Chicago Restaurants by George Hernandez

I should have started listing restaurants in Chicago a long time ago. This list is so incomplete that it's missing many good Chicago restaurants, but it's a start and it's casual. I could do it but, it would be actual work to organize and rate all the restaurants in Chicago in a database with a sensible interface.

There are, of course, many site that list and rate restaurants in Chicago. EGs:

My "quality rating" system is as follows. There are many distinctions of quality. A show may have a production rating of Q3of9, but a liking rating of Q8of9.

Q1of9. Worst

Q2of9. Very bad.

Q3of9. Bad.

Q4of9. A bit below fair.

Q5of9. Fair.

Q6of9. A bit above fair.

Q7of9. Good.

Q8of9. Very good.

Q9of9. Best

Chinese
Fast Food
Filipino
German
Greek
Hispanic
Indian
Italian
Japanese
Meat
Middle Eastern
Pizza
Polish
Scandinavian
Taverns
Thai
Miscellany

Chinese

Buffet Castle
- 3326 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618. (773) 267-6688.
- I've been to many of the newer Chinese buffet restaurants that have all-you-can-eat meals for around $7. Some of them are scary. This is a cleaner and brighter one. It's close to my work too.
- Q6of9.
Chinese Friendship Restaurant [friendshiprestaurant.com]
- 2830 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618. 773-227-0970.
- "180° from ordinary Chinese"
- One day in 2005 or 2004, I on foot was with my wife and kids we wanted to dash in some kid friendly place and grab some chow. Years ago when we had lived in the Logan Square neighborhood, we had eaten at the Chinese Friendship Restaurant years ago and it was the typical "dive" Chinese restaurant. So when we stepped into the new restaurant we were taken aback because it looked way too fancy for kids! We backed out but then the waitress called us back because she had heard the door. She invited us in and we had a meal in a place with much more atmosphere than we usually take our kids to. I love hidden gems. The food tends to be dark and different from the usual Chinese but it's good.
- Q8of9.
Kim Long
- 4356 West Armitage, Chicago, Illinois 60639. (773)235-3515. Closed Mondays!
- A run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant but it's near my house.
- Q6of9.

Fast Food

There are many fast food places in Chicago but the two kinds that are identified with Chicago are the Chicago-style hot dog places and the Maxwell Street-style places.

Byron's Chicago Hot Dogs
- 1017 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, Illinois 60613. The oldest and smallest. Frequented by Cubs fans.
- 1701 West Lawrence Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60640.
- 680 North Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622.
- They do the Chicago-style hot dog but they specialize in "lots". Lots of fries and lots of toppings. Their dogs have tons of toppings and other toppings not found in the Chicago hot dog --including lettuce, green peppers, and cucumbers.
- Q8of9.
Costello Sandwich & Sides [costellosandwich.com]
- 2015 West Roscoe Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60618.
- 4647 West Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60625.
- I've only been to the Roscoe location. Atmosphere feels local. Decent sandwiches.
- Q6of9.
Hot Doug's: The Sausage Superstore [hotdougs.com]
- 3324 N. California, Chicago, Illinois. 773-279-9550.
- I decided to check this place out on a whim. What an incredible find! The first thing you notice is the line. The second thing you notice is the Elvis and celebrity decor. I've only been there twice, but each time the line was practically sticking out the door. They do all the usual stuff like Chicago style hot dogs, Maxwell style, polish, brats, Italian sausage, cheesy fries, free refills, etc., but then they go on. There are exotic sausages like rabbit, venison, and antelope, and then they have different and unexpected sides. The clientele varies and some of them are obviously from out of town. After working so close to Hot Doug's for two years, my company, ICLOPS, is moving down town! I could almost cry.
- 'There are no two finer words in the English language than "encased meats," my friend.' dattebayo!
- See Recently visited Chicago restaurants.
- Q9of9
Krispy Kreme [krispykreme.com]
- 210 South Canal Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606 U.S.A.. Phone: 312-928-0405.
- 4455 South Pulaski Rd. Chicago, Illinois 60632 U.S.A.. Phone: 773-869-9500.
- O divine. Dunkin Donuts is good but Krispy Kreme is much much better.
- Q9of9
Maxwell Bus Stop
- 2807 North Clybourn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618, U.S.A.. At the corner of Damen and Diversey.
- There are many little Maxwell Street-style fast food places in Chicago but this is the one closest to me. Maxwell Street-style places are distinguished by two dishes: Maxwell Street-style polish sausages (A polish sausage with grilled onions, mustard, and peppers on a bun) and Maxwell Street-style pork chop sandwiches (a fried pork chop on a hamburger bun). I used to eat at the "real" Maxwell Street (near Halsted Street and Roosevelt Road) --especially in the early AM hours-- where they also had the "black market" atmosphere, but alas construction has moved the vendors to Union Avenue and I'll take Maxwell Street polishes wherever I can get them.
- Q8of9
S & S Deli
- 2390 North Elston Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618, (773)267-4315.
- 2006-03-27t19:34:38Z. I'm eating one of their sandwiches as I write this. From the outside S & S Deli looks like a typical Chicago fast food place. They makes subs as well as Chicago-style hot dogs, beef sandwiches, and such, but they offer several surprises. As soon as you walk in, you immediately notice how tidy and clean the place in. The way they take your order, wrap your sandwich, chat with you, etc. is so meticulous and warm that it makes you feel properly civilized. Additionally, they are also a convenience store with a large selection of ice cream.
- Q7of9

