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Chicago's River North Market: Come for the Food, Stay for the View
- Bob Benenson
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
Location on AMA Plaza Provides Great Optics of Skyline and River
River North Farmers Market — open on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. — is far from the biggest local food market in Chicago. But it has upped its game this year with a few of the region's well-known vendors. And its location on the plaza of the American Medical Association (330 N. Wabash Ave.) provides unparalleled views of the skyline and Chicago River.
The famed "corncob" Marina City apartment towers provide the backdrop of the market's western end, where Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois), the region's largest diversified produce farm and a pillar of the local food community for more than 40 years, is anchored.
The River North Farmers Market, formerly known as Market on the River, struggled to get its footing over its first two years. But the Greater River North Business Association (the community's chamber of commerce) has gained traction this year by recruiting well-known vendors such as Nichols, Stamper Cheese and Westside Bee Boyz, and up-and-comers such as the regenerative Wanda Farm livestock operation in Harvard, Illinois.
I enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with two of my favorite market people: Steve Freeman, aka Steve the Market Guy, with those color-coordinated tomatoes at the Nichols stand...
... and Thad Smith, founder and expert beekeeper at Westside Bee Boyz.
And while nowhere near as famous at the Picasso sculpture that adorns the Daley Plaza Farmers Market held Thursdays in Chicago's Loop, this piece on AMA Plaza has its own contribution to art. Titled The Gentlemen Statues, this work was created by Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming and installed in 2015.
What the River North Farmers Market needs most right now is... you. Foot traffic when I was there mid-morning was light. I can definitely recommend a visit. As the headline says, come for the food, stay for the view.
My market haul: buckwheat honey from Westside Bee Boyz (Chicago); three-year-old Wisconsin cheddar from Stamper Cheese (Chicago); and Englis peas, strawberries and spinach from Nichols.
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