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Note bene: the best food is not in River North, Lincoln Park, etc. Chicago is quite segregated food-wise, so e.g. the best mexican food is going to be in Pilsen, the best Indian food will be around Devon, etc. It's not like London or NYC where you can walk a few blocks and pass 10 great restaurants of different ethnic cuisines.
"The best" is, as always, up for some degree of personal interpretation.
There are good Indian places in most of the popular neighborhoods. Even my Indian coworkers don't feel it's strictly necessary to go to Devon to get good Indian food. Gaylord's in the Gold Coast and India House in River North are both quite popular with my Indian coworkers.
There is good Mexican food to be had all over Chicago. If you want some specific regional variety of Mexican food, you may have to be closer to Pilsen, but there are good taquerias all over the place, and good modern Mexican in most of the popular neighborhoods, too. Rick Bayless' empire of Mexican restaurants are in River North, and Salpicon, which I think was the first place opened by one of Bayless' former chefs, is in Old Town. There are also great modern Mexican places in Logan Square and the East Village areas.
Chinese food is a little more segregated with the best arguably all in Chinatown, although if you know what to order you can get decent authentic Chinese outside of Chinatown and with Tony Hu expanding into River North there will hopefully be a good choice there soon.
There is some very good Italian food in River North, too, as well as other neighborhoods. You can also get great Italian on Taylor Street in Little Italy, but it's hardly the only place.
For Polish food, you probably do need to venture close to the Polish parts of the city to get the most authentic stuff. I can't think of very many examples of good Polish food outside of the NW side areas populated by Polish immigrants.
Vietnamese is also fairly segregated to Argyle, although there is an interesting modern Vietnamese place in the West Loop, and good Vietnamese sandwich places seem to be popping up all over.
Really the biggest differences, for the most part, between the places in the ethnic enclave neighborhoods and the city at large is that you get more regional sub-types of foods split out by restaurant. You can get great food outside of those areas, but it may offer only one region of the type, or it may offer only a few items from each region. But I definitely don't agree that you must travel to the ethnic neighborhoods to get excellent ethnic foods. There are plenty of exceptions.
Note bene: the best food is not in River North, Lincoln Park, etc. Chicago is quite segregated food-wise, so e.g. the best mexican food is going to be in Pilsen, the best Indian food will be around Devon, etc. It's not like London or NYC where you can walk a few blocks and pass 10 great restaurants of different ethnic cuisines.
Well, I agree and disagree. First of all, there are a decent amount of marginal restaurants in River North/Gold Coast, but there's also a lot of good restaurants too. The thing is that River North is more medium to expensive to fine dining oriented, so it's harder for most people to eat out at these really really good places every night if they don't make a decent amount of money to begin with. There aren't a lot of cheap eats places, and even if places are independent, they definitely don't always have that feel. You have places like Graham Eliot, Naha, Coco Pazzo, Gilt Bar, Frontera, Xoco,Topolobampo, and Ria and Balsan in the Gold Coast, as well as Table 52, Morton's and Gibson's steakhouse, etc. The problem is that on average, downtown is a little more expensive. You aren't going to be eating at places like Gibson's, Ria, Naha, or Graham Eliot every night unless you make a bit of money. There's other places that are good, but obviously overrated too like a Tavern on Rush or Whiskey in the Gold Coast, or small chains like Weber Grill, Cantina Laredo, etc that are obviously geared more towards the tourist or marginal eater. That's why I say that outside of downtown is the best, because it's the best bang for your buck on average in a lot of other neighborhoods.
Not to pick apart either, but Lincoln Park does have quite a few good places to eat. Technically, the best restaurant in NORTH AMERICA (Alinea) is in Lincoln Park. It's rated as the 7th best restaurant in the world, and has 3 Michelin stars, which less than 100 restaurants in the entire world have. Then there's Charlie Trotter with 2 stars (although closing), and L2O with 1 star (used to have 3 I believe, but the main guy left last year which is why it's only at 1 now.."only"). Both of these are in Lincoln Park.
If you put any weight on their ratings, this is how the neighborhoods break down for the 2012 rankings:
Lincoln Park - Alinea (3 *), Charlie Trotter (2* - Closed) L2O (1*), Boka (1*), Gemini Bistro, Perennial Virant, Raj Darbar, Riccardo Trattoria
Gold Coast - Ria (2*), Seasons (1* - Closed), Spiaggia (1*), Bistronomic
River North - Graham Elliot (1*), Naha (1*), Topolobampo (1*), Frontera Grill, Gilt Bar, GT Fish & Oyster, Twin Anchors
Near West/West Loop - Blackbird (1*), Moto (1*), Sepia (1*), Avec, De Cero, Fogon ,Girl & the Goat, Jaipur, Maude's, Paramount Room, Publican
Logan Square - Bonsoiree (1*), Longman & Eagle (1*), Belly Shack, Lula Cafe, Owen & Engine
Loop - Everest (1*)
Wicker Park - Schwa (1*), Cumin, Thai Village
Bucktown - Takashi (1*), The Bristol
Streeterville - Tru (1*), Deca, Purple Pig
Lakeview - Ann Sather, La Creparie, Mixteco
Ukrainian Village/Noble Square - Arami, Green Zebra, Mexique, West Town Tavern
Irving Park - Smoque BBQ
North Center - Browntrout
Ravenswood - Ceres' Table, Spacca Napoli
Pilsen - De Colores, Mundial Cocina Mestiza, Nightwood
Andersonville - Hopleaf, M. Henry
Edgewater - Jin Thai
Chinatown - Lao Sze Chuan
Lincoln Square - Los Nopales, Opart Thai house
Avondale - Urban Belly
Based on just Michellin Ratings, West Town/West Loop has the most with 11, followed by Lincoln Park with 8, then River North with 7, Logan Square with 5, and then Gold Coast and UK Village/Noble Square with 4, and Pilsen, Wicker Park, Streeterville, and Lakeview with 3.
