Smokin' Chokin' and Chowing with the King

Creepies

2026-04-16T10:00:00.003-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
A Neo-Bistro in the West Loop

Creepies has been one of the more worthy buzzed about spots on Randolph’s “Restaurant Row.” The neo-bistro from chefs David and Anna Posey was recently named the best new restaurant in Chicago by John Kessler at Chicago Magazine. The culinary power couple opened Creepies next door to Elske, their flagship restaurant in August of 2025. I've stopped in twice since they opened their doors.

Recently Opened in West Loop

For those wondering about the interesting name it came about as an inside joke between owners David Posey and his wife Anna who came up with it while scouting locations, many of which came off as creepy. They joked about naming their project Creepies and it just kind of stuck. But it fits the space which is a small and eclectic spot with dark and dim lighting and a slightly offbeat European-inspired aesthetic. As far as the food goes it was described by John Kessler as “Parisian-style neo-bistro showcasing distinctive recipes with a deep sense of place. That place would be the Midwest.”

Lyonnaise salad

Our first visit came about a month after they first opened. Not too long after they introduced lunch. We recently stopped in to see what was up during the daytime. The lunch menu is small but sturdy with 14 dishes total. For starters we tried the Lyonnaise salad with smoked maitakes substituting for traditional pork lardons. This was a nice touch turning Lyon France’s iconic salad into a completely meat free dish. The egg was cooked to the perfect temperature to where it was runny but warm. I can usually gauge a kitchen by the salads and this was a signal that more good things were coming. The lunch menu features two sandwiches and they both caught my eye. They have a croque monsieur with ham and mornay and a Niçoise sandwich with smoked beets. It was a nice and somewhat humid day on our visit so the Niçoise sandwich was my pick and I think I made the right call though we won’t know for sure until I try the croque monsieur. That said the Niçoise is going to be tough to top as this was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ate in a long time. If I hadn’t known it was completely vegetarian I would’ve assumed there was tuna in the style of the French Riviera’s signature salad. The sandwich consisted of three layers starting with smoked beets on the bottom and chopped Niçoise olives on top with a bunch of fresh crunchy greens in between. They really nailed the fresh and briny flavors but a sandwich can only be as good as the bread and the sturdy sesame seeded bread from Publican was outstanding at holding it all together. This just might be the best veggie sandwich around right now.

Niçoise Sandwich at Creepies

Next up was a surprise gift from the kitchen in the form of a freekeh crepe with artichoke, spring onion, and fromage blanc. I had to look up what freekeh was and it’s a roasted grain made of young green durum wheat that originated in the ancient cuisines of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The Freekeh crepe at Creepies is a textural masterpiece that crackles when cut into. I loved the mix of ingredients inside as this dish had a very distinct Parisian taste. It was pretty great. They seem to be using the crepe as a way to showcase seasonal flavors so I’ll be keeping my eye on what’s next.

freekeh crepe with artichoke, spring onion, and fromage blanc

The menu is seasonal so a few of the dishes we ate in September are gone but I hope the tomato dish we had makes a comeback as it was the best use of the late summer tomato bounty I tried in 2025. I forgot to take a pic of the menu so I forget exact details but the pairing of fresh and in-season tomatoes and peaches sitting atop a pile of creamy lebnah was the perfect combo of salty and sweet. Whether it’s here or next door at Elske the vegetable dishes shine. The “Tarte Flambé, Tavern Style” is another example of the kitchens ability to make great food without meat. This seems to be one of their signature dishes as it’s been on the menu since day one. The kitchens spin on the Alsatian flatbread in the style of a tavern thin pizza is topped with fromage blanc, oyster mushrooms, onion and chives. The crisp and cracker like texture works in unison with a creamy set of toppings.

Tomato, Peaches, Labneh

Tarte Flambé, Tavern Style

On our visit last September they had a seasonal corn crepe that I thought was wonderful at capturing the sweet and milky flavor of the end of the summer treat. We’ll always try the fries so long as they’re not from Sysco meaning they make them on site and as expected the fries here are fantastic. Each and every one was golden on the outside and creamy with a deep potato taste. They do a two step process as far as the frying goes using both clarified butter and rice bran oil. The former adds great flavor while the latter makes them extra crispy. These are easily some of the best fries in the city.

Summer Corn Crepe with Succotash and Green Tomato

French Fries at Creepies

Parisian Gnocchi with Ham, Gruyere, Egg Yolk

Roast chicken is supposed to be excellent here but I decided to pass on that due to the fact that every time I try a hyped up roast chicken dish it’s a bit of a letdown. I much prefer grilled chicken. So instead I decided to try the Parisian gnocchi made with Swiss, ham, and egg yolk. It comes with a large Parmesan crisp on top making it about as rich of a dish as I’ve had in a long time. The gnocchi was light and delicate while the toppings were extremely creamy with a nice punch of saltiness from the ham. Erica got a fish dish that was a bit of a letdown in that it was just a piece of fish topped with endives. It was lacking in terms of creativity and also in presentation but it was still a perfectly fine dish, just not to the level of others. You can’t skip dessert here (or Elske) because Chef Anna Posey makes some of the best anywhere. I know a guy that goes to Elske once a year and orders every single desert as a full meal. They’re that good. We tried the baguette soft serve with chocolate and brown butter crumbs and it’s one of the better soft serve variations around town right now. Hats off to owners David and Anna Posey as well as Chef de Cuisine Tayler Ploshehanski for gifting us with this wonderful restaurant. It’s refreshing to have a spot of this caliber that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

actual baguette flavor, topped with chocolate and brown butter crumbs

Creepies
1360 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 579-2727
Website

Bennigan's

2026-04-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
The Last Bennigan's in Illinois

I recently got the taste for a Monte Cristo which is weird because it’s not a sandwich I seek out in any sort of way. Except for recently when I used a pickup at O’Hare I had to do as an excuse to leave early and ride further west into Elgin where the only Bennigan’s left in the state Illinois of resides.

Locals Favorite in Elgin

For those too young to remember eating at a Bennigan’s it’s a casual dining chain that peaked in the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s after being founded in Atlanta Georgia back in 1976. Not coincidentally by the same guy who helped build brands like Chili’s and Steak & Ale. At its peak there were 1000’s of outlets but today there’s just 21 left in the U.S including this one found on the outskirts of Elgin. You walk in and it’s like stepping back into time. The entire place is carpeted and outdated TV’s are pinned into the walls while Billy Joel and Chicago (the band) and other 70’s and 80’s artists play on the speakers. As the sign out front says Bennigan’s serves American fare with Irish hospitality. There’s nothing Irish about the menu unless I guess you count the fish and chips or maybe the fact that potatoes are served in a handful of ways including potato skins which are straight out of 80’s.

Monte Cristo at Bennigan's

Bennigan’s didn’t create the Monte Cristo but it’s a big reason why many Americans know of this sandwich said to be an adaptation of the French croque-monsieur, versions of it appeared in U.S. cookbooks as early as the 1930’s. Bennigan’s popularized a very specific and very over-the-top version that went onto become iconic. It starts with honey wheat bread with ham and turkey plus Swiss and American cheese all stacked in a sandwich that’s battered and deep-fried making it more like a savory pastry than a pan grilled sandwich. It’s finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and served with raspberry preserves for dipping. I recall having this sandwich once when we were on a roadtrip somewhere. I remember it was a real vibe inside and I also liked the baked potato soup. So on this visit some 30 years later I started with exactly that. Pro-tip: you can get half a sandwich (which is really one full sandwich) plus your choice of soup for $16. The baked potato soup which was more like gravy - not what I remembered. That said the sandwich was pretty good. I was impressed by the frying job as it was extra crisp without any trace of oil. I’m not big on mixing sweet with savory but it all works well together. I wouldn't eat this regularly but I would get it again if the opportunity came about.

Monte Cristo Closeup

I'd like to know the whole story behind this place because the food seems pretty good but it’s also in a random location connected to a Holiday Inn which seems fitting. I checked the Google reviews and "fish fry" was one of the most common mentions. I was intrigued considering how well the sandwich had been fried. I asked about it and was told it’s the same thing as their fish and chips but on Fridays it’s all you can eat. I said what the heck and put in an order. Not bad. Far from the best version I’ve tried but the batter was crisp and the cod meat inside was a delicate counter to the crunchy batter. It sounds funny to say but if you find yourself out this way you can do worse as far as far as chain food and other watering holes goes. After eating I took a seat at the bar and got a beer and the bartender noted their glasses were bigger than a typical pint. On top of that the beer was ice cold. That was fun.

Fish and Chips at Bennigan's

Bennigan's
495 Airport Rd
Elgin, IL 60123
(847) 488-9900
Website

Lamb in Chicago

2026-03-31T10:30:00.002-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
Five of a Kind: Easter Lamb Special

With Easter Sunday around the corner now is a good time to showcase some of my favorite lamb dishes around town. I was curious why lamb is so closely associated with Easter and according to what I read it’s due to religious symbolism that goes back thousands of years - mainly from both Judaism and Christianity. But there was also a real world explanation that spring is when lambs are naturally available as they’re born in late winter/early spring. Historically, it was one of the first fresh meats eaten after a long winter and it became a natural centerpiece for a spring holiday meal. Back when I was a kid we used to have lamb most Sundays at my grandmas house but I wasn't a big fan back then and usually walked down to Pop's and ate an Italian beef and or gravy bread instead. But over the years I've come to love lamb especially when it's grilled over a live fire. I wish the U.S. took lamb as seriously as England where it's common but you kind of have to find spots that serve it in the States. So I've gathered a handful of lamb dishes I've recently ate and would happily eat again.

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9 Muses Bar & Grill (Greektown)

We’ll start in Greektown as the Greeks are serious about lamb. Though the area is a shell of its former self with only a handful of Greek restaurants left. 9 Muses Bar & Grill blends into Halsted where it looks more like a bar than a restaurant. It doesn’t look all that Greek compared to the other spots but if you’re familiar with Greek mythology the Nine Muses are goddesses of inspiration for the arts, literature, sciences. 9 Muses on Halsted is a Greek owned bar and grill with a Greek forward menu. I stopped in here with the alderman and his team one day and decided to try the lamb steak which sounded great and it was. Nothing fancy but it’s far from standard. It comes with extra starch in the form of rice and potatoes and has that wonderful taste of char grilled lamb that I’ve come to love.

Lamb Steak at 9 Muses Bar & Grill
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Central East Asian Cuisine (Chinatown)

Next we head to Chinatown where the generically named Central East Asian Cuisine sits at the end of Wentworth. This spot is churning out Central Asian food from the lens of the Chinese side. I’ve visited a few times and it looked like hot pot is popular with groups but it’s the skewers that got me in the first time and thats also why I returned twice since my initial visit. I could eat the grilled lamb skewers from here every day for the rest of my life and I doubt I would get sick of them. They pack so much flavor from a rubbing of cumin and other spices along with a trip over charcoal that releases all the delicious fat. They actually have two different types of lamb skewers but I much prefer the smaller ones which are 5 for $5 and listed among the best things we ate in 2025 in a Chicago Magazine feature. They also make a really great samsa here which is a savory lamb pastry by way of Central Asia. But it’s the skewers that always leave me wanting more. Click HERE for a deeper dive into Central Asian food.

Lamb Skewers at Central East Asian Cuisine
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Momotaro (West Loop)

We went to Momotaro last summer for my birthday dinner. It’s not my scene per se but we’ve been fans of Chef Gene Kato going back to when he ran Sumi Robata Bar and the Boka Restaurant Group was smart to bring him on board. Momotaro is a see and be seen type of place but the Japanese inspired food is the only reason I wanted to go. I thought the sushi was just ok but all the other dishes were hits including anything from the robata bar. Robata is short for Robatayaki which is a traditional Japanese cooking style that involves grilling food over hot binchotan charcoal at different speeds. Chef Kato is a robata specialist and his lamb chops aka Kohitsuji just might his best offering. High quality bone-in chops are rubbed with a mixture of red miso, sake, gochujang, and brown sugar and broiled before a trip to the robata where they take on a wonderfully smoky flavor and some incredible caramelization to go with it. They come served with a cup of white rice and I suggest dumping the rice on your plate and placing the lamb chops on top so that so the juices from it can seep into rice.

Bone-in Lamb Chops at Momotaro
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Bocadillo Market (West Town)

Speaking of smoky and succulent lamb I’m so glad to have the smoked lamb sandwich at Bocadillo Market back into the rotation. This place originally opened on Clark in Lincoln Park but ended up moving to Grand Avenue across the street from D’Amato’s and Bari, a couple of Italian delis known for their sandwiches. I’m a fan of both of spots but the smoked lamb bocadillo at Bocadillo Market might be the best sandwich on a block that also includes Tempesta Market. Smoked lamb is seriously underrated and I think the smoked lamb sandwich from here is the best tasting smoked lamb in the city. You almost wish that there was an option to get it as a platter. The sandwich consists of smoked, braised, locally sourced lamb, mojo rojo (Nora pepper) aioli, shaved carrots, cilantro, fresh mint, and pickled green beans on a crisp Spanish baguette. Served with some excellent Patatas Bravas.

Smoked Lamb Sandwich at Bocadillo Market
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Al Bawadi Grill (Bridgeview)

Lastly we head to the suburb of Bridgeview - the backbone of the largest Palestinian community in the country. Al Bawadi is basically the anchor of Little Palestine. It sits on 87th street just off of Harlem which is the areas main strip lined with 100’s of middle eastern businesses including Al Bawadi which opened in 2008. It’s a big, communal, old-school Middle Eastern restaurant that leans into a Bedouin and Palestinian aesthetic of patterned fabrics, lamps, and a kind of “desert tent” feel that’s a bit over-the-top in a fun way. It’s the type of place where families go to celebrate so it’s a very festive place putting out some really wonderful wood grilled kebabs. I still remember the first time I tried this place and instantly fell in love with the idea of the wood grilled kebab to where it’s now one of my absolute favorite things to eat. I’ve never strayed away from the lamb which I think benefits most from the use of live fire when it comes to the grilling of different meats. The lamb kebabs at Al Bawadi have basically become comfort food for me as I take the drive out at least once a year to eat them. They also have a second location in Niles these days but I like going out to the original as Bridgeview is filled with other Middle Eastern spots to try. I’m currently working on what’s going to be a massive post of newer places to open in the area since the last time I posted from there so do stay tuned.

Lamb Kebab at Al Bawadi Grill
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Eating BIG in Panama City

2026-03-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- The Hub of the Americas

While on our trip to Peru last September we decided to stop in Panama City for a few days on the way back. This was possible due to the fact we had a layover from Lima to Chicago and the airline allows you to stay for up to three days. Panama City was never really on my hit list but we connected there on a previous trip to Buenos Aires and it was so pretty while flying in we said why not and decided to take advantage of the same layover opportunity we took on the way to Peru when we stopped in Bogota for two nights (report coming soon). Let me just go ahead and say I was really taken aback by Panama City. I immediately liked it upon arrival though it helps when you’re staying at what’s likely the best hotel in town which ended up being well worth the stay. What I really loved about Panama City is that it’s multiple destinations layered into one - the modern skyline, colonial history, jungle, a global food culture, and the canal are all packed into a relatively compact city. From a visitor perspective, it’s surprisingly dynamic and easy to explore. You can spend mornings relaxing on an island all your own and evenings dancing the night away on a rooftop bar. As far as the food goes I'd heard Panama City wasn’t a great food town but I ate really well. Here’s how it all went down.

Pics from Panama City
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Town Square

After we got situated in our hotel room I took a little stroll thru Casco Viejo, Panama City’s vibrant, UNESCO-listed historic district (settled in 1673), known for its, cobblestone streets, and Spanish colonial architecture. You’ll walk by all sorts of restaurants and shops as well as vendors selling everything from magnets to clothes to Raspados. The last of those three sounded really good on a hot and humid day so I tried one from what seemed to be the most popular vendor in the town square who had a nifty little setup as seen above. Raspados are a popular Latin American street food made up of finely shaved ice that’s topped with vibrant fruit-flavored syrups and a generous drizzle of condensed milk. Essentially they’re an amped up version of a Sno-Cone. Not only are raspados extra refreshing but it’s fun to watch them made using a special device that shaves ice from a large block into a cup. The ice then gets a generous squirt of condensed milk and the syrup flavoring of your choice. Common flavors include cherry, maracuya (passion fruit), grape, and piña (pineapple).

Raspado in the Town Square

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Mai Mai

Our first meal in Panama City was at the hip and happening Mai Mai. The stylish rooftop restaurant and cocktail bar is a collabo between two well known Latin American chefs in two major Latin American chefs in Mario Castrellón (chef behind the famous Panama restaurant Maito) and Mitsuharu Tsumura (chef of Maido in Lima, one of the world’s top restaurants). The name Mai Mai is play on Maito and Maido. It’s located in the Panamá Design Center in the Costa del Este district, which felt straight out of Miami. Mai Mai is located in a strip mall but this one goes up instead of out and Mai Mai is on the sixth floor and there’s both indoor and outdoor bars and seating areas. We sat at the bar outside and had a decent meal as far as the nigiri, the rolls and an order of pork and shrimp gyoza goes. The Kansai Yakimeshi otherwise known as Osaka style fried rice was interesting if not a bit different than I expected. It had an awful lot of egg but “shrimp omelette” was part of the description so maybe it’s supposed to sole that way. The ‘Pesca Anticuchera’ was the meals best dish along with the best piece of cooked fish we had on a trip that also included a stop in Lima. I forget what the catch was but it was similar to grouper and came served with grilled anticuchera sauce and avocado cream.

Pesca Anticuchera at Mai Mai
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Wah Kee

Having arrived on a Saturday we woke up on a Sunday and that means dim sum in Panama City. Aside from the canal itself the coolest thing about Panama City is that dim sum is the standard breakfast in the city. Panama City has an unusually large number of dim sum restaurants because it has one of the oldest and most influential Chinese communities in Latin America. The roots go back more than 170 years and over time dim sum has become as popular with locals of Latin American descent as it is with Asians. When I say there’s a ton of dim sum spots I’m not talking about 10 or 20. They’re found all across the city though for my first foray I went to Barrio Chino aka Chinatown. For it’s there where you’ll find Wah Kee, an uber popular two story dimsum palace. Since it was a Sunday it was bustling with locals but I was seated quickly in their massive second floor dining room and within a minute or two some of their dim sum carts started coming around. I grabbed a trio of dumpling options and stopped there knowing there was more to come. My first thought upon trying the Sui Mai was along the lines of “wow these are really good” and the same can be said for the Har Gow (shrimp dumplings) as well as the beef and ginger. This was some high quality dim sum.

Dim Sum at Wah Kee
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Tallerines

After the dim sum I walked over to a nearby spot across the street and up a block. I had read some encouraging things in the Google reviews of Tallerines (noodles in Spanish). There were quite a few online mentions for the wonton here and that was all I needed to read. Upon entry the place was packed and it's pretty tiny inside but because I was solo the host found me a seat and I placed my order for the wonton noodle soup which was lost in translation. I guess she only heard wonton soup but I wasn’t complaining, once again this was some high quality Cantonese food. I was impressed.

Wonton Soup at Tallerines
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Hong Kong Bakery

I was pretty full at this point but I had also taken a 15/20 minute uber to the area so I decided to stick around for a little more. I walked over to a small strip mall off the main drag that houses a couple grocery stores and Chinese restaurants including Hong Kong Bakery. This place was highly spoken of and said to have some of the better Cheung Fun (steamed rice rolls). I actually had to wait here as it’s so popular with locals but it was worth sticking around for the rice rolls. I tried a plate with shrimp and also a unique to my eye version called “chee cheung fun rojo” aka red steamed rice roll stuffed with crunchy tortilla strips and shrimp. I believe this dish is a result of the Cantonese in Panama but either way it wasn’t something I’ve tried before. I loved both the flavor of the shrimp mixed with the texture of the crunchy tortilla strips. Yet another great example of the Chinese peoples ability to adapt.

Dim Sum at Hong Kong Bakery
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La Casa Redonda

After my dim sum tour I walked it off and came upon a cool looking spot while doing so. I was able to find out what La Casa Redonda is all about with a quick online search where I learned its part bakery, part pizzeria, and part ice cream shop too. This was one of the more interesting places I’ve ever entered and judging by the looks I got it’s clearly not a tourist hot spot. But I know enough Spanish to order and the main reason I went in was because “shakes” are the most mentioned thing online and it was hot outside so I ordered a Batido de Papaya and called an uber to pick me up in the parking lot.

Batido de Papaya at La Casa Redonda
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Peach Fuzz International

Later that day we took an uber over to Peach Fuzz International which is a street side stand known for excellent whole fried fish. We were greeted by the owner Danny upon arrival and were happy to score the last fish of the week (open Thurs-Sun). Lucky us because this was a memorable meal. The fresh fried fish was very good. Exactly what it was escapes me but it was locally caught and Danny’s Hot Sauce is some of the best I’ve had and the perfect match for the fish. So they say this used to be a dangerous area but it’s not as bad now and everybody loves Danny and respects his stand. We chatted NBA basketball and life in the states as he grew up in NYC and is a big Knicks fan. Personally I can’t stand the Knicks but I’m a big fan of Danny, his fried fish, and that kick ass hot sauce of his.

Whole Fried Fish at Peach Fuzz International
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La Tapa del Coco

I read lots of good things about La Tapa Del Coco and all of it turned out to be true. We had a wonderful dinner here where every last thing we ate was pretty great. La Tapa del Coco is led by Chef Isaac Villaverde and it was originally a food truck before turning into a full service brick and mortar spot. The food focuses on Panama’s Afro-Caribbean communities, especially from the city of Colón on the Caribbean coast. The menu blends Panama blends Caribbean with West Indian, and Panamanian flavors, with lots of coconut, curry, ginger, and the spicy local ají chombo pepper.

Pork Belly Empanada

The service at the hotel was so outstanding they called to get us a table even though it was booked. Then the service at the restaurant matched that at the hotel. Our waiter recommended I try the pork belly empanada, complimentary, and it was just the start of a really good run of food to come from the kitchen. Next out was their signature dish - Almejas al Ajillo con Coco (clams in garlic and coconut sauce). This was one of those dishes where you nod your head in agreement upon first try. The dish is rich and garlicky with a slightly spicy coconut broth. It’s all about the sauce. Make sure to get some of their warm and fluffy house baked brioche rolls to soak it all up. The cocktails are also of note here.

Almejas al Ajillo con Coco at La Tapa del Coco

Moving along we also got the salt cod fritters which arrived piping hot and were light and airy. An Afro-Caribbean–style shrimp curry was yet another fantastic dish. Because of the close ties to the West Indies this curry was more reflective of one from Trinidad or Jamaica than India or Pakistan. The sauce is rich and coconutty, and slightly sweet and spicy with thin and crisp strips of plantain on top. Lots of flavor in this and the coconut rice that came with it. To finish we had an eye opening dessert simply called Arroz con Mango. The menu description translates to “creamy rice pudding, topped with mango sorbet and pieces of fresh mango with a crunchy seed cookie and an English custard infused with thyme.” I’m running out of adjectives to describe all the wonderful food from here but let me say that I’ve ate at a fair number of highly regarded restaurants in Latin America and La Tapa del Coco is very deserving of it's ranking among the regions best restaurants by ‘The Worlds 50 Best’ website.

