The Wit, a 27-story boutique hotel, has just opened at one of the busiest intersections in the Loop, Chicago’s downtown business district. Facing the elevated train (“L”) tracks at State and Lake streets, the high-energy hotel is ideally situated in Chicago’s Theater District, just steps from the Goodman, Oriental and Chicago theaters. A lightning bolt, actually a sheath of yellow laminated glass, adorns the facade.

Inside the hotel, eateries operated by Concentrics Restaurants of Atlanta provide ideal venues for pre-theater meals and snacks. State and Lake, the ground-floor restaurant, is a contemporary gastropub offering an artisanal American menu. Dishes include the pork shoulder with mac ’n cheese pot pie, wild halibut with poached duck egg, and grilled wild salmon with cassoulet of northern white beans and sausage in a tomato broth. A popular appetizer is the mound of spicy buffalo fries sprinkled with Maytag blue cheese. Dessert choices include pecan pie with Scheiner Bock beer ice cream and sticky toffee pudding with brown butter ice cream. Among lunch favorites: the Cuban pressed sandwich, New England lobster roll and fried egg B.L.T with Creole mayo. Specialty beers from the Midwest and around the country include 16 on tap. (312-239-9400, www.therestaurantsatthewit.com)

Large windows overlook State Street, and vintage photographs show the neighborhood as it was 100 years ago. A glass stairway in State and Lake leads to Cibbo Matto (“crazy food”), a fine dining restaurant that opens later this summer. It will feature a modern Italian menu driven by seasonal ingredients and a 30-foot ceiling fresco.

Roof, perched high atop the Loop sidewalks, is a hip, indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge offering striking views of the city, including Marina Towers, the Chicago River, the Bean sculpture in Millennium Park and the lakefront. Fire pits lined with bar stools, a large projection screen on an outdoor wall, live music and DJs, and a telescope for sneaking peaks into surrounding buildings are all part of the experience at Roof, already one of Chicago’s most talked about bars in the sky. A menu of 20 Italian-inspired small plates is executed from Roof’s own kitchen, with a pizza oven in the main bar area.

The sleek, 298-room Wit, operated by the Doubletree brand of Hilton Hotels, has a full-service spa and adjacent fitness center with machines that face out windows overlooking the “L” train and sidewalk action below.

Screen, the Wit’s $1-million digital high-definition multimedia theater, ideal for film screenings and other special events, seats 40 guests in luxurious gray electronic recliners, cozy couches and club chairs. Adjoining cocktail tables make it easy to enjoy premium food and beverages. (www.screenatthewit.com)

The Wit’s 60 one- and two-bedroom suites occupy floors 21-26, while the 238 queen and king guest rooms are on floors 6-20. All rooms offer floor-to-ceiling views of Chicago’s architectural landscape. Artwork includes red-and-gray felt “walls of kisses” above beds; prints featuring Monopoly boards alongside Shakespeare’s face on the cover of Esquire; and framed wordplay referencing the wittier quips of some of history’s greatest thinkers. Standard in all rooms are 40-inch flat-screen TVs, with 60-inch screens in some suites. (312-467-0200, www.thewithotel.com)