There are dozens of Thai restaurants in and around the city, but a relatively new one that opened shortly before the pandemic is now making some of the best versions of traditional dishes you probably won’t see elsewhere in town. Plus, everything- including the curry paste- is made from scratch. Same Same 2022 W. Roscoe St. … Continued
Paletas are a summertime treat found all over the region, often in Mexican ice cream shops. There are both milk and water-based versions, but there’s so much more than just mango or strawberry. A tiny shop on the city’s Southwest Side produces more than 60 flavors, some completely unique, inspired by the owner’s childhood in Mexico. Razpachos … Continued
After several years of construction and tens of millions of dollars, the landmarked Cook County Hospital building has been reborn as a hotel and food hall. The latter comes as a welcome sight to the hundreds of hospital workers in the Medical District. I sampled a bit from each vendor there. Dr. Murphy’s Food Hall 1811 … Continued
In the wake of the protests following the killing of George Floyd, there has been a surge of interest in supporting Black-owned businesses. In terms of restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries, a website designed by a Richton Park man has become the place for Black-owned businesses in at least a half dozen cities, including Chicago. … Continued
As coffee shops around the city begin reopening — with social distancing, masks and other precautions in place — one local roaster is focusing as much on a Mexican chocolate as it is its own coffee beans. The two ingredients actually have a lot in common. Dark Matter Caravanserai 2901 W. Belmont Ave. 773-293-6425 darkmattercoffee.com/pages/about-us
For decades, Taylor Street has been synonymous with Italian food and culture. Chicago’s original “Little Italy” still has a few beef joints and ice shops, which do well in the summertime. A relatively new ice cream shop in the neighborhood is turning up the creativity a bit, with an emphasis on flavors from Asia, while still … Continued
Sausage-Pepper Pizza from Table, Donkey & Stick (photo: @tabledonkeystick) For the past couple of days, I’ve been talking about how the squares (and rectangles) have descended upon Chicago like a CTA station’s beautification project: they occur ever-so-slowly, until one day, you look up and realize how much better things have become. For local pizza lovers, … Continued
Grandma-style pizza from Professor Pizza Chicago is in the midst of a square revolution. Not the tiny, palm-sized squares you see on your favorite neighborhood bar pie, but rather, the puffier, thicker slices inspired by Rome, Sicily and Detroit. After a century of circular pies, we seem to have been embracing pans with 90-degree angles … Continued
“U.S. Pizza Cup” from Paulie Gee’s Logan Square If you’ll excuse the alliteration, the pandemic has made plenty of pizza parlors pretty popular, particularly for pickup. But for the last century or so, ordering a pizza in Chicago meant you had one of three options: a round, thin-and-crispy, square-cut pie; a circular deep-dish – chunky … Continued
We all know Chicago is a pizza town, but did you know about all of the various styles available here? Beyond our native tavern-thin, deep-dish and stuffed, there’s also Detroit, Neapolitan and Sicilian, to name a few. Even Roman style is gaining a foothold here, with the latest iteration in a category all its own. L’Aventino … Continued
Korean chains usually start their American branches in Los Angeles, but a popular fried chicken brand from South Korea – with more than 200 locations there – has begun its U.S. expansion on the East Coast, with stores in Virginia, Georgia and Texas. Choong Man Chicken recently opened a branch in Glenview, the only location … Continued