Salt Cod Fritters

Shrimp Curry

Arroz con mango at La Tapa del Coco
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Island Escape

The next day we took a field trip to the Panama Canal but not before stopping for lunch with the hopes of missing the typical early morning rush at the canal (it was still pretty busy but without lines). The hotel guy who picked us up from the airport was telling me about his favorite Jamaican places in town and he was Jamaican himself so I wrote down his suggestion of Island Escape. I didn’t realize this until we arrived but there’s a huge Jamaican population in Panama City where there’s said to be more than 500,000 people of Jamaican descent. This makes for a nice Jamaican food scene and Island Escape was a great call by our driver. Of course they were out of the fried fish but the shrimp curry was a tasty backup while the oxtail was fresh and fall off the bone tender with very good flavor.

Oxtails at Island Escape
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Pedro Mandinga Rum Bar

They make some very nice rum in Panama but it’s not as old of a tradition at Pedro Mandiga as one might think. Pedro Mandinga is Panama's first artisanal rum distillery, founded in 2017 in Panama City, creating premium rums from raspadura (unrefined cane sugar) and molasses. Distilled in small copper pot stills, the brand is renowned for its smooth Silver and Spiced rums, featuring tasting notes of caramel and banana, with specialty Coffee and Cocoa liqueurs also on offer. Rum heads should head straight to the Pedro Mandiga Bar in Casco Viejo. This well regarded tasting room is known for its rum tastings on top of cocktails, served up in a homey wood-paneled atmosphere, they have a really good happy hour too. I wish I didn’t wait until the last day to visit this place. Such a chill spot.

Rum Cocktail at Pedro Mandinga's
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La Cantina Del Tigre

After our happy hour drinks we had dinner reservations at Cantina Del Tigre. This place is one of the city’s most buzzed about restaurants and for good reason. It’s a lively spot with a huge open kitchen driven by a really long live fire grill. This is not the type of spot to visit if you’re looking for a quiet night out as it’s loud and buzzing and can be hard to hear for those that struggle with noise. If you do I still suggest visiting just doing so at an earlier hour because the food here is fantastic. I started with an order of the bone marrow which is sliced diagonally and grilled over the live fire and served with crisp bread for spreading. The Marie was perfectly cooked to where it slipped out still piping hot. At just $6 this was a steal. After that came the octopus croquettes which were super creamy with the taste of charred Octopus. For the entrée a dish labeled as Caribbean fish tempura comes served on a luscious Caribbean curry sauce with onion and bell pepper ceviche. The fish was as crisp as I've come across while the coconut curry was sublime. One of my favorite dishes of the trip and it left me wanting to try more but we were pretty full by this point. If I had one more night in Panama City I think I would’ve returned here to try a few more dishes plus another order of bone marrow. Very cool spot.

Dinner at La Cantina Del Tigre
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Restaurante La Bendicion

I took a stroll down to the Mercado de Marisco our last day in town. It's a pretty fish market with tons of fresh fish and quite a few restaurants preparing that fish surrounding the market. Restaurante La Bendicion is across the street and has lots of glowing reviews so I stopped for some ceviche which was definitely the more typical Latin American type, unlike that in Lima. The ceviche here is chopped and served in a Styrofoam cup and served with saltine crackers. It was refreshing after the walk over but ceviche in Peru kind of ruined me in terms of the quality as it's very much a step above the rest.

Ceviche at Restaurante La Bendicion
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Palacio Lung Fung

Palacio Lung Fung is the definition of a legacy dim sum hall. It's got it all from carpeted floors to fish tanks to carts of dim sum that come around from table to table. If you want that loud, cart-pushing, family-style Cantonese experience this is one of the key spots in Panama City to experience it. Lung Fung opened in 1973 and stepping inside is a real blast back to the past. The interior covers two floors in traditional style, looking like any glossy oversized Chinese restaurant in the world sitting stuck in time. I visited in the afternoon so the carts weren’t rolling but they still had the dim sum menu going. I ordered a few things including the popular Soy Kao Frito which are fried pork and shrimp wontons. I also got an order of Shumai, the Har Gow, and a plate of the Yee Chee Kao as these beef and ginger dumplings seemed to be really popular in Panama City. Palacio Lung Fung wasn’t quite as good as the other spots but it still hit the spot and the setting is sensational. That's it for this trip!

Dim Sum at Palacio Lung Fung
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See ya next time @chibbqking

The Clove

2026-03-10T10:00:00.005-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicagoland
Excellent Indo-Chinese (and more) in Glenview

The Clove is a relatively new South Asian restaurant in the Northern suburbs but it also has a bit of history in the North Shore area. It opened in Glenview last summer but the guy behind The Clove used to run now closed The Red Hot Chili Pepper in Evanston which I visited Pre-Pandemic.

Recently Opened in Glenview

The menu is split into two - there’s an Indian-Nepali and an Indo-Chinese menu. This is fairly common but what’s not is having two separate kitchens (and cooks) for each menu. The Clove is located in a large strip mall so there’s a nice amount of space inside including a full bar which along with the food is 25% off on Mondays. The Indo Chinese food at The Red Hot Chili Pepper was the best I’d had in Chicagoland so I had The Clove pretty high on my list but it took some time to find myself out that way. Well that recently happened not once but twice in the span of a week so I got to try a pretty nice portion of the menu and as I suspected it would be - the Indo-Chinese food here is excellent.

Gobi Manchurian

Indo-Chinese food is a blend of Chinese style cooking techniques with Indian spices and chiles. It comes from the Chinese community that was living in India back when it was said to be created in the 1970’s by Nelson Wong, the same guy said to create Gobi Manchurian. There’s a set of dishes you’ll see at every Indo-Chinese restaurant whether it’s in India, Pakistan, or the suburbs of Chicago and Gobi Manchurian is perhaps the most popular of them all. Crispy fried cauliflower is wok tossed in a spicy soy-garlic sauce but despite the name it has nothing to do with Manchuria in China. It’s said to be invented in India in the mid 1970s at China Garden in Mumbai. I’ve had my fair share of Gobi Manchurian over the years and the version served at The Clove sits at the top my list. First off it’s a dry version so it’s not gloppy from a sauce and it’s got a really nice spicing to it while the fry job is also done well. Resulting in a crisp and tasty product. I would highly recommend starting with an order.

Dry Chili Chicken at The Clove

Chili Chicken is another dish you’ll find on every Indo-Chinese restaurants menu. It too comes served wet or dry depending on the spot but at The Clove they do both. Again I’m a dry guy when it comes to Indo style chili chicken. This can be traced directly to Yueh Tung in Toronto where they serve a legendary chili chicken that I still think about now and then (fyi the Indo-Chinese food in Toronto aka “Hakka Chinese” is as good as it gets). To me dry is better because it’s crisper and tends to be more intense as dry is the preferred way in places like Mumbai. I’ve been searching for something similar to the version served at Yueh Tung for years now and the chili chicken at The Clove is the closest I’ve found up to now. This is in big part due to it being dry when most spots serve it wet but it’s also got great flavor from the ginger and chiles, speaking of which if you order it hot they bring the heat.

Manchow Soup

Just like its American-Chinese food cousin, Indo-Chinese is popular to eat in large groups. Usually you order for the table and get a few apps plus entrees and sides. Manchow Soup is another one of those standard Indo-Chinese dishes. The soup has a few defining features including a soy-based broth, strong use of garlic and ginger, and lots of chili flavor. It’s thickened with cornstarch and packed with cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and a variety of other vegetables plus chicken, tofu and other stuff depending on the recipe. Supposedly the name has no meaning other than to sound Chinese. The Manchow soup at The Clove is flavorful and filled with a ton of crisp vegetables leading me to believe it’s made to order as they wouldn’t be that crisp if it was made ahead. The only thing missing was the crispy noodles on top that typically come with Manchow but all the crunchy vegetables made up for the lack of crunchy noodles (note: they were included on my return visit).

Hakka Style Noodles at The Clove

The Hakka noodles at previously mentioned Red Hot Chili Pepper in Evanston were among my favorite noodles in town and they’re just as good at The Clove. They get a ton of wok hei in the flavor. You can add chicken or tofu but I like it as it is as it already comes with a ton of crisp veggies. I haven’t gotten to try the fried rice bc I can’t pass on the Hakka Noodles but I’m guessing it’s just as good if it’s cooked the same way with lots of wok hei given off by an extra hot wok. Momo Dumplings aren’t Indian-Chinese but the Nepali and Tibetan style dumplings pair well with the rest of the Indo-Chinese food here. I don’t think of Chicago as a great Momo town but the chicken ones at The Clove are as good as I’ve had in the city or suburbs. The wrappers are thin and soft and the chutney is on point.

Chicken Momo Dumplings

On my initial visit I was with my wife who really likes Dal Makhani and any type of seafood curry. I'm also a fan of these things so we got an order of the Dal and decided to try the Goan style snapper curry alongside it. The former was good but not great, though it tasted even better the next day. The latter was really good. The coconut based gravy had a sneaky hot spice to it and the fish was perfectly cooked making them the perfect match for each other in the same way The Clove is the perfect match for Glenview. The space is large and clean while the food is fresh and flavorful.

Dal Makhani and Goan Snapper Curry

The Clove Indian & Nepali Cuisine
1827 Waukegan Rd
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 999-0862
Website

Pakistani Sandwiches

2026-03-03T10:30:00.004-06:00

-Grubbing in Chicagoland
Five of a Kind: Pakistani Sandwich Shuffle

Middle Eastern and South Asian tea and coffee houses have really taken off in the Chicagoland area where we have large populations with connections to both regions. So I read this is part of a broader shift in U.S. beverage and social culture. This trend combines immigrant cultural influence with changing American tastes, community-oriented spaces, and evolving preferences around tea drinking. Tea has shifted from another drink to an experience, this as alcohol sales continue to slide. I’ve noticed quite a few of these places in the western suburbs where there’s already a good number of South Asian restaurants. I also noticed a good chunk of them were Pakistani and also offered sandwiches and such which is much more up my alley than tea so I set out to check some of these spots out and in doing so got a little more familiar with Pakistan’s interesting sandwich culture.

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Chai Ho Jai (Naperville)

Chai Ho Jai is a casual South Asian Tea Room in Naperville. It serves flavorful chai drinks and desi style comfort food - a mix between traditional Pakistani/Indian street flavors and café style snacks. It opened to big crowds back towards the start of 2024. I visited one Sunday afternoon and it was packed with families. Chai is the big draw especially Karak Doodh Patti Chai, Mumbai Cutting Chai, and a Pink Kashmiri Chai brewed with spices like cardamom and saffron. I’m not a big tea (or coffee) guy but you know I’m always on the prowl for good food so I stopped in to try a Special Anda Wala Bun Kabab. This is a Karachi street food classic made with a dal patty (Split chickpeas) in a whipped egg coating and seared on a tawa and slathered with green chutney with heaps of red onion, tomato, cucumber in a toasted white bun. I don’t have a ton of previous experience with Bun Kebab but this one was similar to a Vada Pav which is a potato patty sandwich in India. Sometimes Bun Kebab is made with beef but the ones here are vegetarian. I also noticed how every table had paratha which they list as a signature item. It’s flaky and buttery and popular to eat with fresh sugar and raw honey.

Bun Kebab and Parotta at Chai Ho Jai
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Niwaala Street Food (Lombard)

Next we head off to Lombard to Niwaala Street Food. The first of three spots in the area. It’s not a tea house but places like Niwaala are becoming common in cities across the States. They mix South Asian and Americanized dishes. Picture quesadillas, sandwiches, and wraps filled with popular South Asian flavors. They have options like a chopped Chapli Kebab sub and a smashed Chapli Kebab slider. I tried the ladder as I love the disc shaped kebabs popular near he Pakistan and Afghanistan border and would gladly return to try something else next time I’m in the area. I was intrigued with the Makhani sub which is described as “ground beef drenched in our house-made butter chicken sauce, white cheese and onions”. I picture it as some sort of chopped cheese and Sloppy Joe hybrid.

Chapli Smash Slider at Niwaala Street Food
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Addah (Lombard)

The idea of Addah began on Devon at Usmania which is owned by the same family. They dreamed of a spot that brought the lively streets of Pakistan and India to the Chicagoland area. The menu is made up of popular tea drinks and street food favorites from both South Asian countries. Halwa Puri, Haleem, and falooda are most commonly mentioned in the Google reviews. I visited a year or so ago when they first opened and tried a few of their sliders which seemed popular based on what others were ordering that day. I think they may have expanded the menu since then but I was particularly impressed with the Hunter Beef Slider which comes with fries for $4.99. Hunter beef is a Pakistani style of cured, salted meat, similar to corned beef or pastrami, with roots tracing back to British colonial era in the Indian subcontinent. The Hunter Beef sandwiches I’ve tried over the years have been a bit different from spot to spot. At Addah it’s made from a stringier cut than typical corned beef but it basically melts in your mouth while giving off a ton of flavor from the spices.

Hunter Beef Slider at Addah
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Cafe Bethak (Lombard)

Last stop in Lombard is Cafe Bethak. This Pakistani style halal cafe serves chai along with snacks and sweets. It’s a relaxing space where families can sit and sip tea and just kind of hang around for a little bit. They even have a little play section with toys for the kids. I stopped in here for their Chicken Club Sandwich which is a double decker sandwich made with pan seared chicken plus omelette, cheese, mayo, lettuce, and tomato. Club Sandwiches like this are very popular in Pakistan but they’re never made with bacon for obvious reasons. I returned here to try the Viral Paratha Smash Burgers which are big in Dubai and starting to make their way onto menus in the states. The Tribune listed it among their favorite dishes of 2025 but the extra compact previously frozen patty was a big letdown.

Chicken Club Sandwich at Cafe Bethak
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Halal Smash Burger & Phillies (Chicago)

For our last stop we head into the city where Halal Smash Burger and Phillies has two locations. One is up north in West Ridge while the one I visited is in Lincoln Square. Smash burgers, cheesesteaks, chopped cheese and spicy fried chicken sandwiches are all very American as is the idea of a guy from Pakistan serving them up. As the name suggests they do smash burgers and Cheesesteaks here but I stopped by to try a Zinger Burger which is what they call a spicy chicken sandwich in Pakistan. The history of the Zinger Burger traces back to when KFC put a spicy chicken sandwich on their menu in Trinidad & Tobago. The Zinger as it was called was very well received and started to appear in other countries too but none of them adopted it quite like Pakistan did. KFC opened its first Pakistan location in 1997 in Lahore and the Zinger quickly became one of its most popular items, but it didn’t just stay a KFC product, it became a category of sandwich in of itself. A Zinger in Lahore is as common as a Chicago style hot dog in Chicago, they can be found all over. Same goes for the States where fast food grills like this are often ran by people from Pakistan. The Zinger is straightforward from spot to spot in that it’s a typical spicy chicken sandwich. So it depends on the quality of the chicken and breading and spicing and most spots that serve these seem to do a good job with all three things and that includes the version I tried at Halal Smash Burgers and Phillies on Western.

Zinger Burger at Halal Smash Burgers & Phillies
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Previous Posts You Might Like:

South Asian Food on Devon (2025)
Samosas on Devon (2023)
Bundoo Khan (2022)
Kababish BBQ (2022)

See ya next time @chibbqking

The Radicle

2026-02-24T10:00:00.004-06:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Italian Coastal Vibes and Midwest Flair in Logan Square

For a while there Logan Square was seeing interesting bar and restaurant openings on the regular but it had been a bit stagnant of late. That was until recently when The Radicle opened their doors at 2523 N Milwaukee in early January 2026. It sits in the original space of Daisies, it's critically acclaimed sister restaurant that moved to a larger location down the block back in 2023.

Newly Opened in Logan Square

The Radicle is the second project from Chef Joe Frillman - the owner and executive chef behind Daisies. He brought his team and culinary vision from Daisies’ original space to open The Radicle as a late-night cocktail bar and restaurant blending coastal Italian drinking culture with Midwestern flavors. It’s part of an effort to revive lively late-night bar culture in Logan Square, something that locals and industry folks alike have been eager to see return after changes from the pandemic era. Late night food options are few and far between compared to what was available before the pandemic but at The Radicle you can eat + drink until 1a Tuesday Sunday (closed Monday). If you plan to visit during normal dining hours reservations are recommended, it was busy on a recent visit.

Poached Tuna Bruschetta

The menu at The Radicle is small but not tiny. They break it down into four sections including both hot and cold plates plus the raw bar, pizza and sweets. They were doing a poached tuna bruschetta special on our visit and it was exquisite. Bite sized chunks of olive oil poached tuna are tossed with thinly sliced red onions and tomatoes plus beans and basil. There may have been some giardiniera in there too if not just diced carrots. I had meant to ask. So we were told this special has been so well received it might go over to the regular menu sooner or later. This is the type of dish I’d expect to come to across in a real locals type of spot in some small Italian coastal town. So far, so good.

Baby Beets

I always like to gauge the waiter / waitresses favorite dishes as this can help decide when you want to try it all. He had mentioned the Baby Beets as being his favorite dish on the menu and that sold me as I remember them doing some good stuff with beets over at Daises. The menu describes this dish as baby beets with fermented mushrooms and mojama (salt-cured tuna) but there was also some crispy quinoa and shredded parmesan on top. This was an outstanding dish, my favorite of the night actually. We also got an order of fried lake fish which was walleye with a wonderful tartar sauce and a tasty red slaw. The fish is battered crisp and perfectly moist in the middle. I’ve long lamented on the lack of lake fish on Chicago menus so hopefully this is the start of more to come.

Fried Lake Fish at The Radicle

I’m not sure we need anymore pizza at the moment but it fits in nicely with the concept here. With the Radicle leaning into Italian aperitivo culture and late-night drinks at a reasonable pricepoint, pizza almost seems necessary. I would describe the style as Italian inspired. The menu lists ten options ranging from the classic Pizza Margherita to a Mortadella with pistachio pesto and a few interesting options such as a clam pie topped with Yukon gold potatoes and garlic. I tried the fennel sausage with red sauce, mozzarella, and red onions and enjoyed it for what it was. The sausage is better than most you’ll find outside the Chicagoland area and the crust has a nice chew. Overall this is the type of place that will draw in people on both Tuesdays and Saturdays. The food is easily approachable and drinks are around $10 each making it a good spot to go on a whim if you're in the neighborhood.

Fennel Sausage Pizza

The Radicle
2523 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(312) 488-4069
Website

Eating BIG in Lima

2026-02-17T10:00:00.004-06:00

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Crossing One Off the Bucketlist

I was finally able to get to Lima this past November. Lima sat at or near the top of my travel bucketlist for a really long time. Notice how I said Lima and not Peru. Honestly I never had much interest in visiting Peru outside of going to Lima to eat, which is partly why it took me so long to get there. Most people go to Lima because they have to stop there before they go to Macchu Picchu or elsewhere. I was the opposite in that I wanted to go to Lima but didn’t have much interest in going to Cusco or elsewhere, that was a mistake. More on my mistake at the end of this post but for now I’m going to show and tell you why the people that use Lima as just a stop over are also making a mistake.

Pics from Lima (click all pics to enhance)

Lima is the capital of Peru and the country’s political, economic, and culinary centers. It sits on the Pacific coast in a massive desert-meets-ocean metropolis of nearly 10 million people. It’s gritty, it’s historic, and it’s very much a food forward city. Culturally it has a strong mix of Indigenous, Spanish, African, Chinese, and Japanese influence. The city has massive festivals tied to Catholic traditions and a big surf culture as you can catch waves year-round. Lima is often considered the food capital of Latin America. Lima isn’t conventionally “beautiful” at first glance. The traffic is terrible and the sky is grey. But it rewards those that dig in. Miraflores and Barranco are the two hip neighborhoods. Miraflores is modern, coastal, tourist-friendly and has a ton of restaurants. Barranco is bohemian, artsy and nightlife-heavy. San Isidro is the main business district. Centro Histórico is full of Colonial architecture and history. Barrio Chino is home to the oldest Chinese community in Latin America.

Pics from Lima

As far the food goes it really did live up to the hype and then some. I haven’t ate that well on a country's local cuisine since the last time I was in Asia. Lima is rightfully placed among the world’s best food cities. Peru has coast, mountains, and jungle, and Lima sits right on the Pacific meaning easy access to fresh seafood, 100’s of varieties of potatoes and corn from the Andes, plus tropical fruits, cacao, and herbs from the Amazon. Mix all that with the deep connection to the Far East and you have a unique mix of culinary traditions that don’t just coexist — they reshape one another.

Pics from Lima
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La Lucha Sangucheria

We had a reservation for our first meal in Lima but had gotten there a bit early. That said there was an outlet of Lima’s most famous sangucheria down the block so I decided to knock La Lucha Sangucheria off of my hit list. Lima’s most well known sandwich chain was started by a guy named César Taboada, who had plans to make Peruvian-style sandwiches a source of national pride. He succeeded in a very short amount of time as the first location opened in Miraflores in 2008. Fast forward to 2026 and they have more than 10 locations in Lima plus outlets in Mexico City and Bogota.

Papas Fritas y Chicha Morada

The Pan con Chicharron is Lima’s most popular sandwich so it’s only fitting that it’s the most popular offering at La Lucha Sangucheria. This wonderful specimen starts with crisp Pan con Frances that gets stuffed with fried pork belly plus a slice of sweet potato and salsa criolla which is a cold relish of finely sliced red onions sitting in vinegar (it can include salt, tomatoes, garlic, Aji peppers). It's a heavyweight in the wide world of sandwiches and I suggest making a meal out of one by adding a side of terrific fresh cut fries that are cut by actual hands. The sandwich is a great mix of ingredients and should definitely be a source of national pride as should the fries. Make it a complete meal here by adding a Chicha Morada or a fresh squeezed juice into the mix. The former is Peru’s national non alcoholic drink and is made using culli as a base ingredient. Culli is a Peruvian variety of corn commonly known as purple corn and it's abundantly grown and harvested along the Andes Mountains region. Also of note are the juice options at Lima’s sandwich shops - they're outstanding. Limeños eat sandwiches at all hours of the day and they’re very popular for breakfast paired with a fresh fruit juice.

Pan con Chicharron at La Lucha Sangucheria
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Ototo Barra Nikkei

I hit the ground running as I walked over to Ototo Barra Nikkei after my introduction to Lima’s sandwich culture. We made a reservation to try the omakase at Ototo after learning the owner / chef came from Maido which some consider Lima’s best restaurant - it was ranked #1 in the 2025 Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list. Well Maido was booked by the time we got our tickets to Peru but Ototo was brand new and word was just starting to spread about this intimate Peruvian-Japanese (Nikkei) sushi bar in Surquillo. They offer a chef-led counter experience featuring fresh and local high quality ingredients in the form of nigiri, ceviche, and a few Japanese street food favorites served personally by owner and head chef Marco Palma. He's joined by his wife and two others in a space that seats maybe 10 people max. You can do ala carte or try all of the food thru the chefs tasting menu which was tough to pass up at a such a fair price-point ($45 for 8 courses). All the food was really good and the meal was very filling. I expect this place to blow up in terms of coverage over the next year or so.

Amuse Bouche

Ostra y Percebes

Octopus Gyoza

Usuzukuri (Tiradito)

Sando con Perjerrey

Nikkei Ceviche

Sashimi

Foie Gras Sashimi

Okayu Criollo
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Verbena Restaurante

Dinner on our first night in Lima was at Verbena Restaurante. I was very much looking forward to trying this place and that was before Chef Marco Palma at Ototo gave it a ringing endorsement during our lunch there. As it turned out he’s good friends with Richi Goachet who’s the head chef at Verbena. Chef Richi and his team are showcasing Peruvian ingredients with global touches in a small and cozy art filled space. The focus as far as ingredients is fresh and seasonal seafood and produce cooked in a small open kitchen. We started out with a plate of the tiradito which is a popular Peruvian dish of raw fish, cut in the shape of sashimi, and similar to crudo and carpaccio it’s served in a well spiced sauce. Tiradito reflects the influence of Japanese cuisine in Peru as the dish is a fusion between Peruvian and Japanese food aka Nikkei Cuisine. The technique of preparing fine cuts of sashimi in a spicy citrus base is practiced at restaurants throughout Peru and chefs get to put their personal touches on the dish as far as what type of raw fish to use and what goes into the sauce. The Tiradito served at Verbena was nothing short of outstanding but I can’t remember exactly what was in it aside from some house fried potato chips using one of the many varieties of Peruvian potatoes. Most of the ingredients they used were native to Peru and thus not flavors I was completely familiar with - but they left a lasting impression. Looking back on it every dish we had here was a hit resulting in an A+ meal.

