Categories: Restaurants

At The Table: Ethnic Enclaves

Author: Jody Robbins

Little Italy

Located just southwest of the Loop near the U.I.C. Circle Campus, Little Italy's Taylor St. offers dining options from several regions of Italy.

Dining Favorites

Tuscany features Northern Italian specialties like gourmet pizza baked in a wood-burning oven, house-made pastas and wood-fired meats. The Rosebud offers real-Chicago Italian with options like the house-made square noodles in marinara, and the bone-in chicken Vesuvio with garlic white wine sauce, roasted potatoes and peas. Francesca's on Taylor is a sophisticated trattoria that offers a daily-changing menu with choices like thin-crust pizza, grilled fish and pasta. Tufano's Vernon Park Tap offers classic Italian fare with such choices as spaghetti, mostaccioli and tortellini topped with Grandma's Special Gravy (slang for sauce).

Chinatown

There are nearly 60 restaurants packed in this lively area located just south of the Loop, on both Wentworth Avenue and also in Chinatown Square on Archer Avenue.

Dining Favorites

Try Lao Sze Chuan (Old Szechuan) for the authentic specialties like kung pao chicken, boiled beef in spicy Szechuan sauce and twice-cooked pork. Or head to The Phoenix Restaurant for great views of the skyline from the second floor, and a broad menu with choices like Mongolian chicken, crispy orange beef, and shrimp with black bean sauce. One of the most authentic spots in Chinatown is the Dragon Court, where you get to choose your live lobster, crab, or grouper from the front window tanks; your waiter will happily deliver your pick to the kitchen for steaming or braising. Noodle fans should head to the pan-Asian Joy Yee Noodle Shop for options like Vietnamese vermicelli, Thai curry rice noodles, and black mushroom chow mein.

Argyle Street

Located in the diverse Uptown northside neighborhood, Argyle Street is another Asian hub with Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and Laotian restaurants.

Dining Favorites

Pho 888 features huge bowls of Vietnamese Pho (broth-based noodle soup) plus menu choices like pan-fried egg noodles, stir fries and rice dishes. At Thai Pastry and Restaurant try the hot and sour soup with mushrooms, the green or red curry dishes with coconut milk, or the stir-fried pad Thai. The front windows of Sun Wah Bar-B-Q entice passersby with whole barbecued ducks, chickens and ribs hanging in the front window. The Peking-style spareribs have a delicious sweet glaze, or go for the savory pepper in the black bean version. A giant smiling Buddha welcomes you at Nhu Hoa Cafe, a Vietnamese and Laotian eatery with specialties like the sizzling roast quail with black mushrooms and broccoli, or deep-fried sea bass with lemon grass.

Greektown

Opaa! Almost every Greek restaurant on the two-block stretch of Halsted Street between Adams and Van Buren streets just west of the Loop serves saganaki, a dish of mild cheese flamed tableside while the waiters shout Opaa! Local restaurateurs claim this dish was invented right here in Chicago.

Dining Favorites

Head to Greek Islands and try the daily specials, with choices like Greek-spiced, oven-roasted lamb or the baked orange roughy with tomato sauce, fresh vegetables and herbs. The Parthenon, the oldest restaurant in the area, has a massive menu with such choices as roast suckling pig, rotisserie-roasted chicken and moussaka, a layered dish of eggplant, meat sauce, Béchamel and Greek cheese. Pegasus offers choices like Grecian-style broiled chicken, and dolmades, which are ground beef, lamb and rice-stuffed grape leaves. Roditys offers daily specials in addition to the regular menu and features a combination plate that includes moussaka, pastitsio (baked macaroni with seasoned ground beef and lamb), dolmades and a roasted leg of lamb.

Little India

Devon Avenue is located near Loyola University and is one of the most multi-ethnic areas in the Midwest, with a large concentration of Indian and Pakistani restaurants.

Dining Favorites

Arguably the most elegant dining room on the street, Tiffin, the Indian Kitchen, which has the most elegant dining room in the area, features choices like the chicken tikka (seasoned with a blend of masala, lemon juice and yogurt), and seasoned lamb chops; both are roasted in the clay tandoor oven. Hema's Kitchen signature dishes include the buna gosht, lamb sautéed with fresh peppers, onions, curry leaves and black pepper, and the sag murg, which is oven-baked chicken with spinach and spices. The large menu at the Indian Garden offers several tandoor offerings; or try the house specialty kadhai gosht, a mildly spiced dish of lamb cooked in an iron wok with tomatoes, onions and garlic. Udupi Palace is known for its aromatic vegetarian food, including utthapam, rice flour pancakes studded with such choices as tomatoes, onions and peas, several pullaos (rice pilafs) and dosas, which are stuffed South Indian-style crepes

Check out places of interest near At The Table: Ethnic Enclaves:

Ai
358 W. Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60610

This River North Japanese Sushi Restaurant & Lounge opened it's doors in late-September 2007.  From the siblings who brought Ringo Japanese Restaurant and Tsuki to Lincoln Park, comes this lounge/restaurant with authentic Japanese cuisine.

 

Alhambra Palace Restaurant
1240 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607

Everything from belly dancers to American cuisine tinged with Middle Eastern and Far Eastern accents, the scale of this restaurant reminds one of the actual Alhambra in Morcocco.

 

Blackbird
619 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60661

One of the most acclaimed restaurants in Chicago, Blackbird has been named one of the 50 best restaurants in the country by Gourmet magazine. Contemporary American dining reaches its zenith here.

 

Bolat African Cuisine
3346 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657

Taste all of the flavors of Africa at Bolat African Cuisine. Dishes are stuffed with a diverse array of flavors in the meaty stews, rice dishes, and fish platters. Bolat welcomes home all visitors to the motherland of African cuisine. 

Cotes du Rhone Bistro
5424 N. Broadway St., Chicago, IL 60640

A Chicago BYO restaurant for now, chef Brian Moulton serves classic French fare with his own personal touches at more-than-fair prices.

Elephant & Castle
160 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611

At this English pub in Chicago, expect a mix of traditional English pub fare and American menu items are served here; English-style breakfast is also a draw. 

Elephant & Castle
185 North Wabash, Chicago, Illinois 60601

At this English pub in Chicago, expect a mix of traditional English pub fare and American menu items are served here; English-style breakfast is also a draw

Kohan Japanese Restaurant
730 W. Maxwell St., Chicago, IL 60607

Sushi and traditional Japanese dishes are offered in an authentic, but laid-back setting.

 

Pompei Pizza
2955 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago, IL 60657

Pompeii Pizza offers a variety of pizzas, pastas, and desserts.

 

Shochu
3313 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657

Named after the famed Japanese liquor, Shochu, this restaurant is trendy in nature with their Asian-inspired small plate recipes. 

 

Va Pensiero
1566 Oak Ave., Evanston, IL 60201

This is an award-winning Italian restaurant in Evanston that serves up authentic cuisine.

Ai
358 W. Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60610

This River North Japanese Sushi Restaurant & Lounge opened it's doors in late-September 2007.  From the siblings who brought Ringo Japanese Restaurant and Tsuki to Lincoln Park, comes this lounge/restaurant with authentic Japanese cuisine.

 

Blue Chicago
736 N. Clark St, Chicago, IL 60610

Sample the sounds of the sultry saxophone, the bold bass, the thundering trumpet and the  daring drum beats at Blue Chicago, one of Chicago's best blues clubs. Open seven nights a week, Blue Chicago features some of the best names in blues and jazz. 

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