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Lincoln Square & North Center Listings:
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Restaurants
AMERICAN
Alps East Friendly, uncommonly tidy if ultimately unremarkable diner that mainly attracts those who find the Greek toast and spicier omelets named after Civil War generals at the Lincoln Restaurant around the corner just too exotic.  Breakfast, lunch daily, 2012 W. Irving Park, 773-975-0527. $ —Ted Cox
Chubby Wieners Hot dog stand under the Brown Line stop at Western serving Chicago-style dogs, Polishes, and burgers as well as Italian beef sandwiches. The fries draw praise from many. Lunch daily, dinner Mon-Sat, 4652 N. Western, 773-769-1394. $
Costello Sandwich & Sides This neighborhood sandwich shop is a second for siblings Lisa and Christopher Costello; the original’s in Roscoe Village. The soups change daily and generously stuffed sandwiches are reasonably priced. The $8.55 (including tax) meal combo includes a sandwich, chips, a side, and a medium drink. Lunch, dinner daily, 4647 N. Lincoln, 773-989-7788, costellosandwich.com. $ —Laura Levy Shatkin
Cordis Brothers Supper Club Wise Fools Pub owners Mike and Dan Cordis set themselves an interesting challenge: update the meat-and-potatoes supper club and make it relevant. I’m not sure they’ve succeeded, but they have built a comfortable neighborhood joint, with a few modern touches (no self-respecting old-guard relish tray would be caught dead wearing hummus and sun-dried tomato butter). Despite the DJs and a rib eye cooked medium-rare perfect, however, I still kept looking around for my grandparents and the overcooked saddle leather they used to serve at the Wagon Wheel. The waitstaff’s both friendly and on top of its game, doling out big portions of meat, fish, and pasta till 11 PM. Dinner Thu-Sun, open till 2 Thu-Sun, 1625 W. Irving Park, 773-935-1000, cordisbrothers.com. $$$ —Mike Sula
Drew’s Eatery This little hot dog and ice cream shop across from Welles Park draws ’em in for kid-friendly organic sausages and pedigreed sweets. The dogs come in pork, two different combos of chicken and turkey (one with red pepper and jalapeño, the other spinach and feta), and classic nitrite-free beef; there are also vegan versions of a Polish and an Italian sausage. While they’re not chargrilled, they’ve got a clean, snappy flavor and are refreshingly free of grease. Cookies and pastries are parbaked by Sweet Dreams Organic Bakery in Glenview and finished on-site; vegan frozen treats come from Chicago Soy Dairy, and Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville, Indiana, provides terrific ice cream. Owner Andrew Baker’s commitment to sustainability extends all the way to biodegradable takeout containers. Lunch, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 2207 W. Montrose, 773-463-7397, drewseatery.com. $ —Martha Bayne
Jeri’s Grill Jeri’s Grill at Western and Montrose might be the only place in town with a “jailhouse special”—fried bologna with eggs, hash browns, and toast. Menu standards include pizza puffs and Beefaroni. The patty melt is so greasy it all but slips out of your hands, but the bacon cheeseburger is juicy and happy making. Dessert specials include homemade bread pudding, which, the waitress says, “is what made my jeans tight.” No credit cards, no checks, no lingering in booths for more than an hour. Breakfast, lunch daily, dinner Mon-Sat, open 24 hours daily, 4357 N. Western, 773-604-8775. $ —Anne Ford
Le Sabre Restaurant It’s not too much of a stretch to call this small diner a neighborhood institution. For more than 40 years it’s served up good coffee and a menu full of the usual: short stacks, eggs, patty melts, and some Greek specialties. Service is quick and friendly. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, 1969 W. Montrose, 773-549-3269. $ —Holly Greenhagen
Lincoln Restaurant Civil War memorabilia fills the walls and surfaces here, and menu items continue the theme, with egg dishes named after Confederates and Yankees alike. Portions are huge, and Formica and vinyl are the decorating mainstays—the bar in back reminded one visitor of a Quentin Tarantino movie set. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 4008 N. Lincoln, 773-248-1820. $ —Holly Greenhagen
Margie’s Candies What’s different at the North Center location of the venerable Logan Square ice cream parlor and restaurant? “Well, it’s not an 86-year-old store,” said Peter Paulos, son of Margie, at the time of its opening. But it’s not all new—the Tiffany-style lamps and parlor chairs were salvaged from the basement of the original shop, and the soda fountain is a refurbished 1950s model. And lactose intolerance be damned, when two scoops covered in whipped cream, nuts, and hot fudge that’s made fresh daily are plopped down in front of you in a custom-made scalloped bowl you’re reminded of all that’s good in the world. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, open till midnight Sat, 11 Sun, 1813 W. Montrose, 773-348-0400. $ —Kathie Bergquist
Smokin’ Woody’s The neighborhood was glad to welcome Smokin' Woody's from its original Southport location about a decade ago, but the truth is it wasn't a destination barbecue place then, and it's not now, although it has its devotees and has definitely improved with a change in ownership. The ribs are smoked pink and firm rather than fall-off-the-bone meat Jell-O. The sandwiches are more reliable (the pulled pork strains the bun), and Woody's potatoes—roasted redskins slathered in barbecue sauce—are distinctive. BYO; cash only. Lunch, dinner Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat, 4160 N. Lincoln, 773-880-1100. $$ —Ted Cox
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL
Browntrout New environmentally friendly contemporary American restaurant from Sean Sanders (Bin 36, Atlantique). BYO for now. Dinner Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat, open till midnight Fri-Sat, 4111 N. Lincoln, 773-472-4111, browntroutchicago.com. $$$
Cafe Selmarie Nestled next to a plaza on Lincoln, this cozy bakery has grown into a small gem of a contemporary American restaurant that’s popular for its weekend breakfasts and pleasant, uncomplicated dinner specials. The menu is small but well-rounded, offering choices to suit a range of tastes. Fish specials are reliable, as are the homemade soups and salad dressings and, at breakfast, the multigrain pancakes with loads of fresh fruit. Desserts—creations like raspberry Bavarian cream torte and orange flourless chocolate cake—are stellar. Breakfast Tue-Fri, lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun, 4729 N. Lincoln, 773-989-5595, cafeselmarie.com. $$$ —Laura Levy Shatkin
Chalkboard Classy as this airy, elegant space is, the menu is decidedly friendly, offering dressed-up versions of classic American comfort food. Daily specials are listed on the restaurant’s namesake, but often also on a paper menu that includes chatty asides from chef-owner Gilbert Langlois . The good old combo of grilled cheese and tomato soup—here roasted tomato bisque with grilled blue cheese in brioche—was right on, the soup silky and rich, the sandwich thoroughly dunkable. The seasonal menu changes frequently, but seasonal vegetables featured prominently on my last visit: chips in the fish-and-chips were made from sunchokes, and tortellini were stuffed with roasted celeriac. On weekends there’s high tea from 2 to 4 PM. Dinner Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat, brunch Sun, 4343 N. Lincoln, 773-477-7144, chalkboardrestaurant.com. $$$ —Kathie Bergquist