Verbena Tiradito

Artichoke Stew Empanadillas with Roasted Red Pepper Honey

Duck "Ramen" Pear Dim Sum with Pickled Mushrooms

Grilled Prawns, Zarandaja Beans, Chifles
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Sandwiches Monstruos

Sandwiches Monstruos is an all day and all night operation known for their big and hearty loaded sandwiches, hence the Monster Sandwiches name. The flagship location opened in Barranco in 1967 but they also have locations in San Miguel and Miraflores. I decided to walk over one morning and have a Sanguche de Pavo for breakfast. I chose turkey bc it was commonly mentioned in the reviews and also because turkey sandwiches are very popular in Peru. We’re talking actual turkey and not mystery deli meat. Fresh roasted turkey is stuffed into a Pan con Frances with Aji sauce plus salsa criolla and anything else you want. Simple but sensational in terms of a turkey sandwich.

Sanguche de Pavo at Sandwiches Monstruos
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Al Toke Pez

We made sure to get to Al Toke Pez right when it opened as it was already busy spot before gaining international attention after being featured in the Netflix series ‘Street Food: Latin America’. Though they moved to a new spot not too long ago so it’s not as cramped and tight spaced as it once was. While most of the reviews I read were positive there were a few that said it was overrated or too hyped but that’s to be expected once you hit it big. If you haven’t seen the episode featuring Al Toke Pez the series features Tomás “Toshi” Matsufuji, the Peruvian-Japanese chef and owner of Al Toke Pez. His dad was a renowned restaurateur and pioneer of Peru's Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) cuisine. In the episode Chef Matsufuji talks of the early struggle to live up to his dads legacy before deciding he was going to do what he wanted which is a lowkey spot where they do a few things and they do those things really well. The menu is basically made up of ceviche, arroz mariscos, and chicharrón de pescado and most people get the “combinado” which is a platter featuring all three. I was happy with the product. The ceviche tasted super fresh and might've been my favorite of all the ceviche I tried while the fried rice was really nice with big hits of wok hei. It's made to order and they get the wok smoking right there in front of you in the open kitchen. The fried fish was hot and crisp and cut into nice bite sized pieces. The people who leave this place negative reviews must be miserable. We had a fantastic first lunch that fed two of us for just $11. I don’t know if the lines have died down with time but it wasn’t busy on our visit granted we were in and out within an hour of them opening.

La Famosa Combinado at Al Toke Pez
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Alegría Picantería Piurana

Our second lunch of the day was at a newer spot that hasn’t reached the international masses yet but word has spread amongst Limenos. Alegría Picantería Piurana was already packed when we arrived for our 12:30p reservation. When I reached out to make that reservation weeks before they told me a 12:30p was all they had and I could see they weren't lying upon arriving. We were very clearly the only tourists in there as the crowd was mostly made up of large groups of locals ranging from people stepping out of work to eat to older ladies out lunching with their friends and so forth. Everyone here for big plates of Northern Peruvian favorites such as the Northern Ceviche featuring fresh Mero Fish aka grouper marinated in lime juice with onions, cilantro, Peruvian chili peppers. It comes with zarandaja beans and boiled yucca and is starting to gather buzz as the best ceviche in town. I'm not qualified to make that claim but it was extra fresh and had tons of depth in terms of texture and taste.

Northern Ceviche at Alegría Picantería Piurana

As good as the ceviche was it the Máncora style seafood rice that stole the show. I haven’t had enough plates of seafood rice to know how this one stacks up but the version at Alegría Picantería Piurana was one of the best things I ate in Peru. This dish is molded after the seafood rice served up in a resort town in Northwest Peru. It’s made with the daily catch, yellow chili sofrito, peas, sweet corn, zarandaja beans and a touch of lime. The amount of flavor packed into this dish was impressive and it had good texture going for it too with a huge pile of thinly shaved raw onions sitting on top. Unfortunately that was all we got to try as the portions are massive and meant to be shared. If I had an extra day I might've returned here to try something else such as the Seco de Chabelo or perhaps the Northern style baby goat stew. I bet the duck rice is also dank. What a great 1-2 Punch for lunch.

Máncora Style Seafood Rice Alegría Picantería Piurana
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Picarones "Mary"

Picarones Mary was another spot I wanted to try after seeing it on the Lima episode of ‘Street Food: Latin America’ on Netflix. It’s a cute little stand ran by a family that serves fresh Picarones or Peruvian donuts. Picarones originated in Lima during Spanish rule and are said to derive from buñuelos which are a Spanish deep-fried dough. While Picarones look like buñuelos they are one of a kind in that they aren’t made with just flour and eggs but instead with an interesting combination containing squash called macre mixed with boiled sweet potatoes which are mashed to make a puree which is mixed with flour, yeast, sugar. The puree is formed into the shape of a torus and deep fried before getting drenched in a sweet spiced syrup made of chancaca, an unrefined, raw sugarcane sugar product. Picarones are commonly enjoyed alongside a cup of Chicha Morada aka purple drink. Picarones Mary has been in Parque Kennedy since 1990 and has an additional stand in Miraflores.

Picarones at Picarones Mary
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Clon

Clon is a highly acclaimed restaurant in Lima's Barranco district. I would highly recommend it. They offer Venezuelan-Peruvian fusion cuisine and are led by head chef Juan Luis Martínez. It’s the casual "sister" spot to the award-winning Mérito which was still to come. But Clon is much more casual in terms of the setting and the pricing though the food is just as refined. High-quality ingredients are paired with skilled technique resulting in some wonderful plates of food coming out of the intimate open kitchen. I feel like this is the type of spot where you really can’t go wrong with whatever you order. Everything we got was awesome making it tough to pick a favorite. Yet another A+ meal.

Arepa Andina - Wheat Arepa, Fried Pejerrey, Yellow Chili Peppers

Taquito Panceta - Glazed Pork Belly over Arracacha Slices

Udon Chili Crab - Stir Fried Udon, Spicy Sour Sauce, Popeye Crab

Curry - Catch of the Day, Green Curry, Black Mashua Rice, Peruvian Corn

Churros - Churros Choux and Seasonal Ice Cream
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Anticucheria El Tio Mario

The Anticucho is quite literally the heart of Peruvian food. The beef heart-based dish is a very popular late night snack in Peru. Sliced pieces of beef heart are marinated in vinegar and more before being skewered and grilled over charcoal. I had originally walked over to the corner where a famous vendor sets up shop but she wasn’t there so instead I went to El Tio Mario which is a well known Anticucheria in the Barranco neighborhood. El Tio Mario started out as cart but has grown into a full blown restaurant. Lots of large groups out to on my visit which was solo so I got a two piece with potato which ended up being a ton of food for less than $10. The beef had a real nice flavor from the marinade and the grill but it was a tad chewy due to it being cut in huge chunks. A knife and fork come in handy as I found it much more pleasurable when cut into little bite sized pieces. The skewers come with a wonderful pair of red and yellow aji sauce that takes it to the next level. I would eat these again.

Anticucho at Anticucheria El Tio Mario
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DeMo

Next morning we headed back to Barranco to start the day at DeMo - the popular, high-end bakery and brunch spot ran by Juan Luis Martínez who also runs Merito and Clon. Chef Martinez and his team were 3-3 as DeMo is the real deal in terms of the pastries. We tried a few and each of them was outstanding including the super light and extra flaky croissant with tons of butter mixed in. It was Paris quality. They also do brunch and it looked great but we had lunch plans right down the block.

Pastries at DeMo
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Isolina

Isolina Taberna was right down the block from our last stop so we decided to stop by right as they were opening. Isolina is a celebrated Peruvian tavern style restaurant in Barranco. It’s known for serving classic criolla cuisine which is the hearty, traditional cooking of Peru that focuses on rich sauces, stews, and time-honored recipes. It’s a very popular spot with both tourists and locals thus it was packed within 20 minutes of opening. I wish this wasn’t a spur of the moment stop as the menu here is filled with interesting options but we came for the ‘Pan Con Pejerrey’ which is a Peruvian fish sandwich. It’s made with crisp fried pejerrey fillets served in crusty French-style bread, accompanied by salsa tártara and salsa criolla - a tangy mix of onions, lime, and chili added for brightness and acidity. All due respect to Florida but I think the best fish sandwiches might reside in Lima.

Pan con Pejerrey at Isolina
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Helado de Lima

Helado de Lima serves it's artisanal ice cream at a few locations in the city. The flavors here reflect the city's unique mix of coastal, Andean and immigrant influences. I've mentioned before that I much prefer fruit flavors to chocolate and creamy ones and a scoop of Maracuya was the right call.

Maracuya (Passionfruit)
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Juanito Barranco

Because it wasn’t far I also made an impromptu stop for the Sanguche de Butifarra at Juanito Barranco. Butifarra is Peruvian country style ham which is boiled and roasted and seasoned with Aji panca chile peppers, garlic, and spices. Juanito Barranco is an old school spot that’s been serving Butifarra since 1937. They hand slice the Jamon to order and stuff into a crisp ciabatta roll with salsa criolla making it a simple but sensational sandwich in a real throw back the clock type of spot.

Butifarra at Juanito Barranco
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Shizen

The Nikkei food in Lima impressed at every meal it was featured in. Shizen is widely regarded among the best in town when it comes to Peruvian-Japanese food. The team at Shizen consists of two chefs with Japanese Peruvian roots and one from Northern Peru and they really nailed the combining of these two powerhouse cuisines. At Shizen they mix Peruvian citrus and chilies like ají amarillo and rocoto with Japanese sauces like ponzu, miso, and dashi. The final product is balanced but bold. Tiradito is the perfect example of this and always a must at a Nikkei spot like this. It was excellent.

Tiradito at Shizen

I was particularly enthralled with the Nikkei Nigiri which is a spin on classic Edo style Nigiri that uses Peruvian ingredients and Japanese technique. Nikkei Nigiri is much more contrasting than traditional sushi - it’s got acidity and sometimes even has heat to it. The nigiri menu at Shizen changes based on what’s fresh but based on what we ate it felt like it was tough to go wrong with whatever's selected.

Nikkei Nigiri at Shizen

We skipped the maki at Shizen and opted for some noodles instead. The Udon Uchucuta was a memorable bowl of thick and chewy udon noodles with shrimp and scallops sauteed in Batayaki sauce (a buttery mix of soy, mirin and more). Served with Rocoto Uchucutta which is a spicy condiment sauce commonly made with rocoto chiles, grated cucumbers, peanuts, huacatay leaves, evaporated milk, chopped onions, coriander leaves, queso fresco, and salt. The flavors were magical.

Udon Uchucuta at Shizen
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Chifa Titi

I had two food spots that I was not going to miss no matter what. The first of which was Chifa Titi. Chifa is the term used to describe the Peruvian-Chinese food that’s a staple of everyday life in Lima. It comes from Chinese immigrants (mostly Cantonese) who arrived in Peru in the late 1800s and blended their cooking with local ingredients and tastes. The name comes from the Cantonese phrase “chi fan” meaning “to eat rice.” Chifa can also refer to the restaurants that serve Peruvian-Chinese food and chifa spots are everywhere in Peru in the same way American Chinese food is found all over the U.S. Chifa is similar to American Chinese food (also a product of the Cantonese) but it has its own distinctions. It’s a bit saltier, smokier, and less sweet. Though the dishes are the same format with fried rice, stir-fried noodles, and crispy battered meats being the focal point of most Chifa menus. Chifa Titi is a higher end chifa (expect American prices) and those in the know will tell you it’s the best chifa in Lima. I wish I had more eating power here alas it was just me so I only got to try a few things. First up was an order of fried wontons which very much hit the spot but are probably better ordered for a group. Next out was the best shrimp fried rice I’ve ever had, the smoky flavor from the wok hei was incredible. I became familiar with Pollo Chi Jau Kay at a popular Peruvian Chinese restaurant in Miami and it's since become my go-to order at any chifa spot. It's a crispy, battered dish of deep-fried chicken that's cut and covered in a savory brown gravy infused with ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. I loved Pollo Chijaukay before going to Titi and I love it even more after going there.

Chifa Dinner at Chifa Titi
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Pastelería and Panadería San Antonio

Pastelería / Panadería San Antonio was founded by two Spanish friends, Don Pepe (José Vila) and Don Emilio, who together with a team of Peruvian baking artisans opened the very first San Antonio bakery on October 21, 1959, in the district of Magdalena in Lima. Today they have 9 locations in Lima making it a local staple for sandwiches and pastries. I walked over to one for breakfast one morning and it was bumping like we were in Paris or Zurich. I ended up getting a Peruvian Triple Sandwich as I'd read they're known for having a good one. The Triple Sandwich is made up of three thin slices of bread and a trio of layers made up of avocado slices, tomato slices, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and mayonnaise. It’s a ubiquitous snack at birthday parties and is also considered a typical breakfast.

Triple Sandwich at San Antonio Bakery
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Aji y Rocoto

I mentioned how there were two spots on my must stop list and this was the other one. It wasn’t necessarily this exact place but I had to have a plate of Lomo Saltado while I was in Lima and ended up choosing Aji y Rocoto even though it was a bit off the typical tourist path plus they serve a portion meant to feed two. I’d read customers line up to eat here so I made sure I was there about 15 minutes before they opened and lucky me as I was the first one there. By the time I was seated a line started to form and as seen above it went all the way down the block by the time I was leaving. Aji y Rocoto sports a blackboard made up of maybe like ten items with Lomo Saltado always sitting at the very top. This beloved Peruvian stir-fry was originally a chifa dish blending Cantonese cooking techniques with Peruvian ingredients. It’s typically made with marinated strips of sirloin or tenderloin and wok-seared with red onions, tomatoes, ají amarillo peppers and soy sauce plus French fries, and vinegar, and served with white rice. I knew this would be good as soon as it arrived. It had a mesmerizing smell and was still sizzling having come fresh from a flaming wok. I basically inhaled most of what was on my plate leaving nothing but a small pile of rice. The flavors and the textures are off the charts with this dish. It’s tough to pick the single best thing I ate in Lima but it would also be tough not to pick this.

Lomo Saltado at Aji y Rocoto
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Tomo Cocina Nikkei

Tomo Cocina Nikkei is yet another popular spot for Nikkei. It was co founded by two guys that met years ago while working togther in other Lima based Nikkei kitchens. They teamed up to open Tomo and their combined experience and passion for Japanese-Peruvian food speaks loud and clear. For starters a fried fish steamed bun made up of the catch of the day deep fried in tempura with nikkei tartar sauce was lovely. But again it’s the nigiri that really stands out. I could eat the toro roll with tuna belly and a yellow smoked chili sauce every day and never get sick of it. Such wonderful flavors.

Nikkei Nigiri at Tomo Cocina Nikkei
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Curich Cremoladas

I was very happy to learn of the cremolada while I was still in Lima. Cremolada is a classic Peruvian frozen fruit dessert that’s similar to Italian ice (a personal favorite). It’s a refreshing and fruity slushie type of drink that’s especially popular during the warmer weather months. Made up of finely shaved ice, fresh fruit pulp, and syrup and it sits somewhere between a smoothie, a granita, and a slushie, but with a thicker, icy texture that sets it apart from other iced out fruit drinks. I love any and all forms of icy summertime treats so I sought one out at Curich Cremolada. The roots of this place trace back to 1942 when a man of Croatian descent started a family business that included helados and cremoladas. The Miraflores location is a walk up window and you can choose from dozens of fruity flavors that I’m pretty sure are all very good. I tried Maracuya and Mango and both slapped.

Cremolada at Curich Cremoladas
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Mérito

Our last meal in Peru was my most anticipated meal of the trip. When Lima is discussed as a great food city the conversation usually starts with the higher end tasting meal spots that are commonly ranked among the Worlds 50 Best. Well everything I read (mostly on the fine dining subreddit) said that both Central and Maito were living off their accolades while Mérito had taken over the crown of best tasting menu in town. Some went as far as to say it's the best restaurant in the world right now. If you give any sort of credence to 'The World's 50 Best' restaurant list it currently sits at #26 overall.

Sachatomate aka Tamarillo (Tree Tomato)

Mérito is led by Chef Juan Luis Martínez, a Venezuelan chef who opened Mérito in 2018 after working and training in Peru’s fine‑dining scene. He combines his Venezuelan roots with Peruvian ingredients and techniques to create an acclaimed tasting‑menu experience featuring ingredients from the Amazon and the Andes. I believe the total number of courses can range between 8-12 but by the time we were finished we had 12 courses come out (there’s always a couple of Amuse Bouche type courses). Every dish we had was skillfully made with a few of the plates scoring a perfect ten.

Yacon, fish, kiwicha

Mamey, olluco, macambo

First course out was an eye popping dish, or rather sip, of fermented Sachatomate juice. This "Jungle Tomato" juice was served chilled in it's own shell - it was fruity, salty and quite intense. Second was a plate of edible art made with chopped fish sandwiched between wafers of yacon root and kiwicha - an ancient crop planted and cultivated by the Inca 4,000 years ago. Third course was another plate of edible art made with mamey (a tropical fruit), olluco (an Andean tuber), and macambo, which is also known as white jaguar cacao. For the fourth course we had what I would describe as the kitchens twist on a ceviche. Instead of using limes they used sanky, a very sour Andean fruit, for its leche de tigre-style sauce. Fifth course was simply described as corn bread but it was so much better than any cornbread I've had in the past. Served wrapped in a charred husk with black butter (10/10).

Scallops, sanky and jalapeno

Corn Bread in a Corn Husk

Sixth course was when we started getting into the proteins with dishes like a perfectly cooked piece of local trout in a light sauce made with huacatay - the potent herb also known as black mint. For the seventh course we tried Paiche, the huge Amazonian river fish, featured fish stick-style in a wrapper made of oxidized yacon. For dipping purposes there was tacupi - an Amazonian sauce made with fermented yucca and the addition of cacao nibs (10/10). The eighth course was the kitchens take on a curry mixing ancient and aromatic Andean herbs in a dark green sauce made of chincho, paico, haucatay and basil draped over prawns. Course number nine was my second favorite dish of this incredible tasting. The meals most luxurious dish was made with with Chilean wagyu and oxtail dumplings sitting in a rich and meaty sauce with pickled mango as a palate cleanser (10/10).

Trout and Huacatay

Paiche, cacao and tucupi

Andean Curry

Beef, arracache, mango

It’s not often a dessert dish is my favorite course of the night but I could not stop thinking about course number ten which the menu described as "cocona, mashua and lemon verbena." So an Amazonian fruit (cocona) with an Andean starch (mashua) plus Lemon Verbena - a fragrant perennial shrub with a strong lemon-scented aroma. Please believe me when I tell you it was as memorable of a dessert I’ve had. By this point the meal was well worth the price of admission ($220/pp) which isn't cheap but still very fair when compared to U.S pricing. The eleventh course was another delicious dessert described on the menu as Papa volodora (a tuber) coffee and lucuma. Served with a slice of super-airy cake that evaporated in your mouth like a cloud of sweetness leaving behind a delicate hint of caramelized warmth that balanced perfectly with the rich, earthy coffee and the tropical, almost honeyed flavor of the lucuma. Last but not least was a complimentary serving of their otherworldly flan which they sent out as an anniversary gift. Thus completed our culinary journey to another world.

Cocona, mashua, lemon verbena

Papa volodora (a tuber) coffee and lucuma

Flan at Mérito
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BONUS TRIP!!!

Cusco Peru

Cusco is one of those cities where you can feel the history, even more so than the altitude. Upon our arrival I took a quick 25 minute stroll around town and quickly fell in love with the place. Yes it’s touristy but the tight cobblestone streets spill into grand plazas and the ghosts of the Inca civilization lurk at every turning corner. Serving as the gateway to Machu Picchu, Cusco is a magical place where mornings start with coca tea and afternoons are spent wandering past stone walls that have survived earthquakes since the 1400s. Evenings are meant for a Pisco sour or two. We weren’t there to eat (or drink) but I found a few spots that I would recommend including some very good shawarma served with Peruvian aji sauces at Shajjar "El auténtico sabor Mediterráneo" kebab & Shawarma. I tried an alpaca burger at Jacks Cafe and it was a tad dry but that was fixed with the toppings and a terrific house baked bun. I walked past Polleria Don Lucho one night and it was bustling. Three floors worth of dining rooms were jam packed but I managed to squeeze a spot and taste what everyone was there for - Peruvian style rotisserie chicken with salchipapas (French fries with sliced hot dogs and sauces). Other than that we ate at The Belmond Hotel which is where we stayed. They had a great breakfast buffet with local flavors including fresh fruit and Butifarra breakfast sandwiches. Our lovely stay at The Belmond came with perks so one night we tried a teriffic Arequipenian style rigatoni with shrimp in coral sauce, buttery cheese and Huacatay chimichurri. I wish we had more time to explore Cusco proper but we had daytime activities planned for every day save for the day we arrived.

Food in Cusco

We hired a local tour guide and a driver who took us on a daytrip to visit an old village where we watched locals make the alpaca clothing you see all over Cusco. It’s a very interesting and 100% natural process. I bought a close fitting knitted hat and some gloves that have come in handy in Chicago this winter. We also stopped at a popular passage on the Inka trail where mass was in session at an old church. After that we visited the Moray, a significant Inca archeological site located in the Sacred Valley. Our last stop of this incredible daytrip was the Salinas de Mares. The Salt Mines of Maras consist of over 5,000 ancient, terraced salt pans in operation since pre-Inca times. My jaw was dropped the entire day. It felt like I was in one of the mast magical places in the world.

Passing on an old Inka Trail

Moray

Maras Salt Mines

Of course the main reason for our visit to Cusco was the same as everybody else - to visit Machu Picchu. I'll just come out and say it from the start. It would've been crazy to go all the way to Peru and not visit Machu Picchu. Words cant describe the out of experience I had upon entering the area. It was breathtaking walking around this ancient site. There's different ways you can get to Machu Picchu including hiking but we didn't have the time or the will to do that so instead we did the exact opposite of walking and camping. We rode the Hiram Bingham, an extension of the Orient Express. A trip on the Belmond Train includes the ride to Machu Picchu and the return journey with food, entertainment, and unlimited drinks. It's not cheap but it did make a memorable day even more so. The food was good (not great) but we met a really nice older couple from Australia on the way there and hung at the bar where everyone was having a good time on the ride back. If you want to reach out via email I can set you up with the people that took care of us in Cusco. That’s it for this trip!

Boarding the Haram Bingham

Entrance to the Amazon (Aguas Calientes)

MACHU PICCHU
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Click HERE for my google maps guide to Lima Restaurants

See ya next time @chibbqking

Ox Bar & Hearth

2026-02-10T11:00:00.004-06:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Live Fire Cooking in Lincoln Park

Every time I travel I seem to come across a place like Ox Bar & Hearth. I’m talking about the restaurants that revolve around a hearth where live fire cooking is done in an open kitchen setting. These places are usually decked out in exposed brick giving it the feel of a loft. Another common trait you’ll find in these places is a commitment, or at least the claim of being committed, to seasonal and local ingredients. It was only a matter of time until a restaurant like this opened in Lincoln Park.

