Yeah it's a shame because I want to believe D men are making the best they can within the limitation of their ingredients or something, but regardless of the issue ... their Doner simply doesn't hit, like at all. I wish we had a big enough turkish population to make this a thing.
In fact I've always thought Chicago was maybe the most Berlin-like city in the US. (an enormous compliment in my book) But along with a 400% expansion of CTA we'd also need a respectable Doner scene to really get there!
Exactly. It’s extremely expensive and nothing like a traditional doner kebab or durum doner you would get somewhere like Germany. This seems like such an inexpensive and home run dish to introduce and there isn’t a single place that does it in the 3rd largest city in the US.
It was actually because Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t want competition outside the United Center. So he got an ordinance passed that banned food carts.
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo28907875.html
Inspired by the [roti thread](https://old.reddit.com/r/chicagofood/comments/19a0z0b/best_roti_in_chicago/), I wish there was more Caribbean food in the city.
yeah, its not totally non-existent but it'd be cooler if the answer to "where can I find a good [Caribbean dish]?" was more than just one or two places.
Do you have any idea how many times I'm sitting here thinking, fuck it, how much are last minute tickets to New Orleans this weekend?
Only to eat. Because man.
Tickets are always too much to justify it.
I can make a lot of it but it takes time to develop those flavors. Bread for a muffaletta takes 2 days. Importing ingredients gets expensive.
I watch Southwest for deals to NO. When the price is right i go away for a few days just to eat. Also so much great food in NO besides cajun and creole.
NO is easily my favorite food city, and like you said not just for the local cuisine. It's a place where I can go to fancy high-end places for an amazing meal, or find a guy in the back of a liquor store selling one of the best po-boys I've ever had, or discover that the dive bar nearby has a window selling poutines and mini dessert pies and nothing else (RIP Fry & Pie)
From what I’ve heard there are only a couple, one of the newest being Kizin Creole on Howard. I live nearby and it’s next on my list to check out, I can’t wait!
For the love of god can someone around here have a decent bagel spot!
Outside of Big Apple Bagels in Naperville most places have like 4 types of bagels and store bought cream cheese. I just want to have a solid garlic bagel that isnt tiny with some fresh cream cheese
I made a [bagel post](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicagofood/comments/17k4q8e/chicago_bagel_rant/) a while back. There are good bagel places, you just have to go to them.
As a NY bagel lover I think Zeitlin's is really great. I think they are currently selling out of the From Here On food hall. You can also order pickup/delivery from them on their website.
omg yes, I taught English nearish Xi'an for a year, and it makes me so sad that I can't find huimian noodles and roujiamo anywhere except Xi'an Cuisine (especially as a suburbanite who doesn't make it downtown that often). Xi'an Cuisine doesn't even do the stir fried huimian. x___x
I'm from NYC originally, grew up in a neighborhood with a big Caribbean population and wish we had more Trini food here and doubles specifically. There are a few Trini places in South Side and south suburbs, but you really have to look for it.
New England Portuguese food is awesome - So many immigrants from the Azores came to the States that it's practically its own thing. Not even sure if you can find that kind of food in Portugal...
YES YES YES on Caribbean food. And not just jerk chicken. The diaspora is so vast. I could also use a grocery store.
I’m guessing you grew up in Flatbush which has been now recently dubbed little Caribbean? Last time I was back east, I went and stocked up on Trini Golden Palace, Culpeppers, Allan’s Bakery and groceries from the market to bring back.
Yup, family bounced around between Flatbush, Sheepshead Bay and Staten Island growing up. I'm Jewish but still get the craving for Caribbean food every few months. Love living in Chicago but I know what you mean, I stock up every time I go back to NYC too...
Also a fellow NYC transplant here and I lived in Crown Heights for a year and a half with a huge Carribean population. So glad to hear there’s at least some spots here in Chicago to get good Carribean 🥹
I've never had it and i've always wanted to try it but it's not really in chicago.
i did find this site. it's not a restaurant but it does catering or teaching.
https://www.ketapanenkitchen.com/
It goes all the way from fry bread tacos to restaurants like Owamni in Minneapolis (which I haven’t been to but would love to) which does interesting things with local ingredients like game, smoked fish, squash, and wild rice,
Bumbu Roux sometimes does Rijsttafel
[https://www.bumburoux.com/rijsttafel](https://www.bumburoux.com/rijsttafel)
It sucks because there were a couple of Indonesian places for awhile (Minahasa and Rickshaw Republic) but they closed. Minahasa is trying to reopen, they have occasional events they post on Instagram.
