***** (5 stars)
This is the real deal, exactly as you would find in Paris. Sandwiches on sinfully fresh baguettes, with authentic French ingredients such as butter, ham and cornichons. Extraordinarily light croissants, pain au chocolate, and excellent coffee.
La Boulangerie – CLOSED
915 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
*** (3 stars)
It’s hard to find truly authentic Philly Cheesesteaks outside of Philly, and this place has them. The meat is seasoned just right, plentiful and tender.
The issue is with the kitchen. In an empty restaurant, at lunchtime, my order of one cheesesteak took more than twenty minutes to prepare!
As a result I can really only recommend them for delivery, and you should plan well in advance.
Philly’s Best
907 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 525-7900
https://www.yelp.com/biz/phillys-best-chicago-2
**** (4 stars)
This is the deal, a NY style Jewish delicatessen. All the sandwiches you’d imagine, and more. Plus free pickles!
The half sandwich combo offers any sandwich, plus any soup or salad. The chili counts as soup, and boy it was delicious. Pastrami had just the right amount of fat, and the rye bread was super fresh.
Excellent friendly service.
Bagel Restaurant & Deli
3107 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 477-0300
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bagel-restaurant-and-deli-chicago
***** (5 stars)
This place offers a nice assortment of creative arepas in a coffee shop vibe. I tried the Havana, which offered a generous mound of barbecued pork. They also have smoothies and the usual coffee offerings.
11 Degrees North
824 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 904-7284
https://www.yelp.com/biz/11-degrees-north-chicago
***** (5 stars)
Great historic roadside eatery from the 1940s, now occupied by a small local burger chain. Terrific chili fries, Impossible Burger, and some of the best onion rings I’ve had anywhere. Also a shout-out for the coffee shake! Sounds like a great 10am breakfast on Christmas Eve to me!Gott’s Roadside
933 Main St
Saint Helena, CA
94574
(707) 963-3486
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gotts-roadside-saint-helena-2
**** (4 stars)
This is essentially the Chipotle of Mediterranean food. Choose you bowl, salad or pita, your protein, and the toppings. The only thing I found odd was the absence of taboule, which seems like such an essential part of, say, a falafel pita.Roti Modern Mediterranean
200 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL
60606
(312) 332-6013
https://www.yelp.com/biz/roti-modern-mediterranean-chicago-5
***** (5 stars)
This is an interesting almost-French-bistro with some American items as well. A charming carousel bar is the centerpiece; it slowly revolves, about once an hour.Francois Frankie
222 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL
60606
(312) 600-9659
https://www.yelp.com/biz/francois-frankie-chicago
Gyro Plate
Falafel Sandwich
Interior
Exterior
***** (5 stars)
Extremely friendly staff in this counter service restaurant make it special.
I tried the gyro platter, which came with lentil rice, hummus, a falafel, salad, and pitas. It was very good, especially the gyro meat coated in tzatziki and spicy sauce.
Even better was the falafel sandwich, a generous serving of falafel, lettuce, tahini, spicy and a very fresh pita pocket to hold it all.
Definitely one of the best choices for fast Middle Eastern food in Chicago.
Taza Cafe
176 N Franklin St
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 201-9885
https://www.yelp.com/biz/taza-cafe-chicago
Interior
Exterior
Nachos (no beans)
Rib eye
Chili
**** (4 stars)
Based upon the name I was expecting sort of a dive bar, but it’s actually quite modern and nice inside. The menu offers a broad range of sports bar food, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good our selections were.
The nachos were actually better than any I’ve gotten in Chicago’s Mexican restaurants. They were spread out in a thin layer over a huge rectangular tray, so they stayed nice and crisp. We ordered them without the black beans, just our preference.
I had the ribeye, and it was a pretty darn good steak for much less than half what it would cost in any of River North’s steakhouses. About half of it needed to be trimmed away, but that’s what makes a ribeye so tender and juicy, and this one certainly was.
Service from our original server was a bit spotty, but the bartender and manager filled in nicely during her unexplained absences.
I was definitely favorably impressed, and will return.
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
One West Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 755-9339
https://www.yelp.com/biz/rock-bottom-restaurant-and-brewery-chicago
New York on rye
Deli case
Interior
Interior
***** (5 stars)
This is the deli you’ve been looking for. Its extensive menu offers all the genuine New York style Jewish delicatessen standards, in every conceivable option.
Speaking of New York, try the New York sandwich: meaty pastrami on seeded rye (or whatever your preference) with their not-to-heavy cole slaw, and a perfect amount of Russian dressing. Order the half sandwich unless you want to take some home. My favorite (included) side item is the potato salad, but you can also upgrade to fries (three kinds) onion rings, and a lot of other stuff.
The serving staff has been here forever (and a few of the clients look like they have too), so it’s just like you remember it from however far back your memory goes. A great deli.
Nate’n Al Delicatessen
414 N Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 274-0101
https://www.yelp.com/biz/naten-al-delicatessen-beverly-hills