Every year, The Daily Northwestern highlights local businesses and restaurants through our special issue, Best of Evanston.

From categories like Best All-Around Restaurant to Best Gym, we have listened to the Evanston community’s opinions to report on this year’s Best of Evanston. We received nominations from over 70 people, after which 549 voters proceeded to determine Evanston’s “Bests.”

As international students, Evanston has become our home away from home. We were enamored by the place as we strolled from Central Street to the Lakefill. The city welcomed us as we spent our weekends exploring its different shops and businesses. And so, we wanted to show some love to the people and community staples that have been instrumental in our getting to know and love Evanston.

This year’s Best of Evanston features reported content, too, including profiles of businesses that have been a mainstay in the community for decades. We also produced multimedia content for this issue — stay tuned on Instagram — ranging from audio stories about salons and barbershops to videos about our winners. 

Without further ado, we are excited to present this year’s awards.

We hope you love this issue as much as we do,

Christina Lin and Navya Singh