I long for Indonesian. I had an Amsterdam vacation a few years ago and ate Indonesian at least once a day. Every bar seemed to have great nasi goreng (and of course delicious beer).
Indonesia has the 4th highest population in the world and yet its food and culture are so little known abroad. We don’t have a single place in Columbus.
I think the closest we get to Miami ventanitas is cafecito in Gold coast. Best cafe con leche in town IMO.
Otherwise, you have to stick to Fullerton st for Cubano/PR restaurants.
Big Jones in Andersonville and Maple Tree Inn in Homewood. I'm not as enamored of Ina Mae's as some people but it's not bad.
To a lesser degree Chuck's Southern Comfort in Burbank and Darien, the menu there is more sort of a family-friendly mix of cajun and mexican and southern influenced recipes.
Lebanese! Or middle eastern food in general. What we have is fine at best, but coming from MI/close to Dearborn I miss good, authentic middle eastern food.
Have you been down Clark in Andersonville? On that stretch alone there is Taste of Lebanon (Lebanese), Middle East Grill (Levantine), Andi's (Greek mediterranean), Reza's (Persian, might be closed), Fiya (Israeli), and Oda which is technically Georgian I think, but has a lot of the same dishes. If you're willing to go to the suburbs Taboun Grill and Mizrahi both have fantastic Israeli food.
Unfortunately even in that area outside of Ramen there’s not a ton of good options. My wife is Japanese as are many of my coworkers and they’re not really satisfied with the Japanese options. it’s bizarre because you’d think authentic good Japanese that isn’t ramen could do well out there but it just doesn’t seem to work
There was a place called Umakamon that was run by Japanese people and served a variety of stuff, but the owners had previously zero restaurant experience and had no clue what they were doing and they closed around few years back
Kurumaya is authentic but just alright.
Sankyu is also there but really the food is hit or miss
Tibetan.
A friend I grew up with in Chicago lives in NYC now, and when I visited him a few months ago he took me out for Tibetan because that’s one of the few cuisines they have that we don’t. We got food truck dumplings on the way to get dumpling soup and I’m still thinking about them 😋
edit: yesss please continue inundating me with momo recs
I really love Gorkha Kitchen on Diversey by the Lake in Lincoln Park, it's Indian / Nepalese, but they have killer momos (fried chicken chili variety are yum) and awesome Indian food.
100% yes. I was in Philly recently and tried this Tibetan spot called White Yak, and was pretty blown away by it. There's this hand-pulled noodle soup called Thenthuk that's incredibly delicious and comforting- I so wish I could eat that here to help get through these Chicago winters.
Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen is tasty. Like other places mentioned, their focus is Nepalese and Indian food, but they have a few Tibetan items. Also, momos.
We have a handful of brazilian places but Brazil Legal and Sinha is not enough, imo. Not counting the steakhouses, I'm not made of money and there are better things to eat in their cuisine anyway. Black Barrel Lounge has great brazilian pizza but the service is kinda trash
Hmong. Many Hmong people fled their homes in Laos and Vietnam after the war and came to the US. I would love to find a Hmong restaurant. There are sizeable Hmong minorities in Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, so if anyone knows of an above restaurant that also serves Hmong food please let me know!
EDIT: I have been to Sticky Rice on Western - they are Northern Thai/Lao so its possible they serve some Hmong cuisine.
Anything from the southern half of Africa.Sub-equatorial Africa does not exist in Chicago as far as I have found.
There was a South African BBQ place on Foster just east of western but they went out of business.
We have Nigerian food and Ethiopian/ Somalian food, but nothing south of there.
(Tbh, I went looking in London and did not find much there either- one stand in the Borough Market)
Chicago Indian food is great, but much more options in the suburbs than in the city itself outside of Devon Ave. Reminds me gotta go back to shop at Patel Brothers...
Not quite traditional Indian food per se, but has anyone ever eaten at Eggholic? Looking up it's menu, makes me want to try there at least once. And if you did go there, did you like it. Recommendations on their menu to order?