Chelsea Grill The awning outside Chelsea Grill, formerly Erba—and sister to Jack Rabbit, formerly Brioso—says “comfortable food,” which judging by the one-page menu is code for upscale comfort food. No matter: I’d be happy to have this little storefront in my neighborhood. The highlight of my meal was the thick butternut squash soup with a trio of succulent chipotle shrimp that gave it an inspired spicy kick; creamed corn soup is another frequent option on the seasonal menu. Roasted beet salad, the sliced red beets arranged with mesclun and a disk of warmed bread-crumb-coated goat cheese, was pleasant enough, and rich short-rib pot roast made an ideal dinner. The moist and tasty Chartwell Farm double-cut pork chop was cooked to medium just as the server said it would be. A couple of burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, and free-range turkey meat loaf are among the other options. Dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, brunch Sun, 4520 N. Lincoln, 773-989-4200. $$$ —Anne Spiselman
Fiddlehead Cafe The kitchen at this casual, warm, wine-centric cafe offers a range of global appetizers and spiffed-up bistro standards. The menu changes seasonally, but certain standards like the roasted garlic hummus remain constant. There’s a wine list of more than 350 bottles plus more than 30 reds, whites, and bubblies available by the glass or in flights of three, and a new beer list offers more than 100 craft and Belgian brews. The cheese selection is outstanding. Brunch, lunch Sat-Sun, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 4600 N. Lincoln, 773-751-1500, fiddleheadcafe.com. $$$ —Martha Bayne
Jack Rabbit With a revamped menu and repainted walls, the tiny ten-table storefront that was the Mexican Brioso has morphed into the southwestern Jack Rabbit. It should still satisfy fans of its previous incarnation; I overheard a regular at a nearby table declare the slow-roasted pork nachos “awesome.” Affordable prices, ample portions, and an agreeable changing lineup may even win converts. But the food I sampled lacked soul. Cutely named “Three Little Pigs” (no longer on the menu) consisted of too-well-done pork loin wrapped in Nueske’s bacon, which didn’t moisten it, and two taquitos with barely-there slow-roasted pork filling. The nicely crisped wild mushroom and chicken quesadilla had a well-balanced filling, though some might find it skimpy. An extrafirm Mexican cinnamon bread pudding was disappointing, but velvety-moist chocolate cake was a winner. Dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 4603 N. Lincoln, 773-989-9000. $$$ —Anne Spiselman
Sola Chef Carol Wallack has dreamed up a menu board with expert balance. Seasonally changing soups range from a cold cucumber-and-melon soup to a hot-and-sour lobster; a sea greens salad was crisp with water chestnuts and played the bitterness of hijiki against the sweet spiciness of hoisin. There were some gimmicks: Parmesan fries with truffle oil sounded fabulous but turned out to be a fancified version of what you’d get at Gene and Jude’s. Far more memorable was the black cod, marinated three days in miso paste and rice vinegar; it’s now available as an appetizer. We also tried Colorado lamb chops with eggplant and leeks, for which our server suggested a medium-weight Cartlidge & Brown pinot noir—an excellent match. Capping things off are desserts like braised pineapple with coconut sorbet and a macadamia nut cookie or molten chocolate cake with sesame brickle ice cream and wasabi-vanilla bean syrup. A creative brunch list features malasadas, Portuguese doughnuts popular in Hawaii. Lunch Thu-Fri, dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun, 3868 N. Lincoln, 773-327-3868, sola-restaurant.com. $$$ —David Hammond
Tallulah Troy Graves, formerly of Meritage, throws his lot in with the tenants of Lincoln Square’s burgeoning restaurant row in the spot where She She withered away. It’s a dark, loud, cramped space with a long sidewall mirror and a wide view of the Old Town School that does little to relieve the claustrophobia. But this should be ameliorated now that it’s warmer—the airy patio seats about 35. And Graves’s seasonal East-West-influenced menu has also lightened up. I liked some of the bold-for-this-neighborhood inclusions like pork belly, plopped atop gingery-sweet but not unaggressive kimchi, and the spicy lobster deviled eggs were really good, their richness offset by crunchy roe. On my last visit I was overwhelmed by fathomless dishes like braised short ribs with Brie-mashed potatoes, but current offerings include grilled wahoo with purple sticky rice, mango, sugar snap peas, and cucumber in a lemongrass-orange broth or a pan-roasted skate wing with fava beans, strawberries, and pancetta in a balsamic gastrique—I’ll certainly give Tallulah another look. Tuesdays are bring-your-own-wine night sans corkage fee. a Dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, Sun brunch, open till 11 Fri-Sat. $$$ —Mike Sula
ASIAN
Cho Sun Ok Restaurant Woo Bok Lee opened his restaurant in 1980, and it stands today as the oldest operating Korean restaurant in the city. Its specialties are five varieties of naengmyeon (buckwheat noodles) and “stone pan cooking.” The latter (for two or more people) involves gas burners on the table fueling a heavy stone griddle upon which a variety of seasoned meats are seared—octopus, beef, tripe, or a combination. Marinated vegetables and steamed rice (or noodles) are then cooked in the rendered juices, the rice crisps on the pan, and the resulting aromas can be whiffed down the block. Originally a North Korean specialty, naengmyeon are served cold and slippery, a bracing refreshment in hot weather, usually in light beef broth garnished with slivered cucumber or radish, hard-boiled egg, mustard, and red pepper paste. I prefer the two “dry” variations served here, one topped with raw, chewy skate. Lunch, dinner daily, 4200 N. Lincoln, 773-549-5555, chosunokrestaurant.com. $ —Mike Sula
Essence of India The kitchen and service here run like a well-oiled machine. Vegetable pakoras came hot enough to burn our hands; the filling was savory and subtle. Another commendable appetizer was the jhinga karahi: deep-fried shrimp marinated in spiced vinegar and lemon juice. Our entrees were mild but toothsome: the gosht korma (bone-bracketed cubes of top-quality lamb in a saffron sauce) was rich and deep; so, in an entirely distinct way, was the murgh tikka masala (chicken in an herbed cream sauce). For dessert, the rasmalai (cheese dumplings poached in sweetened milk) were terrific. The lunch buffet, sampled on another occasion, was disappointing only in relation to our excellent dinner. Lunch Fri-Sun, dinner Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat, 4601 N. Lincoln, 773-506-0002. $$ —Cliff Doerksen
Han Bat This unassuming, half-hidden hole wedged between a defunct Korean bar and the late, great Penguin does one thing well enough to win written testimonials from Korean pop stars and luminaries. It’s sul lung tang, or ox-bone soup, a great bowl of goodness with its origins in centuries-old harvest rites, after which the bones of a sacrificial beast of burden were boiled for hours to make a milky white broth. Bland, silky, and rich with marrow, it’s a specialty of the region surrounding Seoul and these days valued as hangover remedy or a soothing morning meal. Here it’s available with a choice of chap chae or white noodles and a variety of cow parts (flank, brisket, tongue, tripe, spleen, tendon, or a combination) and accompanied only by hot roasted corn tea and the refreshing, crisp, and spicy contrast of kkakdugi (diced radish) and whole cabbage kimchi, which a waitress scissors into pieces at the table. The soup can be livened at the diner’s discretion with sea salt, chopped green onions, and chile paste. Should one desire some additional protein, plates of boiled brisket, tendon, or tongue are available, but a spicy beef vegetable soup is the sole alternative to the house specialty. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, 2723 W. Lawrence, 773-271-8640. $ —Mike Sula
