Does anyone know a place in Chicago where I can get a chacarero? It’s a Chilean sandwich style food. I haven’t been able to find a place since moving here. Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!

hi, my wife and I will be visiting Chicago over labor day weekend from NYC and we're hoping the local food experts here can recommend their favorite brunch recommendations. we're staying in River North and have no problem walking 20-30 mins. we're looking to spend ~$30 per person max (excluding cocktails). neither of us eat meat or shellfish but we both eat fish, eggs, dairy. interested in good food but also good atmosphere! thanks in advance, looking forward to visiting!

I noticed this yesterday. Stopped in and bought a few snacks like Chinese sweet and spicy chips. Not a huge selection but worth checking out.

Tired of matcha lattes that is basically a cup of milk with grit at the bottom :( where is your fav?? Also, looking for recommendations for non-milky drinks such as matcha lemonades. Thanks!!!

I think about these dumplings weekly. I also make a version myself often but it’s not the same as having them ladled out of a giant spicy vat that’s been cooking all day. 😫 The closest I’ve been able to find are restaurants serving chicken paprikash but it’s always creamy. The place from my childhood pictured above did NOT have a creamy broth. It’s amazing and I know there must be SOMEWHERE in Chicago I can get my fix. The closest I’ve found is in Milwaukee WI at Three Brothers and I still haven’t tried it myself but I’m looking at you, Chi. 🙏

I don’t know who needs to hear it but if you have not tried the weekend special at Tempesta Market, run to it right now.

The burger was incredible, everything about it was well thought out. I wish I saved the photo of it i sent to my friends but just look at the instagram for an incredible photo.

i would say a near perfect, i’m struggling to come up with a burger i’ve liked better in the last 6 months

I’ve been craving a good salad bar. Seems as though covid has made them nearly extinct. I loved Sweet Tomatoes. Went to Minneapolis this spring and they have Q Cumbers which was very similar. The Brazilian steakhouses have really nice ones too but there must be some really good ones I’m missing. City and burbs are both fine, thanks in advance!

Looking for a dive bar with a badass brunch- if anyone’s ever been to Mickeys in Madison, WI those are the vibes we are desperately searching for. Anywhere in the city but Logan area gets bonus points!

A long weekend in December to enjoy the cold (we’re in Texas) and see how beautiful Chicago is during the holidays.

Ballin a budget, but a big enough budget for one of Chicagos best culinary experiences. Doesn’t have to be a certain food type, in a certain location, in a certain price range…

We just need to be able to realistically get a reservation and are really looking for a memorable experience (think Pujol in CDMX or Under in Norway).

Appreciate any recs!

is it possible to get this in HMart? I don't know why I've been craving this for months. please help 🙏🏽 ty

Welcome to r/ChicagoFood's weekly shoutout thread!

This thread is the place to shout out places that you tried from recommendations from this sub this past week that fit the bill.

They can be places that get recommended here, such as:

• frequently recommended restaurants
• that random, niche spot that some random comment dropped
• a chicken sando from our very own chicken sando guru

The goal of this thread is to celebrate and encourage the recommendations and contributions of your suggestions, and, also, maybe encourage YOU to try that place that was recommended a few times here.

As always, all subreddit rules apply and any comments/posts that violate our rules or Reddit's will be removed.

This thread is sorted by "new" so that the most recent comments appear first. The new weekly thread is posted every Sunday morning at 2:00 AM Central.

So my crown recently fell out after eating a delicious but chewy La Boulangerie baguette. I’m going to need an implant and another crown so it’s soft easy to chew foods for me. I need variety so I don’t go insane so I’m hoping for some recommendations for the Northwest Side. I’m in the Albany Park area.

I also don’t eat any beef or pork so anything without that please!

Thanks!

I'm bringing some family from out of town up for my birthday next month and was hoping to get some recommendations for unique/funky places to get drinks. For reference, we went to the Pink Squirrel Bar last year and really enjoyed it - the same fun atmosphere and unique drinks are what I'm trying to find! Thanks so much in advance, I really appreciate it!

They both have been on my list since returning here a few months ago.

Honeybear - made a reservation (reservation for a diner, the 20-year-ago Chicago me is laughing at me about this). Hub and I shared a veggie skillet and huevos rancheros - both were really good. The potatoes in the skillet were perfectly crispy and the veggies were great, eggs over medium on top.
Huevos Rancheros had a nice spicy kick (we ordered the red sauce) and were delicious. Scrambled on the huevos.
Our friends ordered a French Toast Flight (3 varieties) for the table - over the top French Toast fun and deliciousness. They also upgraded their pancake side to the Abuelita Pancakes - "Mexican hot chocolate infused pancakes topped with chocolate, sweet cream, chocolate sauce, and fresh berries." (from their Instagram)
Um, yes to all of this. I typically do not like my breakfasts sweet, but I would eat all of this again.
Loved sitting in a booth there. Great combination of old school diner with upgraded food.