Filipino

I was, after all, born in the Philippines.

Adobo Express
- 5343 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60625, phone (773)293-2362, 07:30/19:30.
- A combination Filipino restaurant and grocer. Almost looks like a chain. You can get a breakfast of fried eggs, garlic fried rice, a choice of Filipino meats like sausage or fried Bangus, plus coffee or hot cocoa for under $6.
- Q7of9.
Cebu Restaurant
- 7329 Lemont Road, Downers Grove, Illinois, 630-663-8803.
- This Filipino restaurant isn't in Chicago proper but I needed to park this info somewhere.
- I think Cebu was rated 4 forks by some critic.
Cid's Ma Mon Luk
- 9182 Golf Road, Niles, Illinoi 60714. 847-803-3652. Closed Mondays.
- 'The best place for Oriental Bakery and Noodles'
Filipiniana [filipiniananiles.com]
- 9060 Golf Road, Niles, Illinois 60714, Phone: (847) 298-9332 and (847) 298-9344, Fax: (847) 298-9336, info@filipiniananiles.com.
- Bright and clean. Good food and a buffet. Meals around $12.
- Q7of9
Isla Pilipina Restaurant
- 2501-D West Lawrence Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625. 773-271-2988.
- 'Authentic Asian Cuisine with an Urban Twist'
Little Quiapo
- 4423 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60640. 773-271-5441. Just north of Montrose Avenue
- Affordable. Buffet too. Too bad the Filipino restaurant across the street got torn down.
- Q6of9
Mom's Bake Shoppe & Restaurant
- 2415 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659. 773-784-1318. Fax 773-784-1492. MomsBakeShoppe@prodigy.net.
- Filipino bakery, restaurant, and catering. They also do wedding cakes.
- Q7of9
Ruby's Fast Food
- 3740 West Montrose Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618. 773-539-2669.
- Ruby L. Rodica, Owner/Chef/Cook. 'Lutong Bahay Talaga -- Masarap Na, Mura Pa!'. My mom loves the food and I like the place because several times I've bumped into my mom there while on my lunch break. Near my current work.
- Q7of9

German

Chicago Brauhaus [chicagobrauhaus.com]
- 4732 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625. 773-784-4444. Lincoln square.
- Live German entertainment nightly. Affordable prices and decent portions.
- Q7of9
Mirabell
- 3454 West Addison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60618. 773-463-1962.
- Nice food and decor. The music is a bit heavy on the yodelling.
- Q7of9

Greek

Artopolis [artopolischicago.com]
- 'Bakery, Cafe, Agora'
- Warm, casual, fresh, and fast. Great for lunches. Smack in the middle of Greek Town.
- 306 South Halsted Street, Chicago Illinois 60661. 312-559-9000.
- Q8of9
Costa's
- 340 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60661. 312-263-9700.
- All the usual good stuff. Warm hearth and wine.
- Q8of9
Papaspiros [papaspiros.com]
- 733 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois. 708-358-1700.
- The two story setting was cool. I thought the food was delicious --even though my good friend Nikos (a proud Greek American) thought the taramosalata wasn't fishy enough and the scordalia wasn't garlicky enough. I had the fabulous broiled fresh whole seabass, with olive oil-lemon sauce, served with dandelion greens. And of course we had flaming saganaki. Perhaps the meal was fabulous because it was a gathering of my friends, including Gus who flew in from Las Vegas, plus it was a meal we had before seeing the movie 300 on opening night, which I had been anticipating for months.
- See Recently visited Chicago restaurants.
- Q8of9.