The ratings are a little biased in regards to what places they've rated so far, and they will only get better with time as Chicago has only had a guide for two years. They tend to pick the trendier spots or expensive spots first because it's easier and already have the pub. There's a lot of restaurants that deserve to be on the list that aren't such as Les Nomades (my friend originally from Paris who has eaten at many fine dining places in Paris says it's excellent) and Next (I have eaten here and it was excellent). Hot Doug's and Kuma's Corner in Avondale are very well known, but not on the list. It's all about consistency though, so a place like Next may never make it on there since the menu changes every 3 months. Then there's other places that are new or just missed. I ate at City Tavern last weekend in the South Loop and thought it was really good, but also Mediteranean Grill in Lincoln Square is excellent and under the radar, as well as Lockdown in Humboldt Park, or some taco places I've had up north, Ay Ay Picante in Albany Park, etc etc etc. I've eaten at places like Bonsoiree before, but I actually prefer other places more. It was a great meal, but would I pick a place like Ay Ay Picante over Bonsoiree 9 times out of 10? Absolutely.
Also, taking places from the 2011 guide, the ones that were on that but not 2012..you have 2 more from each River North, Lincoln Park, Near West, and Gold Coast, and 1 for each Streeterville, Hyde Park, and Bridgeport. Out of those 11 restaurants, 6 are not on the list anymore because they closed.
I do agree though, on average if you want the best ethnic food, it's best to travel outside of downtown. If you're looking for new american food, or steaks, or italian, there's good options downtown, but the best ethnic places are definitely in the other areas and are less expensive on average for sure. If you want to eat out but don't want to splurge on every single meal but still have great meals, then you shouldn't eat downtown all the time for sure.
Last edited by marothisu; 09-05-2012 at 11:48 PM..
I guess I should've been more precise. There are great restaurants in LP, River North, the Loop, etc. I was talking more about neighborhood places you'd go to on a regular basis. In New York, you can just go around the corner to a great, cheap Ethiopian place. That's not really the case in Streeterville or the Loop.
I guess I should've been more precise. There are great restaurants in LP, River North, the Loop, etc. I was talking more about neighborhood places you'd go to on a regular basis. In New York, you can just go around the corner to a great, cheap Ethiopian place. That's not really the case in Streeterville or the Loop.
Except not all of NYC is like that, especially in the more affluent neighborhoods. It's just like here in an area like the Upper East Side. You have some neighborhood places surrounded by tons of swankier or trendier places to eat and not all are cheap, just some.
I don't know why you mention Streeterville or the Loop though. First of all, the Loop is the CBD and outside of a handful of places, if someone wanted to eat there for a nice dinner, they'd have to be a complete idiot or very new to Chicago. Streeterville? Yeah, it has more than the Loop, but that's not saying much. Both of these areas are BS for food outside of maybe 10-12 places combined. Any serious "foodie" wouldn't even think about wandering around either one of these areas in hopes of finding tons of amazing food.
And yes, there are cheap places to eat that are neighborhoody in River North and Gold Coast. What do you think places like Johnny's Grill, Bella Luna Cafe, Baba Palace, STar of Siam, Mr. Beef, Tempo Cafe, Panang Noodle, Karyn's Cooked, any of the places on Division Street near the crap bars, Mary's Cafe, Dao Thai, Steve's Place, Big & Little's, Fabcakes, The Artisan Cellar, Brett's Kitchen, Goddess and Grocer, Ohio House Coffee, etc are? Pippen's Tavern, Streeter's, Green Door Tavern, Rossi's, Snickers, etc for bars. Even places like Cru Wine Bar (formerly Feast) have a semi neighborhoody feel to them even if they're a "higher up" and more expensive place than Tempo Cafe. I agree that if you want to find a neighborhood place here, you aren't going to find as many "downtown," but to say that there are none or almost none is completely BS. I live in this neighborhood, and while yes I have eaten at a few big handfuls of those Michelin places I listed in another post and sometimes have expensive taste, I prefer the cheaper, good, ethnic neighborhood place and I have always found them in this area. It's not like when I want any neighborhood place that I have to venture outside of the hood, although yes I'd prefer to on average...it still exists though.