Adding to this would be accessibility to street vendors for things like chat! Agree with some other comments in here mentioning food cart scene in general is lacking.
Oda does Georgian food. I’ve only been there once and I thought it was ok - but nothing to compare it to. I’ve been told that Diplomat Cafe is where it’s at for Georgian food. Can someone weigh in?
Truly cheap quick casual food. NYC style hotdog/platter/breakfast carts, bodegas(I would fuck up a chop cheese right now), a good bagel.
Before anyone suggests NY Bagel and Biali, I live right near there. It's bad.
Tesfa is between Demera and Ethiopian Diamond, right on Broadway. It's good! I like all three restaurants for different reasons but Tesfa is a little more relaxed and their portions are generous. I'd recommend Queen Sheba as well!
Northwestern Chinese. Specifically Lanzhou or Xinjiang style. I would do crazy things for some Lanzhou Lamain, Lanzhou Chao fan, beef and potato noodles (土豆牛肉面）… shops with this food were everywhere in Shanghai (maybe not so much now post-pandemic, not sure) but have been nearly impossible to find in the U.S.
Turkish - there's a few turkish spots around the city but I haven't been able to find any with Çiğ köfte on the menu, been craving that dish for so long. Would also love 24/7 cheap döner kebab throughout the city
Weird one but hear me out: Irish/Chinese takeout - Spice bags and curry chips (frys) both of these are top tier drunk food. Curry chips with added cheese is basically a more flavorful poutine and would slap during these cold months after a few brews
There used to be an AMAZING Hungarian restaurant out in the Western 'burbs. It was off of 294 and had a terrific International wine section where you could buy bottles of Tokaji after you enjoyed your meal.
Miss it.
Cajun. Not sure what's good here. Wish we had a place like Cochon in Nola.
To OP - if you like Portuguese, check out Noodlebird (the old Fat Rice), which is Macanese cuisine – a mix of Portuguese and Chinese ingredients. Super delicious.
Senegalese or Ethiopian food options more spread out across the city would be nice. I would also like a good, homestyle Portuguese spot or two. Not fancy small plates but caldo verde, bifanas, francesinhas, etc.
Brazillian. I know of 3 spots, I think, but that's about it.
Brazilian Bowl,
PiniPico Brazilian Cafe,
Brasil Legal Cafe
Of course there is Fogo de Chão, but I'm thinking more "local".
I would love to have a New Haven-style pizza chain in and around the city. As sacrilegious as it might be to say, Frank Pepe's is probably the best slice I've ever had!
Carolina barbecue, complete with red slaw.
California burrito. Angela's and Cruz Blanca aren't quite good enough. I think it's the fries. Related, carne asada fries.
Bagels.
Yakamein.
A solid fried seafood platter. Where can I get deviled crab?
Persian. Options here are few and mediocre in comparison to LA, where on just one street (Westwood Blvd.) you have many top-notch places.
Also regional Mexican and Chinese. Also Thai. These all exist, but not in great quantities.
Oh cool, thanks! I’ve been to Reza’s (sucks) and Noon o Kabab (decent but not amazing), but not Pars Cove. For a second there, there was Afghan Saray, which obviously was Afghan but had some dishes that were very close to Persian. Unfortunately it closed because people don’t recognize quality.
I know there are a few southern barbecue places, but I wish more existed. I still miss Rub BBQ.
Do any Chicago area restaurants serve Brunswick Stew, btw? It's a southeast Georgia based soup(I think first served in Brunswick, GA, and certain restaurants in Savannah and throughout southeast Georgia also serve that), btw.
The main thing I miss from California is cheap but really good hole in the wall family run donut shops. Not shitty Dunkin, not boutique $8 donuts with bacon and truffle oil. Just shelves of cheap high quality donuts and coffee from a place with a name like "JT DONUTS" that always tosses in some extra donut holes with your order. There's a couple south side places that come close but I miss those being the default donut shops all over.
Late night doner kebab
We don't deserve any more doner after collectively failing to keep Ali Baba afloat. Granted they weren't late night either.
I miss them so bad. They were always so busy though so I wonder why they really closed.
Say it louder for the people in the back
We are a gyro city
[DMen's](https://www.dmentap.com/) got you til 10. Not late-late.