Hispanic

Taqueria el Tapatio
- 4242 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60639. (773)278-1468.
- A run-of-the-mill taqueria but it's near my house. Decent portions but the food tends to be over-done.
- Q4of9
Tinajon
- 2054 West Roscoe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60618, (773)525-8455.
- Apparently Guatemalan food is similar to Mexican food. I had the "pescado likin" a tilapia fillet steamed with cilantro, ginger, green pepper, tomato, green onions, and wine. Tasted fine but too much green pepper and not enough rice. The music was a little loud too.
- Q4of9

Indian

Gaylord India Restaurant
- 678 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610. (312) 664-1700.
- It looks expensive but the prices aren't. Buffet and order.
- Q7of9
Standard India
- 917 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60657. 773-929-1123.
- A decent buffet in a hip neighborhood. It doesn't look like much from the outside but its comfortable inside.
- Q7of9

Italian

Pompei Little Italy
- 1531 West Taylor Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607. (312) 421-5179. Near the Chicago Medical Campus.
- Popular cafeteria-style pizza. I remember when they were a little mom-and-pop shop! Very affordable.
- Q8of9

Japanese

House of Sushi & Noodles [houseofsushiandnoodles.com]
- 1620 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60657. 773-935-9110. On the Northwest corner of Belmon, Ashland, and Lincoln.
- A cute place with lots of snapshots of visitors on the wall. Nice food, Asian waitresses, faces you can recognize, and an all you can eat sushi buffet for only $12.95! [as of 2006-10].
- Hours:
  - Mon/Thu 12:00/15:00 and 17:00/22:30
  - Fri 12:00/15:00 and 17:00/23:00
  - Sat 12:00/23:00
  - Sun 16:00/22:00
- All you can eat sushi buffet hours:
  - Mon/Thu 12:00/14:30 and 17:00/21:30
  - Fri 12:00/14:30 and 17:00/22:00
  - Sat 12:00/22:00
  - Sun 16:00/21:00
- Q7of9
Nakayoshi
- Belmont near Clark.
- Alas this tiny little Japanese restaurant closed down. It was a favorite of mine. The best donburi ever. Very affordable, fun for a date.
- Q9of9
Shiroi Hana Japanese Restaurant [shiroihanachicago.com]
- 3242 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois. 773-477-1652.
- Very nice and casual. Japanese food as it ought to be. Warm wash cloths, box lunches, sushi, kid-friendly chopsticks, etc. I will however forever associate this place as the place where my kids tried sushi for the first time. It's just a few doors down from Chicago Comics [chicagocomics.com], the best comic shop in Chicago.
- See Recently visited Chicago restaurants.
- Q8of9.
Tsunami: Contemporary Japanese [tsunamichicago.com]
- 1160 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610. 312-642-9911.
- I've eaten here a few times. Fancy sushi bar and restaurant. It's a pricey hotspot (around $100), there's atmosphere, and the foods alright. More for guests than for dining.
- Q7of9

Meat

Fat Willy's Rib Shack
- 2416 West Schubert, Chicago, Illinois 60647. 773-782-1800. Western and I94. Right across the street of the City North 14 movie theater.
- Really good, takes-a-day-to-make ribs. The atmosphere is almost like a picnic so you can get really sloppy. Affordable, fun for a date.
- Q8of9
Fogo de Chão [FogoDeChao.com]
- 661 North La Salle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60610, (312) 932-9330.
- Pricey ($100) but all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak house. Special occasions.
- Q8of9
N9NE Steak House [n9ne.com]
- 440 West Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60606, phone (312)575-9900.
- A steak and seafood place. Medium sized portions. Pricey (I spent $168 there) but nice atmosphere.
- Last week (2006-02-09) we took my good friend Mike out for a special dinner in honor of his finally getting married. I generally abhor getting dressed and spending a lot of money on food but I think it's fine for special occasions. I could only eat like that regularly if I also made great contributions in reducing world suffering and hunger.
- Q8of9

