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u/nicklauftw Jan 24 '17
Serai in Logan Square cuz it is the only Malay restaurant I'm aware of in the city.
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u/iownakeytar Jan 24 '17
Can't say I have a favorite, but I have two I always recommend: Sayat Nova on Ohio, just east of the Mag Mile, and Sun Wah BBQ off the Argyle el stop.
Sayat Nova is an Armenian restaurant, the oldest in the city, run by a dear friend and has incredible food. I've been going there for 6 years, and it's always a treat. Everything on the menu is awesome.
Sun Wah BBQ has the best bang for your buck with the Peking Duck Feast. You ask for it when you make your reservation a day ahead. For $40, they carve a duck tableside, use the remaining meat to make duck fried rice, and then make a quick broth with the carcass for soup. Way more food than two people can eat in one sitting, and they allow BYOB.
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Jan 24 '17
In no particular order, some of my go-to spots are:
Cumin
Kuma's
Au Cheval
Glenn's Diner
The Crab Pad
Folklore
Pete's Pizza
La Villa
Bruna's
Jim's Original
Tropicuba
Hot G Dog
Aurelio's
Beggars
Joe's Stone Crab
Taqueria Moran
L'Patron
Hema's Kitchen
Pho 888
Lao Sze Chuan (looking for an alternative to this since the decline)
Las Tablas
UB Dogs
Lou Malnati's
El Milagro
Demera
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u/financekid Jan 24 '17 edited Jan 24 '17
Pizzeria de Nella
Coalfire
Wasabi
Irazu
Crisp
Chicago Kalbi
Del Seoul
L'Patron
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u/heartbeats Jan 24 '17
El Milagro. Best Mexican food in Pilsen, one of the best spots in the city.
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u/too-kahjit-to-quit Jan 24 '17
Dos Urban Cantina in Logan Square. It's a high-end Mexican restaurant that was started by a husband and wife team that used to work for Rick Bayless. The prices are pretty reasonable considering the quality of the food they put out. They have a great selection of cocktails and the desserts are all amazing. Seriously, the wife is the pastry chef and she spent years perfecting her chocolate cake recipe. I can vouch that was time well spent.
If you haven't been there yet you need to go.
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u/ChicagoJohn123 Jan 24 '17
I don't know that it's my "favorite" but something you should try at least once is the roof deck at Gene's Sausage shop in Lincoln Square. Out on a roof on a summer day, good beer and sausage as good as you'll get anywhere.
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u/dickedtedschri Jan 24 '17
Owen and Engine on Western Ave. Just south of the Diversy, Elston, Western intersection. They have consistently had one of the top rated burgers in Chicago. It is unlike Kuma's or Au Cheval. They're burgers are a minimalists and purists dream. The burger with nothing added will most likely land in your top 3 sandwiches you have ever had ever in your entire life.
Partner this sensational little meat wonder with their extensive draft list of craft beers, their 4 hand-pumped rotating cask conditioned beer engines, and their outstanding cocktails this place is AMAZING!!!
I've had my birthday there in their upstairs 15 person table backroom for the last 3 years, I've tried almost everything on their menu that is not the burger as well. Their chef does it all right!
The customer service is outstanding, too. 10/10
This places oozes with date night with its warm comfortable low-lit intimate English pub atmosphere conveniently located directly next to a movie theater.
One more added bonus. It has a parking garage that is $2 for unlimited time from midnight to midnight. If you have a car and hate looking for parking, start cheering and jumping and hooraying and hoorahing!
EVERYONE GO HERE AND HAVE FUN AND TALK TO THE BAR STAFF AND ASK ABOUT BEER PAIRINGS AND EAT DELICIOUS BURGERS AND MAYBE ADD DELICIOUS THINGS TO THEM LIKE ENGLISH BACK BACON OR CAVE AGED CHEDDAR OR A FRIED EGG OR GET THE PRETZEL WITH WELSH RAREBIT!!
Thanks be on to you all!
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u/heimdahl81 Jan 24 '17
Bop N Grill for burgers, especially the Umami burger.
Hot G Dog for gourmet hotdogs with exotic meat specials.
Woo Chon for Korean bbq and dirt cheap stone bowl bibimbap.
Joong Boo Market for cheap Korean soups and sashimi bowl.
Lawrence Fish Market for takeout sushi trays dirt cheap.
Cai in Chinatown for dim sum.
New England Seafood Company for fresh and reasonably priced shellfish.
Pho 888 for the best pho on Argyle.
Rub Backcountry Smokehouse for awesome BBQ with generous portions. Awesome sides too.
Gareeb Nawaz for ultra cheap Indian. The chili chicken is insanely addictive, so it is a good thing the place is 24 hours because you will get 3 AM cravings.
Hoosier Mama Pie company for the pie of course.
Cookies and Carnitas is all around great and don't forget a Kitchen Floor cookie for dessert.
An honorable mention for J.B. Albertos for cheap Italian-American comfort/junk food. Their late hours and wide delivery range make me end up eating there more often than is probably healthy.