Recently Opened in Lincoln Park

Ox Bar & Hearth is the product of two Chicago restaurant veterans - Chef John Asbaty and Restauranteur Alain Uy. Chef John previously helmed his chops in high end kitchens like Alinea and Trio, the latter of which is where he first met Alain Uy. Both of them were in the house on a recent Sunday night visit which came on a cold December evening. Upon being seated we warmed up quickly with a plate of potato pierogi with cabbage, sauerkraut, and horseradish sour cream. These were some of the better Polish Dumplings I’ve had the pleasure of eating. It felt like the dough was thinner than most and all of the condiments it came with were of the highest quality. The addition of dill gave these another layer of flavor that tastefully matched all the other flavors on the plate.

Pierogi at Ox Bar & Hearth

Next out was the ‘lettuces’ which is a bit of an undersell as far as the name of this dish goes. Crisp lettuce leaves are snowcapped with cave aged cheddar, anchovy vinaigrette and sourdough croutons in a wonderful rift on a Caesar Salad. It was super satisfying despite it being the dead of winter when salads don’t hit quite as hard. Unfortunately the ‘Salt Roasted Carrots’ with harissa and pickled cherries was a big miss. The carrots are cooked on the hearth and I love harissa which is a spicy North African chili paste but they came out burnt and flavorless. We brought it up with the waitress but she insisted they were supposed to come like that. There’s a big difference between charred and burnt and these were overcooked to where there was actually no texture or taste to them either.

Lettuces at Ox Bar & Hearth

A plate of Rainbow Trout with fried garlic and caramelized onion oil was the first of the entrees to come out. I got to try a little bite and it had that smoky flavor that you can only achieve using a live fire grill so that was a plus as was the crisp skin you get when it’s placed directly over the flames. But in the end it was the pork collar with rutabaga mostarda and black walnut-cider jus that really stood out. Mostarda is an Italian condiment from Northern Italy made from candied fruits preserved in a mustard-flavored syrup. In Italy mostarda is common with charcuterie but at Ox Bar it’s served next to a really well marbled and rich tasting piece of pork neck sitting in a flavorful black walnut cider au jus. This cheffed up version of a pork chop with apple sauce was one of the best things I’ve ate this winter.

Rainbow Trout

Pork Collar at Ox Bar & Hearth

I’m not one to always order dessert but if you have one that speaks to me I’ll try it as I did with a Pavlova with raspberry sorbet and sage cream. I like most any meringue based dessert as well as contrasting textures so pavlova is one of my favorite deserts and the version served at Ox Bar is up there among my favorite desserts in town right now. It’s light and refreshing and was the perfect ending to a very satisfying dinner. I’ll be keeping my eye on the menu here as it changes up with the seasons.

Pavlova at Ox Bar & Hearth

Ox Bar & Hearth
1578 N Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 763-2222
Website

Dan Dan Noodles

2026-02-03T09:00:00.007-06:00

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
Dan Dan Noodles Roundup

I love me a bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. So much so I will travel back to China one of these days so I can try them in their natural habitat in the Sichuan Province. Closest I got was in Beijing where there was satellite location of a famous spot from Chengdu. I’ll kill two birds with one stone by going to see the Pandas there too. The origin of Dan Dan Noodles is said to trace back to Chengdu where it first appeared as a cheap, portable street food sold by vendors who carried the ingredients and noodles on a long bamboo pole (dan) balanced on their shoulders, which is now the dish got its name.

One of the things I love about Dan Dan is how it varies from spot to spot. Ordering a bowl of Dan Dan is like getting a scratch off ticket. Much like a pot of chili there’s a base most recipes follow but exact ingredients vary. The blueprint for a bowl of Dan Dan starts with thin and chewy noodles served with preserved vegetables, minced meat, and scallions sitting in a puddle of spicy oil commonly made up of sesame paste, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, and black vinegar. Though regional variations abound and no two spots make them the same way. Some versions are soupier, other versions come served cold, in Taiwan they use peanut sauce. Lots of spots use chopped peanuts but some do not. Some bowls are spicy while others are savory. The noodles vary from spot to spot too. Chinese wheat noodles are the traditional choice but in Japan they have their own version called TanTan and it’s made with ramen noodles as it’s commonly consumed at ramen spots.

Over the last year and change I tried as many desirable versions as I could find in the Chicagoland area. This isn’t a complete list but it’s the spots that talked to me in terms of trying the Dan Dan Noodles. For now the final count is 15 versions tried across the Chicagoland area and because everybody loves when foods are ranked I’m listing the top five that stood out in terms of quality and then I'll round up the rest in no particular order as I liked all of these versions in one way or the other.

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Szechuan Bistro

First stop is in Chinatown at the Richland Center food court. The basement of this building is home to a collection of small food stalls including Szechuan Bistro - my pick for the best Dan Dan Noodles in the Chicagoland area. I’ve written about this place before and you can learn more by clicking HERE. This is likely the most traditional preparation of Dan Dan in town, down to the portioning of the ground pork and the usage of chewy wheat noodles. It’s also laced with a good amount of Sichuan peppercorn and has Ya Cai, both of which are crucial elements when it comes to a good bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. I also appreciate the pricing which as of this being published is still under $10 an order.

Dan Dan Noodles at Szechuan Bistro
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Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao

Next up we head about 25 miles west of the city limits to yet another Asian food court. This one is called the International Mall in Westmont, it houses a handful of Chinese food stalls. One of them is called Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao. The Dan Dan Noodles from here are very similar to the version listed previously. They use a chewy wheat noodle with a nice amount of Sichuan peppercorn, ground pork and it’s a smaller portion priced at $8.95 a bowl. I’m not sure if there’s any connection between here and Szechuan Bistro but you can’t go wrong with the Dan Dan Noodles at either spot.

Dan Dan Noodles at Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao __________________________________________________

Katy's Dumplings

We’ll stay in Westmont and head to Katy’s Dumplings. Katy’s is known for having some of the best noodle soups in all of Chicagoland. The Dan Dan is a full on bowl of noodle soup with their signature handmade noodles resting in a spicy chili slicked broth with a bright red hue. The price reflects the portion in that it’s a large bowl of soup ($14.95). Aside from the standout noodles which are perfectly chewy the broth comes loaded with Sichuan peppercorns giving it a very nice spice profile (order extra spicy to guarantee this). Ground pork, sesame seeds and stir fried bok choy round it all out.

Dan Dan Noodles at Katy's Dumplings
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Akahoshi Ramen

The Tantanmen ($18) at Akahoshi Ramen in Logan Square is perhaps the highest quality bowl of noodles on this list. Akahoshi being the brainchild of Mike Satinover aka Ramen_Lord on Reddit where he shared his journey from Ramen Head to Master Ramen Chef. Tantanmen is a Japanese ramen variant derived from dandanmian aka Dan Dan Noodles. Tantanmen has been adapted into a rich, creamy, and nutty ramen soup with a more moderate level of spice. It’s a staple dish of "Chuka Ryori" (Japanese-style Chinese) and it’s becoming increasingly popular in ramen shops across the globe. The soupless version served at Akahoshi is a top shelf rendition with extra thick ramen noodles that are made on site plus ma-la spice and sesame. It’s topped with seasoned Japanese style pork soboro, green onions, blanched bok choi and it’s best to add a soft boiled egg ($2) into the mix.

Tantanmen at Akahoshi Ramen
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Wei Dao Cheng Du

Wai Dao Chengdu is still relatively new. It's stationed next door to 88 Marketplace on Jefferson. The menu is full of Sichuan and Chengdu specialties with a heavy dosage of numbing Sichuan style peppercorns, chili oils, rich broths, and the option to make your order come out extra spicy and numbing. The ability to make it "Mala" is what really stands out here. The noodles themselves are just ok, they’re almost spaghetti like, but everything else about this bowl is spot on. It’s a large serving meant to be shared by the table but I made a complete meal out of it with leftovers for $13.95.

Dan Dan Noodles at Wai Dao Chengdu
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Hing Kee

The Dan Dan Noodles at this dumpling specialist in Chinatown Square are listed on the menu under the ‘Hand Pulled Noodles’. It’s served as a noodle soup and the broth is creamy with a slightly spicy kick although the noodles are a tad softer than you'd expect hand pulled to be. There’s also ground pork, sesame seeds, green onions, and half of a hard boiled egg. While it’s not the most traditional version it’s a very satisfying bowl of soup and a very good deal too at just $9.50 when dining in.

Dan Dan Noodles at Hing Kee
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Bowl of Fortune Express

Bowl of Fortune opened in Wheeling last year and they opened an express location at J Plaza in Niles not too long after that (formerly Assi Plaza). The express location sits in a food court with a handful of other spots including P Dern's Thai Kitchen. The Dan Dan ($14.95) at Bowl of Fortune is a soupier version but not a full on noodle soup. The broth has a nice spice going for it and the alkaline noodles are thin and chewy. The ground pork is browned well with green onions and bok choy added on top.

Dan Dan Noodles at Bowl of Fortune Express
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Noodleverse

Next we head back to the Richland Food Court for a visit to Noodleverse. This Chinese noodle specialist opened last year with a menu of about 15 different noodle options including Chengdu Dan Dan Noodles ($16.50). I went in blindly since it was very new at the time of my visit but I saw the light as soon as my number was called. This was a very well put together bowl with equal portions of ground pork, Sichuan chili crisp, green onions and peanuts on top of thin and flat noodles with a puddle of spicy oil on the bottom. I mixed it all up and was pleasantly surprised with the final product.

Dan Dan Noodles at Noodleverse
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Chengdu Bistro

This popular West Town spot recently opened a South Loop location. I've featured Chengdu Bistro before and I frequent it regularly as one of my go-to spots for takeout. Sichuan style noodle dishes are the star of the show and while I wouldn't list the Dan Dan among their best options I still get it regularly. It comes in two sizes with the small being a true single serving. At around $5 it pairs perfectly with an order of Sichuan string beans and Zhong's Dumplings. The noodles are on the soft side and it's not super spicy but the oil and the pork have good flavor and the bok choy adds a contrasting texture.

Dan Dan Noodles at Chengdu Bistro
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SzeChuan Alley

Bridgeport continues to see a surge in Chinese restaurants up and down Halsted street. SzeChuan Alley opened over a year ago and I stopped in to try the Dan Dan Mian ($15.95) around the time period when they first opened. I thought their version with thinner and slightly soft noodles topped with dark browned pork mixed with chopped peanuts and lettuce was a hit but more like a single or a double than a home run. The little puddle of chili slicked oil on the bottom could've been spicier and the noodles were softer than I like but it still hit the spot in a way that Dan Dan almost always does.

Dan Dan Noodles at SzeChuan Alley
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Min's Noodle House

We'll stay in Bridgeport and head a bit further south down Halsted to get to our next spot - Min's Noodle House. This place is one of the elder Chinese spots on the block having opened almost ten years ago. As the name suggests the noodle dishes at Min's are front and center with options like their signature Chunking Noodles with your choice of toppings being very popular, as are the Dan Dan Noodles ($11.95). The Dan Dan are unique in that it's loaded with a pork mix that's wetter than most plus lots of lettuce. The noodles are thin and soft and there's a noticeable amount of peanut flavor in the sauce mix at the bottom. Not sure how I feel about the lettuce as it tends to get wet and becomes texturally unpleasing. It's not the spiciest version but you can amp it up upon request.

Dan Dan Noodles at Min's Noodle House
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YooYee

This Sichuan restaurant in Uptown on Broadway became a popular spot right out of the gate when it opened last year. People including myself flocked to YooYee for their spicy braised beef brisket noodle soup made with hand pulled noodles which are very good. The Dan Dan ($16) isn't quite as good but that's not to say you shouldn't try it. I just didn't think it was as well made as the brisket soup. Their Dan Dan is made with a much thinner egg noodle and its a drier version meaning there's no broth. The pork was a bit too dry and the texture was rather monotoned without any peanuts or bok choy. But the sauce on the bottom had a good spice to it and it clings to the noodles nicely.

Dan Dan Noodles at YooYee
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Chef's Special

Chef's Special is different from all the previous spots on this list so it's only fitting that their Dan Dan is too. The term "Chef Driven" is overplayed but that's exactly what Chef's Special is. The menu is an ode to the Chinese food that Chef Jason Vincent grew up eating in Northeast Ohio as seen through his culinary lens which also gave us the critically acclaimed Giant in Logan Square. At Chef's Special in Bucktown the Dan Dan Noodles ($17) are unique in a few different ways. They use thick and chewy egg noodles that are stir fried and tossed with a mix of ground pork, sesame paste, peanuts, green onions, and Sichuan peppercorns. The end result is a bowl of steaming hot noodles with great texture and great flavor. You can even personalize it a bit with the trio of sauces that comes with it.

Dan Dan Noodles at Chefs Special
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Noodlebird

The Dan Dan at Noodlebird in Logan Square is a recurring special that seems to pop up in the summer months. Pretty much everything is solid at this place and that includes the Dan Dan ($15.00). They use long wheat noodles with minced pork sitting atop a puddle of spicy sesame Sichuan sauce and they give their own touch by garnishing it with yu choy, pickled peppers and shaved cucumbers.

Dan Dan Noodles at Noodlebird
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Lao Peng You

Our final stop takes us to Lao Peng You in Ukrainian Village. This is one of the city's most popular Chinese restaurants outside the Chinatown neighborhood. It's a new school spot that I featured when it first opened. If you ask where to find the best Dan Dan in Chicago odds are at least a few will tell you to go to Lao Peng You. Personally I prefer their dumplings which come swimming in a tangy broth but the Dan Dan ($19) is very good and worth getting when you're craving some noodles. The menu lists chopped pork, spinach, peanuts, soy, sesame, chili oil, brown peppercorns. Upon delivery it looks a bit off with a mound of greens on top but as soon as you mix it all up it starts looking the part.

Dan Dan Noodles at Lao Peng You
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Eating BIG in Cabo

2025-12-23T10:30:00.016-06:00

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Bachelor Party in Cabo San Lucas

For as much as I love Mexico I never had much interest in visiting Cabo San Lucas but friends come before food so I made my way there to celebrate the marriage of an old friend last March. With Cabo being a big time resort city it’s more-so known for its beaches, water based activities and nightlife than it is for its food. But it’s still Mexico and it’s also in Baja which has an incredible food culture thus there’s still good food to be found for those willing to leave the resorts. Here’s where to find it.

Sights from Cabo

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El Arrecife

First stop in town was a rooftop mariscos bar called El Arrecife. “The Reef” caught my eye when I saw they were serving Callo de hacha which means scallop in Spanish. This specific breed of bivalve is known for its hatchet-shaped shell and is commonly found in the Sea of Cortez and used in various dishes like ceviche, tostadas, and aguachiles - they serve a super fresh version here. It’s sweet and tender and a bit more intense than a regular scallop in terms of the ocean flavor it gives off.

Callo de Hacha at El Arrecife
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Birreieria Los Paisas

We just so happened to be passing Birrierria Los Paisas which was packed with locals so we decided to stop in and get a taco. They had a huge pot of beef birria cooking out on the open and it smelled so good and there was an empty table right in front allowing us to pop right in. I got a quesabirria which went from good to really good when dressed with all the salsas and condiments that it came with.

Quesabirria at Birreieria Los Paisas
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Salvatore G's

Next stop was not my call but I’m including the details on Salvatore G's in case any of my readers have to play along with a meal from here. This is where the bachelor and his uncle with a house in Cabo wanted to go for our first dinner. A few of us weren’t happy we were eating Italian food on the first night in Mexico but we played along. “Uncle Bob” ended up doing most of the ordering which ended up being entirely too much food for a group that was more interested in drinking than they were in eating. Honestly I thought this place was pretty mid but both Uncle Bob and the bachelor liked it as did one of the bachelors friends from Arizona who called it the best pasta he’s ever had. I got a nice laugh out of that and did enjoy the mound of lasagna so it wasn’t a total loss in terms of a nice meal.

Lasagna at Salvatore G's
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La Esquina Choyera 1

The next morning I was asked to find a legit spot for a real Mexican breakfast to make up for dinner the previous night. I found us a spot away from the hustle and bustle in a quieter part of town. La Esquina Choyeria 1 is a real locals place. It's basically the Mexican equivalent to a diner. I finally felt like I was in Mexico when we sat down in the open air dining room. Even though Cabo is all the way south in the local food scene here reflects the North in terms of the common dishes you’ll find at local establishments. The menu at La Esquina Choyeria is made up of burritos, empanadas, quesadillas and Huevos with options like Machaca and chorizo as far as the fillings go. I got a couple of burritos which are the classic Norteno variety made up of a slick lard laced flour tortilla spread with beans plus the filling of your choice. Size wise these are like large tacos and not the huge burritos we’re used to in the States. Both the Machaca (dried beef) and the desabrada (shredded beef) hit the spot.

Breakfast Burritos at La Esquina Choyeria 1
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Los Cabos Fish Tacos

Let’s say you’re stopping thru Cabo on a cruise and you only have time to seek out one spot - make it this tiny taco stand hiding behind the marlin statue at the marina. The menu at Los Cabos Fish Tacos is small but mighty. Everything is cooked to order with cheese quesadillas joining grilled or fried fish tacos served on wonderful made to order corn tortillas. Baja California is home to many great fish taco stands and Los Cabos Fish Tacos is among the very best. The tacos here are served bare and meant to be dressed at the salsa bar which is loaded with a bunch of different topping options including a few different types of cabbage plus lots of salsas. Fish tacos are a daytime snack so this place makes for a great lunch. These might’ve been the best tacos I ate on this trip which included a stop in CDMX.

Fish Tacos at Los Cabos Fish Tacos
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Tacos Marissa

When the fish taco spots close for the day, the grilled meat spots open. Tacos Marissa specializes in steak which is grilled over charcoal in their open kitchen. You can try the flame grilled bistec in a variety of ways including these awesome little grilled burritos they make stuffed with meat and cheese called ‘Chuy-Kun’. As I mentioned earlier the food in Cabo reflects that of Northern Mexico so the tacos here are served on flour tortillas. Whatever you get here make sure to pair it with a cup of the Frijoles Alterados which are charro beans with carne asada and cheese - simple but sensational.

Snacks at Tacos Marissa
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Taqueria el Paisa

Taqueria El Paisa is located right in the middle of the chaos in Cabo so it’s a popular stop post drinks as it’s open until 3am during the busy season. I stopped in here a couple times when we were in the area as you can do much worse when you're in these parts. They slice the pastor to order and make a tasty batch of frijoles charros. You can also get a pretty good Vulcan here. Vulcans are similar to tostadas but the tortilla is grilled instead of fried and topped with meat and cheese resulting in bite that’s both crisp and chewy. If you must eat late night in the downtown area El Paisa should suffice.

Late Night Snacks at el Paisa
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Burritos el Miguelon

Burritos el Miguelon is another good option for a locals breakfast. I came here with a few others and we all ate well on the cheap in the form of breakfast burritos, eggs with Machaca, and Chilaquiles.

Burritos at Burritos el Miguelon
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Mi Compa Chava (Todos Santos)

Our group took a daytrip to Todos Santos where a few of us were able to sneak away from lunch at the tourist trap that is Hotel California for some of the freshest and most flavorful ceviche and seafood tostadas in all of Mexico. Mi Compa Chava was about a 15 minute walk from the main square in a very residential part of town. It's very cliche to say eating somewhere felt like being at someone's house but this open air restaurant sits in the backyard of the family that runs it so it really is like going to somebody's house. The kids were even running around in the yard right next to the dining area. We started off with some fantastic mixed seafood tostadas before moving onto two different types of ceviche. First up was the Pescado Especial which was made up of different types of fish, cucumbers, peppers, and more. This was one of those dishes where your eyes roll back a little bit upon first bite. That's how good it was. It tasted about as fresh as it gets and it only got better from there.

Mixed Ceviche at Mi Compa Chava

The Ceviche Lavantamuerto is the best ceviche I've ever had and I just got back from a trip to Peru. It came recommended by our waitress when I asked in Spanglish what the specialty of the house was. As far as I could tell it was a mix of thinly sliced fish with equally thinly sliced red onions and jalapenos all mixed with a darkish red sauce - likely a combo of soy sauce and Maggi Jugo. "Levantamuertos" or sometimes spelled as two words, levanta muertos, translates to "raises the dead" and is a Spanish colloquial term, primarily used in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, for hangover food. Mi Compa Chava is the type of spot that might get me back to Todos Santos. It's destination dining.

Ceviche Levantamuerto at Mi Compa Chava
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El Mirador (Todos Santos)

We spent a good chunk of the day hanging out at Faro Beach Club in Todos Santos and that was a ton of fun. They had a pool and all sorts of lounging opportunities right there on the beach plus bartenders to serve you whatever it is you want. From there we had dinner plans up the mountain at El Mirador. It started off wonderfully as we had drinks and good times while watching the sunset over the ocean but I suspected something was off when everyone but us left once the sun went down. We were the only group of people eating there. The truth is I feel like this is the type of spot you come to for a drink and then go elsewhere for dinner. I thought the food was average at best. We got a grilled fish dish that just wasn't all that well cooked. I could tell the temp of the grill was low just by how it looked. I had a creamy seafood pasta that was very average as is but not bad when I added the salsa macha they had at the table. The company and the views here were great but the food was just ok.

Grilled Fish at El Mirador
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El Pollo de Oro

The smell coming out of El Pollo de Oro pulled us in for some ribs and chicken. We managed to grab a table right before the lunch rush which seemed to be mostly locals. Both of the grilled meats were good as expected at these Mexican grilled chicken shacks commonly found throughout the country. The chile rellano was a pleasant surprise. This place is just a couple blocks off the strip and worth walking over to for lunch one day if you want some stick to your ribs type of food - no pun intended.

Lunch at El Pollo de Oro
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Los Claros

Los Claros is commonly mentioned in the conversation of the best tacos in Cabo so I marked it down as a possible stop and we ended up making it here for a snack on the last day. This place specializes in Tacos estilo Sinaloa which means plump fried shrimp paired with rich and savory smoked marlin and so forth. Not the best seafood tacos I’ve had but they hit the spot as far as a quick snack goes.

Seafood Tacos at Los Claros
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Tabasco Beach Bar & Restaurant

We did a ton of beach lounging on our last day in Cabo and that included taking a long walk from one end to the other and seeing what was going on. We met up as a group at Tabasco Bar & Restaurant as a friend of a friend insisted we stop in for some cerveza and the shrimp tacos that he and his wife stop in to get every time they come to Cabo. These tacos ended up being a good metaphor for a trip to this very touristy part of Mexico. Chopped up shrimp is mixed with peppers + onions in toasted flour tortillas and they it the spot as the setting was spectacular and the company kept was wonderful.

Shrimp Tacos at Tabasco Beach
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Mother Flower

The restaurant scene in Cabo seems to be lacking in the creativity department. There’s just not a lot of spots doing interesting or at least elevated takes on the local cuisine. Mother Flower was the one exception I found to this. It’s a trendy but casual place with good sunlight and a cool open air kitchen parked right behind the bar where they make very good drinks. It feels like a Southern California spot. The menu is mostly made up of tacos but there's also items like clam chowder, burgers, lamb chops, and seafood pasta. Clam chowder is commonly mentioned in online reviews and it caught my eye seeing as how it’s not a dish you commonly come across at a Mexican restaurant. But it’s served with Salsa Macha drizzled on top and that intrigued me. It ended up working really well as Salsa Macha tends to do when used with a creamy base like clam chowder. The soup itself was a classic version that I think most New Englanders would be happy with. As far as the tacos go they were also excellent. The fish and steak tacos are about as good as you’ll get in Cabo and octopus tostadas are a must. I feel like Octopus can be hit or miss but these tostadas with chopped octopus, smoked oyster pate, avocado, and salsa macha were a big hit with the table. We walked in around opening time but you might want to get reservations here as it’s not a huge space and it’s rightfully popular.

