods Market Lincoln Park

A trip to one of the city’s tight-aisled, constantly mobbed grocery stores can be stressful—but Lincoln Park’s Whole Foods has a secret asset that might actually encourage you to linger. Through the glass doors beyond the registers at the store’s rear is a small canal-side seating area complete with highboy tables and southeasterly views of the skyline. With a sizeable food court and expansive bakery and cheese departments at your disposal, assembling a meal here has the feeling of putting together a picnic. Choose a few bites, grab a glass of wine or a pint of beer, and head out those magic doors for a grocery store experience that’s surprisingly tranquil.