Middle Eastern

A La Turka Turkish Restaurant [alaturkachicago.com]
- 3134 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60657, 773-935-6101.
- Last week on 2007-01-23, I ate at A La Turak Turkish Restaurant. I've been wanting to go there for a while because at the front they have these tables where instead of chairs they have a lot of pillows. The atmosphere was grown up but since we were tucked away in a corner I felt I could relax with my wife and my two year old daughter (while the other two kids were in karate class across the street). The music was different but mild. It looks like they have belly dancing on certain nights too. The waiter Edmundo was very comfortable and yet polite and mindful. The food was wonderful, fresh, and flavorful. Lots of warm and cold appetizers. The bread was obviously fresh baked. Dishes are around $18.
- Q8of9
La Creperie
- 2845 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60657, 773-528-9050.
- Tiny Moroccan place with tasty, fresh, more-than-just-breakfast crepes served from a bar. Very affordable, fun for a date.
- Q8of9
Noon-O-Kabab
- 4661 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625. (773) 279-8899. Albany Park.
- Authentic Mid-Eastern food.
Turquoise Restaurant [turquoisedining.com].
- 2147 West Roscoe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60618. (773)549-3523. Fax: (773)549-3748. Roscoe Village.
- Last week on 2006-03-08 Thursday I ate at Turquoise Restaurant, a Turkish restaurant in Chicago's Roscoe Village. It was very clean and refined with lots of wine. The music was mild and the waitress was beautiful. The food was varied, filling, and healthy. Lunch was very affordable but the dinner menu was much larger and roughly double or triple in cost.
- Q8of9
Reza's Restaurant [rezasrestaurant.com]
- 432 West Ontario Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610. (312)664-4500.
- 40 North Tower Road, Oakbrook, Illinois 60523. (630)424-9900.
- 5255 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60640. (773)561-1898.
- I first went to Reza's years ago at their location in the Andersonville neighborhood on Clark. Since then the neighborhood has gotten much cooler. Great food and lots. Meals are around $25 a person.
- Q8of9.
Sinbad's [sinbadchicago.com]
- 921 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL 60657. 773-477-6020.
- 2852 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657. 773-477-0555.
- A fast foodish Middle Eastern place. Kifta kabob, hummus, falafel, salads, baklava, and smoothies. The kids will eat it so I'm listing it.
- Q6of9.
Pizza