Taqueria Chingon happened by accident. Walking up to the end of the Bucktown Arts Fest today, it was staring right at me. I pulled the hub across Western for the artichoke taco, squash taco, and summer salad. All excellent and scratched the "I need a taco now" itch, especially with handmade tortillas. After Honeybear yesterday, our plan was to eat light today. We'll have to go back to Chingon for more soon.

I’ll be visiting Chicago in a couple months staying in the River North area. One of my favorite things to do is visit different coffee shops while I’m in a new place. What are the best ones around? Doesn’t necessarily have to be in the River North area, but something not too far away would be nice!

Has anyone tried both locations and have an opinion of which is better or if they are the same? We finally tried Noon a Kebob and went to the Highwood location since we live on the North Shore, though driving wise it’s the same time either way from Wilmette. We liked it and would go back but it wasn’t flawless (mainly the steak was dry). Should we try the Kedzie location?

I live in Chicago but struggle to find delicious halal restaurants to take my family for dinner. I am already familiar with Noon O Kabob, Gibson’s Steak, Fogo de chao, restaurants that serve creekstone meats, etc, but I can’t help but feel that I missing out on chicagos “amazing restaurant culture” because idk where to look. I’ve tried scavenging through Yelp and google but still can’t find more than a handful.

I would love to hear people’s thoughts on delicious, luxury restaurants that serve halal options.

I am also open to Kosher options as well.

Thanks in advance

Basically my partner and I are spending the weekend in the city for our anniversary, here until Monday evening. Due to a miscommunication we don't have a whole lot planned except our hotel stay and a few fun things we want to go do (maybe go to this fondue restaurant, go to the beach, etc.). Do you have any last minute recs to help me out? We are staying in the loop but don't mind getting a Lyft to places.

Essentially am looking for:

-casual lunch/brunch spots

-delicious, average price dinner for this evening (saturday night....thinking $25-$40 a person, we love places like Lula Cafe and Gretel for example)

-this one is the kicker: a nice romantic restaurant that we could get a last minute reservation to for tomorrow night (sunday night...thinking $45-$60 a person, we love the vibe of something like Monteverde but I've never been so I just know from pics)

-any romantic/nice bars that are unique and delicious...we've been to Cindys and love the view but hate the crowd

Bonus points: any fun things happening this weekend, or your fav bakeries/cafe's)

I am doing my own research and all but you guys know what's up vs. some article. We love Italian food, wine bars too, Greek, American, my partner LOVES asian dumplings btw

Thanks in advance, I know it's a lot but those willing to help I am thankful for. Usually I'm the one to plan everything but I guess I screwed the pooch on this one.

edit: thank you guys so much for helping in a pinch! These are all great

Avondale has a new restaurant next to Mothers Ruin and Loaf Lounge on Milwaukee Ave.

Italian menu with an extensive cocktail and wine listing. We had the focaccia bread that came with a delicious house butter and paired it with their cheese plate. The pasta dish we got was a standout, and could have been mistaken as a dish from the pasta place down the street Daises.

Looking forward to going back to try more of the menu.

I moved to the border of Avondale and Logan Square about a month ago, and this morning, I woke think about a donut. While some of the coffee shops around me do sell Beacon donuts (which I do enjoy), I was craving like a fresh donut from your local donut shop that makes them fresh every morning.

A quick google search proved zero options outside of Dunkin, which really isn’t what I want. Is there any place even somewhat in the area where I can find this seemingly mythical place? Any pointers would be very much appreciated

For personal ethical reasons I just can’t go here anymore. However, they made one of the most amazing vegetarian soups I’ve ever had - a tofu tarot noodle coconut curry that is mind blowing. I have missed that soup with increasing desperation. Vietnamese American friends, or any amazing cooks in the city… does anyone know the soup I’m talking about and have a recipe that would be close to the one they serve? (ETA - I have searched the whole argyle corridor for this soup - no one else has it. But if there is somewhere outside of that area that does I would be happy to try it… And the ethical reasons are related to them not paying their employees which is unconscionable by anyone’s standards, and attending & strongly supporting Jan 6th which is also IMO a strongly bad person action.)

Staying with a 1 year old in river north for a few days. Any kid friendly recommendations in the surrounding areas? Also open to traveling somewhere that is easily accessible via public transit. Thanks!

Curious to know some good restaurants and more open to the cheap food haha - open to any cuisine!

I went to Marrakech in West Town tonight. Super authentic Moroccan food and it was absolutely delicious. The waiter was extremely kind and knowledgeable and said that his mom is the chef and from Morocco. Such an awesome family-owned business.

I was bummed that even on a Friday night it was pretty empty in there. I’d love if people can give it a try — definitely worth going to!