One of the most prime and underrated places in all of the world to take a selfie (in my extremely biased opinion) is in the bathroom of a restaurant. I myself have been an avid fan of the bathroom selfie for an extremely long time and believe that this sophisticated form of art has been neglected in the past few years. Because of my controversial, yet artistic, beliefs, I have faced major criticism, and it wasn’t until a few Sundays ago while I was skimming through Vogue.com that my beliefs were finally supported by someone other than myself.

I came across the article “The Best New York Restaurants for a Bathroom Selfie” by Leah Bhabha, and in it she highlights some of the most extravagant, outrageous and photogenic restaurant bathrooms in New York City. Looking at the pictures of these bathrooms and reading the enticing descriptions of these locations made me start to think about the restaurant bathrooms that I have visited throughout the course of my life and how they compare to the bathrooms featured in the article.

Unfortunately, I do not live in New York City and have yet to ever experience the wide variety of culturally themed bathrooms that call ‘The Concrete Jungle’ home. On top of that, I am far too lazy to ever board a train to Chicago for the sole purpose of taking a bathroom selfie, but, through my extensive first-hand research, I have come across a plethora of restaurants located in and around our great hometown of Elmhurst, IL., that house some fantastic bathrooms to take a killer selfie in. Here are some of my favorites.

Photo courtesy of Pizza Palace

Pizza Palace

While technically not located inside of a bathroom, this mirror stands in the hallway between the men’s and women’s bathrooms, allowing anyone to take a selfie here. Unlike the mirrors found in most restaurant restrooms, this one is a funhouse mirror, which projects a distorted and cartoon-like image of yourself, making it the perfect place to take a picture for your SnapChat or Instagram. The restaurant is located in the heart of uptown Elmhurst, so if you ever find yourself in the need of a distorted picture for the ‘gram while also craving a slice of pizza, the mirror in Pizza Palace is the selfie location for you.

The Food Court at Yorktown Mall

If you are unsure about what you want to eat but still want to get a quality bathroom picture, the public bathroom of the Yorktown Mall food court is a great option for you. The modern yet simplistic aura of the restroom provides the perfect backdrop for any selfie and the expansive size of the mirrors enable you to take a picture with as many of your friends, and strangers that accidentally photobomb you while washing their hands, as you would like. Gather up your squad and head over to the food court to grab an Auntie Anne’s pretzel or a slice of Sbarro pizza and get a great picture for your next social media post.

Southtown

Located on Vallette and just steps away from the Prarie Path, the bathroom in Southtown Hot Dogs is one of the best local locations to take a fantastic bathroom selfie. This 60’s inspired diner is covered floor to ceiling with vintage signs and decor, transporting you back to a time long before the mobile camera phones of today. It will only take a single step inside this bathroom for you to understand why this restaurant is featured on this list; the aged concrete walls accompanied with the aroma of freshly cooked hot dogs make this the prime location in Elmhurst to get your bathroom selfie. So if you ever find yourself craving a hot dog or one of the restaurants renowned ‘flizzards’, stop into Southtown and take a selfie in their bathroom that will surely be your newest wall screen and Instagram profile picture.

Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

Chipotle

Although this restaurant is one of thousands around the country just like it, the bathroom in the Chipotle right off of 83 should not be quickly dismissed. Just like every other Chipotle in America, this branch has the same Mexican-American vibe that is best associated with the restaurant, but unlike every other bathroom, the atmosphere of this one is indescribable. The moment you walk in, you feel as if you are on the set of a photoshoot rather than just another typical public bathroom. The lighting is always perfect, making you look absolutely fantastic in every picture that you take. The next time you decide to go to Chipotle and grab a quick meal, spend an extra three minutes checking out the bathroom of the restaurant and snapping a quick photo for your SnapChat or Instagram because it can be guaranteed that you’ll look stunning in every single one.

Jimmy Johns

Despite being known for their delicious sub sandwiches and ‘Freaky Fast’ service, Jimmy Johns has one of the best bathrooms for a selfie that I have ever encountered. The black and red checkered tile backsplash provides the perfect backdrop for a picture that fit your Instagram theme perfectly and the signs plastered all over the walls will add a quirky yet tasteful touch to your photo. These bathrooms are often overlooked because of most people’s desires to leave a public bathroom as fast as they possibly can, but if you take a few seconds to look around at your surroundings, you’ll quickly realize how many artistic photos can be taken in this venue and how underused and underappreciated Jimmy Johns’ bathrooms truly are.

Read the article that inspired me here: https://www.vogue.com/article/best-new-york-restaurant-bathrooms