House of Wah Sun Wah Sun has had a loyal following for decades (including a local alderman who eats here regularly), but the restaurant’s been especially good under chef-owner Mark Chiang, who bought it back in 2001. His meat and seafood are surprisingly tender, as in a dish of melt-in-your-mouth beef with tomatoes and green pepper in black-bean sauce, or the not-too-greasy chow fun noodles with succulent chunks of all-white-meat chicken, or the Szechuan shrimp with real heat and plump, tender shrimp. The fried rice is excellent—every grain has touched the surface of the wok. The sauces tend towards gloppiness, but the flavors come through bright and clear. Portions are extraordinarily generous and easily feed two. A full bar includes tropical drinks like Singapore Slings, Zombies, and something called the Samoan passion, all served in tiki-bar-appropriate glasses and a steal at $6.50 to $7.95. Lunch, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 4319 N. Lincoln, 773-477-0800, houseofwahsun.com. $ —Peter Tyksinski
Isla Pilipina A friend of mine says he “just doesn’t get” Filipino food. Maybe Isla can help. Then again, maybe not: our meal was a string of big hits and misses. Unlikely as it may seem, the deep-fried pig’s foot was scrumptious, and I’ve never enjoyed trotters much. A bowl of taro leaf cooked in coconut milk along with Asian spices and a few shrimp was a delicate balance of bitter and sweet, rough and creamy. But to my palate sinigang, a traditional soup with tamarind, was sour to the point of inedibility, and though my charming server heartily endorsed the chop suey guisado, it amounted to no more than thinly seasoned celery and other predictable veggies. The menu description of pancit palabok promised pan-fried noodles with shrimp or meat, but we got pretty much only scrambled egg—not bad, but not as advertised. Mixed adobo is a good illustration of our dining experience at Isla: chunks of pork and chicken were flavored with the classic Filipino spice of soy, vinegar and garlic, well-seasoned and tasty, just not quite to my taste—maybe I don’t get it. BYO. Lunch, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 2501 W. Lawrence, 773-271-2988, islapilipina.com. $ —David Hammond
Kan Pou When Doungpon Morakotjantachote arrived in Chicago a few years ago, she was surprised to find that no one was baking for the local Thai community. So she started making cookies and sweets for one of the local Thai food shops. Now she and her husband have opened a full-fledged restaurant along the Western Avenue Thai strip, but as the name—Thai for “cloves”—suggests, sweets are still the real point of distinction. Entrees like pad thai and chicken basil are typical Ameri-Thai, sweetened up for the farang palate but freshly made and pleasing. The most novel item is alien-egg-looking sakoo dumplings, little balls of spiced chicken and sweet turnip coated in cassava, the same gummy starch used for tapioca and bubble tea. But the real reward comes at the end of the meal—at the very least you’ll want to sample the butter cookies brightly flavored with lemongrass, ginger, and sesame seed, or indulge in a dessert sampler made up of a changing variety employing traditional ingredients such as coconut, custard, and sweetened bean paste. BYO. Lunch Mon, Wed-Sat, dinner daily, 4256 N. Western, 773-866-2839, kanpourestaurant. $$ —Mike Gebert
Lincoln Restaurant Of all the reasons people give for being intimidated by Korean restaurants—no English spoken, dark windows—I think the most legitimate is that they’re so darn communal. I’ll be the first to admit it ain’t easy to stroll solo into some place whose tables are filled with extended families or soju-soaked businessmen all attacking giant bubbling centerpieces of delicious-looking food that can’t be found on the menu. This tiny lunch counter renders the problem moot, serving a small selection of extremely well-made simple Korean standards, from a very red shredded beef soup (yuk gae jang) with nice big chunks of meat and radish to a fat, fleshy grilled croaker to an incendiary sam gyeop sal (stir-fried pork belly with kimchi), one of my all-time favorites. Add in an irresistible eggplant kimchi, rice flecked with red beans, and the sweet mother-and-daughter team that runs it—this place is full of little surprises that make it one of the more welcoming places I know for Korean food. BYO. Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat, 5501 N. Lincoln, 773-784-5225. $ —Mike Sula
Nhu Lan Bakery Banh mi, the miraculous French-inspired Vietnamese sub, is something that should be available on every corner—but isn’t. So Nhu Lan Bakery, a Vietnamese bakery in Lincoln Square, is a treasure for the neighborhood. Demi baguettes are baked fresh daily to cradle nine different fillings (only five were available on my last visit), typically accented by pickled, julienned carrot and daikon, cucumbers, mayo, cilantro, thinly sliced jalapeños, and dressed with spicy-sweet nuoc cham, a potent fish sauce. Among my favorites is the “special,” a meat-lover’s sub with a schmear of rich paté, headcheese, ham, and a fried pork sausage called cha hue. There’s also a meatball filling, sweet and messy like a sloppy joe; a lemony shredded chicken; grilled pork; and an all-vegetable variety filled with undressed breaded, fried, dry vegetable matter, the only one I can’t recommend. These sandwiches run a mere $2.75 to $3.25; buy five and you get one free. Breakfast, lunch, dinner Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat, 2612 W. Lawrence, 773-878-9898. $ —Mike Sula
Opart Thai House With more than 100 items on the menu, Opart Thai House offers the gamut of flavors, from sweet to kick-ass spicy, and a huge variety of ingredients. Appetizers include three versions of charbroiled beef with spicy Thai sauces (the Tiger Cry is a must), along with crispy sweet-and-sour mee krob, spring rolls, and satay. Salads (larb, nam sod, and green papaya, among others) are meals in themselves. The many curry, noodle, and rice dishes are sauteed or stir-fried with seafood, poultry, beef, or one of endless combinations of fresh vegetables and sauces. Some tasty favorites include pad king (sauteed ginger, onions, mushrooms, and pea pods) and pad kra praow (sauteed basil, hot peppers, and garlic over rice). BYO. Lunch, dinner daily, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 4658 N. Western, 773-989-8517, opartthai.com. $ —Paul Schoenwetter
Orange Garden This Cantonese throwback with a striking art deco facade is straight out of a smoky Chris Ware cartoon. Without a trace of irony, the place embraces every Chinese restaurant cliche: Chinese zodiac placemats, tea for sale in a glass case under the register, and a pair of shellacked landscape murals on opposing walls. But execution is solid. Hot-and-sour soup was chock-full of tofu, bamboo shoots, black fungus, and egg. Bite into the stupendous egg rolls and the next table will hear the crunch. Main dishes serve two and hover reasonably around $8. I’d put Orange Garden’s beef chow fun up against the best in Chicago or NYC’s Chinatown: the beef is fork-tender and the dish has real wok hay (literally, the “breath of a wok”). BYO. Dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 1942 W. Irving Park, 773-525-7479. $ —Peter Tyksinski
