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Nuevo Leon
Tour buses disgorge dozens of gringo tourists into Pilsen's most celebrated restaurant. Sounds horrible, right? Wrong. This huge place is well-deserving, and Latino families easily outnumber tourists. There are outstanding tacos, tamales and enchiladas but the dish most likely to blow any meat-eater's taste buds is the assado de puerco - tender roast pork served with homemade flour tortillas. Breakfasts are also excellent.
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O'famé
This sit-down restaurant serves thin-crust pizza and ribs popular with the neighborhood diners and Steppenwolf theatergoers. You can get picnic versions of everything from the gleaming white-tile takeout area to enjoy in Oz Park, across the street.
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Old Jerusalem
The Middle Eastern pita sandwiches and falafel are fantastic at this friendly, 30-year-old Old Town joint. Looking for something leafy? Try the Greek salad, served with Lebanese flatbread. The atmosphere is bare bones; get it to go and have a feast in Lincoln Park.
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Opera
Owned by the same folks behind Gioco, this upmarket Chinese restaurant is easy on the eyes, exuding a quirky, cinematic pan-Asian ambience (heightened by the intimate 'vault' seating constructed from old film-reel vaults). You'll find familiar dishes on the menu - Peking duck, kung pao beef, general's chicken, etc - remade with boutique meats, sharp spices and a light touch.
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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 this place a favorite. A plus for drivers: there's free valet service.
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Pasta Bowl
You get more than you pay for at this affordable neighborhood pasta joint. The sauces are top-notch; the pesto reeks of garlic and the bolognese is redolent with basil. The meatball sub is also excellent, and the prices are just a fraction higher than you'd pay across the street at Subway.
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Pasticceria Natalina
The bright green awning announces the friendly little bakery of Natalie and Nick Zarzour, who import the hard-to-find ingredients (pistachios, rosewater, Sicilian sheep's milk ricotta, etc) from the motherland. Pick up cassata , an Italian liqueur-soaked cake filled with sweet ricotta cream, covered in marzipan and candied fruit. And don't leave without a box of the old fashioned Sicilian lemon cookies - tangy bites of buttery crumbly goodness.
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Penny's Noodle Shop
Despite the presence of several other excellent Asian choices within a few blocks, this place attracts crowds most hours of the day and night. You'll see people waiting outside in all weather, good and bad. Maybe these hapless hordes are drawn by the place's minimalist decor, low prices or - no doubt - the cheap, tasty noodle soups (around C$6 average). Penny's is BYOB, so stock up on drinks before you get here.
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Pequod's Pizza
Like the ship in Moby Dick from which this neighborhood restaurant takes its name, Pequod's deep-dish is the thing of legend - head and shoulders above chain competitors because of its caramelized cheese, generous toppings and sweetly flavored sauce. The atmosphere is affably rugged too, with surly waitrons and graffiti-covered walls.
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Phoenix
Though better sit-down dinner experiences in Chinatown are abundant, the draw here is their excellent dim sum. Small plates of char siu bao (barbecued pork buns), shrimp-filled rice noodles, egg custards and other popular vitals roll around the dining room in a seemingly endless parade of carts. The language barrier can be an issue, so keep in mind that if it looks like chicken feet, it probably is.
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Pie Hole Pizza
Closing when the sun comes up, the yummy gourmet slices and cheeky humor ('Point of reference,' reads a note on the menu, 'This menu is fourteen inches long.') make Pie Hole Pizza the final chance to troll for phone numbers and soak up the booze after a night of Boystown clubbing. A playful staff and laid-back atmosphere accompany the evening hours, giving way to an affably rowdy all male pick-up scene after last call.
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Piece
The thin, flour-dusted crust of 'New Haven-style' pizza at this spacious Wicker Park place offers a welcome reprieve from deep dish. The best is the white variety - a sauceless pie dressed simply in olive oil, garlic and mozzarella - that makes a clean pairing with brewer Jon Cutler's award-winning beer. After dark, the easygoing, sky-lit ambience changes after dark gives way to ball games on TV, occassional bands and boisterious 30-somethings.