Dinner at Mother Flower
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ICYMI:

Eating BIG in Baja (2016)

Eating BIG in Riviera Nayarit (2020)

Eating BIG in Mexico City (2025)

See ya next time @chibbqking

Eating in Downtown Chicago

2025-12-10T10:30:00.012-06:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Downtown Dining

After 17 years of almost nonstop posting I don't think it's hyperbole to say that I've covered more ground than most when it comes to food in Chicago. If there's an interesting place to eat in one of the city's 77 designated community areas I've likely stopped in there at some point. We've taken deep dives into places Hegewisch and the West Side and have gone up and down Howard Street over the years. But if there's one area of the city that's been under covered on here that would be the Downtown area. There's a few reasons for this including not going down there too often in part due to there not being a ton of interesting or under the radar spots to check out. But these days I find myself downtown on a regular basis and every now and then I'll go check out a spot while I'm down there and today's post is a collection of some of those spots. Downtown isn't a neighborhood - it's an area made up of a few neighborhoods. It most certainly includes Streeterville and the Loop and according to some it also includes River North and the South Loop but the former is also considered the Near North Side while the latter is kind of new as far as the neighborhood as a whole goes. Today's post will include spots from River North, the Loop and Streeterville. All of them are within a 20 minute walk from each other and could come in handy if you find yourself downtown in need of something to eat.

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Jian

Mall kiosks and food court stalls aren’t dead yet, in fact they may be making a comeback thanks to Asian spots of all sorts setting up shop and bringing crowds of hungry customers in. Chicago's original Jianbing house is located in the basement of Block 37 where it shares a kitchen with a bubble tea brand. I've stopped in here a few times to grab a classic jianbing which is a popular street food crepe in China that rivals any and all handheld breakfast items. A thin crepe-like pancake made from flour batter and mung bean are spread on a griddle and topped with egg, scallions, cilantro and savory sauces like hoisin and sweet bean paste and it also includes a crunchy element like fried wonton strips or a Chinese donut. It's all folded or rolled into a convenient and flavorful wrap. Jian serves a bunch of different varieties which can include bacon, ham, spam or even fried chicken but I'm a fan of the original version which doesn't include any meat but is known for its contrasting texture of a soft and eggy exterior with a crispy and savory interior. Jian has been packed both times I've gone which was in the morning so be prepared for a short wait as these are made to order.

Jianbing at Jian
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Oasis Cafe

Next up is a spot that evaded me until this past summer when I decided it was finally time to try this place that many people who work in the Loop swear by. Oasis Cafe is one of those spots that is very well known by people that have worked in the Loop but not so much by the outside world. The first thing that's always mentioned about this place is that it's located in the back of a jewelry store under the train tracks on Wabash. It's a cool setup but if I'm being completely honest it's a pretty standard Middle Eastern restaurant which isn't meant to be a shot at this place or the people who like it. It serves a purpose for people that lunch in the Loop and don't want to eat cheap fried food but also don't want to drop $50+ at a trendy sitdown spot. Oasis Cafe is a great option when you need something fresh and reliable that wont break the bank. I've been in a couple times now and enjoyed a falafel sandwich and Kushari which is a Wednesday special. The kushari at Oasis Cafe is a mix of brown lentils with rice and sauteed onions, served with salad and your choice of meat. It's a hearty plate of food and it'll hit the spot if you have a taste for Middle Eastern cuisine but it's not destination dining. Though many swear by the Moroccan Chicken which is served on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kushari at Oasis Cafe
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Gus' Sip & Dip

Gus' Sip & Dip feels a bit out of place in River North but it also feels like a throwback to the city’s past. It's a slick but unpretentious spot brought to Hubbard Street by the mighty Lettuce Entertain You restaurant enterprise. It feels like a blast from the past in terms of its dark and lively dining room paired with a menu of timeless classics. The cocktails here are also a throwback at just $12 each and there's quite a few to choose from. All that said it's the French Dip that got me thru the door. I'm a born and bred Chicagoan so I'll always take the Italian Beef when it comes to sliced beef sandwiches but every now and then a French Dip can really hit the spot and I had heard very good things about the one served at Gus' which they label as "The Original Wagyu Beef Dip" and it comes with cups of whipped horseradish and au jus plus a $25.95 pricetag. It's not cheap but it is a filling sandwich loaded with rare sliced prime rib sitting in between thin and crisp Spanish pan de cristal bread.

Wagyu Beef Dip at Gus' Sip & Dip
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Shang Noodle & Chinese

Chinese food continues to ascend in Chicago and it's starting to become readily available in the Downtown area as evidenced in our first stop and now our next stop - Shang Noodle. The Streeterville outpost is one of three Chicagoland locations. They're all known for their modern looks and some pretty good Chinese and Taiwanese food including hand-pulled noodles, dim sum, hot pot, and even a few Korean-Chinese dishes too. They have booze and vegetarian and gluten free options so you can go with a group and shouldn't have any problems finding menu items for everybody to eat. I've been in a few times and each visit was much more satisfying than the other spots on the block would've been. I very much like their Hong Kong style Beef Chow Fun which is served dry with a decent amount of wok flavor and well seared beef that's tender with just the right amount of chew.

Beef Chow Fun at Shang Noodle
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Magnolia Bakery

We head back to Block 37 where Magnolia Bakery brought their famous classic American style desserts to Chicago from New York City. People from all over the world are attracted to this "small-batch bakery" for cupcakes, cookies, and their nationally recognized banana pudding. I'm a big banana pudding fan so I do find myself stopping in from time to time for the best banana pudding north of the Mason Dixon line. Actually I used to think this was the absolute best but then I went to Alabama and found there’s way better. That said they make a very tasty batch for a corporate brand.

Banana Pudding at Magnolia Bakery
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BONUS STOP!!!

The Walnut Room

Last year around this time I dined with my family at The Walnut Room. My mom, dad, sisters, brother and spouses were joined by my nieces and nephew on the 7th floor of Macy's on State which most of us knew as Marshall Fields. The historic restaurant was the first in a department store and is known for its beautiful Circassian walnut paneling, Austrian chandeliers, and a massive Christmas tree displayed each holiday season. It's a big tradition for Chicagoans and it was actually pretty fun going back for the first time in forever. I went in thinking that the famous Mrs. Hering's Pot Pie was really just a frozen Marie Callender's but I was mistaken as it's made there though no bottom crust. It wasn't a memorable pot pie but I cant remember any that were but it did hit the spot in a throwback way.

Mrs. Hering's Chicken Pot Pie at The Walnut Room
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Chicago Sweatlodge

2025-12-02T10:30:00.002-06:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Sauna Food in Portage Park

Today’s post is a bit out of the ordinary, even for this blog. But I’ve been out of the country the last couple weeks thus I haven’t been eating out a ton in Chicago with the exception of a couple spots I hit up before we left for South America. One of which is a place that few food publications have gone before - the Chicago Sweatlodge. Now there's a good reason for this in that the Sweatlodge is a sauna that happens to have a grill. Though the main reason for our visit was to spend some time sweating we also ended up eating dinner there and this is how it all went down, albeit in a rather reluctant way.

(SORRY NO PICS)

The idea to go here came from my friend who took me and a few others one day after work. It wasn't the worst idea as it was one of the first colder days of the Fall with both rain and wind in the picture. That said I wasn't sure what to expect going to one of these spots as the closest I've come to visiting a sauna was the locker room at Lakeshore Athletic Club where you could never get too comfortable with a bunch of old guys trancing around eating apples with their stuff hanging out. So I didn't really have high hopes but I'm always down for an adventure. We pulled up to what looks like it could be a Portage park corner tavern and it kind of is but this isn't your typical neighborhood tavern as there's a cover charge to enter. You pay and trade your license for a key to a locker plus towels and sandals if needed. We paid and made our way into the locker room which was quite small and full of Eastern Europeans. After wiggling and waggling my way into my swimsuit and managing to get all of my belongings stuffed inside my locker I hit up the wet and dry saunas for about 45 minutes but decided to skip the cold plunge which consists of a bunch of naked guys jumping in and out of what's basically a full body bath. Not for me so I took a shower, put on my clothes, and made my way to the bar.

Rehydrate in the Chicago Sweatlodge

The bar / restaurant is called Rehydrate which sounds like a place you would visit in Boystown, not that there's anything wrong with that! There's about 8-10 sets of tables and most of the people there are joined by a few friends, some are playing card games and others are eating, none of them have anything on except a towel covering their torso and everything directly below it. I'm not going to lie the first thing I wondered was whether or not this place was up to health code standards as far as none of the customers having shoes or socks or even shirts on but I didn't think about it much past that. I ordered a can of Sapporo and then another plus a Chebureki which is a deep fried turnover stuffed with minced meat and onions. It's a popular street snack in former Soviet aligned counties. The version here is made with both pork and beef and comes served with sour cream. I enjoyed it for what it was which is basically an Eastern European empanada. I was tasked with doing most of the ordering and I had to explain to our group that Eastern European food is unique but maybe not for the reasons you want it to be. There's not a ton of spicing used when it comes to this type of food but I still ordered pretty well starting with a salami salad. Nothing to fancy but this was fresh and filling and a good start for a group. I also got us a plate of the homestyle potatoes made with sliced and fried potatoes tossed with mushrooms, onions and sour cream. I suggest adding some steak sauce too.

Appetizers at Chicago Sweatlodge

Moving along my friend who brought us all there insisted on getting a couple soups which he claimed were great so we tried the chicken and the seafood soup and I wouldn't call them great but they were pretty good. My seafood soup had a nice tasting seafood broth going for it but was a bit light on the seafood and the seasoning. Even a few dashes of Old Bay would've gone a long way. The potato pierogi was pretty standard ns lacking the fragrant fried onions that all the good ones come with. A plate of chicken kebabs was most hurt by the lack of seasoning and it didn't help that it was breast meat either. The fried fish was tilapia which can be rather tasteless but it was well breaded and the lemon gave it some good flavor but again it needed some sort of seasoning or even better some mild sauce. I thing I really liked was how you could order pitchers of fresh squeezed juices which is rare enough that it stands out. Overall it was an interesting experience. I think it was a bit too crowded but I did enjoy both of the saunas about as comfortably as one can in a situation like that. The food wasn't bad but it's not the main reason most of the people are here - it serves a purpose rather than a plan.

Dinner at The Chicago Sweatlodge

Chicago Sweatlodge
3500 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 202-1777

Eating BIG in Mexico City Pt. 3

2025-11-11T09:00:00.002-06:00

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Ciudad de Mexico

I spent four nights in Mexico City this past April after attending a bachelor party in Cabo San Lucas (report coming soon). I figured if I was going to go to Cabo I might as well go somewhere else that was a little more desirable as far as travel in Mexico goes. Well it’s tough to get more interesting than Mexico City - one of the world’s great cities not just for food but for exploring too.

Pics from Mexico City

This was my fourth trip to North Americas largest city. I don’t rank my best food cities in order as it’s pretty much a preference when it comes to liking a place like London or Paris better. But what can’t be debated is the greatness of the world’s best food cities of which Mexico City is without a doubt included. Simply put it’s one of my favorite food cities in the world with few if any true weaknesses. You can get some of the best street food here as well as interesting chef driven world class dishes. It’s always a good idea to mix it up as far as these type of spots go. I will always give a slight preference to the mom and pop stands that have served their neighborhoods for multiple generations but good food knows no limits in this city despite what a recent article in the NYT might say.

Pics from Mexico City
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Mixiotes Garrido Estilo Hidalgo

We arrived in Mexico City on an early Tuesday morning. Unfortunately my friend who I was traveling with was feeling sick (as were others from our group in Cabo). But we had to wait to check into our Airbnb so we dropped off the luggage and walked over to the Tianguis Condesa which is an open air market every Tuesday in the hip and happening Condesa neighborhood. There’s an excellent taco stand here ran by a family from Hidalgo that takes the 80 minute drive into CDMX each week. They sell lamb mixiote - a traditional pit-barbecue meat dish popular in central Mexico, in which the meat is cooked inside a wrapper, traditionally in the outer skin of an agave leaf. Mark my words readers, these mixiote tacos are some of the best tacos in all of Mexico City. If I’m in town on a Tuesday this place is a must for me. I think I’ve been here every visit to town that I've made. Unfortunately I fell ill about a half hour after eating here and me and my buddy had to post up at a park and wait to get into our Airbnb where we passed out for the rest of the day. Note: it was very likely a touristy spot in Cabo that got us sick, as a handful of others from our group were also sick. I should've known better.

Lamb Mixiote Taco at The Tianguis Condesa Market
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Canton Mexicali

After passing out for the rest of the day and night we woke up the next day feeling a bit better after my buddy went to the local Farmacia to get us some meds. After that we walked over to Koots Canna for some herbal remedies. FYI cannabis is legal for medicinal purposes and decriminalized for recreational use in Mexico City, and there’s a full blown dispensary that may or may not be licensed although it’s temporarily closed according to Google. The flower that we got at Koots really saved us as we were both feeling much better after smoking and we started to develop an appetite too. Chinese food seemed like a good move as far as eating and we were off to Canton Mexicali, a popular Chinese restaurant named after the Baja California capital that’s home to Mexico’s largest Chinese contingent. The Chinese food in Mexicali is similar to American Chinese but with Mexican influence - think jalapeños in the fried rice and so forth. Canton Mexicali is serving up that style of Chinese food and locals are loving it as this place stays busy. We kept our order rather tame as we weren’t fully recovered but a bowl of Dan Dan, spicy wontons, and fried rice had us feeling better.

Mexicali Chinese food at Canton Mexicali
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TACOS METEORO

Every time I visit Mexico City I come with a list of new and hot taco spots that I want to check out. I keep it handy when walking around and if we happen to pass by any of them I’ll make a stop out of it. That’s how we ended up at Tacos Meteoro in Roma. They serve up traditional Yucatecan-style tacos including a taco de trompo yucateco that grabbed my attention when I was doing a bit of research. I also liked that they only had five total tacos on the menu. I tried the trompo taco and the taco de lechon made with slow roasted piglet and both of them hit the spot. The trompo was super small and the slices were tiny too but as to be expected at a Yucatecan taco spot the salsa bar was stellar.

Yucatecan Tacos at TACOS METEORO
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Fideos Chinos

By the time dinner time had rolled around my friend wasn’t all that hungry so I pulled out my map and took a look at what was nearby with this Chinese noodle shop being that nights winner. Asian food is really booming in Mexico City right now and I had quite a few spots on my to try list including this Chinese noodle specialist that for some reason calls their bowls of noodles ramen. For those wondering why I would eat Asian food in Mexico City well I eat Asian food all the time and also bc a bowl of noodle soup sounded exactly like what I needed as far as getting better goes. This was a really well made bowl of noodle soup with both the broth and the noodles being better than expected.

Chinese Noodles at Fideos Chinos
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El Remolkito de Sirloin

When my friend decided to call it a day I started to get a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) and decided I would go check out one of the newly opened taco spots on my list with El Remolkito de Sirloin not too far from our Airbnb. They’re serving up tacos de trompo de sirloin which are all the rage in Mexico City these days. Trompo de Sirloin is the beef version of al pastor and I counted more than eight cones of spinning meat in action at El Remolkito on my visit which was a bit later in the night so there was only like a 10 minute wait granted I was all by myself. I ordered two tacos de sirloin with corn tortillas plus one on flour with cheese. The tacos were delivered with a killer salsa tray that included a bunch of awesome condiment toppings too. The meat for these is sliced fresh to order by one of countless taqueros working in the open air kitchen. Great taste and texture on these.

Tacos de Sirloin and Salsas at El Remolkito
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Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales

We were each feeling much better by our third day in town and we were up early to go check out the Centro Histórico district which is the city’s beating heart. We had no idea that 1000’s of locals would also me making their way over there as it was May 1st aka May Day - a public holiday in Mexico celebrated on May 1st every year in commemoration of workers' unions. The area was packed with tons of different union groups from all over Mexico and many of them had the same idea as us - tacos de canasta for breakfast. As this was my friend’s first trip to Mexico City I made sure to take him to quite a few of the classics and Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales is among the city’s most iconic taco stops. They’re known for their “basket tacos” which are corn tortillas stuffed with stews like tinga, potatoes, or beans, that are fried by dumping a bunch of hot oil on top of them and they’re left to sit and seep up all the oil feeding a ton of flavor in the process. The tacos are then kept warm in a basket for serving. Los Especiales has been serving up tacos de canasta for more than four decades and they sell over 40,000 a day so you can imagine how busy this place was on what’s one of the busiest days of the year in Centro Histórico. That said we just beat the rush but if you do meet a line do know they move it fast. They only offer four types of tacos de canasta so I always get one of each and load them up with the incredible avocado salsa sitting in massive jugs for customers to add as they please. These tacos always hit the spot and are especially good if you drank too much the night before.

Tacos de Canasta at Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales
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Mercado de Jamaica

Next move was to take my friend to my favorite market in town - the Mercado de Jamaica aka the flower market. This lively market is packed with fresh flowers, colorful fruit, and one of the best tacos in town too. I’m by no means a floraphile but like most people I find flowers to be pretty and smell good too and you’ve likely never seen as many as you will at the city’s flower market. It’s truly a sight (and smell) to behold. But truth be told I always come here specifically for the green chorizo taco at a popular food stall inside the market. You can find this life changing taco at a stand called Las Más Altas Montañas however they do not have a sign so instead you’re looking for the food stand with a yellow awning. It’s ran by a man from Toluca, a city located about an hour west of DF that’s well known for its chorizo. Each day of the week, except Tuesday, the owner and his staff make the trip from Toluca to DF to set up shop at the market. Red chorizo, blood sausage, and cecina are all options but the green chorizo is why I come here every time I’m in town. Chilangos come from every direction far and wide to buy meats which are sold raw by the kilo and also tacos too. Green chorizo gets it color from a bunch of herbs used when stuffing the pork. It’s also loaded with pine nuts, peanuts and almonds which are what give green chorizo its unique taste and crunch. The salsas here are also spot on so add whatever looks good and get ready to experience taco nirvana upon first bite.

Tacos de Chorizo Verde at the Mercado de Jamaica
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Tacos el Paisa "Lengua"

My buddy loves lengua (cow tongue) so I did a lil digging and dug up a working man’s stand said to have some of the best tacos de Cabeza and lengua in town. It’s a little corner cart called ‘Tacos El Paisa’ on Google but there’s tons of spots that have that name in some form or fashion so it seems like the locals call this stand ‘Tacos El Paisa Lengua’ but the address is basically Tehuantepec 56B in Roma Sur so it’s easy to find. Just look for the stand with the line that starts forming before they open at 5:30 in the afternoon on every day but Sunday. I could tell those in line with us were all locals, some of whom were finishing their work day while others that were just starting it. I must admit the tacos de cabeza were different then what I was expecting and not the more typical finely chopped meat that I'm used to. But one taco here is more like 3 or 4 as you get a plate loaded with meat and a few tortillas on top to eat it with. I feel like this place is about as local as you can get in these parts.

Tacos de Cabeza at Tacos El Paisa
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Taqueria Los Parados

Taqueria Los Parados was the second stop of a pre-dinner taco crawl consisting of a couple spots that were on the route we were walking. I’d been here before as this was actually the first place I ever tried tacos de trompo de sirloin on my first trip to the city back in 2017. Some people say Los Parados was the first spot to serve beef trompo tacos in Mexico City but we were here for their tacos de arracharra which those in the know say are the best steak tacos in CDMX. These are made with real skirt steak that’s grilled over a live fire before being chopped and crisped up on a hot flattop and you can immediately taste the quality of the beef upon first bite. Believe it or not skirt steak isn’t all that common with steak tacos in Mexico so these cost a little more than the normal steak tacos made with bistec. It’s well worth the small upcharge as we both agreed these were outstanding steak tacos.

Tacos de Arracharra at Taqueria Los Parados
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Voraz

We met a friend of mine from the food world who lives in Mexico City for dinner at a hot and trending place called Voraz. My buddy is from the Chicagoland area originally but now lives with his Chilango wife in Mexico City where he runs a popular pizza place. We had both heard things about Voraz so we decided we would meet up for some food and drink and catching up as this would be the first time we crossed paths since the last time I was in Mexico City back in 2022. Voraz is a self described “Gastro Cantina” working out of a an old mechanics garage in Roma Sur. The menu leans into the food and flavors of Northern Mexico where head chef Emiliano Padilla is originally from. This is a great place to go with a group as the menu is very shareable and there’s some very lively vibes on the inside where there's an open air kitchen utilizing an open fire cooking technique. We sat outside where the restaurant where the surrounding area felt like we could be at a bistro somewhere in Paris. The food however was not mistakable for somewhere in Paris as this was real Mexican food executed at the level of a well trained chef and while there’s plenty of well trained chefs in Paris there’s no such thing as good Mexican food there. All three of us agreed this was a very good meal. I don’t recall there being a dud in the bunch but if I had to pick I would say the fried oyster Gordita was my favorite bite of the meal. That said the McAllen taco, a chef driven crispy taco, was also really, really good.

French lettuce salad with avocado dressing. Topped with toasted beef machaca, cured egg yolk, and Cotija cheese foam

Taco with flour tortilla on the outside and crispy corn inside, intense cheddar cheese sauce, marinated black angus, onion caramelized with mezcal, lettuce and pico de gallo. Accompanied by sauce morita's tatemada

Wood-fired broccoli rabe with epazote butter and chile piquin, served with roasted pumpkin seed milk, hoja santa oil, fried corn powder, and pasteurized egg yolk

Freshly made butter flour gordita filled with fried oysters, avocado, and a celery salad with mizuna and herbal mayonnaise

Baja California rockfish, grilled with garlic butter. Served over black recado emulsion. Finished with tortilla ash and seaweed. Accompanied by charred avocado and tortillas
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Tacos del Valle

As I had mentioned earlier Tacos de Trompo de Sirloin are very popular in Mexico City right now. The trend comes from Monterrey which seems to be a place that heavily influences Mexico City’s taco scene these days. There’s been a handful of Monterrey taco spots to open locations in Mexico City of late. Tacos del Valle in Roma Norte is as popular as any of them or at least it was when we were there in April - food trends can die as fast they rise in CDMX. That said the product here was very good with not one but three different types of tacos de trompo on offer as well as eight different salsas ranging from mild to extra hot. For the tacos de trompo they make a classic with pork belly slathered in red adobo, a carne asada trompo, and a black pork belly version coated in a carbonized-chile rub. They’re all slivered to order and stuffed into very good corn tortillas that were being made by an older lady right in front of us at the taco bar. The charro beans were also of note - some of the best I’ve had.

Trompo Orden Mixta at Tacos Del Valle
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Taquería El Jarocho

On our final day we struck out at a favorite street food stand of mine that was randomly closed but that opened up the door for Taquería El Jarocho which I hadn’t visited before this. El Jarocho is a colorful spot known for their tacos guisados which they’ve been serving up since 1947. The tacos options here are abundant with tacos de milanesa soaked in salsa morita being a big seller so that was an easy call for me while my buddy got the Veracruz style lengua guisado taco. I can’t believe this was my first time here as these were outstanding tacos that I’ll be adding to my regular rotation.

