Restaurants in Chicago
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Billy Goat Tavern
Tribune and Sun-Times reporters have guzzled in the subterranean Billy Goat for decades. Order a 'cheezborger' and Schlitz, then look around at the newspapered walls to get the scoop on infamous local stories, such as the Cubs Curse.
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Hot Doug's
Doug's the man to fulfill all your hot-dog fantasies. He serves multiple dog styles (Polish, bratwursts, Chicago) cooked multiple dog ways (char-grilled, deep-fried, steamed). Confused? He'll explain it all. Doug also makes gourmet 'haute dogs,' such as blue-cheese pork with cherry cream sauce. It's sublime, but a heck of a haul unless you're traveling by car. Cash only.
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Lula Café
Funky, arty Lula led the way for Logan Square’s dining scene, and appreciative neighborhoodies still crowd in for the seasonal, locally sourced menu. Even the muffins here are something to drool over, and that goes double for lunch items like pasta yiayia (bucatini pasta with Moroccan cinnamon, feta and garlic) and dinners such as striped bass with pine-nut-peppered orzo. Mondays offer a prix fixe three-course Farm Dinner.
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Parthenon
This veteran has anchored Greektown for three decades, hearing countless yells of ‘Opa’ to accompany the flaming saganaki (sharp, hard cheese cut into wedges or squares and fried). Greeks returning to the city from their suburban retreats have made the Parthenon a favorite. Vegetarians and gluten-free eaters will find lots of options, all marked on the extensive menu. A plus for drivers: there’s free valet service.
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Pizzeria Uno
Ike Sewell supposedly invented Chicago-style pizza here on December 3, 1943, although his claim to fame is hotly disputed. A light, flaky crust holds piles of cheese and an herb-laced tomato sauce. The pizzas take a while, but stick to the pitchers of beer and cheap red wine to kill time, and avoid the salad and other distractions to save room for the main event.
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F
Cafe Iberico
Iberico’s creative tapas burst with flavor. Among the standouts: salpicon de marisco (seafood salad with shrimp, octopus and squid), croquetas de pollo (chicken and ham puffs with garlic sauce) and vieiras a la plancha (grilled scallops with saffron). The cafe’s heady sangria draws wearied Loop workers by the dozen in the summer.
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Chicago Diner
The gold standard for Chicago vegetarians, this place has been serving barbecue seitan, wheat meat and tofu stroganoff for decades. The tattooed staff will guide you to the best stuff, including the peanut butter vegan ‘supershakes’ and the ‘Radical Ruben.’ Vegans take note: even the pesto for the pasta can be had without a lick of cheese.
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Ann Sather
The cinnamon rolls are the marquee item at the flagship of this small, friendly local chain that offers Swedish standards in a pleasant café environment. Filling, familiar Nordic offerings like meatballs and potato sausage join selections of American comfort food on the dinner menu.
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Soul Vegetarian East
Finding soul food that meets the tenets of the vegan diet is such a rarity that the creative barbecue sandwiches and dinner plates at this comfy South Side place have earned a national reputation.
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Borinquen Restaurant
The story goes that Borinquen owner Juan ‘Peter’ Figueroa created his signature dish after reading an article in a Puerto Rican newspaper about a sandwich that subbed plantains for bread – a flash of inspiration that birthed the jibarito, a popular dish that piles steak, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo between two thick, crisply fried plantain slices. The idea caught on, and the jibarito is all the rage at local Puerto Rican eateries. It’s the marquee item at Borinquen, though more traditional Puerto Rican fare is also available at this homey family spot.
reviewed
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Jin Ju
One of only a handful of nouveau Korean restaurants in town, Jin Ju throws a culinary curveball by tempering Korean food to Western tastes. The minimalist candlelit interior of Jin Ju echoes softly with downbeat techno, and the stylish 30-something clientele enjoys mains like haemul pajon (a fried pancake stuffed with seafood) and kalbi (beef short ribs). The drinks menu must is the ‘soju- tini’, a cocktail made with soju, a Korean spirit distilled from sweet potatoes.
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Hot Chocolate
‘Come for dessert, stay for dinner’ might be the motto at this cocoa-walled Bucktown restaurant. Run by renowned pastry chef Mindy Segal, the cute place feels exactly like the irresistible, upscale chocolate desserts it peddles. With six rich kinds of hot chocolate available (they’re like dipping your mug into Willy Wonka’s chocolate river), along with mini brioche doughnuts, you may forget to order the other food on offer, such as Kobe beef flank steak and beer-soaked mussels.