Roong Petch This Thai-sushi storefront offers fine, reasonably priced food and pleasant service. It’s a carryout and delivery standby, and locals come frequently for sushi or Thai classics like chicken satay, pad see eiw, and ginger chicken. A tod mun appetizer—six fried curry fish cakes served with sweet, piquant cucumber sauce and ground peanuts—shouldn’t be missed. The panang chicken is another winner—chunks of perfectly cooked chicken and strips of red and green peppers in a rich coconut milk and red curry sauce. There’s a long list of nigiri, maki, and specialty maki available at eye-poppingly modest prices. The $5.50 lunch special gets you soup, an appetizer, and your choice of Thai entree from a list of more than a dozen. BYO. Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat, 1828 W. Montrose, 773-989-0818, roongpetch.com. $ —Laura Levy Shatkin
Royal Thai Restaurant The lunch menu is great: you get pot stickers, soup, and a decent-size entree at a reasonable price, and there are loads of vegetarian options. The food’s a bit above average, the prices a bit below. BYO. Lunch, dinner daily, 2209 W. Montrose, 773-509-0007, royalthaichicago.com. $ —Kimberly Petersen
Siam Country Offerings are typical at this inconspicuous storefront near the Brown Line el stop at Damen: pot stickers and tempura, Thai appetizers like spring rolls and beef salad, and a full slate of both noodle dishes and hot entrees (pad basil, pad prik, pad ginger), plus a long list of curries. But some Raters love it, citing the friendly staff and “wonderful, homelike atmosphere.” The ingredients are fresh, but if you want it spicy you’ll have to ask. BYO. Lunch, dinner Sun-Tue, Thu-Sat, 4637 N. Damen, 773-271-0700, siamcountrychicago.com. $ —Holly Greenhagen
Snow Spice Thai This BYO Thai restaurant has all the typical appetizers, soups, and noodle and rice dishes, but also throws a few curveballs into the mix, offering salads like mango salsa shrimp and avocado fish. Speaking of which, fish is an add-in option, something you don’t see too often. BYO. Dinner daily, 4825 N. Western, 773-754-7660. $
Spoon It’s not like there’s been a revolution against boring Thai food in Chicago, but there’s certainly a healthy resistance, and it was born in Chai and Vanna Gumtrontip’s little restaurant. Spoon was the first place in the city willing to serve authentic, fully flavored Thai food to non-Thais. It began in the summer of ’03 with the discovery of the Thai-language “secret menu” by a handful of chowhounds, who had it translated and began plumbing the depths of its aggressive, brilliantly seasoned dishes. Word spread, and the waitstaff eventually began relinquishing funky Issan sausage, rich boat noodles, banana blossom salad, one-bite salad, incendiary papaya salad sprinkled with dried shrimp or pickled crab, and the miraculous Thai-style fried chicken (kai thawt). I’m a long way from navigating the depths of this vast repertoire, but so far some of my favorite items are naem khao thawt, a tangy, crispy fried rice salad with peanuts, cilantro, and pressed ham; phat phrik sa-taw muu sap, minced pork and bitter beans; and Issan-style minced duck salad. BYO. Lunch, dinner daily, 4608 N. Western, 773-769-1173, spoonthai.com. $ —Mike Sula
Sticky Rice Thai A wonder cabinet of Thai food run by a charming and very patient staff, this is endlessly interesting and cheap enough to serve as your substitute kitchen. Their standard English-language menu would be novel enough, with things like deep-fried quail and shrimp on sugarcane, but thanks to a translation of the lengthy Thai-language menu, the options are almost inexhaustible. Among the standouts are banana blossom salad, Burmese-style curry, duck curry with lychees, and northern Thai larb (made with ground pork and intestine). Also, for those interested in real grub: with dishes like fried worms and ant-egg omelet, Sticky Rice is your Chicagoland insect-eating destination. BYO. Lunch, dinner daily, open till 11 Mon-Sat, 4018 N. Western, 773-588-0133, stickyricethai.com. $ —Nicholas Day
T-Spot Sushi The T stands for tea at this swanky spot with a Euro vibe, and the restaurant features a long list of them, including a pricey rare white as well as green, oolong, black, and herbal, and custom blends like a minty Moroccan. Getting down to brass tacks, we tried the Chicago Fire maki, crunchy tempura encased in velvety avocado and dabbed with chile sauce; while we loved the textures, the roll didn’t have much heat, though a spicy tuna roll lived up to its billing. A brawl almost broke out over the last piece of our pearl roll, crab and tuna adorned with tobiko in three different colors. We also tried a handful of standard sushi and maki and found them to be, well, standard. BYO. Dinner Mon-Sat, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 3925 N. Lincoln 773-549-4500, tspotsushiandteabar.com. $$$ —Kathie Bergquist
Tank Sushi Tank’s formula—sleek contemporary space, clubby background music, signature cocktails—has been done before. But it still feels welcoming and casual enough for the neighborhood folkies and hippiesters. Many of the sushi combinations show a global influence: the Latin Heat (superwhite tuna and smoked salmon with avocado) sports cilantro and a healthy slice of jalapeño. We loved the Ocean Sundae roll (shrimp tempura, cream cheese, avocado, and an embarrassment of sauces and mayos), with its combination of sweet and spicy flavors and creamy and crunchy textures. The maki menu also features vegetarian rolls including kampyo, marinated gourd with sesame seeds, and a shiitake roll with sweet ginger soy and sesame seeds. Lunch, dinner daily, open till 11:30 Fri-Sat, 4514 N. Lincoln, 773-769-2600, tanksushi.com. $$$ —Kathie Bergquist
Thai Oscar Of the three Thai restaurants clustered together on the 4600 block of Western, I prefer this one, though one fellow critic calls Thai Oscar “probably the worst option in a neighborhood full of good or better-quality Thai.” One upside is that it serves both Thai and Japanese food, satisfying more tastes. All the appetizers we tried were good, but the great big leek dumplings deserve special mention: the batter, made with rice flour, was crisp on its outer layer and splendidly gooey underneath, the leek filling savory and just slightly tooth-resistant. The tom kha kai soup, a hot-and-sour concoction made with coconut milk and lemongrass, was fresh and tangy. Service was friendly and efficient. BYO. Lunch, dinner daily, 4638 N. Western, 773-878-5922. $ —Cliff Doerksen
Thai Room This storefront Thai restaurant is our regular standby for take-out and dine-in. The pad thai with chicken and the pad kei mow are both tasty and served with fresh ingredients, piping hot. The cucumber salad is a refreshing starter—better than at most other Thai restaurants. The vegetarian egg rolls are good, and the crab rangoon is a favorite.Dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 4022 N. Western 773-539-6150, thairoomchicago.com. BYO. $ —Katie A. Wise, Rater
BAR/LOUNGE
Bad Dog Tavern The menu here is several cuts above bar food. An order of tempura-style green beans comes with a lime-ginger-soy dipping sauce; another successful fusion is the goat cheese wonton appetizer. In addition to sandwiches and salads, there are pizzas with classic toppings, plus hearty entrees like an herb-marinated pork tenderloin served with garlic mashed potatoes. The several choices on tap include Delirium Tremens, and there’s a large outdoor patio. Lunch, dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun, open till 3 Sat, 2 daily, 4535 N. Lincoln, 773-334-4040, baddogtavern.com. $$$ —Laura Levy Shatkin