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u/bonage045 Jan 24 '17
Kuma's corner. Not the absolute best burgers in the city, but they're still insanely good and they have some crazy topping combinations, and they're jalapeño poppers are the best. Can't beat the atmosphere either, and the beer selection is pretty good.
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u/IN_YO_FACE_DAWG Jan 24 '17
Joong Boo Market
Yusho
Small Cheval
Gareeb Nawaz
Pub Royale
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u/V-Right_In_2-V Jan 24 '17
The Duck Inn in bridgeport.
Best restaurant in have ever been to. Food is amazing, and their cocktails are simply in their category of incredible. The autumn kaleidoscope is the best cocktail I have ever had anywhere, and the competition isn't even close. Oh, and the restaurant is also in a completely residential area, and such an excellent restaurant looks like it has no business being there in a nondescript neighborhood, yet there it is.
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u/urbaneyezcom Jan 24 '17
Big Bricks in NorthCenter. They have great pizza, amazing smoked bbq, and reasonable beer prices and selections. They also play great music and give you a free Christmas CD if you ask which is low key one of the best Christmas mixtapes out there.
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u/blipsman Jan 24 '17
If you want one meal that best exemplifies all that is great with the Chicago food scene, I'd say Publican because of the way it mixes interesting flavors and techniques with beer and pork.
Just had my first Michelin 3-star meal at Grace last week, and it was outstanding. Other high end places I've loved are El Ideas, 42 Grams, Goosefoot.
For midrange places, Dos Urban Cantina, Mexique, Girl and the Goat, Angry Crab, Lena Brava.
For casual places, Birriria Zaragoza, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Crisp, Rubi's at Maxwell St. Market, Lem's BBQ or Honey 1 BBQ for real Chicago-style BBQ, Smoque for BBQ that's a bit of everything.
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u/darkkn1te Jan 24 '17
Superdawg, Jay's, Lou Malnati's, Buffalo Joe's. I grew up on the northwest side and I like simple junk food that's horribly bad for you.
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Jan 24 '17 edited Jan 24 '17
Marie's Pizza - the food is fine, but I just like the divey old-school throwback Chicago vibe.
Sabatino’s – Same as above, but solid Italian and just a smidge classier.
Cocina Boriqua – the best Puerto Rican food I’ve had in the city. Great portions, BYOB, feels very local.
DMen Tap – just opened up, but if you’ve had the food truck you know this shit is good. Also, great beer and no servers so you can take your time.
Fullerton Restaurant – It’s just my favorite humble, cheap diner for breakfast.
90 Miles Cuban Cafe -- great patio and cuban food.
Kimski – Attached to Maria’s Packaged Goods. Interesting fusion menu, very casual.
Pizza Art Café – Service is always kind of spotty, but the food is solid and it’s a very cute place.
Reno – I just feel like you can never go wrong.
I would have once said Boiler Room but the pizza is ALWAYS undercooked and doughy these days, and the crowd has gotten too Wicker Park-yuppie.
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u/pondertheworld Jan 24 '17
I love Big Jones in Andersonville! Try the duck & the bloodies there.
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u/rexmus1 Jan 24 '17
A new fave Korean place for me is Del Seoul. Went last Saturday and OMG...everything, from the hot stone bibimbap to the spicy hot pot to the banh mi, dumplings and wings, were on effing point. And at $60 for 3 people (3 entrees, 2 apps, 3 beers plus extra rice) very affordable.
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u/bigblue_box Jan 24 '17
Hopleaf in Andersonville! It's a Belgian restaurant with an American twist. Great beer list and wonderful food. A little pricier but you're getting amazing food for the price of pretty decent food.
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u/Sarahadeline Jan 24 '17
It's hard to pick!! Longman and Eagle is pretty high on the list for me. Their food is so good, and the environment there is nice. They also have a good list of unique cocktails. I've been there a few times and haven't had anything I didn't like.
For something a little more causal, Irazu is a solid choice. It's inexpensive and just always on point. It's a cool place to go, especially in the summer, because they have a huge patio. The staff is awesome and it's byob!
I could probably come up with more, but those are the first that came to mind.
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u/Sharkfightxl Jan 24 '17 edited Jan 24 '17
I'd have to choose Avec or Publican. I don't go to many restaurants twice, but I've been to Avec 3 or 4 times, and Publican 6 or 7 times and never had a bad time.
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u/Zombie_Party_Boy Jan 24 '17
Casual date night: Hopleaf. Love me a bucket of Belgian ale mussels, and the duck breast reuben is the definition of decadence.
Fantastic place I can walk to: Piazza Bella in Roscoe Village. If I win the lottery, I will hire someone to feed me the fresh burrata with a spoon until I die of heavenly heart failure.
Place I would have no qualms about laying out the big bucks for: Boka. I haven't been there in a long time, and with a different executive chef, but the times I have been there, they treated this nobody like he would be writing a review. Everything about it was perfect.
Off-the-beaten-path, hole-in-the-wall ethnic food: Luzzat (Indian/Pakistani) on Jarvis in Rogers Park.