The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

Once home to the municipal fire department's Engine Company 104, this South Michigan Avenue station transitioned into a restaurant in 2000. The layout retains several distinct pockets: the Bar Room centers on the building's firefighting heritage, while the main dining room is framed by a 20th-century mural. Out back, the tree-lined patio occupies the station's former horse stables, and private event spaces upstairs open onto a veranda overlooking the South Loop skyline.