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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 a 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 so you can save room for the main event. The around US$23 classic can feed a family of four.
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Pj Clarke's
Chicago's straight, 30-something singles come to eyeball one another at this upscale restaurant-pub. Classy and cozy, PJ Clarke's specializes in comfort foods with high-end twists, like the béarnaise burger and teriyaki skirt steak sandwich.
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Platiyo
The warm dining room of this creative Mexican restaurant is packed with locals who come for the upbeat atmosphere and dishes like mahi-mahi tacos and the excellent shrimp fajitas. The chef of Platiyo learned his chops working at the superlative Frontera Grill, and you can taste the mastery - at least until you've imbibed too many items from its inventive margarita menu.
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Portillo's
Die-hard hot dog purists might bemoan the lack of true Chicago dogs in the vicinity of tourist hotspots, but this outpost of the local Portillo's chain - gussied up in a nearly corny '20s, '30s and '40s gangster theme - is the place to get one. Try one of their famous dogs and a slice of the heavenly chocolate cake: far and away the best inexpensive meal in the neighborhood.
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Rhapsody
Tucked inside Symphony Center, Rhapsody's dining room opens to a lovely garden - perfect for regaining your strength after a visit to the Art Institute, or dining early before some Mahler. Menu highlights include the halibut with roasted artichokes and little neck clams and succulent beef tenderloin. Some of the top-notch desserts even feature chocolate bits cleverly etched with gilded musical notes.
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Rj Grunts
The very first of the now-ubiquitous Lettuce Entertain You stable of restaurants, RJ Grunts came on to the scene in the 1970s, when Lincoln Park emerged as the young singles' neighborhood of choice. Now, as then, the huge fruit and vegetable bar and burgers are the mainstays. This is a fun post-zoo lunch spot; even the pickiest kids (and parents) will find something to love.
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Robinson's No 1 Ribs
In the fierce battle to produce the city's best ribs, this tiny shop is a mighty contender. Smoky, meaty ribs in a tangy sauce make napkins silly at Robinson's (why waste all that perfectly good flavor on a dumb napkin?). The chicken is also good, and lunch specials run under five bucks for your pick of a meat, french fries and soda.
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Rosebud
This location in Little Italy is the first branch of an empire of quality Italian restaurants that spread throughout the city. It is popular with politicos and old-school Taylor St Italians who slurp down colossal piles of pasta and spinach gnocchi soaked in red sauces. Bring a big appetite.
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Santorini
Fish, both shelled and finned, honor the legacies of Greek fishermen at this popular spot, where fresh whole fish can be prepared and served tableside. The boisterous room manages to seem cozy, thanks in part to the large Aegean fireplace. Everything from the bread to the baklava is well-made, arriving in portions huge enough to encourage convivial sharing.
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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 (around US$55 and around US$110 respectively) that redefines American comfort food.
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Shaw's Crab House
Shaw's beautiful old dining room and adjoining lounge has an elegant, historic feel, complimented by dark woods and the occasional jazz combo. To find out what selections on the menu are freshest, ask one of the friendly and efficient servers. A crab-cake appetizer and key lime pie dessert make faultless bookends to the meal.
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Shiroi Hana
Every large city, if it's lucky, has its Shiroi Hana - the dirt-cheap sushi place where the food is consistently good, if not overwhelming. Lunch is a particularly sweet deal, with most sushi costing just around US$2 per piece.
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Smoque
With slow-smoked meats and homemade sauces, this worthy destination is a sight more refined than many of its BBQ-slinging brethren. Here, the mac 'n cheese comes with a cornmeal crust, and the salads are crunchy and fresh. But it's the St Louis-style BBQ that lines 'em up: brisket, pulled pork and hot link dishes soaked in rich, smoky and slightly sweet sauce. The squeaky-clean, family friendly environment and efficient staff are bonuses. BYOB.
