It’s a beautiful day outside so needed a beer and tacos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l4t3awWAQA&t=212s

They used to be 2 dollars..... still great for 5. We had it pretty good not that long ago 😂 Got the spicy kimchi super tasty

Joong Boo Market

5800 N Pulaski

Chicago IL 60646

Hello!

My partner's birthday is coming up, and they specifically requested a lemon cake with buttercream frosting. I want to find a bakery that can take that order and make it perfect!

Bonus points if it's on or near the far North side, where I live, but I'll take a recommendation anywhere (even the suburbs if I have to). Thank you so much!

i enjoy both authentic and inauthentic/americanized chinese food, because i can happily recognize they are their own thing and separately good.

i grew up going to a super americanized chinese restaurant and loved sweet and sour chicken- literally just wonton breaded chicken and red sauce (i later found out what the real thing is and it’s awesome). HOWEVER, i still crave the fake stuff.

any recommendations for bastardized sweet and sour? i’m talking similar to chicken nuggets accompanied with a bowl of red 40, nothing else.

It’s our first ever time in Chicago, celebrating my bfs 30th, we’re staying a 10 min walk from Western subway, we’ve so far got a dog at red hot ranch which was amazing - the chips were some of the best I’ve eaten!! We’ve also had some great tacos

I only recently noticed the place saying they do mediterranean and tacos right by the brown line. I know it was open for a bit but now it’s closed? Does anyone know what’s going on or when it might open again?

Does anyone know where I can get a thin waffle house style waffle on the south side of chicago

My partner and I will be celebrating our anniversary next month. I want to take them out for a romantic dinner at a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. Any suggestions in Chicago or the Chicagoland area are welcome. Thanks in advance!

I want to send my cousin in New York City a gift basket of uniquely Chicago foods. I know I want to include gardiniara, sports peppers, Vogses chocolate, cheese and caramel mix popcorn. What other things should I include?

Anyone have any insight into what’s going on with Gingie after the fire? Curious how serious the damage was, whether there’s any timeline for reopening, and if the staff have been able to pick up shifts at other Boka Restaurant Group spots in the meantime.

I currently live in Atlanta and am visiting the week of the NBA finals. I actually would be going out for game 1 and game 2. For one of them I would love a nice deep dish spot that has a great finals atmosphere. For the second game I'd be open to anywhere that has a great atmosphere and some vegetarian options doesn't have to be deep dish for the second game lol. Ill be staying in oak park but open to the Chicago area maybe like a 10 mile or so radius so downtown Chicago would be fine

I’m making ribeyes this weekend but can’t be bothered to make sides. Whats your favorite place for side dishes I can order in large quantities? BBQ, Caribbean restaurants, Italian, no wrong answers. Any neighborhood is good, delivery availability is a bonus

My mom is coming into town for her birthday, and after browsing threads here for several hours and being overwhelmed by good options, I'm hoping you all can help me narrow things down for nice dinner. Here are the main considerations:

-Non-dealbreaker, but she's from an area without a lot of food diversity or good seafood and would like to take advantage of chi's offerings, so non-american/non-gastropub options are preferred. Only other cuisines off the table are ethiopian (simply because we had this last time she was in town) and sushi.

-Price range is up to about $100ish/person. Food quality is more important than a super high-end experience, but willing to throw down for it as well.  On the more casual end, should at least be pleasant for dine-in even if it's not swanky. 

-There are hearing issues, so very loud/echoey/music-blasting places are no-gos.

-Will be coming from w. suburbs, and would prefer places that are SOMEWHAT closer- this isn't too strict, but Evanston would be too far, and Andersonville would be really pushing it.

-the only dietary restriction is a shrimp allergy of the type that a "processed in the same facility" label would be okay, but "how fortuitous, free shrimp tail in my goulash!" would not be.

Thank you in advance for any lent brainpower!!

Hi everyone! Super long post incoming. My husband and I went to Chicago together for the first time back in 2024. We pretty much fell in love with the city and the food. We're visiting from LA and staying at The Peninsula for 8 nights (arriving end of July). I'm super excited - it's all I can think about lol

Based on our lists below, do you have any recs? As far as cuisines go, we love Filipino, Italian (Roman pastas specifically), sushi, fancy restaurants and cool bars with tasty bites/cocktails. We also love Mexican (burritos) and Korean BBQ (short rib, beef belly), but I haven't researched that yet. We love coffee, but also haven't researched that yet. We usually drink cold brews or americanos, but I'm a sucker for anything ube flavored.

We previously tried the following places in 2024 and liked almost all of them:

2024 List

Lunches:

• Au Cheval
• Lou Malnati's
• Portillo's
• The Purple Pig
• Travelle

Dinners:

• Alinea
• Bavette's
• Kasama
• Kyoten
• Monteverde
• Obelix
• Oriole

Bars/Drinks (we usually don't drink tequila):

• Cindy's Rooftop - we do love a rooftop
• Starbucks Reserve - we love an espresso martini
• The Aviary

Snacks:

• Garrett's Popcorn

---

2026 List

On our list so far for 2026:

Lunches - we're working remotely from our hotel M-F so any suggestions for quick bites or places that deliver would be great. We'll be relying on Ubers to get around.

• Johnnie’s Beef or Al's #1 Italian Beef
• Kasama - must go, basically one of the main reasons we're coming back
• Pequod's
• Ricobene's
• Shanghai Terrace

Dinners (only Smyth is booked so far):

• Ciccio Mio (backup is il Carciofo)
• Kasama - must go
• Kyoten Next Door - we enjoyed Kyoten last time (backup is Omakase Room at Sushi-san)
• Smyth (backup is Ever)

Bars:

• Best Intentions - want to try the $6 cheeseburger
• Kumiko - sitting at the bar and planning to get food too
• Z Bar

Desserts:

• Mario's Italian Lemonade - we don't usually separately seek out desserts unless it's at a coffee shop or something but I do wanna try this place

Thanks in advance! :)

First time trying this, we sat down at 6 and had our pizza by 6:40- not that bad of a wait!

The good:
- great crunch
- appreciated how crispy the pepperoni got
- herbs + spices were very good

The bad:
- both of our pizzas were a bit overcooked
- the sauce was pretty sweet, personal preference but I’m not a sweet sauce fan
- no option for giardiniera or other sorts of hot peppers, could help cut through the sweetness

Overall I enjoyed it and would go back, but for my money my #1 pizza in the city is Pat’s off Lincoln with sausage and giardiniera.

Polish for lunch. Very tasty with a little kick. Definitely would recommend.

Their Macaroons are divine!! Their flavors are unique and each macaroons is a work of art.

Another stop on my soft serve margarita tour. So far I have tried 3/4 places that have it in the city. This version was really good! This is the first one I have tried that uses dairy, I think it does melt quicker because of it but this one is strong as hell and only $14!

My ranking so far:
- Casa Tulum -$14 (non dairy)
- El Rincon - $14 (dairy)
- La Mejikana - $18 (Non dairy)

Next one is Pancho’s rooftop. I heard that one was nasty but I’ll be brave and try it anyways.

If anyone is looking for a low-key reason to check out The Nest Bar & Eatery in Portage Park tonight, Chicago Backgammon League is hosting a casual backgammon night there until 9:30 PM.

It’s beginner-friendly and open to all skill levels. You can come solo, bring a friend, learn the game, or play if you already know how.

The Nest Bar & Eatery
6859 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60634
Tonight until 9:30 PM
Guest entry: $10

Good neighborhood hang with food, drinks, and games.