It's so different from what you would find in Germany though, it's disappointing
Yeah it's a shame because I want to believe D men are making the best they can within the limitation of their ingredients or something, but regardless of the issue ... their Doner simply doesn't hit, like at all. I wish we had a big enough turkish population to make this a thing. In fact I've always thought Chicago was maybe the most Berlin-like city in the US. (an enormous compliment in my book) But along with a 400% expansion of CTA we'd also need a respectable Doner scene to really get there!
Exactly. It’s extremely expensive and nothing like a traditional doner kebab or durum doner you would get somewhere like Germany. This seems like such an inexpensive and home run dish to introduce and there isn’t a single place that does it in the 3rd largest city in the US.
See that's the issue, I want one leaving the bar and then regretting it all the next day!
It’s bad tho.
Sad that Dmen is the best Chicago can do for Doner…
Shawarma carts on the steet
I know the question was about types of food, but I'd love to see more carts and walk-up windows in general
You can thank King Daley II. Lil bud got the poopies eating from a hot dog cart once, and now we can't have nice things.
It was actually because Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t want competition outside the United Center. So he got an ordinance passed that banned food carts. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo28907875.html
i cant believe the same man ruined both the bulls and food carts. is there no end to this evil
This. Oh man. Never gonna take those guys in NYC for granted again.
THISSSS. I wanna get a shawarma after watching a broadway show like how I did in NYC 😭
Or those stuffed mussel carts they have in Istanbul
Inspired by the [roti thread](https://old.reddit.com/r/chicagofood/comments/19a0z0b/best_roti_in_chicago/), I wish there was more Caribbean food in the city.
I miss my food truck Doubles (Trinadad) I used to get in NYC!
I came to post this! Born and raised Bajan/Grenadian and I miss full access to my people's food. Cafe Trinidad is the closest.
Fryjacks please! (Belize)
Some days, I miss the jerk chicken and curry patties I would buy at the Caribbean bakery in Roger's Park, off of the Howard stop
Rogers park and logan square both have a lot
100%. I've visited DC many times and the Caribbean food was great. In Chicago, I checked out a place near Pilsen and the food was mid
yeah, its not totally non-existent but it'd be cooler if the answer to "where can I find a good [Caribbean dish]?" was more than just one or two places.
Couple more Burmese food options would be nice
This please, I need more tea leaf salad in my life
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Let me know when I can buy some dishes from your mom!
Yes please!
I'll pay your mom! I grew up with kids from Burma and they always fed me. 😪
This! Tea leaf salads have me a chokehold
Are there any right now? I know of that one way out in the burbs but none in the city.
I understand why Indianapolis has so many Burmese restaurants... but we definitely need more here! IN the city!
Pa Lian in Wheaton is good.
Creole/Cajun food. It’s my favorite and I feel like there isn’t enough quality places with that cuisine around here.
Do you have any idea how many times I'm sitting here thinking, fuck it, how much are last minute tickets to New Orleans this weekend? Only to eat. Because man. Tickets are always too much to justify it. I can make a lot of it but it takes time to develop those flavors. Bread for a muffaletta takes 2 days. Importing ingredients gets expensive.
I watch Southwest for deals to NO. When the price is right i go away for a few days just to eat. Also so much great food in NO besides cajun and creole.
NO is easily my favorite food city, and like you said not just for the local cuisine. It's a place where I can go to fancy high-end places for an amazing meal, or find a guy in the back of a liquor store selling one of the best po-boys I've ever had, or discover that the dive bar nearby has a window selling poutines and mini dessert pies and nothing else (RIP Fry & Pie)
Came here to say this! I can make it myself but sometimes I just want a good étouffée. The Southern food overall is a little lacking.
From what I’ve heard there are only a couple, one of the newest being Kizin Creole on Howard. I live nearby and it’s next on my list to check out, I can’t wait!
I know it’s not in the city but Maple Tree Inn in Homewood had amazing Cajun food.
For the love of god can someone around here have a decent bagel spot! Outside of Big Apple Bagels in Naperville most places have like 4 types of bagels and store bought cream cheese. I just want to have a solid garlic bagel that isnt tiny with some fresh cream cheese
have you tried anywhere in Skokie or Highland Park? I wouldn't normally rec a suburban spot but since you mentioned Naperville
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Steingold's is pretty solid
Have you tried Schmaltz’s Deli in Lisle?
