Best of Evanston is The Daily Northwestern’s annual special issue recognizing the businesses, locations and restaurants that make Evanston unique. After residents and students alike submitted nominations and voted on their favorite local businesses, we are proud to announce this year’s Bests.

During the past few weeks, we have collaborated with our fellow editors to plan and release an issue dedicated to Evanston and the hard work our business owners put in to serve the city. This year's Best of Evanston features 24 of the businesses that Evanston residents have recognized as having an impact on their community, including four businesses that have closed.

As students, we frequent these locations, sometimes even as part of our daily and weekly routines. From taking a walk to Evanston landmarks to keeping a mental bucket list of restaurants to eat at before graduating, the Bests are an essential part of our college experience.

We hope this year's Best of Evanston serves to show our appreciation for the community we call a home away from home during our time at Northwestern. We aim to recognize a variety of locations in Evanston that hold a special place in our hearts. We encourage readers to not only check out this year’s Bests, but to also use it to cultivate their personal lists of places that make Evanston special to them.

Sincerely,

Emily Lichty and Micah Sandy, Best of Evanston Editors