Chicago is famous for pizza especially its "Chicago-style" pan pizza or deep dish pizza. There are the big names like Gino's, Uno, and Due, but there are a lot of good pizza places all over.
- Pizza Hut
  - 1601 West Division Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622. (773) 276-3344. At Division, Ashland, and Milwaukee.
  - I know, I know! Shame on me for putting a big chain on here but they're conveniently located and they've got a buffet.
Polish
- Staropolska
  - 3028 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618, (773) 342-0779.
  - Homey and authentically Polish restaurant with cute waitresses and adjacent Polish deli. Puny drinks but big meals.
  - Q6of9
Scandinavian
- Ann Sather [AnnSather.com]
  - 929 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60657. (773) 348.2378.
  - 5207 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60640. (773) 271-6677.
  - Cozy Swedish food and atmosphere. So good they hosted and catered my wedding. Affordable, fun for a date.
  - Q9of9
- Tre Kronor
  - 3258 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60625-4828, (773) 267-9888.
  - Tiny Scandinavian place with lots of atmosphere and lots of waiters. Fresh colorful food. Very affordable, fun for a date.
  - Q9of9
Taverns
- Chief O'Neill's Pub & Restaurant [ChiefONeillsPub.com]
  - 3471 North Elston Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618, (773)IRELAND.
  - This Irish place is right across the street of my work at Iclops. Nice atmosphere. --> It turns out that they are definitely more pub then restaurant. In the fall and winter, they don't open until 16:00 on weekdays.
  - Q2of9
- Crabby Kim's Bikini Sports Bar
  - 3655 North Western Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618. (773) 404-8156. It's not too far from my current work location.
  - First went there 2006-12-15. A ton of TVs with sports on. Lady bartenders in bikinis. Smoking and drinking. Not too loud. Pretty nice. Just down the road from Lane Tech, my old high school. Lunch was a drink and a $7 bacon cheeseburger.
  - Q7of9
- Gale Street Inn.
  - 4914 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60630. 773-725-1300. Northwest side.
  - Bar and restaurant. Very good ribs.
  - Q6of9
- Riverview Tavern [riverviewtavern.com]
  - Riverview Tavern [riverviewtavern.com]
  - 1958 West Roscoe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60657. (773)248-9523.
  - I just got back from eating at the Riverview Tavern. It's a large place with friendly service, good food, generous portions, and nice prices. The neat thing about the place is that it commemorates a bit of Chicago history. Until I this afternoon, I did not know that the neighborhood used to have a Riverview Park, a great amusement park. The Riverview Park ran from 1904 to 1967 and was in the 0.3 km² = 74 acre area bounded by Western Avenue, Belmont Avenue, the river, and Lane Tech High School (my alma mater!). All I knew was that was south of Lane was a mall, DeVry Institute of Technology, and a large police station. Here are some links related to Riverview Park:
  - Q8of9
Thai
- Manee Thai
  - 3558 North Pulaski Rd., Chicago, Illinois 60641. 773-725-0911. Fax 773-725-6380.
  - Closest Thai restaurant to my old work at Albany. Clean and fresh, but something's missing in the food.
  - Q5of9
- My Thai Restaurant [mythaichicago.com]
  - 555 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois. 312-669-1999. In Presidential Towers building.
  - 30 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. 312-345-1234.
  - 333 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois. 312-986-0999.
  - I've only been to the one in Presidential Towers. Closest to my work at Jefferson. Straight forward good stuff. Always busy.
  - Q7of9
- Star of Siam
  - 11 E. Illinois Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611. (312) 670-0100.
  - My favorite Thai restaurant in Chicago. I like their sunken tables.
  - Q9of9
- Thai "Linda" Café
  - 2022 West Roscoe Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60618. 773-868-0075.
  - 2006-04-07t18:23:48Z. I ate there earlier this week. Cool looking place. Even the menus are very textured. The food was moist, fresh, nicely presented, and delicious. There was an "incident" while I was there but they handled it well so I'm overlooking it.
  - Q8of9
- Tiparos
  - 1540 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610. 312-712-9900. Lincoln Parkish.
  - Thai food that delivered to my old work place at Larabee. Decent.
  - Q7of9
Miscellany
- Cafe Selmarie [cafeselmarie.com]
  - 4729 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. 773.989.5595.
  - This place looked awesome: Artsy, light, airy. The food looked great: Different, desserts, textured. The clientele all looked hip: Bill, Anne, and I were there. The location was fun: Hidden in Lincoln Square. Cafe Selmarie should have been great! But (alas) they had three strikes with me: The curry soup was bland, the raspberry chocolate tart would have been better without the chocolate (which bland: neither dark or sweet), and the bread on my sandwich was ridiculously crusty (I felt like I was eating crab in its shell). It was just a bad visit for me but most likely other visits would be just fine.
  - See Recently visited Chicago restaurants.
  - Q7of9.
- G.P. Franklins [GPFranklins.com]
  - 4767 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625. 773-293-1900. Lincoln Square neighborhood.
  - 'A Timeless Place'. Lots of early Americana stuff. Great food, ice cream, and fudge. A chocolate waterfall. Affordable, fun for a date.
  - 2006-11-01: Alas G.P. Franklins has closed!
  - Q8of9
- MacArthur's Restaurant [macarthursrestaurant.com]
  - 5412 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60644. 773-261-2316.
  - "The Best Soul Food In Chicago"
- Pita Inn [pita-inn.com]
  - Mediterranean food: Good, cheap, and lots of it.
- Sushi Samba [sushisamba.com]
  - 504 North Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610. (312) 595-2300. They also have restaurants in Miami, New York, and Tel Aviv.
  - I went out there on 2006-12-01 with the guys for the holidays and because one of the guys was in town from Las Vegas. It's Japanese and Brazilian food but it seemed like mostly Japanese to me. The food was delicious, fresh, varied, and interesting. As far as atmosphere it looks like one of those multi-level places where cool folks go to sometimes. It was $148 with drinks. I liked their cocktails, especially the Lemon Samurai and the Caipirinha.
  - Q8of9
- Wishbone [wishbonechicago.com]
  - 3300 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60657, (773)549-2663.
  - 1001 West Washington Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60607, (312)850-2663.
  - 'southern reconstruction food ... from vegetarian to comfort food'
  - Urban hipness with interesting food and atmosphere. I've only been to the one on Lincoln.
  - Q6of9
2007-11-10 17:30:43Z