Brownstone Tavern & Grill This sports bar and grill proclaims itself headquarters for alumni of the University of Texas. There’s plenty of standard pub grub: chicken wings, sliders, quesadillas, salads, and wraps. Raters praise the ambience but deplore the service. The kitchen stays open till 11 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Lunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily, open till 3 Sat, 2 Mon-Fri, 12:30 Sun, 3937 N. Lincoln, 773-528-3700, brownstonetavern.com. $$
Celtic Crown Celtic Crown has carved out a nice little niche for itself in a crowded landscape. It has three bars with distinct personalities, so if you get tired of the action on the main floor (the most sports-bar-like environment) you can just head up- or downstairs and find yourself in a dark, intimate room or a quiet, spacious one with a pool table. The menu lists the usual mix of salads, sandwiches, a few higher-priced dinner options like strip steaks and barbecued ribs, and Guinness-infused edibles. The Crown outdoes most burger suppliers in town simply by serving hamburgers on substantial buns that don’t break down two bites into your meal. Lunch, dinner daily, open till 3 Sat, 2 Sun-Fri, 4301 N. Western, 773-588-1110, s126613707.onlinehome.us/celtic/index.php. $ —Chip Dudley
Cinners The peculiar regional specialty known as Cincinnati three-way chili—ground chuck simmered slowly with tomato and a mix of baking spices, plopped over spaghetti, and all covered with cheese—was invented by a pair of Macedonian restaurateurs trying to make a living in a city full of Germans. Now Cincinnati native Tony Plum has plopped his bar and chili parlor in Lincoln Square. The place is a bit of a nostalgic theme park, with red-and-black walls covered in photos of old Reds ballplayers, Cincinnati streetscapes, and beer cans from defunct Queen City breweries. And Plum serves Little Kings Cream Ale in seven-ounce bottles. “Anybody who grew up in Cincinnati in the 70s or 80s—that’s what they drank in high school,” he says. Then there’s the chili, spiced with cinnamon, allspice, cocoa, cumin, Worcestershire, and more, and served on pasta or dolloped on steamed Coney dogs, with oyster crackers on the side. Adding raw onions or kidney beans makes it a four-way; fully loaded it’s a five-way. Dinner daily, open till 2 Mon-Sat, midnight Sun, 4757 N. Talman, 773-654-1624, cinners.net. $ —Mike Sula
Daily Bar & Grill This onetime neighborhood favorite was retooled a while back, apparently to attract the younger crowd moving into Lincoln Square. Nothing has been changed beyond recognition, but the room is sleeker and the music’s louder. Chicken wings have replaced grilled salmon and pasta specials, but some items from the old menu remain, including pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and a couple comfort-food entrees. The swank upstairs Parlor Room has red velvet curtains and leather couches and can accommodate 50 people for private parties, and there’s a large outdoor seating area. The kitchen stays open till 11 Monday through Saturday. Dinner daily, open Sat till 3, 2 Sun-Fri, 4560 N. Lincoln, 773-561-6198. $$ —Michael Lenehan
42 Degrees N. Latitude This place calls itself a “kitchen and bar,” but it feels a lot like a restaurant: comfy booths and tables surrounded by dark wood and brick. The menu has a selection of different-sized plates and appetizers, all very fresh and mostly not fried, such as pita wedges with carrots, cucumber, and a trio of dips, the best of which was a piquant mixture of red pepper and feta. The veggie burger here had nice texture and bite, and a hanger steak was perfectly cooked and served with crisp pommes frites. The service is great. Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun, open till 2 Fri-Sat, midnight Sun-Thu, 4500 N. Lincoln, 773-907-2226, 42nlatitude.com. $$ —Jen Johnson
The Grafton The long room of this Celtic pub, divided into front and back spaces, is handsomely finished in dark oak with tin ceilings. The menu is full of expected specialties like Irish stew, fish-and-chips, and shepherd’s pie, all prepared in a rustic style and served in large portions. Live music several nights a week is relegated to the back room, leaving the front conversation-friendly. Lunch Sat-Sun, dinner daily, open till 3 Sat, 2 Sun-Fri, 4530 N. Lincoln, 773-271-9000, thegrafton.com. $$ —Laura Levy Shatkin
Jury’s Every hot and happening restaurant row should have one old-school place still chugging along, resistant to all trends, and that’s the function Jury’s serves on this stretch of Lincoln Avenue just south of Montrose. With its white-tablecloth interior and supper club menu, the place clearly aims for more sophistication than the other taverns along this strip, though its main claim to fame is still its hamburger, which won a best-burger-in-da-city contest some years back. For once one of those things got it right: this is a terrific example of the classic bar burger, a half-pound slab of quality beef seared to a steaklike char and accompanied by nothing more exotic than Grey Poupon and a manly mound of steak fries. Not surprisingly, the same char crust turns up on the steaks themselves, which rank among the city’s best in their midrange price class. Stick with the red meat and Jury’s acquits itself well, especially on Monday nights, when appetizers and desserts are half off. There’s a patio in back, and a small sidewalk cafe where canine companions are welcome. Lunch Mon-Sat, dinner daily, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 4337 N. Lincoln, 773-935-2255, jurysrestaurant.com. $$ —Mike Gebert
Laschet’s Inn In the past, this little bar, bedecked with Deutschabilia, could be accused of harboring a clubby, aloof atmosphere. Maybe the addition of home-style cookery is responsible for the pervading spirit of gemütlichkeit that’s replaced it. There’s a range of robust provender to accompany the wide selection of German beer on draft. Big steaming plates of roast veal or sauerbraten, cooked long and laden with rich gravy, are the most dependably hearty dishes, but the relatively lighter, crispy schnitzels wouldn’t starve anyone either. In the middle of that scale, königsberger klopse, soft meatballs in lemony sauce with capers, or sausage duets of glistening bratwurst, Thuringer, or veal wieners are fine fuel for long winter hibernations. These dishes are icons of meat-and-potatoes eating, which isn’t to say there aren’t opportunities for decadence: you can’t get any more fancypants than the hackepeter appetizer—coarse rye bread topped with raw minced beef garnished with chopped onions and capers. The kitchen’s closed on Monday. Lunch, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, open till 3 Sat, till 2 Sun-Fri, 2119 W. Irving Park, 773-478-7915, laschetsinn.com. $$ —Mike Sula
O’Donovan’s There was a time when O’Donovan’s Monday-night dollar burger attracted people in droves, but since the formula was copied by other pubs and the price went up, crowds are no longer a problem, and at two bucks a pop, these are good, decent bar burgers. The service here is sharp if uneven and the food fine if never extraordinary. Lunch, dinner daily, brunch Sun, open till 3 Sat, 2 Sun-Fri, 2100 W. Irving Park, 773-478-2100, kendallsbar.com/odonovans/home.asp. $$ —Ted Cox