Tacos de Guisado at Taquería El Jarocho
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El Hildalguense

Speaking of regular spots in the rotation we managed to get over to El Hildalguense as it happened to be a Friday which meant it was one of the three days of the week this iconic barbacoa restaurant is open, Saturday and Sunday being the others. El Hildalguense is named after Hidalgo, the state where lamb mutton is pit roasted for barbacoa. Both the sheep and the goat are rubbed down with salt, wrapped in maguey leaves, and buried underground with coals and left to roast overnight. The meat is trucked into DF from Hidalgo and you can order it by weight or get a taco plate made with thick blue corn tortillas and served with salsa, white onion, cilantro, and avocado. An order of consommé is considered an essential part of the meal. Both tacos and salsas were as good as I remembered them to be. If you’re in town over the weekend I wound consider El Hildalguense to be an absolute must.

Barbacoa Tacos at El Hildalguense
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Comal Oculto

We had a lovely little lunch at Comal Oculto where the focus is heirloom corn in many forms. First up was the flauta ahogada which tasted even better than it looks - a chicken flauta is smothered in salsa verde and mole both of which melded so well together. Then there’s the enmolada which is similar to an enchilada except it’s covered in mole which in this case was one of the most complex versions I’ve come across as one bite it was sweet and the next bite it was savory - just so, so good. Lastly I knew I had to try the Taco Chamorro as 1) it came rec’d by a friend in the food world and 2) I watched a guy pull up on a bike and drop off a bag of pristinely cut pork shanks. All of this was made in a kitchen that can fit 3-4 people max. Safe to say this place is great but be prepared to wait as there’s only 14 seats and people are there to try a few dishes each so it’s not quick like a street food stand even though you do eat in the street. After lunch we took a stroll thru the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood and it’s a really lovely area that I will try to explore more of the next time I’m in Mexico City.

Flauta Ahogada

Taco Chamorro

Enmolada at Comal Oculto
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Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú

My friend and I have hit up a few baseball games over the years while traveling and we decided to add the Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú to our list of stadiums visited. That’s where the Diablos Rojos del México aka the Mexico Red Devils play their home games in the Mexican League. The Red Devils have won a record 18 league championships and are a popular draw when they play. hey currently feature former New York Yankee Robinson Cano at second base. We got tickets online and took an uber over there which was unfortunately during the height of rush hour thus it took at least an hour to go what was only 10 or so miles. But the experience was worth it as both the play on the field and the food in the stands was fun. We tried a bunch of things including the stadiums most popular and well known food offering, tacos de Cochinita, which were so much better than your typical stadium food.

Food and Beisbol at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú
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Tacos al Pastor and Vulcans at Tacos El Vilsito

After the game we had one final stop in the taco rich Narvarte neighborhood, or rather two final stops in one swoop. First up was Tacos El Vilsito which for me serves up the best tacos al pastor in Mexico City and the world by extension. Believe it or not there’s not an unlimited number of great taco al pastor options in DF. There’s more here than just about anywhere but not all trompo cones are created equal. Many sit untended for hours and those are the ones you want to avoid. The best tacos al pastor spots aren’t hidden bc the best al pastor comes from a constant crowd of customers resulting in a spit of pork that’s always being tended too. Tacos El Vilsito is open until 1a and it stays pretty busy during the evening hours which is when I like to go. I always get a few tacos al pastor con todo which includes cilantro, onion, pineapple and salsa and are sliced to order. My other go-to item here is the Vulcan al Pastor which is a crisped up corn tortilla that's grilled and not fried resulting in a crisp but semi chewy tortilla that's loaded up with fresh sliced al pastor and tons of melted cheese. Tacos Tony is right across the street and they're popular for their tacos de suadero which is Mexico City's other claim to fame in Mexican gastronomy. Suadero comes from cuts of beef that are fried and chopped to order and it's just as good as al pastor. Some have said they noticed a decline in Tacos Tony which now has a full fledged sit-down spot across the street from their original stand. Sure there's better suadero out there but not paired in an easy 1-2 punch like this. That's it for this trip!

Tacos de Suadero at Tacos Tony
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Previous Posts You Might Like:

Eating BIG in Mexico City (2017)

Eating BIG in Mexico City Pt.2 (2022)

See ya next time @chibbqking

Click HERE from my Google Maps Guide to Mexico City

Lincoln Park Eats

2025-11-04T10:30:00.001-06:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Newly Opened in Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park has long been one of Chicago's premier neighborhoods in terms of living but only recently has it started to enter the chat of Chicago's best food neighborhoods. The food scene in the neighborhood I grew up in has exploded over the last five years or so. Take Lincoln Avenue for example. When I was a kid the stretch of Lincoln that cut thru Lincoln Park was mostly watering holes. I remember when the Bulls were winning championships and Lincoln Avenue was one of the main places people would go to celebrate when they won. Then in the early 2000’s it kind of became dead over there for quite a while until restaurants like Galit and more recently Nadu started setting up shop. Fast forward to today and LP has suddenly become one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods when it comes to opening a restaurant. But how come? Two guesses 1) people have money to spend in that area and 2) it’s become much younger and much more diverse as a neighborhood leading to some interesting restaurant openings. Today we take a look at five spots that opened in Lincoln Park in the last year or so. The type of spots that would’ve been out of place in this area a decade ago.

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KookKook Khao Man Gai

For our first stop we head over to Clark street which is also booming right now. The stretch of Clark between Fullerton and Diversey has seen a handful of international openings the last couple years. Kook Kook Khao Man Gai is one of the more recent spots to set up shop. It’s ran by a guy from Nashville by way of Thailand. So I was told the owner runs a bubble tea shop in Nashville but he wanted to do something a bit more personal here and he’s doing exactly that at 2532 N Clark where he’s serving up Thai style Chicken and Rice aka Khao Man Gai. This chicken and rice dish consists of boiled chicken, rice cooked in broth, sauce, and a chicken soup as a side. It's a Thai version of Hainanese chicken with which it shares a common origin, though they differ mainly in the sauce and accompaniments. Khao Man Gai is known for its punchy, complex dipping sauce, most often made with fermented soybeans, vinegar, and chili, and is typically served with chicken soup and cucumber slices. It’s not the most instagramable dish you’ll come across but it’s likely to be one of the more flavorful. Kook Kook serves up an excellent version that comes with or without the skin - get it with for extra flavor. All facets of this dish from the tender boiled chicken, to the rice infused with broth, and the garlic sauce are very well made. The menu is small with a few other options including what’s said to be a good Tom Yum soup plus other chicken dishes like Khao Mun Gai - fried chicken and rice.

Khao Man Gai at Kook Kook Khao Man Gai
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China Wok

Next we head a couple minutes down the street to China Wok located at 2485 N Clark I’ve featured this spot before as the owner here used to run a takeout spot called New China Station in Humboldt Park where I was a regular. The dry chili fish filet at New China Station was one of my favorite dishes in town until it suddenly closed out of nowhere. I spent a couple years trying to find a replacement for it often to no avail until one day I decided to try this newly opened spot called China Wok that had quite a few Sichuan dishes including dry chili fish filet. As soon as it came out I knew I had found my favorite version again as the owner of China Wok previously ran the kitchen at New China Station. So you know about the dry chili fish filet but what else is worth getting? Here’s my go to order when we go with a group as it’s great place to byob as the family is so accommodating. First up I suggest an order of their old school potstickers which are thick and chewy and bursting with pork and ginger flavor. I’d also go for an order of the Sichuan green beans which always come out crisp with a nice spice kick. Then I recommend a plate of the “Thai Crazy Spicy Noodle” for the noodle lovers in your group. These are made with thick stir fried rice noodles mixed with onion, Chinese broccoli, jalapeño and basil leaves. We usually get the shrimp as the beef is a bit chewy but the noodles are always cooked well with hints of wok hei abound. I also love the “Szechuan Fish Casserole” which seems to be an Americanized description of Shui Zhu Yu or Sichuan boiled fish. This is a popular dish where marinated fish is boiled, then hot oil is poured over it, with heavy use of chili and Sichuan peppers. But whatever you get make sure to try the dry chili fish which is still the best in town on my watch.

Dinner at China Wok
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Trilokah Kerala and South Indian Restaurant

Moving along we head over to Clybourn just off Webster where there’s yet another string of recent openings including Trilokah Kerala and South Indian Restaurant at 2239 N Clybourn. Trilokah isn’t exactly new though as they moved to Lincoln Park from Mount Prospect. I never got a chance to try this regional Indian restaurant when it was in the suburbs but I’ve been a few times since they moved into the city. Trilokah is cooking up food from Kerala, a state on India's tropical Malabar Coast. Judging by the crowds on my visit they made the right call moving to Lincoln Park. They did a nice job on the inside giving it a fun feel with colorful pieces of art lining the walls. On my first visit, which was solo, I had to try the Kothu parotta - a popular South Indian and Sri Lankan street dish made up of shredded flatbread (parotta) stir-fried with assorted vegetables, eggs, and meat in a spicy masala. The name "kothu" literally means "minced" or "chopped," referring to its preparation method. This dish is kind of like fried rice except it’s diced flatbread instead. Trilokah serves up the best version I’ve tried in the States. It’s super fluffy and not mushy at all with a nice spice profile. I tried it with beef which might seem out of place at an Indian restaurant but not one featuring the food of Kerala which has a large Christian population that often eats beef. Actually beef seems to be the move here, the beef curry has a ton of mentions in online reviews and most of them are favorable. As far as appetizers go the Tawa Roasted Shrimp makes for a great group starter with a thick and flavorful coating.

Tawa Roasted Shrimp

Beef Kottu Porotta

The menu at Trilokah features quite a few dishes I’d never had before including Kizzi Porotta - a popular and aromatic South Indian delicacy where flaky, layered parottas are combined with a flavorful, spicy meat or vegetable curry, wrapped tightly in a banana leaf, and then steamed or slow-cooked. I decided to try it with beef and even though I had never tried this hands on dish it brought back a ton of memories upon first bite as it tasted like an Al’s Italian beef to me. I can see myself returning on a cold day as this dish had the same warming effect as a pot pie does. On a more recent visit we very much enjoyed the Kottayam style fish curry which is a semi spicy curry from Kerala cooked with kudum puli (malabar tamrind) and red chili powder which produces a vibrant red color that really stands out on a crowded table of food. Be sure to add a side of flaky porotta for dipping purposes. I look forward to further exploring the menu at this exciting new spot.

Kizzi Porotta at Trilokah

Kottayam Style Fish Curry
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Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian

Tavern style pizza is having a big moment across Chicago right now with lots of chefs chasing the crowds that come with it. Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian opened up at 1112 W. Armitage and it’s been a hot stop since first opening their doors this past August. It’s ran by the Cornerstone Restaurant Group which took over the former space of Tarantino’s, a family-run Italian spot that closed last year after a 30-year-run. The kitchen is helmed by executive chef Matt Eckfeld, who previously worked at some very popular red sauce joints in New York such as Carbone. I really like the dining room which gets very lively on the weekends with groups of friends and families sharing plates of pasta and super thin and crisp tavern style pizza. I haven’t had the pasta, prices on that are getting pretty ridiculous, but the pizza is pretty damn good. It reminds me of the version served at Middlebrow as it’s super thin and almost too sturdy if that makes sense. It comes out as if you requested it extra well done. The namesake salad was a perfect pairing with the pizza. Some people don’t like this recent trend of cheffing up a working man’s treat but I find it refreshing in that a lot of pizza out there is average at best. It's the same product at a lot of spots as they all use the same supplier (Sysco) for their cheese, and toppings and so forth but places like Dimmi Dimmi are giving it a bit of a more personal feel.

Sausage Pizza at Dimmi Dimmi
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Le Mistral

Last stop takes us over to the beautiful Belden Stratford building at 2300 N Lincoln Park West where S.K.Y. recently relocated after spending seven years on 18th Street in Pilsen. As was to be expected it’s a beautiful space and a quite large one at that though I only walked through there to get to their new hidden wine bar Le Mistral. It’s a sleek looking spot hidden in a back room that you have to pass thru the kitchen to get to. It has the feel of a posh hotel bar in Europe and I don’t mean that in a bad way. On top of cocktails and wine they also have a little food menu that’s separate from S.K.Y. but I think you can order off the standard menu too. I saw something about their French Onion Burger which comes with a dipping sauce though it’s not poured over the top like those viral ones you've seen on social media. But this burger felt like a bit more than a viral stunt with a nice juicy patty covered in buttery onions and melted gruyere cheese with a Parmesan crisp added for crunch. It’s served with a rich and indulgent gravy like you might find on an upscale version of poutine. It hit the spot but I thought the Parmesan crisp was a bit distracting though that sauce would be good on anything beefy. Not cheap ($24) but with a bit of a tweak they can make it worthy of the price. I look forward to trying the new iteration of S.K.Y. which has a few old favorites and some new dishes too.

French Onion Burger at Le Mistral
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Noodles Party

2025-10-28T10:30:00.001-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
A Thai Style Noodle Party in Albany Park

The holiday season is around the corner and with the year winding down it’s time to start thinking about the best new restaurants of 2025 plus the best pop-ups etc. This week we visit a spot that would qualify for both. When I first learned of ‘Noodle Party’ as I’ve come to call it, I knew it warranted an immediate visit (as do most places that Mike Sula features in The Chicago Reader). According to Mike he was tipped off by a local about this interesting pop-up taking place in Albany Park and upon further review he uncovered one of the coolest setups I’ve come across in a Chicago food operation.

Locals Favorite in Albany Park

Noodle Party is hosted by a lady named Pramereothai “Aomjai” Phumpardit, aka Mae (or “mother”). Mae grew up in Bangkok where she began helping out at her mother’s noodle shop at a very young age. According to Mike’s story she was running it herself at the age of 11 while her mother would go sell snacks at a factory. The name ‘Noodle Party’ comes from the storefront where Mae and her husband and their team set up shop every Tues. and Wed. at 4205 W. Lawrence. When you step inside you’re transported to what feels like a noodle shop in Bangkok. Each week the menu features a different Thai noodle dish as well as a few supplemental dishes. The only thing is you have to have the link to her page on Facebook where she announces the menu each week, completely in Thai. Luckily for those of us who can’t speak Thai, the Facebook translation button translates it into English. Even if you don’t have Facebook you can go to her page and see these posts by clicking HERE.

Behind the Scenes with Mae at Noodles Party

I attended my first Noodle Party the day after learning of it thru Mike Sula’s story. I think they may have strategically planned to feature her most popular offering the week the article came out as Boat Noodles were on the menu that week (Note: they’re also on the menu this week for 10/28 and 10/29). Boat Noodles are basically the unofficial dish of Bangkok dating back to the 12th century when this dish got its name due to it being served from boats on the canals. Eating Boat Noodles along the canal in Bangkok is one of those food experiences that stick with you. Mae and her team want to help trigger those memories to her fellow Thai people residing in Chicago and they've shown up in droves.

Boat Noodles

Diners can customize their bowls by choosing what type of noodles you want and there's often the option of getting them with or without broth. In the case of the Boat Noodles they're offered with pork or beef. I had plans to try a couple of different bowls thinking the very reasonable $10 price-tag would result in a smaller serving of noodles as is the case in Bangkok where customers often go thru multiple bowls of noodles mixed into a rich and dark and savory broth made with beef and or pork bones plus cubes of Mini Coagulated Pork Blood, which is how it gets its cloudy color. That said one bowl ended up being a complete meal when paired with a refreshing bowl of Thai Style Shaved Ice.

Thai Style Shaved Ice

I was the only non Thai person on my initial visit but with each visit after that it’s gotten a bit more diverse as word starts to spread. I think I’ve been five times now as the timing works out really well for me as I usually work a little later on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Noodle Party goes from 11a-11p. So I’ve been heading over around 8:30/9p when most places around town are closing for the day.

Bouncy Pork Noodle Soup at Noodles Party

As good as the boat noodles are my favorite to date has been the bouncy pork noodle soup made with Thai style pork meatballs. Mae and her team make these on site and there’s a big difference in their homemade version and the ones that come frozen that most places use. The frozen ones always seem to be way too compact which they’re supposed to be to an extent, hence the bouncy pork name, but they’re so packed they can be hard to put a fork thru let alone chew. The Thai style meatballs at Noodle Party have just enough bounce to give a little pushback when sliced. They work great with thin rice noodles in a soup broth that can be enhanced to your liking with condiments at each and every table. The meatballs are also awesome when covered in a spicy green curry and served with a plate of white rice. They do a fair amount of takeout too but it’s $5 extra per dish.

Meatballs in Green Curry

I really love how each and every week there’s a new treasure to uncover here. On one visit the special was Kuay Jab, or Peppery Noodle Soup, a streetside dish made with wide rice noodles and pork organs that makes for a sweet and a unique flavor. Every now and then they’ll do Khao Soi in addition to whatever is being featured that week and it’s tough to pass on that when they do. They make a textbook version utilizing a braised chicken leg with meat that easily falls off the bone into a rich and creamy coconut curry based broth with a wonderful balance of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet. It’s a contender for the best rendition in the city for sure. As previously noted this is a Tuesday and Wednesday operation but they’ve started to do Fridays and Saturdays too - with a completely different menu at that. Simply put this is the “find of the year” in that without Mike’s story many of us wouldn’t have a clue that there was such a high quality operation operating right under our noses.

Khao Soi

Noodles Party
4205 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
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Eating BIG in Cleveland - Part 2

2025-10-21T10:00:00.003-05:00

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Return to The Land

We spent a couple nights in Cleveland last Thanksgiving. The reason for our visit was to spend the holiday with some of Erica’s family that resides in Akron but we always choose to stay in Cleveland since there’s a bit more going on in terms of the food and fun. It’s a trip we’ve made before though it had been a few years since our last visit. From what I could tell the local food scene seems to be getting better with each passing visit. I had quite a few spots on my radar but it was a pretty short trip. We drove up early morning on Thanksgiving day and spent two nights at the Kimpton in downtown Cleveland. I always enjoy these little jaunts to the Land as nicknamed by local hip hop artists and the one and only LeBron James who could be scheming a return home to finish off his career. If so that would make for a fun story and an interesting roster of both old and new which is also how I would describe the dining scene in Cleveland right now. There's a nice mix of both old and new to explore.

Pics from Cleveland
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Ferris Shawarma

We rode into Ohio early Thursday morning so there wasn’t much open as far as restaurants go. That said one of my favorite food stops in Cleveland was open last time I was here on Thanksgiving and that would be all I needed. Ferris Shawarma serves up Syrian style shawarma that just might be the best I’ve had in the States. You can tell this place is the real deal as soon as you walk in and see their tall and pristinely kept cones of meat which are clearly made from scratch as you can see it’s stacked layer by layer. They serve their shawarma wraps “Arabic style” which is mixed with garlic sauce plus pickles and cut into smaller bite sized pieces. I love this place. The Northeast Ohio area actually has some very good Middle Eastern food which is likely a spillover from nearby Dearborn Michigan.

Chicken Shawarma at Ferris Shawarma
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European's Best Restaurant & Bakery (Strongville)

The day after Thanksgiving is actually one of my favorite days of the year. It’s kind of holiday in and of itself and it’s always on a Friday so there’s good vibes to go with it. I like to get up early and go treat myself to a nice breakfast. I made sure to scout a spot before we left and I found exactly what I was looking for in the suburb of Strongville. European's Best Restaurant & Bakery is a real locals type of place that regulars call “Cheers without the beers” - the type of spot where everyone knows each other. I could feel this on my visit where there were a few groups of older guys scattered about and they all seemed to know one another stopping to chat as they passed each other. The menu here has all the stuff you expect to find at a diner as well as some Old World Eastern European plates. I was there for the pork schnitzel breakfast plate made with a lightly breaded and fried pork loin topped with house made paprikas sauce served with two eggs plus home fries and toast and it really hit the spot. This is the type of place where you get a paper placemat with advertising from local businesses and you go up to the front counter to pay. That’s also where the pastry case is strategically placed. I took a few Hungarian mini strudels to-go and was on my way back into the city. But not before taking a minute to take in what was probably the most NE Ohio dining experience I’ve ever partaken in.

Pork Schnitzel Breakfast Plate at European's Best Restaurant & Bakery
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Martha On The Fly

Next I had to get the wife fed so I rolled back to the hotel to grab her and we were on our way to Martha on the Fly. This micro diner is known for their breakfast sandwiches which some say are the best in Cleveland. She opted for “The Pearl” which is made with a Mushroom sausage patty, avocado spread, American cheese, Martha's Sunshine Sauce and a fried egg. All sandwiches here are served on soft and semi sweet brioche buns which aren’t my favorite but I did enjoy the bite I tried. The made on site mushroom patty was very good. We also got a potato crispie which is a golden skillet fried hash brown served with Sunshine Sauce - it was nice and crisp if a bit oily. Cute spot to start the day.

Breakfast at Martha On The Fly
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Mama Santa's Pizzeria

I took a ride into Cleveland’s historic Little Italy to try the pizza at the locally loved Mama Santa’s. I walked in around 12p and there was a line 25+ deep with a few large families in it - usually a good sign. After about a 15 minute wait I was led into a long, narrow and dimply lit dining room where every table had pizza and pastas on it. I went ahead and placed my order as soon as I sat down - one small sausage pizza with green pepper and an order of the made on site cavatelli with meatballs. No Great Lakes Christmas Ale here so I got a bottle of their Dortmunder German Lager instead. Loyalists of Mama Santa’s mention the crust and the dough as its strengths and the deeply dark cheese is also of note but the pizza here is kind of its own thing. It’s interesting bc Cleveland is a big pizza town with lots of options, both old and new, but there isn’t a specific regional style so it’s never mentioned among the country’s best pizza enclaves. That said Mama Santa’s is Cleveland’s most popular pizzeria so there do seem to be a few copycats out there. The pasta had good texture and came mixed with a standard red sauce and two medium sized meatballs - not bad. Overall a satisfying old school Italian American meal in that warm you up on a cold winter day sort of way. Since 1961.

Lunch at Mama Santa's
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Clubhouse Restaurant + Bar

As you probably know by now I like to seek out the regional food of whatever area I’m in. The Northeast Ohio region is home to quite a few Old World Eastern European dining destinations. You’ll find a handful of them in the suburbs of Parma and Parma Heights including Clubhouse Restaurant + Bar. It's described as a modern European bar and restaurant but it felt old school to me. Stepping inside felt like going back to the 70’s / 80’s. It was dimly lit with a round bar and worn down walls with a nostalgic feel to it. Clubhouse is locally loved for a mix of things like their fish sandwich and a few Eastern Euro dishes too including their signature Chicken Paprikash which many call the best in the area. It’s rich and creamy with thick strips of white meat chicken and chunks of spaetzle mixed in.

Chicken Paprikash at Clubhouse Restaurant + Bar
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Amba

We were in town for two nights but one of those nights was Thanksgiving so we really only had one night to go out. As far dinner goes there were two spots I wanted to check out so we went ahead and did a 1-2 punch. First stop: Amba, a very stylish restaurant ran by Douglas Katz’s Edgewater Hospitality Group - he was nominated for James Beard ‘Restauranteur of the Year’ award not long after our visit. Diners indulge in shareable Indian inspired plates and unique cocktails in a cozy and intimate setting. We started with an order of the clay bread and added some dipping agents like a cool and creamy raita and some nice and chunky chili crunch too. We also got the namesake Amba which is a delightfully tangy condiment made from pickled mango. From there we moved on to an order of the crispy pani puri which at Amba is a mix of potato salad, zhug raita, tamarind, and green onion placed into a Crisp puri shell. Head Chef / Owner Douglas Katz also has a Middle Eastern small plate restaurant and you can tell that it rubbed off on the food at Amba. From there we moved onto the Pilau which is made up of basmati rice, quinoa, saffron, almonds, raisins, herbs, fried onions. The rice was cooked really well which is half the battle with a rice focused dish. We found all of the sauces we ordered with the pita to work really well mixed into the rice as well. We ended with a plate of Ghee Basted Shrimp which were described on the menu as having ginger, garam masala, lime, and coconut. This dish was a winner and a great way to end a good meal. The shrimp were plump and there was a lot of flavor in the sauce. I would gladly go back and spin the wheel on the menu again.