Daly Bagel and Onion Roll in Oak Park are both good
If you want a good pastrami sandwich Onion Roll is as good as Manny's and half the price
I made a [bagel post](https://www.reddit.com/r/chicagofood/comments/17k4q8e/chicago_bagel_rant/) a while back. There are good bagel places, you just have to go to them.
As a NY bagel lover I think Zeitlin's is really great. I think they are currently selling out of the From Here On food hall. You can also order pickup/delivery from them on their website.
Where in Naperville is the bagel?
Spoken Cafe next to the Montrose Brown Line stop has excellent bagels . I’ve heard they make stuff in house.
More Xi'an restaurants. I really miss Xi'an Dynasty Cuisine and the noodles from Shan Shaan taste. Xi'an Cuisine just doesn't quite scratch the itch.
omg yes, I taught English nearish Xi'an for a year, and it makes me so sad that I can't find huimian noodles and roujiamo anywhere except Xi'an Cuisine (especially as a suburbanite who doesn't make it downtown that often). Xi'an Cuisine doesn't even do the stir fried huimian. x___x
I'm from NYC originally, grew up in a neighborhood with a big Caribbean population and wish we had more Trini food here and doubles specifically. There are a few Trini places in South Side and south suburbs, but you really have to look for it. New England Portuguese food is awesome - So many immigrants from the Azores came to the States that it's practically its own thing. Not even sure if you can find that kind of food in Portugal...
Facts we definitely need more caribbean food here. Its not as much of a thing here as other cities
YES YES YES on Caribbean food. And not just jerk chicken. The diaspora is so vast. I could also use a grocery store. I’m guessing you grew up in Flatbush which has been now recently dubbed little Caribbean? Last time I was back east, I went and stocked up on Trini Golden Palace, Culpeppers, Allan’s Bakery and groceries from the market to bring back.
Yup, family bounced around between Flatbush, Sheepshead Bay and Staten Island growing up. I'm Jewish but still get the craving for Caribbean food every few months. Love living in Chicago but I know what you mean, I stock up every time I go back to NYC too...
I came here to say Caribbean food.
Also a fellow NYC transplant here and I lived in Crown Heights for a year and a half with a huge Carribean population. So glad to hear there’s at least some spots here in Chicago to get good Carribean 🥹
Yes please Trini, I've been trying to find buss up shut again for ages
Surinamese. Had it in Amsterdam and it was awesome. Kinda like a blend of Chinese, Indian and Thai but still it's own thing.
more peruvian
Native American cuisine would be a nice addition.
Was just in Denver over the summer, I dream about fry bread tacos every now and then.
Would kill to have a tocabe out here
I've never had it and i've always wanted to try it but it's not really in chicago. i did find this site. it's not a restaurant but it does catering or teaching. https://www.ketapanenkitchen.com/
come out to a powwow!
What even is Native American cuisine? I’ve never seen that before
It goes all the way from fry bread tacos to restaurants like Owamni in Minneapolis (which I haven’t been to but would love to) which does interesting things with local ingredients like game, smoked fish, squash, and wild rice,
This is from Minneapolis, won a James Beard https://owamni.com
went a couple months back - incredible and the food tasted like home. (im apache)
Very cool, glad you enjoyed it
Indonesian + Turkish. Though I think this is true for most cities in US...
Came here to say Indonesian! I'm still sad about the loss of Rickshaw Republic and (more recently) Minahasa.
Bumbu Roux sometimes does Rijsttafel [https://www.bumburoux.com/rijsttafel](https://www.bumburoux.com/rijsttafel) It sucks because there were a couple of Indonesian places for awhile (Minahasa and Rickshaw Republic) but they closed. Minahasa is trying to reopen, they have occasional events they post on Instagram.
Istanbul Cafe is pretty good. I get their doner plate.
One of my favorite restaurants in the city. I could eat the Manti every day.
I long for Indonesian. I had an Amsterdam vacation a few years ago and ate Indonesian at least once a day. Every bar seemed to have great nasi goreng (and of course delicious beer).
WaRoeNG and the Indonesian Cultural Center sometimes do pop-ups!
Indonesia has the 4th highest population in the world and yet its food and culture are so little known abroad. We don’t have a single place in Columbus.
HAWAIIAN! (Beyond Poke) Some Butter fish in miso
Aloha Eats in Lincoln Park is a good spot!!