Paddy O’Splaine’s The latest of Lincoln Square’s ever growing roster of TV-centric barstaurants. The kitchen seems incapable of producing anything in a timely manner from the standard menu of pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and main dishes. The bar’s slow too. Lunch, dinner daily, open till 3 Sat, 2 Sun-Fri, 2434 W. Montrose, 773-866-1825, paddyosplaines.net. $$ —Mike Sula
Rockwell’s Neighborhood Grill The game’s on TV at this friendly neighborhood tavern and restaurant, a couple of senior women are having dinner by the window, and a dad is enjoying a beer and a few minutes’ peace while junior tends to his grilled cheese sandwich. The menu won’t surprise anyone—burgers, a smoked turkey club, a French dip sandwich, Caesar salad, burritos, fajitas, and a few higher-end items like salmon—but the food is fresh and flavorful. The dog-friendly outdoor seating area on Eastwood looks out on a nice residential street with a few handsome bungalows. Lunch Sat-Sun, dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun, 4632 N. Rockwell 773-509-1871, rockwellsgrill.com. $$ —Michael Lenehan
Wild Goose Bar & Grille The grub served at this pub is a little above standard bar food in terms of quality and preparation. The french fries are hand cut and the chicken fingers made from scratch. As you might expect for a place with 15 televisions, the Wild Goose has a sporty vibe, and the serving sizes nod to the sports-bar crowd: the chicken focaccia sandwich came with a giant butterflied breast twice the size of the substantial bun—a single tomato slice perched on top looked like a teensy clown hat. Both that and the tuna melt came with mounds of fries and homemade slaw. Other menu items round out typical bar fare—nachos, half-pound burgers, jalapeño poppers, chili, and the like. Lunch, dinner daily, brunch Sun, open till 1 Fri-Sat, midnight Sun-Thu, 4265 N. Lincoln, 773-281-7112, wildgoosebar.com. $$ —Kathie Bergquist
Xippo Brothers Nikola and Alexander Samardzija have recently renovated the corner tavern operated by their Serbian grandmother into an even slicker hideout decorated in black and silver, with couches and bottle service. There’s a revamped menu of appetizers and small plates as well as a new dessert menu. Dinner daily, lunch Sat, brunch Sun, open till 3 Sat, 2 Sun-Fri, 3759 N. Damen, 773-529-9135. $$ —Laura Levy Shatkin
CAFE/COFFEE SHOP
Beans & Bagels Friendly neighborhood coffee shop under the Ravenswood stop at Montrose. There’s a sandwich menu, salads, desserts, and pastries in addition to bagels from New York Bagel & Bialy. Mon-Fri 6:30 AM-5 PM, Sat 7:30 AM-3 PM, Sun 8 AM-3 PM, 1812 W. Montrose, 773-769-2000, beansandbagels.com. $
Delicious Cafe Husband-and-wife team Chelsea Walerod and Kevin Porter worked together as baristas before opening this new North Center coffee shop with the help of family and friends. There’s an extensive menu of specialty coffee drinks and an all-vegetarian lineup of vegan pastries and sandwiches like grilled cheese (with a soy option), grilled peanut butter and banana, and tofu eggless salad. Mon-Fri 6:30 AM-7 PM, Sat 8 AM-7 PM, Sun 9 AM-5 PM, 3827 N. Lincoln, 773-477-9840, deliciouscafechicago.com. $
The Grind This coffee shop serves soups, salads, sandwiches, and quiche in addition to a range of coffee drinks. Work by local artists changes monthly; out back is a new garden patio. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, 4613 N. Lincoln, 773-271-4482, thegrindchicago.com. $
Julius Meinl As at other locations of this Austrian chain, the North Center outpost serves the gamut, from breakfast pastries and eggs to sandwiches, salads, and quiche to Austrian dinner specialties like goulash or roasted lamb with spinach and spätzle. Live music Friday and Saturday. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, open till midnight Fri-Sat, 4363 N. Lincoln, Chicago, 773-868-1876, meinl.com. $
The Perfect Cup This bright, spacious room at the corner of Leland and Damen attracts a regular crowd of people reading, working, or chatting. Purists might be put off by the fact that the espresso drinks are pressed by machine, not hand, but the plain old coffee is always good. Food offerings are limited to bagels and pastries. Cash only. Mon-Fri 6:30 AM-9 PM, Sat-Sun 7:30-9, 4700 N. Damen, 773-989-4177. $ —Holly Greenhagen
Ventrella’s Caffe James Ventrella modeled his homey cafe on the restaurants and shops he visited as a child in Chicago’s Italian neighborhoods. “I wanted to pick up a store from Harlem Avenue in, like, 1950 and just drop it here on Damen,” he says. Hence the many vintage pieces, such as a sink from a 1930s-era Pullman railroad car and a fridge from the mid-50s. Even the mint in the iced tea is vintage of a sort—Ventrella gets it from his mom, who transplanted it from a garden that her father planted 80-some years ago. His other offerings include Lavazza coffee and espresso, panini (Gorgonzola with pear, proscuitto with provolone and green apple, a Caprese with giardiniera), soups, and baked goods. But don’t miss the gelato and sorbetto, crafted by a small-batch artisan in Michigan in flavors like chocolate espresso bean, stracciatella (vanilla ribboned with chocolate), and pistachio. The last is “kind of an old-guy flavor,” Ventrella says. “But even the kids ask for it.” Lunch, dinner daily, 4947 N. Damen, 773-506-0708. $ —Anne Ford
EUROPEAN
Balkan Restaurant This friendly BYO serves Slavic favorites like cevepcici; sarma, meat-stuffed cabbage rolls; meat, cheese, and spinach-and-cheese pitas; and, from Friday through Sunday, Balkan-style roast lamb. Breakfast, lunch daily, dinner Mon-Sat, 2321 W. Lawrence, 773-878-7764. $
Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna Evenings here can be very quiet midweek, but the bar is usually full of local men in their 50s. This is a good place to try Greek wines with traditional cuisine. Egg-lemon soup is a highlight, as is the skordalia; also served are a very good spanakopita, great kebabs, thin-cut lamb chops, and delicious moussaka. Portions are large enough to share, and the food is comforting and satisfying. Lunch, dinner daily, open till 11 nightly, 4761 N. Lincoln, 773-878-6400. $$ —Emma Krasov
Bistro Campagne A reliable choice for classic French fare. The kitchen places a premium on organic ingredients; even the wine list has several bottles from sustainably farmed vineyards. The menu offers bistro standards such as French onion soup and mussels; entrees include steak frites and rotating preparations of lamb and duck. Escargots, delivered spitting hot, are prepared with a garlic-Pernod butter; roast chicken, crispy on the outside and juicy within, was served over a bed of rich mushroom ragout and topped with a crazy blossom of fried onion. For dessert there’s a creamy creme brulee, pot au chocolat, house-made ice cream and sorbet, or perhaps a seasonal tart. The cozy dining rooms are comfortable, but outdoor seating is also popular. Dinner daily, brunch Sun, 4518 N. Lincoln, 773-271-6100, bistrocampagne.com. $$$ —Martha Bayne
La Bocca Della Verita The decor at this reasonably priced Italian restaurant is homey rather than hip—and that’s what its fans love about it. La Bocca is simply a casual place to get a very good Italian meal. We took the waiter’s recommendation and ordered the special chicken dish of the night—lightly breaded and served with a refreshing blend of arugula and vegetables—and the duck-stuffed ravioli in a savory tomato cream sauce; both were excellent. But there’s a lot more to try: close to 20 appetizers including celery-apple and fennel salads, homemade pastas, and entrees such as a whole branzino, not a fish you see very often. An appealing sidewalk cafe provides extra seating in warm weather. Lunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 4618 N. Lincoln, 773-784-6222. $$$ —Rachel Klein
