Who thinks they know the best Ethnic neighboorhoods? - (Chicago, Cicero: home, school)

[crappinatbernies]

Ok. Let's see what the supposed best neighborhoods for ethnicity are.

Polish
German
Irish
Russian
Asian
etc.....

hmm...what about specific African countries?

And in each neighborhood, which restaurant/establishment best represents that culture.

[dumpstermcnuggets]

Originally Posted by crappinatbernies

Ok. Let's see what the supposed best neighborhoods for ethnicity are.

Polish
German
Irish
Russian
Asian
etc.....

hmm...what about specific African countries?

And in each neighborhood, which restaurant/establishment best represents that culture.

I'm surprised noone's gotten this thread going yet! But, I'll give it a try:

Polish: Avondale(along Milwaukee Ave. inbetween Pulaski and Diversey), or Belmont-Cragin(especially around the Belmont-Central intersection)

The Portage Park neighborhood has some Polish businesses too, though not as much as Avondale or Belmont-Cragin(Polish businesses in that neighborhood are mostly concentrated along Irving Park Rd. inbetween Austin and Cicero, though there's a small scattering of businesses along Central and/or Montrose). There's a decent amount of Polish businesses too as you head north on Milwaukee from the Foster/Milwaukee/Central intersection, and I think anyone looking for Polish businesses will love the suburb of Niles(know it isn't in the city, but it's so close to the city, that's its very worthy of mention). 'nuff said... (and wish I knew the names of some good restaurants to try)

Ethiopian: Edgewater easily has the most Ethiopian businesses in the city, particularly Broadway Ave. inbetween Berwyn and Devon. There's especially A LOT as you go further north(the greatest concentration is around the Thorndale 'L stop, and inbetween Thorndale/Broadway, and northwards towards Devon). (ditto here about my trouble thinking of the names of Ethiopian restaurants in that area, boo)

German: I'd say Lincoln Square, though its interesting now how there's a small number of Greek restaurants mixed in with all the German businesses in the area now(since it was originally a German neighborhood). That observation aside, I'd highly recommend Lutz Bakery on Montrose(not on Lincoln, but its just west of Western and Welles Park). I think Chicago Brauhaus is supposed to be decent too, though I've never been to it.

Vietnamese: There are a decent number of Vietnamese businesses and restaurants along Argyle, inbetween Broadway and Sheridan. Also, a small number of Vietnamese businesses are along Broadway, inbetween Argyle and Lawrence. And though the names of some of the bakeries around here don't come to my mind, there are some excellent Vietnamese/French bakeries in the area.

Korean: Along Lincoln, inbetween Foster and Kimball/McCormick Blvd. There's also a nice Korean business strip along Bryn Mawr inbetween Kimball and Kedzie/Jersey.

Hopefully, someone can expand on my post from here, and especially fill me in on some of the decent Polish businesses in Niles or on the NW side of Chicago. And of course, add some ethnic categories to this thread that I missed! I've especially wanted to figure out some Polish restaurants and bakeries to try out...

[CHITOWNREP9]

korean=lawrence avenue pulaski to kedzie-called korea town, lawrence is seoul drive or something
mexican=pilsen, little village, logan
rican=humboldt park
polish=definitely belmont/central and milwaukee/diversey north to roscoe
italian=taylor street, moreso back in the day the university is taking over. not in the city but melrose park, berwyn, in burbs
indian=devon ave in west ridge and rogers park

[mdz]

agree with the above posters, Sw side of chicago is huge Polish enclave as well.

Bobak's sausage company is around Archer and Pulaski and has a buffet-style restaurant where you can literally eat yourself sick for cheap. I think the all you can eat was about 10 bucks, or takeout is 4.99 a pound. The Polish food is great but heart attack inducing as it's all grease and fat. But that kielbasa is something else.

one NW side place in Niles is Przyblo's--it's a big banquet hall across from St. adalbert's cemetery on Milwaukee avenue. Does a lot of the funeral business, weddings on weekends, Polish galas, etc. they do have a regular restaurant attached. Dunk the Polish rye in the mushroom barley soup--fantastic stuff.

I do find that the food quality in some polish places are often "hit or miss". if you stick to the greasy Polish food you'll generally do fine. Until the cardiac arrest. At age 42.

[mdz]

Can't remember the name, but there was a great Polish bakery just east of Oak Park avenue on Belmont. Buy some paczki.