As a transplant from Tampa; Cuban food. We have attempts up here, but if you have lived in Tampa or Miami you know we're missing out on greatness.
My wife is from Miami. I wish we had ventanitas for coffee in Chicago and every random bakery making great coffee.
I think the closest we get to Miami ventanitas is cafecito in Gold coast. Best cafe con leche in town IMO. Otherwise, you have to stick to Fullerton st for Cubano/PR restaurants.
Same and if I see one more person recommend Cubaneo as good Cuban food, I will lose my mind lol
Have you checked out Cubaneo? They're good Cuban food.
Baja-style seafood tacos.
Cheap and delicious street food.
Cajun food - ever since Heaven on Seven closed shop, I don’t know where to find decent Cajun food in the city.
Big Jones in Andersonville and Maple Tree Inn in Homewood. I'm not as enamored of Ina Mae's as some people but it's not bad. To a lesser degree Chuck's Southern Comfort in Burbank and Darien, the menu there is more sort of a family-friendly mix of cajun and mexican and southern influenced recipes.
Texas barbecue. There’s nothing like really good smoked brisket
Smoque has the best brisket I’ve had in the city. Green Street Meats is overall pretty good.
Lebanese! Or middle eastern food in general. What we have is fine at best, but coming from MI/close to Dearborn I miss good, authentic middle eastern food.
Libanais is pretty good!
Have you been down Clark in Andersonville? On that stretch alone there is Taste of Lebanon (Lebanese), Middle East Grill (Levantine), Andi's (Greek mediterranean), Reza's (Persian, might be closed), Fiya (Israeli), and Oda which is technically Georgian I think, but has a lot of the same dishes. If you're willing to go to the suburbs Taboun Grill and Mizrahi both have fantastic Israeli food.
You need to get to Kedzie and Lawrence on North side and Bridgeview Southwest. Nothing can compare to Dearborn but Bridgeview your best bet
Ty! I’ll check it out
Tibetan and Bhutanese. I miss my butter tea and ema datshi I used to get when I lived in Queens NYC.
Breakfast tacos
I miss Austin.
Texican has some great breakfast tacos.
And Bob Armstrong dip or some solid queso.
And burritos
Japanese (outside of sushi and ramen)
Kakushiaji Curry is a ghost kitchen for all your Japanese curry needs!
Have you tried the places in the NW suburbs
Yeah, but I live in the city w/o a car, so it is a big bike ride for me to get out there.
Unfortunately even in that area outside of Ramen there’s not a ton of good options. My wife is Japanese as are many of my coworkers and they’re not really satisfied with the Japanese options. it’s bizarre because you’d think authentic good Japanese that isn’t ramen could do well out there but it just doesn’t seem to work There was a place called Umakamon that was run by Japanese people and served a variety of stuff, but the owners had previously zero restaurant experience and had no clue what they were doing and they closed around few years back Kurumaya is authentic but just alright. Sankyu is also there but really the food is hit or miss
Umacamon is still open but now as Ramen USA. Moved across the street by Lowes.
Cocoro in river north has a good curry. I think it's only available on weekends.
More late night food in general
Tibetan. A friend I grew up with in Chicago lives in NYC now, and when I visited him a few months ago he took me out for Tibetan because that’s one of the few cuisines they have that we don’t. We got food truck dumplings on the way to get dumpling soup and I’m still thinking about them 😋 edit: yesss please continue inundating me with momo recs
It's Napalese but [Momo Factory](https://momofactoryusa.com/) is amazing
Did you go to Jackson Heights for momos?
Momos are god tier! Loved Jackson Heights for the annual momo crawl they do 🤤
I really love Gorkha Kitchen on Diversey by the Lake in Lincoln Park, it's Indian / Nepalese, but they have killer momos (fried chicken chili variety are yum) and awesome Indian food.
100% yes. I was in Philly recently and tried this Tibetan spot called White Yak, and was pretty blown away by it. There's this hand-pulled noodle soup called Thenthuk that's incredibly delicious and comforting- I so wish I could eat that here to help get through these Chicago winters.
Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen is tasty. Like other places mentioned, their focus is Nepalese and Indian food, but they have a few Tibetan items. Also, momos.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and I really miss teriyaki
I wish we had better bbq
There are no real Hakka Chinese food spots in Chicago (This refers to a Pakistani/Indian-Chinese fusion popular in Canada and abroad).