Chicago Brauhaus Located in the heart of “German Village,” Chicago Brauhaus serves arguably the best German food in town. Massive wooden tables and chairs and folksy decorations create a Bavarian atmosphere, enhanced nightly by a live band in Tyrolean costume. Motherly waitresses promptly accommodate parties of any size, and big family gatherings are common here. Appetizers are hearty: there’s matjes herring, a thin, flavorful marinated fillet in fresh sour cream with a boiled potato on the side, and steak tartare with all the trimmings—anchovies, raw onions, capers. Liver dumpling soup is a must. If you can squeeze in a main course after all this, try a beef roulade or the pork shank with sauerkraut. Beers come both micro- and macrobrewed; there’s also a full bar. Chicago Brauhaus is Oktoberfest central, packed to the gills with drunken revelers. Dinner Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat, open till midnight nightly, 4732 N. Lincoln, 773-784-4444, chicagobrauhaus.com. $$ —Emma Krasov
Glunz Bavarian Haus This German-Austrian restaurant is anchored by alcohol, with 16 beers available on tap, 20 more by the bottle, and a selection of wine drinks including May wine produced by the Glunz family (owners of the Old Town wine store House of Glunz since 1888). The bar’s ambience spills over into the dining section and the patio alike. The menu is small but classic: soups, sausages (Thuringer, bratwurst, weisswurst, the last mild and delicious), and entrees of Wiener schnitzel, duck, pork, and roast chicken, all with the proper accompaniments. Lunch Fri-Sun, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, open till 2 nightly, 4128 N. Lincoln, 773-472-4287, glunzbavarianhaus.com. $$$ —Elizabeth M. Tamny
Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro Under executive chef Jeannie Carlson, the menu at this huge bar and restaurant in a rehabbed Lincoln Avenue funeral home is a mix of British Isles standards and creative contemporary Irish bistro fare. My friend’s Guinness-and-onion soup arrived in a sizzling hot crock with a bubbling white-cheddar crust; though a bit undersalted it was still savory and satisfying. Her shepherd’s pie, served in a similarly blister-inducing piece of crockery, was a hearty mix of lamb, carrots, and pearl onions underneath a crown of piped-on mashed potato rosettes. I opted for a plate of grilled sea scallops served with carrots and fingerling potatoes that I washed down with a second glass of a refreshing sauvignon blanc. The staff do their darnedest to make you feel at home—our waiter kept promising to buy us shots. Dinner daily, brunch Sun, open till 2 Fri-Sat, 1 Mon-Thu, midnight Sun, 3905 N. Lincoln, 773-248-3905, irishbistro.com. $$$ —Martha Bayne
Mythos Greek Taverna For years people have been predicting that Greek food is headed for a renaissance, so I was hoping it was finally here. Early press suggested sister act Toni Di Meola and Vicky Zervas were dishing up lovingly prepared, unique specialties in a welcoming atmosphere far removed from the weary spectacle of Greektown tourist traps. But Lincoln Square is something of a Little Greektown, and in its own way Mythos is just as theatrical, with the voluble Di Meola running the front of the house and Zervas making frequent appearances from the kitchen. While the food is certainly an improvement over Halsted—actual Greeks are eating here—I’m not joining the lovefest. A few things were very good: the loukaniko sausage, fragrant with fennel and orange peel, is terrific, as are the garlicky tzatziki and the zucchini-and-cheese fritters, kolokytho keftedes, with a side of skordalia for schmearing. But most of the flesh I’ve tried was brought out overcooked, and a grouper baked in garlic butter was practically murdered; the red snapper I ate on another occasion was treated little better. Much has been made about the made-to-order pastichio, essentially a bowl of pasta and ground meat, with a hint of cinnamon. It’s just one of many dishes here that look good on paper, less so on the plate. BYO. a Dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 2030 W. Montrose, 773-334-2000, mythoschicago.com. $$$ —Mike Sula
Pannenkoeken Cafe Linda Ellis, owner of this tiny cafe, fell in love with Holland on her first trip in 2001—the bikes, the easy pace, the friendly people. And she got hooked on pannenkoeken, the large, thin Dutch pancakes—so much so that she apprenticed herself to a gruff elderly master of the art. The initial result was a tightly compressed menu: a few egg dishes, regular pancakes, and three pannenkoeken (apple, chocolate-banana, and bacon and Havarti). “I wanted to start small,” Ellis says. “I wanted to be able to control what we do qualitywise.” These days, she’s expanded her pannenkoeken repertoire to a dozen, offering combos such as raisin and ginger marmalade, apple and ginger, and ham and cheese. BYO. Breakfast, lunch Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat, 4757 N. Western, 773-769-8800, pannenkoekencafe.com. $ —Mike Sula
Restaurant Sarajevo This Bosnian restaurant serves specialties like cevapcici on house-made pita bread and Bosnian-style roasted veal with mushrooms and brown sauce alongside omelets; sandwiches and burgers; fish, chicken, and pasta dishes; and dessert crepes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, 2701 W. Lawrence, 773-275-5310, restaurantsarajevo.com. $$
Trattoria Trullo Giovanni DeNigris moved his Evanston trattoria into the abandoned kiddie-playground G.P. Franklin’s but continues to specialize in the food of Puglia, with the specialties of the region helpfully denoted on the menu. Grilled mixed seafood over white beans and rapini in a slightly peppery oil might have been an auspicious start if it had spent any recent quality time with a heat source. A Pugliese dish, eggplant stuffed with spinach and bread crumbs, was dull and mushy, but pasta courses showed more promise, like the ur-Pugliese orecchiette with rapini and ziti with white bean puree. Secondi were good enough but overshadowed by their accompaniments—for example perfectly cooked artichokes and asparagus. The wine list, as you might expect, is heavy on Pugliese reds. The front of the house has been turned into a pizzeria. Lunch, dinner daily, open till midnight Fri-Sat, Sun-Thu till 11, 4767 N. Lincoln, 773-506-0093. $$$ —Mike Sula
LATIN AMERICAN
Cafe 28 A Cuban-Mexican eatery inconspicuously located near the Brown Line tracks on Irving Park. Main courses range from a bistec a la Cubano to a blackened duck with pasilla-portobello sauce. Service is prompt and friendly; Raters also praise the coffee and the weekend brunch, which offers Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, and breakfast items such as a variety of eggs Benedicts and stuffed French toast. Lunch Tue-Fri, dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun, 1800 W. Irving Park, 773-528-2883, cafe28.org. $$$ —Laura Levy Shatkin