Dinner at Amba
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Cordelia

Our second dinner of the night was at another James Beard nominated place - Cordelia. We met up with some of Erica’s cousins at this hip and happening spot located in the middle of the downtown entertainment district. Cordelia is helmed by Akron native Vinnie Camino who was included in a 2025 Food & Wine list naming the best new chefs in the country. He was also a 2024 finalist in the 'Best Chefs: Great Lakes' category of the James Beard awards. Camino and his team mix heartfelt hospitality with community-rooted cooking with the menu at Cordelia being an ode to the chefs Midwestern roots - it's been described as “modern Midwest grandma cooking”. They use local farmers and push the regions food legacy into a modern setting with dishes like popcorn gnocchi and the signature Jojos - a regional type of seasoned, deep-fried potato wedge very popular in parts of the Midwest (and Portland Oregon too). The menu switches up based on the seasons so most of what we ate is no longer available but we all enjoyed apps of smoked whitefish and house fried rinds with ranch. We also got a salad geared after the extra large ones you find at old school pizzerias across the Midwest. I heard very good things about the burger box which is what they call their White Castle inspired burger served on an everything-spiced Japanese milk bun that can be separated into four pieces making it a good appetizer. It’s a double smash creation also inspired by Hamburger Station, an old school spot serving sliders in Akron. The burger is dressed with smoked cheddar cheese crust, pickle, onion, house sauce. As far as higher end burgers go this was a good one! All in all Cordelia is a great pick if you got one dinner in Cleveland and want to eat at a spot that personifies the city.

Dinner at Cordelia
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Patron Saint

Drinks and snacks at Patron Saint ended up being a real pleasant surprise. They offer an all-day menu of Italian-inspired cafe dishes paired with espresso, spritzes, and warm Midwestern hospitality. The menu isn’t entirely vegetarian but it’s mostly veggie with just a couple of meat offerings. Erica had an excellent broccoli melt made up of roasted broccoli, provolone, giardiniera, and Calabrian chili aioli on a leavened sesame seeded hoagie roll. The bread was really good as was what was inside of it. I tried the chickpea piadina and it was also excellent. They mix ground chickpeas with fresh snow peas, and sun-dried tomatoes, wrapped in a warm pita with aioli + eggplant conserva. This was one of the best vegetarian meals I ate all year. It was Italy quality in that all of the ingredients were top notch.

Broccoli Melt

Chickpea Piadina
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Larder Delicatessen and Bakery

Cleveland is a corned beef town but I had my sights set on some pastrami this trip. The last time we had visited Cleveland I stopped in at what was then a newly opened deli called the Larder Delicatessen and Bakery. It’s a new school deli that set up shop in old city firehouse. My initial visit was just ok. I left underwhelmed, but they were also new and a lot can change over a three or four year period so I returned on this trip as I had heard good things from people that would know what’s up. I came back to a packed restaurant - it’s not that big to begin with but this is clearly a popular spot with Clevelanders. While they do have a deli case with different stuff to pack up and put in your fridge the crowds are mostly here for the made to order food such as the pastrami melt. The first time I tried the pastrami from here it was a bit too tough resulting in a tough to eat sandwich but my return visit was a different story completely. The pastrami was much more tender this time around. It was exceptionally spiced and the sandwich as a whole was near flawless with excellent bread and a perfect toasting job to boot. As good as the sandwich was, and it was awesome, the fresh cut fries were an even bigger surprise. Simply put some of the best fries I’ve ever had. Now I can see why this place is so popular. Word on the street is they’re also a big part of the community too. Cool spot!

Pastrami Sandwich and Fries at Larder Delicatessen and Bakery
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Marie's Restaurant

The four-decades-old Marie's Croatian restaurant in the St. Clair-Superior area is what it is, and what it has always been: a no-frills Eastern European restaurant. I had a hard time deciding what to get at this Cleveland timewarp serving old world favorites like cabbage rolls, cevapi, city chicken. In the end I got the house goulash with dumplings which some say is the best goulash in Cleveland and beyond. The beef was fine but the dumplings were a textural pleasure. Next time I'd try the cabbage rolls.

Beef Goulash with Dumplings at Marie's Restaurant
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Farka's Pastry Shoppe

Last stop before heading home was Farka’s Pastry Shoppe for a couple of their signature Napoleon Pastries. There’s a handful of fantastic European bakeries in the Greater Cleveland area including this terrific Hungarian spot specializing in Napoleons or Krémes as they’re commonly called in Hungary. These tasty squared treats consist of layers upon layers of crisp and golden puff pastry with a hefty amount of vanilla custard sandwiched in between. Make sure you wipe your nose off after eating one of these so that you’re not mistaken for a rabid cocaine user. That’s it for this trip!

Napoleons at Farka's Pastry Shoppe
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Previous Posts You Might Like -

Eating BIG in Cleveland (2021)

Eastern European Food in Northeast Ohio (2018)

The Burgers of Akron (2015)
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Mirra

2025-10-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Indian and Mexican Merge in Bucktown

First thing I do when learning of a new restaurant is check the menu to see if it’s worth putting on my hit list. I’m looking for things outside the norm. That might be a regional dish you don’t see at many other spots or it could be a creative dish you’ve never seen anywhere else. Simply put I’m looking for places that stand out in a crowded field. Today we’re going to visit a spot that stood out - Mirra.

Recently Opened in Bucktown

Mirra is the brainchild of Chef Zubair Mohajir and his biz partner slash executive chef Rishi Kumar. Mohajir was born in Chennai and grew up in Doha while Kumar is Singaporean. Together they’ve teamed up to create one of the most interesting menus in Chicago combining Indian and Mexican ingredients. Before we get into my visits let me just say that this isn’t some Chipotle like fusion concept putting typical Indian dishes in a burrito or turning them into tacos. I wouldn’t even call this fusion food simply bc some people hear that and shake their head assuming half baked attempts at combining two cuisines. Mirra is far from that. It's a vibrant fusion of cultures from the lens of a kitchen. Simply stated I think it’s one of the most interesting restaurants in the town right now.

Huevos Rancheros Lababdar

We’ll start with brunch which they just introduced this past summer. Every now and then I’ll come across a brunch menu that’s the opposite of monotonous and only then am I down to overpay for eggs. My other issues with brunch are I prefer to eat sweet at the end the day and not the beginning of it and I don’t like to wait until dinner to get a little bit of spice in my life. Simply put brunch is boring to me but not at Mirra where the cuisines of India and Mexico merge especially well when it comes to a mid morning meal. I’m pro-fusion when it comes to food because it can make for interesting dishes with unique flavor profiles when the people doing the cooking have a good understanding of the cuisines they’re blending. Well they certainly seem to have that here which is why I’m always keeping my eye on the menu to see what’s next. On a recent visit I was tempted by the Huevos Rancheros Lababdar made up of two soft eggs sitting in a tomato-tinga masala with Salsa Macha plus avocado and a fenugreek roti to soak it all up. It tasted new to me in terms of the flavors they were combining and bc of that I wasn’t sure about this dish at first but I liked it more and more with each passing bite.

Idli Crab Benedict

It’s pretty much standard to have some sort of Eggs Benedict dish on your brunch menu and Mirra does but it’s not normal by any means - two perfectly poached eggs are placed atop a plate of crab sukkha which is a spicy and aromatic crab dish considered to be a delicacy of the Mangalorean cuisine from the coastal region of Karnataka in India. As far as I could tell there wasn’t much that was Mexican about this dish but I respect that they don’t go overboard. The menu definitely leans Indian with a bit of Mexican preparation as you can see in an order of the Shrimp Pakoda tacos. Pakoda is a popular way of frying fritters in India and at Mirra they coat wild gulf shrimp with seasoned garam flour batter and fry them. The shrimp come out crisp with a nice bite and work in-sync with avocado crema, salsa macha and a crisp cabbage slaw, all on a slightly chewy made on site blue corn tortilla.

Shrimp Pakoda Tacos

The dinner menu at Mirra is equally intriguing. I highly recommend starting off with the Mirra Mezze plate which comes with four different dips - house Achar, Salsa Tatemado, Sikil Pak, and Guacamole - plus Tlayudas and Papads for dipping. The achaar is intensely tangy while the salsa tatemado is nice and smoky and the sikil pak is nutty and the guac nice and creamy. It all blends together so perfectly well. I've eaten this as a complete meal in and of itself on a hot summer night and it was perfect.

Mirra Mezze

I’m a big fan of crispy tacos of any type so I had to try the fancified version made with Hudson Bay Scallops, Mexican Green Curry, Nopales Pico, and Crispy Fenugreek Roti. I thought these were good but the scallops had a slight fishy taste to them. Rasul’s Roti Quesadillas is perhaps the most joining dish on the menu. Roast Mushrooms, Amul Cheese, and Chettinad Masala is stuffed into a house made roti before a trip to the griddle. It’s been a mainstay on the menu since day one. According to a blurb I read in Chicago Magazine this dish is “an homage to a signature dish at Rasul’s El Ranchero, a now-closed Northern California restaurant that broke new ground by bringing together the foodways of the area’s Punjabi and Mexican immigrant communities.” I love a dish with a fun backstory.

Crsipy Tacos at Mirra

Rasul's Roti Quesadillas

Softshell crab is another menu mainstay though they’ve switched the recipe up since I tried it. On my visit the fried softshell crab was being made with a Salsa Negra, Madras Mix, Yoghurt, and Mint Chutney. It was a delightful dish but they’ve since switched the ingredients to a fried soft shell crab with Gujarati Inspired Khavsa and Almond-Vanilla Salsa Macha. I’m going to go ahead guess that the new version is just as good if not better than the old one. That said whatever is on the menu at Mirra when you visit is going to be interesting so you really can’t go wrong no matter which way you go.

Soft Shell Crab at Mirra

Mirra
1954 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 729-6214
Website

Suburban Finds

2025-09-23T08:32:00.008-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicagoland
Five of a Kind: Northern Suburb Finds

It’s been a minute since I posted any of my findings in the suburbs so I figured I would throw something together for this week’s post. We’ll focus in on the northern suburbs which has had some interesting spots open in the last year or so. Here’s five of them that I would highly recommend -

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Lao Tian Dumpling House (Evanston)

The Chicagoland area continues to be a bit of a dumpling desert compared to East and West Coast cities but it’s gotten better in the last couple years. Take for example the suburb of Evanston which despite being the home of a Big Ten university was without a spot a true go-to dumpling spot. Dumpling shops near college campuses have become very common these days. Lao Tian opened almost a year ago and I immediately wondered if there was any relation to QXY Dumplings. Reason being is the menus are very similar with the option to get your dumplings boiled, steamed, or fried. As far as I know there isn't a connection between the two though the quality of the product here in Evanston can match that in Chinatown. I’ve stopped in here a handful of times allowing me to try a bunch of different dumplings and they all hit the spot. I recommend going with the lamb and dill boiled or the pan fried with pork and cabbage. If you’re looking for a little more both the Sichuan Wontons and Zhong’s Dumplings are spiked with chili oil. The Zhong's Dumplings are a regional snack of Sichuan dressed with sweetened, spice-infused soy sauce, chili oil, garlic and sesame seeds.

Steamed Dumplings

Boiled Dumplings

Pan Fried Dumplings

Sichuan Wontons

Zhong's Dumplings
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Alan's Falafel (Skokie)

Here’s something I didn’t know until just recently - the largest and oldest Iraqi community in America is in Chicago, home to the largest Assyrian population in the United States. Honestly I never really thought about it but this makes sense as I know a few Assyrians myself and have also noticed a steady increase in Iraqi restaurants in the suburbs. Alan’s Falafel sits in a mini strip mall on Dempster and seems to stay packed with local Iraqi families. I recently visited and was greeted by two pristinely kept cones of meat - one beef and one chicken. When it comes to shawarma beef is more popular in Iraq and although I tend to prefer chicken I decided to try the beef shawarma samoon which consists of freshly sliced beef shawarma loaded into Iraqi Samoon which is a flatbread baked on-site. This sandwich is loaded with meat and ends up being a great deal too at just $10 each with a piece of piping hot Iraqi falafel included with the sandwich. I appreciated the fact they had bottles of sauce at each table too. Beef shawarma tends to be a bit dryer which this was but the sauce really fixes that. This was a really good sandwich at a super fair price-point. I can see why this place stays busy.

Beef Shawarma Samoon Sandwich at Alan's Falafel
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Da Local Boy (Highwood)

Let’s go get some Mochiko Chicken on Da North Shore - except we’re not going to Oahu, we’re headed to Highwood where Da Local Boy was opened by a couple that moved there from Maui. There’s a handful of Hawaiian restaurants in Chicago but I can’t recall having Hawaiian fried chicken at any so I went with that on my initial visit and it hit the spot in a way Hawaiian food always does. I’m not a native but I’ve always found Hawaiian food to be extremely comforting. Mochiko Chicken is an iconic Hawaiian-style dish made with chunks of fried chicken. It's known for its sweet, savory, and chewy texture. The dish's signature characteristics come from its key ingredient: mochiko, a Japanese sweet rice flour. A plate comes with a scoop of steaming white rice and mac salad. Da Local Boy was recently featured in a NYT dining article about where to eat in Chicago but if you follow me on Instagram you knew about this place before it was in any local or national publications. I put their North Shore neighbor and former Bears legend and Hawaii Native Olin Kreutz on - he loves it.

Mochiko Chicken at Da Local Boy
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P Dern Thai Kitchen (Niles)

The locally owned Park2Shop grocery chain took over Assi Plaza on Milwaukee avenue in Niles a while back and the food court had some turnover too. There’s a few new non-Korean spots now including a Pho place and an outlet of a Sichuan spot in Bridgeport. There's also P. Dern Thai Kitchen ran by a Thai lady who can flat out cook. After a few visits it’s become one of my favorite Thai spots in the Chicagoland area due to an extremely high hit rate. I haven’t even had a chance to get into any of the Northern Thai options which are on a secret menu but don’t sleep on her spicy basil dishes. Pad Kra Pao is a good dish to gauge the talent of a Thai kitchen and the version at P Dern is among the best in the Chicagoland area - loaded with holy basil and Thai Chiles. But if you’re a fan of crispy basil pork you need to try the version from here which is as good as it gets. Super crispy chunks of pork belly are tossed in a mouth watering sweet and spicy sauce. You absolutely want to pay the up-charge for the fried egg sitting atop a mini mountain of jasmine rice. They don't skimp on the heat here so long as you can convince them you want it “Thai people hot” which I very much appreciate.

Crispy Basil Pork Belly at P Dern Thai Kitchen
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Tandoor Curry Hotspot (Riverwoods)

Every now and then I learn of a new to me food spot that shoots to the top of my ‘to try’ list and Tandoor Curry Hotspot out in Riverwoods was a recent stop that attracted my attention in that way. I had kept hearing good things from reliable food friends about this Northern Indian restaurant in a very random suburb. When I finally got the chance to check it out I came away just as impressed as everybody else. I would say the Chicken 65 is my favorite rendition of that dish to date. It’s a very well seasoned dry spiced version made up of popcorn chicken sized pieces that are fried to a perfect crisp. The same can be said for the Gobi Manchurian which features little morsels of wok fried cauliflower bits tossed in a sticky chile sauce with some real deal heat. Dal Makhani is the dish I use to gauge a Northern Indian kitchen such as this and it was outstanding. Both the garlic naan and the basmati rice were very nicely done. The lamb chapli kebab was great as far as flavor but more like a meatball than a patty so I would probably list those as a one and done. I haven’t had a chance to try any of the “Ugly Delicious” portion of the menu but it features Northern Indian street food favorites like Samosa Chaat. The food seems to be really consistent from dish to dish so I might try an entirely new set of dishes next time with the exception of the Chicken 65 which will be a must on each visit.

Chicken 65

Gobi Manchurian

Chapli Kebab

Dal Makhani
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Coup de Thai

2025-09-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Modern Southern Thai Food in Lakeview

Thai food continues to ascend in Chicago right now. You may remember back in March when I posted about a hot new Thai restaurant from NYC that opened a location in the South Loop. Well today we’re going to check out a hot new Thai restaurant from California that opened in Lake View East.

Recently Opened in Lakeview East

Coup de Thai comes to us from Los Gatos California (homebase of Netflix). It opened at the end of July and started gaining buzz almost immediately. We visited on a Friday night in the beginning of August and the entire neighborhood was buzzing with people from all walks of life and that spilled over into the restaurant. Coup de Thai describes themselves as a modern southern Thai restaurant - it’s currently byob but that may change. The menu is smaller and made up of two sections 1) The Opening Act and 2) Center Stage. When I visit a restaurant like this I like to find menu items that stand out in terms of dishes you don’t really see elsewhere and I found a couple immediately in the ‘Dragon Balls’ and the ‘Tom Yum Ceviche’. First out were the Dragon Balls which are described on the menu as “spicy chicken balls fried with mint, shallot, green onion, cilantro, kafir lime leaves, and salad.” This appetizer is actually at the center of a lawsuit with their California location that alleges this dish was too spicy and caused permanent damage to a customer - sounds a bit like a Karen’s claim but I won’t pretend to know the whole story. What I do know is the version served at this location was far from spicy. They were nicely spiced and I liked the fresh herbs that came with them and the dipping sauce too but they weren’t spicy at all. Though the Tom Yum Ceviche was a different story completely. Shrimp gets the ceviche treatment with tom yum ingredients resulting in a bold and sour and super spicy dish. We also tried the ‘Golden Shrooms’ on our waitresses rec and those were also good. I liked the use of enoki mushrooms and the tangy chili sauce that came with it was excellent.

Appetizers at Coup de Thai

I counted about five Southern Thai dishes on the menu including Khua Kling which is a spicy dry fried curry consisting of ground chicken stir fried in a homemade southern Thai style red curry paste with lots of fresh herbs mixed in. When they say that a dish is spicy here they’re talking spicy like you would find in Thailand. Real deal heat. If you don’t like spicy there’s options like Shrimp in Noodle Claypot which is one of my favorites going back to the first time I tried it at the Floating Market in Bangkok. Coup de Thai makes theirs with firm black tiger shrimp and glass noodles tossed with ginger and onion and served in a piping hot claypot. I love the different textures this dish gives off.

Shrimp Claypot Noodles at Coup de Thai

Since they just opened on our visit there wasn’t much info out there about what to get but the Crab Curry caught my eye as it’s a pretty typical southern Thai dish and I had read somewhere that all the curries are made from scratch so it seemed like it would be something worth trying and that it was. The menu describes their crab curry as jumbo lump crab meat with wild betel leaves simmered in a homemade turmeric curry which doesn’t sound all that spicy but this was one of the spiciest (and most pleasurable) dishes I’ve ate of late. It took me back to a famous stall in Bangkok where we ordered the stir fried crab with medium heat and it was just about the spiciest thing we ever ate but we couldn’t stop eating all the luscious crab which was the same story with the crab curry at Coup de Thai which comes filled with chunks of soft and succulent crab. This dish will either blow your tastebuds through the roof or have you gasping for breath while grabbing for your water - it won’t help. If you can handle the heat you’ll be taken to levels rarely reached with Thai curries in Chicago.

Southern Crab Curry

Coup de Thai
2932 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
(224) 236-2636
Website

Art's Drive-In

2025-09-04T09:30:00.009-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Greek Food and Banter in Bucktown

The corner of North and Elston is kind of a no man’s land in terms of the area and the neighborhood. It’s Lincoln Park according to the signs on the light pole banners but Google says it’s Bucktown. Really the only time people ever found themselves in this area would be when we went to Stanley's Fruits and Vegetables which was a retirement home for produce that closed suddenly in 2019. There was also Art’s Drive In located across the street from Stanley’s but it too closed abruptly when a fire blazed thru the building in 2022. Well the more things change, the more they stay the same. Stanley’s remains gone for good (the building was razed) but Art’s Drive-In is back and better than ever. Note: If you’re going to a concert at Salt Shed this is your spot to grab a bite before or after the show.

Locals Favorite in Bucktown

Before the fire Art’s was a prototypical Greek owned Chicago style fast food shack. You could get breakfast, lunch, or dinner there and the menu had everything from pancakes to Greek salad to their signature skirt steak sandwich. There used to be a ton of spots like Art’s all across the city but these Greek owned fast food diners are starting to fade away as time goes by (many retired and or moved to Glenview). Enter Alex - new owner of Art’s. Alex is a Greek American Chicago guy whose wife’s family used to run Art’s. When the family decided they wouldn’t be reopening after the fire, they worked out a deal to have Alex take it over. It’s a perfect match as Alex is quite the character and these type of spots always seemed to be run by characters back when I was a kid. Not only is Alex a hoot but he’s a passionate food person who’s serious about putting out a quality product. He refuses to do gyros because he’s not a fan of the factory made cones. Though he has plans to put a made from scratch souvlaki on the menu. The fries are fresh cut and he uses beef tallow as his oil while the hash browns are also made from scratch. Both the cheesesteak and the chicken parm cutlet are covered in Cooper Cheese and the cheese fries get the Merkt's Cheddar treatment. When in-season he uses strawberries from Michigan in the milkshakes which are made the old fashioned way. Same goes for the donuts which are fried fresh on site and topped with delicious homemade frostings.

Fresh Cut Fries

On my first return visit to Art’s I was immediately greeted by Alex like I was a longtime customer. We hit it off like we had known each other forever. Actually we know some of the same people as Chicago really is the world’s largest neighborhood. Alex grew up on the Northwest Side where his grandma ran a Greek bakery and grocery store called Hellenic located at 6056 W. Diversey. It was there where he would develop a passion for cooking as he often helped her in the kitchen. For my first meal here I had to try the skirt steak sandwich that helped put the previous iteration of Art’s on the map back when it first opened in 1967. I wrote a post about it in 2018. Honestly I’m not a big steak sandwich guy but the skirt steak at Art’s swayed me a little more towards their side. It was more tender than I remember most steak sandwiches to be and had a nice hot/cold element going for it with the lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions. The bread isn’t a typical Turano roll either so that was nice. It’s tough to go wrong with any of Alex’s sandwich creations - every one I’ve tried has been super satisfying.

Skirt Steak Sandwich at Art's Drive-In

I knew I liked Alex right away when I asked about the Italian beef sandwich and whether it was made on site or pulled from a bag and he almost seemed offended I would ask. No hormone filled bagged beef here. Alex takes the time to roast his own fresh chunk of bottom round which is sliced on site and seasoned with a unique sweet tasting gravy that gives it a flavor unlike any other Italian beef in town and that’s exactly how it should be. Italian beef shouldn’t taste exactly the same from spot to spot.

Italian Beef at Art's Drive-In

Art’s Drive-In opens at 6am Monday-Saturday and at 8a on Sundays making breakfast a big part of their day. It also makes Art’s a popular stop with the city’s working class just like the original iteration of Art’s was. Honestly I’m not the biggest breakfast guy. Usually my first meal of the day is lunch and sometimes it’s not until dinner believe it or not. But on one of my early visits I asked Alex what I needed to try the next time I stopped in and he was quick to tell me the pastrami. He was adamant that if I was there in the morning I needed to try the pastrami, egg, cheese on the burger bun (it’s served on French bread otherwise). If later in the day he insisted I try the pastrami burger which he told me is an ode to La Jolla, the neighborhood in San Diego where his dad lives. Alex and him often get pastrami burgers when he’s down there so he went ahead and put one on his menu here.