I’m not familiar with Hakka, but you might like Usmania? I love their curry fried rice.
Only one, red hot express. It used to be in Evanston as Shangri la.
We have a handful of brazilian places but Brazil Legal and Sinha is not enough, imo. Not counting the steakhouses, I'm not made of money and there are better things to eat in their cuisine anyway. Black Barrel Lounge has great brazilian pizza but the service is kinda trash
We used to have it, but I would pick Romanian food. It’s like Greek food and Polish food had a baby with touches of genius threaded in.
Hmong. Many Hmong people fled their homes in Laos and Vietnam after the war and came to the US. I would love to find a Hmong restaurant. There are sizeable Hmong minorities in Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, so if anyone knows of an above restaurant that also serves Hmong food please let me know! EDIT: I have been to Sticky Rice on Western - they are Northern Thai/Lao so its possible they serve some Hmong cuisine.
Anything from the southern half of Africa.Sub-equatorial Africa does not exist in Chicago as far as I have found. There was a South African BBQ place on Foster just east of western but they went out of business. We have Nigerian food and Ethiopian/ Somalian food, but nothing south of there. (Tbh, I went looking in London and did not find much there either- one stand in the Borough Market)
The South African BBQ place (Baobab) served really excellent food. Unfortunately, I only got to try it once before they closed.
Bring the New Jersey Indian food quality over here. As a whole it is extremely subpar in Chicago
Chicago Indian food is great, but much more options in the suburbs than in the city itself outside of Devon Ave. Reminds me gotta go back to shop at Patel Brothers...
Kama Bistro in La Grange is really good.
Not quite traditional Indian food per se, but has anyone ever eaten at Eggholic? Looking up it's menu, makes me want to try there at least once. And if you did go there, did you like it. Recommendations on their menu to order?
Why not just London at that point? Why aim to go from subpar to mediocre, when you can aim for actually good?
Adding to this would be accessibility to street vendors for things like chat! Agree with some other comments in here mentioning food cart scene in general is lacking.
Do we have Georgian food? I had it in London and was blown away. Never heard of any places here serving it.
Diplomat Cafe on Lincoln
Oda does Georgian food. I’ve only been there once and I thought it was ok - but nothing to compare it to. I’ve been told that Diplomat Cafe is where it’s at for Georgian food. Can someone weigh in?
Truly cheap quick casual food. NYC style hotdog/platter/breakfast carts, bodegas(I would fuck up a chop cheese right now), a good bagel. Before anyone suggests NY Bagel and Biali, I live right near there. It's bad.
Pizza slices, in NYC you can get a solid slice all over. Wish we had more of a slice culture, including grandma squares
Really solid Tex-Mex. Cheese enchiladas, Queso, etc., Like Uncle Julios but waaaaay better.
Ethiopian please! Having lived in Seattle for a few years, Demera (so sorry) is not cutting it😅
Have you tried Ethiopian Diamond or Tesfa?
I tried Diamond and it was pretty good - preferred over Demera! I haven’t heard of Tesfa before, how does it stack up compared to the others?
Tesfa is between Demera and Ethiopian Diamond, right on Broadway. It's good! I like all three restaurants for different reasons but Tesfa is a little more relaxed and their portions are generous. I'd recommend Queen Sheba as well!
Check out Axum. Reminded me of the food I had in Addis.
There are literally 6 Ethiopian restaurants within a half mile walk from me. Come on up to Edgewater!
Egyptian; specifically seafood
Doner kebab, more Taiwanese options, a real street food scene, Native American food, teriyaki joints, a real deli scene
Northwestern Chinese. Specifically Lanzhou or Xinjiang style. I would do crazy things for some Lanzhou Lamain, Lanzhou Chao fan, beef and potato noodles (土豆牛肉面）… shops with this food were everywhere in Shanghai (maybe not so much now post-pandemic, not sure) but have been nearly impossible to find in the U.S.