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Schwa
Exceedingly popular – reservations for chef Michael Carlson’s masterful restaurant should be booked around the same time as your airline ticket. The fact that Carlson worked at Alinea is apparent in an avant-garde, three- or nine-course menu (go for the nine) that redefines American comfort food via such dishes as apple-pie soup. The setup is progressive, too, with chefs also acting as servers. The intimate room is bookended by black wood floors and has a mirrored ceiling.
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Margie’s
Margie’s has held court at Bucktown’s edge for over 80 years, dipping ice-cream sundaes for everyone from Al Capone to the Beatles (check the wall photos). Sure, you can admire the old-fashioned Tiffany lamps, the marble soda fountain and the booths with minijukeboxes. But the star is the hot fudge, unbelievably thick, rich and bountiful, served in its own silver pot. Burgers and sandwiches are just clumsy foreplay to the 50 massive sundaes on offer.
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Lou Mitchell's
A relic of Route 66, Lou's old-school waitresses deliver double-yoked eggs and thick-cut French toast just west of the Loop by Union Station. There's usually a queue, but free doughnut holes and Milk Duds help ease the wait.
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Tecalitlan
Weighing in at more than a pound and costing less than $6, the carne asada (roast meat) burrito with cheese is not just one of the city’s best food values, it’s one of the city’s best foods. Add the optional avocado and you’ll have a full day’s worth of food groups wrapped in a huge flour tortilla. The horchata (a rice-based beverage made with water, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and lime) is creamy and refreshing.
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Andalous
Artifacts and pictures of the homeland color the atmosphere at Chicago’s best Moroccan joint, where the tangines (a North African dish prepared in a clay pot) are remarkable. The Meknes tangine – filled with marinated chicken, and accented with red olives and lemon zest – was among the highlights, as was the hareera, a savory lentil soup with a keen blend of chili-powder, cilantro, cumin and chickpeas.
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Brasserie Jo
This huge, open place serves wonderful food from Alsace, where owner Jean Joho was born. From the signature beer specially brewed by a local microbrewery to the hot, fresh baguettes, all the details are right. Try the great choucroute (smoked meats and sausages on sauerkraut) or the shrimp in a bag. Wear a fancy hat on Thursday and get a free chapeau au chocolat (chocolate hat) dessert.
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Tango Sur
This candlelit BYOB Argentine steak house makes an idyllic date location, serving classic skirt steaks and other tender grass-fed options. In addition to the traditional cuts, the chef’s special is bifeVesuvio, a prime strip stuffed with garlic, spinach and cheese – it’s a triumph. In summer, tables outside expand the seating from the small and spare interior.
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Gino's East
In the great deep-dish pizza wars going on in Chicago, Gino’s is easily one of the top-five heavies. And it encourages its customers to cover every available surface (except for the actual food) with graffiti. The pizza is something you’ll write home about: the classic stuffed cheese and sausage pie oozes countless pounds of cheese over its crispy cornmeal crust.
reviewed
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Bleeding Heart Bakery
With punk-rock posters, hot-pink wallpaper, the relentless Sex Pistols soundtrack and tattooed counter staff, owners Michelle and Vinny Garcia opened the country’s first wholly organic bakery. The ‘punk rock pastries’ are the draw, but smaller treats (many of which are vegan) and lunch sandwiches are pulled off with flamboyant flair.
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Avec
Feeling social? This casual cousin to neighboring Publican gives diners a chance to rub elbows at eight-person communal tables. Dishes are meant for sharing (though you only have to share with people you know), and the food from Chef Koren Grieveson is exceptional. Sweet and savory, the bacon-wrapped dates are the must on the menu.
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El Cid 2
The tart, fresh margaritas and fish tacos (not batter fried, simply grilled) steal the show at this bright, friendly Mexican, which is a stone’s throw from the Logan Square El stop. On busy nights an acoustic minstrel sets up indoors, and when its warm patrons head out back to the romantic patio to dine under strings of lights.
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Charlie Trotter’s
It’s no overstatement: Charlie Trotter is king of Chicago cooking and rightful father of the nouvelle standards. A notorious perfectionist, Trotter has never served the same menu twice. He plates two set multicourse versions nightly – one vegetarian, one meaty. Reservations and jackets for men are required.
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Kopi, a Traveler’s Cafe
Kopi wafts an Asian trekker-lodge vibe, from the pile of pillows to sit on by the front window to the bean-sprouty sandwiches, lefty clientele and flyer-filled community bulletin board. The little shop in back sells travel books and fair-trade global gifts. Wine goes down the hatch for half price on Wednesdays.
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