Albany Park includes the smaller sub-neighborhoods of Mayfair and North Mayfair. What makes this North Side spot worth exploring and maybe even calling home? The neighborhood boasts an enclave of small businesses—mostly a collection of diverse and delicious restaurants —along its Lawrence Avenue corridor. You can eat out in this easy to traverse neighborhood and even find an affordable home. Here’s your introduction to Albany Park.

Buying a Home in Albany Park

Homes in Albany Park

Albany Park has a good mix of different homes. You’ll find condos, lofts, townhomes, and single-family homes in all different sizes. The median sale price in the neighborhood is $250,000. You’re likely to find some architectural gems in North Mayfair, which has a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Albany Park’s popularity is likely to increase as eager homebuyers turn their eye beyond the borders of the nearby and already booming neighborhoods of Portage Park, Old Irving Park, and Lincoln Square. Albany Park beats out all three when it comes to affordability. The median sale prices in those three North Side neighborhoods are:

Getting Around

Kimball CTA Brown Line stations

Three CTA Brown Line stations—Kimball, Kedzie, and Francisco—within the neighborhood make it easy to get downtown and anywhere else in the city. Plus, several bus routes cut right through the neighborhood, offering plenty of public transit options.

Avid pedestrians will also find themselves right at home in Albany Park. Walkscore ranks the area the 24th most walkable neighborhood in the city and notes that nearly all of your errands can easily be accomplished on foot. 

If you are a city driver, you won’t have to struggle too much to find homes with garages and assigned parking spots. 

The Food

Photo courtesy of Afghan Kabob

Albany Park’s restaurants are really where it shines. You can get Mediterranean, Mexican, Colombian, Korean barbecue, Lebanese, and more within the boundaries of this North Side community. Here is a sample of just a few of the restaurants that make Albany Park a tasty locale. 

  • Afghan Kabob. Walk over to Mayfair to order off of the Mediterranean menu offered at Afghan Kabob. 
  • Ay Ay Picante. Ay Ay Picante is all about Peruvian cuisine. Expect to find dishes with lots of chile, corn, avocado, tomato, and potato. 
  • Chicago Kalbi. Chicago Kalbi specializes in Japanese-style barbecue. This Albany Park restaurant is a must-try for meat eaters.
  • Dokil Bakery. You can sate your craving for sweets at this Korean bakery, which does all sorts of yummy baked goods.
  • Ixcateco Grill. This restaurant is a casual, BYOB spot with a menu dedicated to Southern Mexican dishes. Ixcateco Grill also does brunch.
  • Semiramis Lebanese Restaurant. Semiramis does Mediterranean food with an emphasis on Lebanese flavors.

Entertainment 

Eugene Field Park in the Albany Park photo courtesy of IvoShandor 

While the neighborhood could use more retail spots, you can still find plenty to do in Albany Park. For a more intimate theater experience, skip the crowds in the Loop and try the Albany Theater Project or the Halcyon Theater. Both theaters focus on telling stories that need to be given a voice with a focus on women, people of color, teens, and more.

The neighborhood is also home to a museum, open since 2004. The National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial pays tribute the culture of Cambodia and actively campaigns for social justice.

Albany Park also has two outdoor spots. On the northeastern edge of the neighborhood, you’ll find Ronan Park. This three-acre swath of greenspace is located on the North Branch of the Chicago River. The paths through the park offer the perfect venue for taking a stroll, going for a run, or walking with your dog. More toward the center of the neighborhood, you will find Jensen Park. This smaller park, geared toward kids and teens, has tons of after-school programs. Amenities at the park include a gymnasium, a playground, a baseball field, and a water spray area. 

New Development

Rendering courtesy of Kroenke, LLC

Albany Park might not have a ton of shopping options right now, but that could easily change. A study conducted by LISC MetroEdge found that the neighborhood is the ideal spot for new businesses. Some of those changes could come with an alderman-backed master plan for Lawrence Avenue, according to a 2017 DNAinfo report. "The vision is density, coupled with good retail," Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th Ward) said in the report.