re: Chicago Food Recs

Just returned Monday night. Girl and Goat, great as always. Ditto for Purple Pig, wish time had permitted a second visit. Peruvian food at Tanta, Sushi at Sushi San and Polish food at Staropolska were all great experiences, food, atmosphere and service.

Sunday brunch at River Roast. Get there early and sit on the patio over the river. Live Jazz/Blues inside.

Enjoyed the pizza at Piece. Watched LSU beat the Barn there. Tried to get into The Standard and it was as crowded with LSU fans as the 2007 Florida game in Tiger Stadium. Revolution food is good along with good beer, also enjoy the beer at Marz and Half Acre. Haymarket, Hopleaf, Map Room and Local Option are good craft beer bars with diverse tap lists, just depends on what area you are in.

Violet Hour and The Office (make reservations) for amazing cocktails in a Speakeasy setting. Terrific bourbon lists at both, bartenders were aces. Two of the best bars I’ve ever been to. Arbella also offered some great cocktails, highlight being peanut butter vodka with jelly ice cubes. Tasted just like a liquid PBJ sandwich.

My favorite 2 Lithuanian restaurants in Chicago are Mabenka and Cafe Ruta.

Chicago has one of the largest Lithuanian communities in the US and there are several restaurants that offer some excellent authentic Lithuanian cuisine.

Best Borscht I’ve ever had is at Mabenka. They do excellent tripe as well. If you’re not sure what to get, most restaurants do a sampler platter.

Last time I was in Chicago (2015) we went to Cafe Sarajevo. Got the mixed grill. It’s a Serbian restaurant, like Kafana on the lower east side of Manhattan. Really good food there.

It’d be a shame to not go to a Polish restaurant either in Chicago. There are many to choose from. The pierogi, sausages, and golabki are all good. Get some Czarnina (Duck’s blood) soup if you see it on the menu. Oddly enough, the best Polish restaurant I’ve ever been to was not in Chicago, but by the airport in Milwaukee. Can’t think of the name right now, but everything was amazing.

Guess I'll just copy and paste my answer from the Travel Board.

- Breweries / Brewpubs: Half Acre (Balmoral or Lincoln), Forbidden Root, Spiteful, Maplewood, Corridor and DryHop (same owners; brewpubs), On Tour, Begyle, Dovetail, Hopewell, Moody Tongue Revolution, Goose Island, Lagunitas, Marz, Off Color, Old Irving (brewpub), Band of Bohemia (brewpub; excellent food), Ballast Point (recently-opened their taproom here). Couple others outside the city are Une Annee, More, Noon Whistle, Mikerphone, and FFF.

- Best steak I've had is Bavette's, Swift and Sons, and Kinzie.

- Best Italian I've had is La Scarola, Piccolo Sogno, Formento's, Rosebud, Monteverde, Club Lucky, and Sabatino's (went at the recommendation of someone here).

- Favorite pizza is Pequod's, Lou Malnati, Art of Pizza, Pat's, Coalfire, and Vito & Nick's (pretty far).

- Best burgers are Maillard's, Au Cheval, Mott Street, Small Cheval, Bad Apple, and DryHop (they have a great Monday deal).

- Favorite sushi is Kai Zan, sushiDOKKU (go to Booze Box in the basement), and Momotaro.

- If you're looking for empanadas, go to 5411. I've been to all of their Chicago locations other than The Loop.

- Wicker Park / Bucktown: Oiistar for Ramen, Bongo Room for brunch, Publican Anker for brunch/lunch/dinner, Big Star or Antique Taco for tacos and margaritas, Jeni's for ice cream, Small Cheval for burger and shake, Irazu for Costa Rican, Sultan's for Middle Eastern, Big & Little's, Delta for cocktails and tamales, etta for good American fare, Paradise Park (same owners as Homeslice and Happy Camper) for an above-average pizza and great patio, Pub Royale for Indian pub fare, Black Bull for tapas, and Parlor for Neapolitan pizza and expansive patio.

- North of Wicker Park and Bucktown is Logan Square, which is becoming a hotbed for quality restaurants and cocktail bars. Go to 90 Miles for Cuban and Serai or Fat Rice for Asian. Other spots to eat are Longman and Eagle, Owen and Engine, Giant, and Lula Cafe. Few cocktail bars are Scofflaw, Todos Santos, Spilt Milk, The Whistler, Estereo, Heavy Feather (above Slippery Slope), Lost Lake (tiki), Billy Sunday, Best Intentions, and bar below Lonesome Rose (not sure if it has a name).

- In Lincoln Park, go to Boka (near Alinea), Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba for brunch, Batter & Berries for brunch, Twin Anchors for BBQ, Range for farm-to-table, Oyster Bah, Willow Room (beautiful facility), and White Oak (near DePaul).

- Lakeview has some great spots, too. One of my go-to spots in the city is Farm Bar. Otherwise, Andy's Thai Kitchen has my favorite Thai in the city. Not sure if it's still cash only or not. Tango Sur is an excellent Argentinian steakhouse and Crisp has the best chicken wings in Chicago. If you're looking for something easy, Barcocina has a great patio and open-air space. Little pricier, but it's a good atmosphere.

- Number of high-end restaurants and bars in West Loop (some listed above on my "favorites" list). Girl and the Goat is most-popular with this board, but other great options are: Oriole, Blackbird, Publican, Fulton Market Kitchen, Elkse, Cold Storage Roister, Duck Duck Goat, Beatrix (other locations in River North and West Town), Green Street, avec, El Che, Maude's, Grange Hall, and Bonci for a slice.

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Purple Pig

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Excellent spot, but it takes some effort to eat there with the number of tourists making their way from Michigan Avenue.

You can get a similar, great meal at Publican without the hassle of waiting. Reservations are easy to come by and you don't have to worry about wait time. Saw that you listed it.

I know you weren’t asking me, but I went to the one in Lincoln and really enjoyed it.

Very true. Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe has maybe the best pancakes I’ve ever had.

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Suggested to OP in another thread, but I recommended that he check out Bavette's, Swift & Sons and Kinzie. I enjoy all three more than Gibsons, but Bavette's is more-difficult to come by a reservation.

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I would add Chicago Cut, Maple & ash, & Bouefhaus as steakhouses I prefer over Gibson's also

Lincoln. As much nostalgia as any other reason, as it’s one of the first breweries I visited a couple of years ago bc I wanted to catch Double Daisy Cutter on tap.