Pastrami, Egg, and Cheese

Both the pastrami breakfast sandwich and the pastrami burger are delivered via an incredible bun that Alex has baked for him off site. Each of the top and the bottom bun are studded with black and white sesame seeds and they’re soft but sturdy enough to carry the load be it it thinly sliced extra peppery pastrami with egg and cheese or a fresh all beef patty grilled to order with the same pastrami plus lettuce, tomato, onions, and cheese. These made me wonder why pastrami hasn’t caught on with Chicago style fast food the same way it has out in Southern California. The only thing I would do different is I prefer when a breakfast sandwich comes with a runny yolk so I’d ask for that next time.

Pastrami Cheeseburger at Art's Drive-In

Art’s also makes for a great dinner destination with some super fresh Greek forward dinner plates. If it’s a nice day he has patio seating and it can be really chill to just sit outside and watch the cars ride by. I did this a couple weeks ago on what was a hot and muggy evening so I wanted to get something refreshing and a Greek Salad with skirt steak was the perfect call. As you should know this far into the post - all salad the dressings are made on site. The pork chop plate was equally satisfying with the hash browns being the perfect match for two Greek seasoned pork chops grilled to order.

Greek Salad with Skirt Steak

Pork Chop Dinner with Hash Browns

I don’t think I’d had Biftekia before I tried it at Art’s one night when I was looking for something a bit more substantial and Alex told me I was having that for dinner. Biftekia are savory, herb-infused beef patties, similar to hamburgers but traditionally served without a bun. They’re kind of like a Greek version of Kofta. At Art’s you get two healthy sized discs of Biftekia served with rice, bread and salad making for a complete meal. You owe it to yourself and to Alex to go have a meal at Art’s. I can’t recall a restaurant with a similar setup where the owner was as passionate and welcoming as Alex is. Skip the hot dogs at Home Depot down the street and have one here - just $5.99 with fresh cut fries.

Biftekia at Art's Drive-In

Art's Drive-In
1333 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 500-2787
Website

North Side Taco Crawl

2025-08-28T10:45:00.005-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: North Side Tacos

Anyone that says you have to go to Pilsen to get good tacos is seriously misinformed. As are the people that say you have to go to Little Village. Every now and then I’ll see a comment that says as much if not worse - something like you can’t get good Mexican food on the North side. Seriously where do these people get their information? Not from me obviously as I can tell you right now that the gap between the north and the south side isn't all that wide when it comes to good Mexican food.

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Birrieria Zaragoza (Uptown)

Let me just go ahead and make my case right from the jump. Birrieria Zaragoza on the south side is often mentioned among the city’s best Mexican restaurants and rightfully so - it's one of Chicago's best restaurants period. But did you know they also have a North side location? You can find it at Broadway and Lawrence right next door to the historic Green Mill Lounge. It opened back in 2023 and right now it’s the only place in town you can get their incredible goat tacos on made to order corn tortillas - the south side location suffered a fire and is temporarily closed. I’m pretty sure the menu at their Uptown outlet is the same as it is in Archer Heights so you can get their incredible steamed and slow roasted goat meat with or without bones or in taco form. The goat tacos with an order of their warm salsa molcajate is one of the top tacos in town. Heck it’s one of the best bites in town too. They also make a great quesabirria but the taco de cabeza might be my favorite thing on their menu right now. If the idea of eating head meat turns you off I bet if I told you it was Vaca Frita (fried beef) you’d love it as it tastes like that or corned beef hash to me. It’s really flavorful and pairs so well with their pungent corn tortillas and Mexico level salsas. I wish their south side location a speedy recovery.

Taco de Cabeza at Birrieria Zaragoza

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Edgewater Tacos (Edgewater)

Next we head even further north to Edgewater which is where you’ll find my favorite fish taco in all of Chicagoland. Edgewater Tacos has been around for a little while now and it’s become a bit of a neighborhood staple as their walk up window (no indoor seating) stays pretty busy throughout the day. It’s far north side location makes it a bit of a journey coming from Logan Square but it’s one I make a few times a year for their terrific tacos de pescado. There’s nothing special about them as far as prep or ingredients. They do a simple version using fresh fried beer battered cod, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo on a warm corn tortilla and they’re perfect every time. Honestly I don’t get anything else here - I was a bit underwhelmed with their other options when I first tried it but that was a while back. I can’t get myself to try anything else these days when it’s the fish tacos I constantly crave.

Fish Tacos at Edgewater Tacos
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Pan Artesanal Bakery (Logan Square)

Pan Artesanal is a neighborhood favorite for pastries. People line up on the weekend for boxes of baked goods including their best in show cinnamon rolls - I haven’t found a better one in Chicago for whatever that's worth. But when I last visited I was greeted by a little street stand setup offering Oaxacan antojitos in the form of tacos, quesadillas, and tlacoyos. All the masa for these is handled by hand and cooked on a hot comal by a couple Mexican grandmas. Large toasted corn tortillas fresh off the comal are filled with a handful of guisado options of which I tried the potatoes, the mushrooms, and the shredded flank steak with poblano peppers. These are really in a league of their own as far as their style goes as you won’t find anything like them elsewhere in the city. Con todo which means “with everything” includes lettuce, onion, sour cream plus Oaxaca and cotija cheeses. I don't get here often as they’re only open on Saturday and Sunday but the online menu is still showing the tacos.

Tacos at Pan Artesanal
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Las Pueblitas Tacos (Albany Park)

Chicago isn’t a big taco truck town like LA. I see more of them up in Milwaukee than I do here, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have them, we just don’t seem to have a ton of good ones. Also many come and go which makes it rough to find a reliable one. That said my favorite taco truck in town can be found most nights in a parking lot at 3737 W Lawrence in Albany Park. Los Pueblitas is a family owned taco truck that has been parking in that lot in the evening for a couple of years now and it’s developed a really nice following over that time. The term “street tacos” is so overused and misused too but not with this spot which serves up real street tacos in the form of slightly greasy corn tortillas filled with finely diced meats like steak and chorizo which get mixed together to make the Taco Campechano. Like most real deal street tacos these are served with cucumbers, radish, limes, salsa.

Tacos Campechanos at Los Pueblitas Taco Truck
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No Pasa Nada (Mayfair)

If you’ve ever rode or walked past the corner of Lawrence and Kilbourn (just west of Elston) you may have noticed an out of service car repair garage with a permanent food trailer sitting in the lot. That trailer once housed a hot dog stand circa 2012 but it had sat empty the last decade or so. I’d pass by occasionally hoping something new had opened but it sat vacant until No Pasa Nada recently set up shop. No Pasa Nada is a one man operation ran by Isaac from Jalisco. The menu isn’t much bigger than the work force with a couple of Tacos al Carbon options including carne asada and al pastor plus a cheese quesadilla and guacamole too. Tacos al Carbon refer to the meat being grilled with live fire which Isaac uses for both his steak and trompo meat. The steak is done on a traditional charcoal grill while the pastor is cooked on a charcoal rigged trompo which he had made by Jalisco’s Best in Bridgeview - they make equipment for taquerias and taquizas including taco carts, discada discs, salsa bars etc. Isaac has a unique way of marinating his sliced pork meat and I encourage you to go try it and ask about it for yourself. This is definitely the style of setup you typically come across in Mexico and the tacos reflect that too. They’re smoky and spicy and clearly made with care. He says he’s going to stay open thru winter but there’s something therapeutic about eating tacos on the street during the summer twilight hour so don’t wait too long to go get some real deal tacos al carbon.

Tacos al Carbon at No Pasa Nada
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Eating BIG in Joliet

2025-08-20T10:04:00.012-05:00

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Eating and Exploring the City of Steel

So I finally have enough stops in my Joliet folder to make an ‘Eating Big in Joliet’ post which I’m posting this week. For those of you wondering what the hell there is to do in Joliet well I’m not going to debate you on that but I’ve found myself down this way now and then for a variety of reasons including going to The Old Joliet Prison famous for its appearance in The Blues Brothers. I’ve also gone down there to visit the historic Joliet Iron Works site which was once the second largest steel mill in the United States and well worth spending a couple hours at. It ceased to exist in the 1980’s before the Forest Preserve District of Will County purchased the property in the 1990’s as a way of preserving a piece of history. There’s also The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie which was established in 1996 on the former Joliet Arsenal and is the first national tallgrass prairie in the country. It’s a cool place to hike, ride a bike, and maybe eye a semi wild bison or two. They were reintroduced to the landscape in 2015 as a prairie restoration experiment and it seems to be doing well though I heard some of its funding was cut by DOGE even though that whole stunt spent more than it saved. But all of these things can make for a fun daytrip if you’re looking to get out of the house and enjoy Illinois. But you’ll also need somewhere to eat and that’s where this report may come in handy. Please note that there won’t be a trip to Merichka's Restaurant due to the fact I haven’t had a Poor Boy steak sandwich there since I last posted about them HERE. Also it appears as though Andy & Sophie’s is still open but from what I heard Andy is no longer there as he and his wife Sophie sold and retired. One last note: it looks like the old downtown Joliet legend Chicken-N-Spice is closed for good.

Pics from Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
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Home Cut Donuts

Every city with a similar stature to Joliet seems to still have a thriving old school donut shop. Home Cut Donuts is that spot in these parts. They first opened in 1966 and they still stay open for 24 hours a day. I’ve been thru a few times and each time I was there they were frying donuts in the back resulting in a still warm product. Based on my visits these are some of the better donuts in the state.

Donuts at Home Cut Donuts
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Sabor A Mexico

According to AI approximately 33.5% of the population in Joliet identifies as Hispanic or Latino. This translates to roughly 50,510 people and tons of taco options. Tortilleria Sabor A Mexico is a lowkey one stop spot for all your taco needs. They make and sell thick corn tortillas on site and also package up their made on site salsas and have fillings like Nopalitos a La Mexicana which is cactus prepared with green chile peppers, white onions and red tomatoes. They’ll also make tacos for you right there using their delicious warm corn tortillas. The specialty of the house is a taco with cecina (dry cured beef), refried beans, and cheese and two of them will kill your hunger for the rest of the day.

Tacos at Sabor A Mexico
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Taqueria Los Paisanos #2

I’m pretty much done with quesabirria but I’ll tell you what, sometimes it really does hit, as was the case with the “Queca Birria” at this 37 year old taqueria in Joliet (though this is their second location). They make birria de res estilo Jerez (beef) and stuff it into a flour tortilla layered with queso and crisp it on a hot flattop before adding a big scoop of guacamole to liven it all up. Damn were these good and so was everything else at Taqueria Los Paisanos including the “Ballenita” which is a fried Gordita stuffed with discada (beef, bacon, ham, chorizo) and topped with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, avocado, and pinto beans. Even the Taco de Arrachera was better than most spots but the real find was the little section of Burritos La Palma on the menu. The bean and cheese tucked into a wafer thin toasted flour tortilla was a pinnacle normally not reached in the Chicagoland area. All the salsas are top shelf too and chips are fried fresh making this one of the top spots to stop and eat in Joliet.

Lunch at Taqueria Los Paisanos #2
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Nena's Cantina

Back when I was in the video poker machine industry I found myself out in the southwest suburbs fairly often. Lots of old school bars out this way and pretty much all of them have video gaming machines. One of my favorites was this corner tavern located in a totally residential area. The type of place you probably wouldn’t enter (or even know about) if you weren’t from around this way. The interior has since been updated but the menu at Nena’s Cantina remains the same as when it opened in 1983. They have the most unique tacos in town one of which is a creamy pork and beans filling. The other is a steak and potato the latter of which are French fries which is something you see served on tacos in Mexico City now and then. They’re both guisado like in texture and come served on toasted flour tortillas. I don’t know if there’s a Texas connection but both the food and atmosphere here feel like a roadhouse in some Texas border town. Beers are served ice cold and cheap and they have all the big brand Mexican cerveza imports making it a favorite of locals in the area. English is the second language among customers but the daughter who runs it will take very good care of you.

Tacos at Nena's Cantina
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Joe's Hot Dogs

Joe’s Hot Dogs is a classic Chicago style hot dog stand with an incredible neon sign. Joe was the son of Sicilian immigrants. He grew up on Taylor street where he worked at a hot dog stand before meeting his wife who was from Joliet. They got married and settled in Joliet where Joe and Mary opened a hotdog wagon in front of their home. A few years later, the first Joe’s Hot Dogs stand was built next door and remained open until 1992 with the current location opening in 1964. Joe’s is currently ran by his granddaughter Jill who doesn’t seem to have changed much including the prices. I tried a tamale in a bun which is an old school Chicago food item you don’t see too often anymore.

Tamale in a Bun at Joe's Hot Dogs
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Hey! Hot Dog

Hey! Hot Dog has been serving up their signature chili dogs, BBQ sandwiches, and homemade root beer since 1959 with their current location having opened in 1978. I stopped in here years ago and decided to return last summer for the first time since then. It’s a drive thru only operation and if you visit toward the end of summer they also have a sweet corn stand as the longtime owner has a farm. The chili sauce used on for the dogs is good. A standard hot dog includes ketchup, mustard, relish and onions but no ketchup for me please. I’m not sure what brand of hot dog they use but I don’t think it’s Vienna Beef but it works well in a traditional way as chili dogs tend to be made with cheaper wieners.

Hot Dogs at Hey! Hot Dog
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Ace Drive-In

Ace Drive-In is another retro Joliet joint, complete with car-hop service and frosty mugs of homemade root beer to boot. It’s a seasonal operation with a history in the area going back more than 75 years having first appeared in 1949 - the current owners are now in their 42nd season. The original building was actually moved from another location in Joliet to the once vacant farm land where it still sits today. Customers pull in and out all day, some of them in their vintage vehicles, for a variety of items such as their Sliced Beef Poorboy. Sliced Italian roasted beef is placed in a hoagie with a few pepperoncini. It’s a good sandwich but I still prefer an Italian beef. Ace Drive In also does a Cubed Steak Poorboy like the one you’ll find at Mericka’s and other places in the area. For those wondering there’s no connection between a Cubed Steak Poorboy and the Po Boys popular in NOLA and beyond. The only similarities they share is the origin of the name poor boy referring to somebody that can only afford a sandwich. Oh and the Black Cows (root beer with vanilla ice cream) at Ace Drive-In are outstanding.

Sliced Beef Poorboy at Ace Drive-In
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Rax

I’m fascinated by regional fast food, even if it's mostly average, and even more so by forgotten regional fast food. Back in its heyday Rax Roast Beef (originally Jax) had 500+ locations across 38 states. It was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1967 but is now down to just five independent locations with three of them in Ohio, and one each in Kentucky and Joliet. Rax was famous not just for their roast beef but also their throwback baked potato salad bar but it was drive thru only during my visit circa Covid-19. The quality is a step above Arby’s but that’s not saying much. Nonetheless I have a bit of a guilty pleasure for old school roast beef sandwich spots like Rax - they’re a dying breed.

Roast Beef Sandwich at Rax
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Maurie's Table

I often get asked if I ever eat at places that I don't like and of course I do - but not all that often. When you’ve been to as many restaurants as I have you develop a knack for finding the good ones. I can usually tell by looking at online reviews (mostly thru the pictures but also commonly mentioned dishes and every now and then an informative review) and menus if a place is worth stopping in at. I had a bad feeling about Mauries Table but my cousin really wanted pizza and we were right there so we went in. First off let me say that I loved the 1970’s vibes and there was a real energy here as it was packed on an early Sunday evening and that’s what gave me a little bit of hope for the place. But the people that eat here must have a childhood connection bc the pizza isn’t good. We got the signature deep dish and it might as well have been a Red Baron Pizza or some other trash from the freezer at Jewel. The crust was awful and the sausage wasn't much better but at least the beer was cold.

Deep Dish Pizza at Maurie's Table
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Dari Delite

Capitalism and the corporate world have made almost everywhere feel the same. There’s fewer and fewer independently owned places but you can almost always count on there being an old school, seasonal ice cream stand no matter what town you’re at in the Midwest. I wrote about some of them in Illinois HERE. Joliet is home to an old Dari Delite which is a name associated with many different ice cream establishments across the country, primarily from the mid-20th century. Some of them were part of a chain while others were independent businesses that adopted the name. I couldn’t find much on the history of the Joliet Dari Delite but it’s currently for sale for $375,000 if anyone is interested.

Dipped Cone at Dar Delite
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Eating BIG in Rockford

See ya next time @chibbqking

Turkish Doner

2025-08-12T09:30:00.005-05:00

-Grubbing in Chicago
Turkish Food in Uptown

The end of Argyle street, just before it hits Sheridan road, has turned into a bit of an international eating enclave, much like the rest of Argyle. But unlike the Vietnamese and Thai eateries that dominate the street, this block houses a Nigerian, a Venezuelan, and now a Turkish restaurant too. The generically named ‘Turkish Doner’ recently took the place of the old Don Pablo's Chilean Bakeshop which was said to be moving to the suburbs. Turkish restaurants continue to see a sharp rise in the Chicagoland area but there’s no specific area as to where - they’re opening all across the city and the suburbs.

Recently Opened in Uptown

Turkish Doner has seating for maybe 12 people so it’s a small space that seems to be doing a steady business with takeout based on my visits. As is almost always the case at these Turkish places you can usually find a group of older Turkish guys sitting and chatting at one of the tables. On my first visit I noticed that the Lahmacun was a favorite among these friends and family types as it was always at the tables where Turkish was being spoken. Lahmacun is a flatbread dish originating in the Levant region. An extra thin piece of flatbread is baked and topped with minced lamb or beef among other things and served with an array of toppings including tomato, onion and fresh herbs. Lahmacun is very popular in Türkiye where it’s commonly eaten as a snack on the street (stands there often roll it so it can be eaten on the go). The Lahmacun at Turkish Doner makes for a great snack and or appetizer or you can make a complete meal out of it as they serve it in orders of one and two.

Lahmacun at Turkish Doner

As the name suggests they also do Turkish Doner here. The popular street food featuring meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie is pretty much the national dish of Türkiye with just about every Turkish restaurant on earth offering it. Doner is the original spit roasted meat going back to the days of the Ottoman Empire. The Doner sandwich at Turkish Doner is a meal in and of itself. Spit roasted beef sliced from a quadrilateral spit of spinning meat in the back kitchen is paired with garlicky white sauce, and warm buttery tomato sauce stuffed into a soft house-baked roll with cucumber, tomato, and onion. This sandwich can easily contend with any of the Banh Mi for best sandwich on the block. I really liked the bread they used which was still warm when my sandwich arrived. The hot tomato sauce seemed to be the same sauce used when making İskender kebap which is Doner covered in a decadent buttery tomato sauce. I noticed they also have what they call a “Slavic Shawarma” wrap and I tried to ask the Ukrainian lady that works in front what that was about but she wasn’t too helpful.

Doner Sandwich at Turkish Doner

Unfortunately the Adana Kebap plate that the lady in front recommended was a dud that seemed to be rewarmed based on the texture. That said I know a guy from the food world that lives around here and he enjoyed the Adana Kebap so maybe it was an off day. But I should also point out that the warm red pepper based sauce included with my kebabs was awesome. Either way it’ll be tough not to get that sandwich the next time I find myself around this way. It’ll be interesting to see what goes into the space next door where Milly’s Pizza in the Pan used to be as that recently moved to Noble Square.

Adana Kebap

Turkish Doner
1007 W Argyle St
Chicago, IL 60640
(872) 232-0208

Nadu

2025-08-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

- Grubbing in Chicago
Regional Indian Food in Lincoln Park

It's not too often that a new and trendy restaurant offers up one of the best dining deals in the city but that's exactly what Chef Sujan Sarkar and his team at Nadu are doing, in the heart of Lincoln Park at that. Nadu opened at 2518 N Lincoln Avenue this past May. It's a sister restaurant to Indienne - Chicago's only Michelin starred Indian restaurant. Nadu is a bit more casual with an ala carte menu though they're also offering a $55 tasting menu that I thought was well worth the price of admission.

Recently Opened in Lincoln Park

Nadu labels itself as a "Regional Indian" restaurant meaning the menu features dishes from India's 28 states and 8 union territories. The city's Indian food scene has taken another step forward with it's opening as it wasn't long ago that pretty much every Indian restaurant in town served watered down versions of Northern Indian food often in buffet form. Nadu does just the opposite with beautifully presented plates of regionally focused Indian food. The menu is broken down into sharing plates and large plates with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings. There's also a few sides and different breads and rice to pair with your main dishes. Normally it would take a few visits with a few people to try most of the menu but the $55 tasting menu allows you to try a nice chunk of the menu. So we were told the portions would be a bit smaller but I not only left stuffed I left with a doggy bag that made for a great lunch the next day. It was such a good deal I'm not sure how long it will last in it's current iteration which includes fives courses with the option to add a 6th or even a 7th for $11 each.

To Share: Papad and Chutneys (L) Dahi Bhalla (R)

Nadu is one of those spots where the pictures do as much justice to the food as any description I could give so I'm going to keep the rest of my review short and sweet by saying this was one of my favorite meals of the year thus far with everything being delicious. I enjoyed every dish from the starters to the dessert. Since I was with my wife I got to try all of her dishes too and there really wasn't a dud in the bunch. Even the Dal Makhani which we both chose as our side was outstanding - as good if not better than the version that made London's Dishoom so famous. In fact Nadu feels a bit like a London Indian restaurant in terms of both it's bold flavors and colorful aesthetics. Whatever you do in terms of the ordering I recommend getting the Nool Porotta ($6) to go with your meal- it's not an option with the tasting but the flaky and buttery flatbread pairs perfectly with the rich and smooth dal makhani and also Meen Gassi which is a regional curry from Mangalore that I thought was awesome. I appreciated the use of walleye as opposed to salmon or something else. Here's how it went down -

Hers: Mushroom Galawat (Lucknow) -

Velvety mushroom kebab seasoned with traditional kebab masala, served on a saffron sheermal bread, accompanied by refreshing mint and cilantro chutney

His: Chicken Kalmi Kebab (Delhi) -
Deboned Chicken thigh (Boti) marinated in hung curd, garam masala, black pepper , yellow chili powder; cooked in tandoor and served with Old Delhi style butter emulsion

Nool Porotta ($6) -
Flaky and soft Kerala-style flatbread

Side (choose one): Dal Makhani -
Black lentils simmered with tomato, fenugreek and finished with cream and white butter

Supplement Course ($11): Prawn Balchao (Goa) -
Shrimp cooked in a tangy masala with garlic, tomato, fermented chili paste and peppers, flavored with coconut vinegar, kokum and cinnamon

Supplement Course ($11): Benne Masala Dosa (Bangalore) -
Crisp and golden-brown on the outside with a soft, airy inside, this Dosa gets its signature flavor and texture from the generous use of white cultured butter ("benne" in Kannada), stuffed with a lightly spiced potato filling and served with traditional coconut chutney and thakali (tomato) chutney

Hers: Meen Gassi (Mangalore - Karnataka) -

Walleye cooked in a rich coconut and tamarind curry, infused with dry chili, turmeric, and curry leaf

His: Beef Roast (Kerala) -
Beef short ribs double roasted in a shallot and coconut masala, flavored with black pepper, curry leaf and dry chili

His / Hers: Tutti Frutti Cassata (Mumbai) -
Layers of vanilla sponge, mango ice cream, coffee ice cream and tutti frutti, finished with a sprinkle of toasted pistachio nougatine crumble

Nadu
2518 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 590-5676
Website