Of course you're going to think everything is non neighborhoody if all you do is stay in areas where tourists hang out. For the other things, say parts of River North, it's catered towards who lives there. Yes, many people DO like hole in the wall places, but in River North, Gold Coast, etc people go there to be seen and say "I've eaten at this trendy restaurant, have you?" just like in sections of NYC. It's all the same damn thing. You have neighborhoods transforming. Trendy places move in, but the older neighborhood places still stay there and the trendy places might take up more of your vision, but if you know where you look you can find a lot of neighborhood places still.
Last edited by marothisu; 09-06-2012 at 01:27 AM..
I don't know why you mention Streeterville or the Loop though. First of all, the Loop is the CBD and outside of a handful of places, if someone wanted to eat there for a nice dinner, they'd have to be a complete idiot or very new to Chicago. Streeterville? Yeah, it has more than the Loop, but that's not saying much. Both of these areas are BS for food outside of maybe 10-12 places combined. Any serious "foodie" wouldn't even think about wandering around either one of these areas in hopes of finding tons of amazing food.
I mentioned Streeterville and the Loop because I was talking about housing along the lake in Streeterville and the Loop. I wasn't talking about the city's food scene in general, but was making the specific point that while there is some nice housing stock in these neighborhoods, your "wednesday night food options" are better in many other parts of the city.
Wow, thats a lot of places to be trying when I get there !
Actually, with out wanting to create a huge debate.....what is the best place to go for a good steak (asides from crazy 3* prices, as steak can be done very well for much cheaper!)
I have a bet with my wife....once I am there we are having a 5K race, although I havent run for ages and she does all the time, I competed at a pretty decent regional level as a teenager (ive started training again already so i wont be losing )
The loser will be buying dinner at the choice restaurant of the winner - and as shes mainly vegetarain (though eat meat occasionally) Id would be very happy to make her buy me some awesome steak!
Wow, thats a lot of places to be trying when I get there !
Actually, with out wanting to create a huge debate.....what is the best place to go for a good steak (asides from crazy 3* prices, as steak can be done very well for much cheaper!)
I have a bet with my wife....once I am there we are having a 5K race, although I havent run for ages and she does all the time, I competed at a pretty decent regional level as a teenager (ive started training again already so i wont be losing )
The loser will be buying dinner at the choice restaurant of the winner - and as shes mainly vegetarain (though eat meat occasionally) Id would be very happy to make her buy me some awesome steak!
thanks
Chicago is arguably alongside New York City in food. There's a number of great places here and you can find most (but not all) cuisines in the world here pretty much.
That's hilarious about the steak. lol, hope she won't kill you for that. In general, the best steak houses are going to be more expensive, but generally have big steaks. Like at Gibson's, the smallest steak is actually 14 oz. There's that, Morton's, David Burke's, Gene & Georgetti, Smith & Wollensky, etc. Those places are mainly american, or somehow italian-american that you'll find, mainly in River North kind of area.
I like a place like Tango Sur in Lakeview. It's an Argentine steak house (and BYOB) with a ton of different types of meat and pretty great, but not nearly as expensive as the above. Or something like Las Tablas which is Colombian.
I guess I should've been more precise. There are great restaurants in LP, River North, the Loop, etc. I was talking more about neighborhood places you'd go to on a regular basis. In New York, you can just go around the corner to a great, cheap Ethiopian place. That's not really the case in Streeterville or the Loop.
So how many Eithopian places are on Park Ave these days
Wow, thats a lot of places to be trying when I get there !
Actually, with out wanting to create a huge debate.....what is the best place to go for a good steak (asides from crazy 3* prices, as steak can be done very well for much cheaper!)
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I second Tango Sur. It's on Southport in Lakeview, and about 13 years ago I lived just north of there on Southport and would walk by every day, stopping in occasionally for dinner. Even then it was popular, but now it's not only more than doubled in size by expanding into an adjacent storefront, but gotten even more popular. Wait times even on a Wednesday night can be an hour (which I know is not unusual in New York, but it is here).
Also on Southport a few blocks south is the Cuban/Caribbean place Coobah. They have a steak dish that is served sliced, so it's not a steak in the sense you probably meant, but it is one of the most delicious steaks I've had.
I mentioned Streeterville and the Loop because I was talking about housing along the lake in Streeterville and the Loop. I wasn't talking about the city's food scene in general, but was making the specific point that while there is some nice housing stock in these neighborhoods, your "wednesday night food options" are better in many other parts of the city.
Streeterville and even the Loop is full of pretty much new housing stock. If you are a neighborhood place, you aren't going to be able to afford the type of lease that's there if you're new, and you probably don't want to, because it would take even more money to transform the place to how you want. That's why you have places that already have $$ going into them, half of the time small more upscale chains, or trendy restaurants.
On average, I love going outside of downtown for food, but to say there's no local, independent non-trendy non-expensive places down here is absolutely ridiculous. In any given day I could go around my corner to a local middle eastern place, then go to a Thai place, followed by Italian..just to name a few. If you never actually explore the area, you'd have no idea these places even exist or they might be an after thought to you.
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Lots of goofy misconceptions...