FDM Mexican Cuisine & Lounge The primary differences between FDM and its folksier Logan Square sister, Fonda del Mar, are mostly cosmetic. Housed in a former nightclub, this sleek upscale-Mexican restaurant is all blond wood and curving white lines, as if plopped down straight from an Ikea showroom. There’s a varied list of margaritas and cocktails, but menuwise, despite claims to contrary, there are only a few items that deviate from the mothership’s. Execution of most—from an oversalted cucumber-jicama salad to a past-its-prime marlin ceviche to an overcooked monkfish escabeche wobbly atop bland mashed potatoes and swimming in its vinegary sauce—doesn’t bode well for FDM’s chances of standing out in the increasingly wide field. Dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 3908 N. Lincoln, 773-348-7635, fdmrestaurant.com. $$$ —Mike Sula
Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant Reasonably priced and family friendly, this Mexican eatery presents absolutely no surprises, but its local popularity is entirely understandable. Beginning with the margaritas, everything we tried gave honest weight, including the caldo de camaron (shrimp soup with vegetables), milanesa (breaded steak), bistec a la Mexicana (diced steak in tomato sauce), beef tongue taco, chicken in mole sauce, and pastel de tres leches. Service was friendly and efficient, the ambience loud and happy, the portions Brobdingnagian. Lunch, dinner daily, open till 4 Sat, 3 Fri, 1 Mon-Thu, 4749 N. Western, 773-769-5600. $ —Cliff Doerksen
Mixteco Grill Based on the name and the looks of the place, you might take Mixteco Grill for a nicer-than-normal diner. Don’t be fooled: this is a restaurant set on greatness. The menu is pan-Mexican, featuring Oaxacan moles, Pueblan salsas, Guerrerense meats, and other regional specialties. One bite into the fish tacos and my dining companion pronounced them her favorite ever. The pollito envinado, a little wood-grilled chicken special served with red wine-guajillo sauce, gave me new hope for restaurant chicken. Cochinita pibil, a Yucatecan classic, is pork slow cooked with achiote and other relatively mild spices, then perked up with pickled onions and incendiary habanero salsa. Delicate handmade tortillas add to every dish. BYO. Dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 1601 W. Montrose, 773-868-1601. $$$ —David Hammond
Los Nopales The grilled tilapia tacos at this low-key storefront are so good, so bright and fresh, that at these prices—$5.95 for three tacos ($6.95 at dinner)—it seems like you’re stealing. Tangy ceviche with tilapia and shrimp has a splash of orange juice, which adds an appealing sweet aftertaste; tortilla chips come served with two salsas, one with chile de arbol, the other with jalapeño and cilantro. On one visit my entree was grilled pork tenderloin with an aromatic sauce flavored with guajillo and chile de arbol and a side of cactus salad (nopales means “prickly pears”). There are notable specials weekly—for example, enchiladas Michoacanas. The sweet, rich coffee flan we finished with was also a special—one of the friendly owners told us the chef, her husband, is constantly experimenting. That’s the kind of thing you’d expect at a place far more swank; to find it in a modest storefront is beguiling. BYO. Lunch, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, 4544 N. Western, 773-334-3149, losnopalesrestaurant.com. $$ —Chip Dudley
Taqueria el Asadero When I arrived in Chicago my goal was to eat in every one of its hundreds of taquerias and find the best one. I stopped when I got to El Asadero. It’s simply the best, run by wonderful people, well priced. You can’t get a better taco, burrito, or quesadilla at Frontera or Topolobompo. Don’t come for atmosphere—it’s a typical-looking storefront taqueria where the food comes in plastic baskets lined with waxed paper. Come for the best taqueria in town. Cash only; BYO. Lunch, dinner daily, 2213 W. Montrose, 773-583-5563. $ —Rick Kulp
PIZZA
Apart Pizza As its amiable Italian owner will tell you, Apart Pizza is so named because in addition to larger pies they sell bachelor-size personal pizzas (thus, a part of a pizza) and because, you know, great pizza is from Italy and a lot of great art is too (thus the art). The style here is northern Italian thin crust cooked in a gas-fired oven, with a few dozen topping variations, from the standard to something called the Francese (Brie, ham, and egg). The dough’s fresh, the toppings are decent inching toward good on the signature Apart pie (sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms), and it’s great for pickup or delivery—home is where this pizza’s best. Dinner daily, open till 11 nightly, 2205 W. Montrose, 773-588-1550, apartinc.com. $ —Nicholas Day
Pizza Art Cafe A hidden jewel 50 feet away from the Rockwell el stop, serving crispy thin-crust pizzas cooked in a wood-fired brick oven. There are also a few pasta and risotto dishes along with chicken marsala and salmon. We tried the mussels as well, a large bowl with a great white wine broth—almost like a mussel soup. On a second visit we enjoyed a thick, smoky white bean soup full of tasty chunks of house-cured smoked beef and a flavorful spaghetti with roasted seasonal vegetables. The place is the perfect size—about 15 tables—with brick walls and romantic lighting, though on one visit it was much busier, more family oriented and, not surprisingly, less conversation friendly. There’s a sidewalk cafe too. BYO. Lunch, dinner Sun, Tue-Sat, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 4658 N. Rockwell, 773-539-0645, pizzaartcafe.info. $$ —Robert B. Morton
Pizza D.O.C. This restaurant named after the stamp of approval given to Italian wine, cheese, and other culinary products of verifiably high quality holds up to the same exacting standards. Pizza crusts are rolled thin and topped with combinations of tomato, mozzarella, artichoke, porcini, and ham and egg, then cooked in a wood-burning oven. For heartier appetites there’s a variety of pasta dishes like gnocchiti al formaggi with mascarpone, Parmesan, and blue cheese or specials such as porcini risotto, Cornish hen, or osso buco alla Milanese. This place blows away the majority of Italian-American restaurants that call themselves authentic. Lunch Tue-Sat, dinner daily, open till 11 Fri-Sat, 2251 W. Lawrence, 773-784-8777, mypizzadoc.com. $$ —Laura Levy Shatkin
Ranalli’s Up North This spot is especially known for its pizza (particularly stuffed), grinders, and Italian beef, but the sprawling menu covers everything from Mexican to ribs to Boston baked beans. BYO. Lunch Sat-Sun, dinner daily, open till midnight nightly, 1522 W. Montrose, 773-506-8800, ranallisupnorth.com. $
Trattoria Pizzeria I Monelli I watched a doddering elderly couple shuffle out of this Lincoln Square trattoria when they were told the pizza comes out of a conventional oven. At this stage in our evolution, with Chicagoans accustomed to a wood-burning oven within walking distance of every bus stop, you have to wonder how smart it was to open a pizzeria without one. Here the pizzas are served Roman style, pizza rustica, shaped into rectangles, and square cut, with a thickish, breadlike, aerated crust fired at an intensity that doesn’t do much to distinguish it. On my visit, though, half of ours was cut, unbidden, into extrasmall pieces out of respect for a toddler in the group. It’s that sort of thoughtfulness, and an easygoing tenor, that might win over the neighborhood. Water and soft drinks are served without ice—just like in Italy!—and the operators, with ties to Pizzeria D.O.C. and Pizza Metro, can be observed bustling about the place, chattering with each other in uncensored Italiano and flirting with the stroller moms (careful boys—some of them might know what vafanculo means). Unremarkable but ample antipasti, pasta plates, and salads round out the menu.
Lunch Thu-Sun, dinner Sun-Mon, Tue-Sat, open till 11 Fri-Sat. $$ —Mike Sula
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