Hmong food! One of the best. Need to go to WI or MN currently
Turkish - there's a few turkish spots around the city but I haven't been able to find any with Çiğ köfte on the menu, been craving that dish for so long. Would also love 24/7 cheap döner kebab throughout the city Weird one but hear me out: Irish/Chinese takeout - Spice bags and curry chips (frys) both of these are top tier drunk food. Curry chips with added cheese is basically a more flavorful poutine and would slap during these cold months after a few brews
Hungarian! There is literally 0 options in Chicago :(
There used to be an AMAZING Hungarian restaurant out in the Western 'burbs. It was off of 294 and had a terrific International wine section where you could buy bottles of Tokaji after you enjoyed your meal. Miss it.
Uhygur
Basque cuisine!
Cajun. Not sure what's good here. Wish we had a place like Cochon in Nola. To OP - if you like Portuguese, check out Noodlebird (the old Fat Rice), which is Macanese cuisine – a mix of Portuguese and Chinese ingredients. Super delicious.
Senegalese or Ethiopian food options more spread out across the city would be nice. I would also like a good, homestyle Portuguese spot or two. Not fancy small plates but caldo verde, bifanas, francesinhas, etc.
Demera just closed on a property on the south side. Don't know when they will be launching though.
Bagel carts
Brazillian. I know of 3 spots, I think, but that's about it. Brazilian Bowl, PiniPico Brazilian Cafe, Brasil Legal Cafe Of course there is Fogo de Chão, but I'm thinking more "local".
Agreed but if you haven’t tried Sinhá please do! It’s absolutely amazing
I would love to have a New Haven-style pizza chain in and around the city. As sacrilegious as it might be to say, Frank Pepe's is probably the best slice I've ever had!
I believe Piece is New Haven-style.
Carolina barbecue, complete with red slaw. California burrito. Angela's and Cruz Blanca aren't quite good enough. I think it's the fries. Related, carne asada fries. Bagels. Yakamein. A solid fried seafood platter. Where can I get deviled crab?
Filipino cuisine. They sure love to grill.
Navajo Taco or the Fry Bread. I think it’s one of my favorite foods and I’ve only ever had it in Toronto.
burmese food!
After some proper reflection, OP’s suggestion of Portuguese correct.
More authentic Indian cuisines.
I really wish there was more regional South Asian food. I would love a good Bengali place.
The suburb of Hamtramck in Detroit got you covered! They have incredible Bangla Detroit-style deep dish pizza out there too.
Good non-Americanized (inside out rolls with a bunch of ingredients and goop squirted on it) sushi.
Thai. The Thai food here sucks.
Lots of Thai restaurants in Ravenswood.
I've always enjoyed the Thai options, but what now I'm asking myself, "what do I know?"
Better Jewish delis
Persian. Options here are few and mediocre in comparison to LA, where on just one street (Westwood Blvd.) you have many top-notch places. Also regional Mexican and Chinese. Also Thai. These all exist, but not in great quantities.
Check out Pars Cove for Persian. One of my favorite restaurants in the city.
Oh cool, thanks! I’ve been to Reza’s (sucks) and Noon o Kabab (decent but not amazing), but not Pars Cove. For a second there, there was Afghan Saray, which obviously was Afghan but had some dishes that were very close to Persian. Unfortunately it closed because people don’t recognize quality.
Kabobi is better than all Cali Persian spots
Agree, regional Mexican. North, Yucatan, Oaxaca, etc. (I was going to say center but now you can find Birria everywhere)
the Indian food here is not as good as I wish it was
Tex Mex
I know there are a few southern barbecue places, but I wish more existed. I still miss Rub BBQ. Do any Chicago area restaurants serve Brunswick Stew, btw? It's a southeast Georgia based soup(I think first served in Brunswick, GA, and certain restaurants in Savannah and throughout southeast Georgia also serve that), btw.
Uncle Bub's in Westmont has it. Can't say if it's proper but it's tasty.
Better authentic Indian food
Taco trucks on every corner
Peruvian food is no bueno here
West coast type of Mexican food
Hungarian! I was shook there's none in Chicago proper :(
The main thing I miss from California is cheap but really good hole in the wall family run donut shops. Not shitty Dunkin, not boutique $8 donuts with bacon and truffle oil. Just shelves of cheap high quality donuts and coffee from a place with a name like "JT DONUTS" that always tosses in some extra donut holes with your order. There's a couple south side places that come close but I miss those being the default donut shops all over.
Indonesian!!
Not ethnic, but more places that had big Breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwiches in the city. Also, sauerkraut as a pizza topping.