[Drover]

Irish: far south and Southwest sides: central/western Beverly, central/western Morgan Park, Mount Greenwood, Ashburn, Oak Lawn (a suburb that borders these areas) and Evergreen Park (another such suburb).

Chinese: Chinatown. Obviously. But there is also a subsect of ethnic Chinese who came from Vietnam in the Little Saigon area someone else mentioned (Argyle & Broadway).

Russian: Ukranian Village. There was a hit of Russian immigrants to that area in the 90s but I think they may have been gentrified out of the area and dispersed by now.

Lithuanian: embedded somewhere in the Polish area of the Southwest side mentioned by a previous poster

Romanian: Along Elston Avenue from Belmont to Irving Park in north Albany Park and south Irving Park neighborhoods. Not strictly a Romanian area but you'll notice a restaurant here and there, a Romanian community center on the corner of Elston/Irving Park and the the Taste of Romania festival in the K-Mart parking lot every September

Someone mentioned Lincoln Square as a German area. While there are still a few old-school holdouts, unfortunately the gentrification of Lincoln Square is starting to turn it into a "facade" ethnic neighborhood; that is, a neighborhood with an ethnic association and feel to it and with ethnocentric shops/businesses, but with few actual persons of that ethnicity living in the area any more. Andersonville is a facade Swedish ethnic neighborhood, Greektown is a facade Greek neighborhoood, Little Italy is a facade Italian neighborhood. A section of Clark Street just south of Wrigley Field still has remnants from its Japantown days, but so few are left that it's not even a facade Japanese area any more. The only evidence is the concentration of sushi restaurants on that stretch of street; but they got lucky and sushi became trendy so they got to stay.

There's another very small Italian neighborhood called Heart of Italy, centered around the intersection of 23rd Street and Oakley (one block east of Western Avenue). It's not a facade neighborhood; it's the real deal.

[SamA]

Best Italian neighborhood is Elmwood Park, home to Johnnie's Beef, Trattoria Peppino's and Armands. Elmwood Park has the highest concentration of Italian-Americans in Chicagoland, despite the recent influx of Eastern Europeans.

[Manigault]

Jamaicans -- Rogers Park
Nigerians -- Uptown and the southside
Haitians -- Evanston
Creoles -- Bronzeville

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by dumpstermcnuggets

German: I'd say Lincoln Square, though its interesting now how there's a small number of Greek restaurants mixed in with all the German businesses in the area now(since it was originally a German neighborhood). That observation aside, I'd highly recommend Lutz Bakery on Montrose(not on Lincoln, but its just west of Western and Welles Park). I think Chicago Brauhaus is supposed to be decent too, though I've never been to it.

The Greeks came in after the Germans into Lincoln Square. There was a huge Greek population in the Lincoln Square community including Ravenswood,Lincoln Square, and Budlong Woods that was built over the years from the 20's on. The Greeks were strong there until the 80's and there still are a decent number there. Many Greeks also settled in Edgewater,Uptown and Albany Park (as well as other areas) in the 20's,30's and 40's after leaving Greektown (also West Loop) and the West Side (the UIC area as well as West Town).

St. Andrew Church at 5649 N. Sheridan Road (parish created in 1926) and St. Demetrios (not sure of the year built) at 2727 W. Winona stand as testament.

St.Andrew - About Parish

There were also many Germans and Italians in North Center and Lake View replacing the Irish that were moving to the Burbs also farther North and Northwest in the city...

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Drover

Someone mentioned Lincoln Square as a German area. While there are still a few old-school holdouts, unfortunately the gentrification of Lincoln Square is starting to turn it into a "facade" ethnic neighborhood; that is, a neighborhood with an ethnic association and feel to it and with ethnocentric shops/businesses, but with few actual persons of that ethnicity living in the area any more. Andersonville is a facade Swedish ethnic neighborhood....

You can't blame it on gentrification in these two cases. Germans and Swedes just don't live in ethnic enclaves anymore, and have nearly completely assimilated into "white America"! Milwaukee, WI--perhaps the most German of American cities--still has many German restaurants and traditions, but German-American immigrants haven't lived in distinct ethnic enclaves for several decades.

If anything, the recent "gentrification" of Lincoln Square has been pushing out Latinos--and perhaps some of the Greeks that AvengerFire spoke of, though I'm less familiar with them.