We just got back from the Windy City and we had an absolutely amazing time eating our way around this past weekend! This is me and my husband’s 2nd time together (the first time around I had tagged along on a work trip and we’ve both been separately a handful of times for work) so we had a hit list of places we’ve been wanting to try for awhile now that we were able to finally go to being on actual PTO vs for work.
Kasama in Ukrainian Village — Longanjsa breakfast sandwich with hash brown: as a FilipinoAm, I’ve been wanting to try this place for over 2 years (the last time we were here) and it truly lived up to the hype! I can see why this is considered one of the best breakfast sandwiches in Chicago and since I personally love Filipino breakfast, this sandwich is now #1 on my personal list as well. I’m so glad we splurged on the hash brown since the crunchy texture really enhanced the sandwich, every element was also perfectly cooked which shows the Michelin techniques and status of this place. My only comment is that I wish there was hot sauce .. I have on hand this chili vinegar sauce from Naks here in NYC and really think it would’ve taken this over the top!
Kasama pastries — we kept this pretty classic and went for the Apple Hand Pie and Blueberry Muffin Top which were both incredible. We ate this later in the day/trip and it still held up. We had ordered everything for pick up which was definitely the move and I really appreciated the fact that they made coffee drinks to order once you arrived.
Buffalo Joe’s in Evanston: spicy wings — as a Northwestern alumni, my husband has been talking about this place for over a decade and I had pretty low expectations since the pics looked ok to me but honestly I can see why this is his all time fav wings place in the country and I wholeheartedly agree with him now too. He hasn’t had this since being in college and it matched the same taste as he remembered which is a pretty incredible feat post COVID, if anyone has a copycat recipe for the sauce please let me know since I’m now on the hunt for trying to replicate this! We ended up getting this twice, with the second time being delivery and it still held up.
Pequods in Lincoln Park (for delivery): deep dish pepperoni pizza — my husband and I can’t help but be a bit of pizza snobs coming from NYC but we really wanted to try and like deep dish. My husband extremely disliked his experience and food at Lou Malnati’s last time so we decided to try this place after some research and we really liked it! Deep dish isn’t our preferred way to eat pizza but we loved how tasty the sauce was, the cheese, the pepperoni (which made it) and the really crispy outside crust. This held up for delivery and I even ate it cold while hungover the next morning.
Rendang Republic in Wrigleyville: beef rendang with fried rice, chicken skewers with peanut sauce — we originally had dinner plans in Hyde Park at Virtue but the weather was wildly nice this entire weekend so decided to pivot our plans and opt to walk around instead and check out the neighborhoods (one of our favorite things to do in the city). We took the L and I looked up places on GoogleMaps and this popped up, noticed it was pretty buzzy on Eater, the Infatuation and decided to check it out since we were looking into fast casual options. I am SO SO happy we decided to go here because the food was incredibly flavorful, service was so nice and I loved that they gave you real utensils. I’ve read up more on this place since going and I’m so glad that places like this and Kasama are bringing Filipino/Southeast Asian flavors into the spotlight. I loved that they also do Chicago spins on Indonesian dishes/flavors which is so unique .. I can totally see them doing a pop up here in NYC and doing extremely well. We loved walking through this area, Lincoln Park and Old Town.
Johnnys in Lincoln Park: Italian beef — this was honestly our least favorite bite, both me and my husband prefer Al’s Italian Beef but I personally liked the gravy/roast beef type of flavor to this sandwich.
Garrett — we didn’t realize how early these locations closed but we were able to get a bag in our hotel! Honestly worth it, I didn’t realize they sold it this way but so so convenient and just as good as we remembered.
Not depicted: Al’s Italian Beef (we tried a bunch of different sandwiches last time we were here and this was hands down our favorite so we ordered it for delivery immediately while we landed), The Fudge Shop
Overall: we really lucked out with how warm and sunny this past weekend was which allowed us more flexibility to walk around and eat as well as enjoy all this food! There’s another post in this thread talking about Chicago VS NYC food scene and obviously (and totally biased) NYC is unparalleled between amount of choices, caliber, late night, etc. but we love the food scene here and appreciate the warm Chicagoan hospitality and vibes.
Hopefully we’ll be able to go back in the spring since we want to see a sporting event (has always been on our bucket list) so let me know if there are any places we need to try next time!!!
by aspiring-green-thumb
29 Comments
Respect to whoever bit directly into the Pequods. Anyone who says you need a fork and knife for deep dish is deluded.
The next time you’re back in Evanston, hit up Chicken Shack. It’s an institution and your husband ought to remember how good the fried chicken is.
Honestly I think deep dish is better if you don’t think of it as pizza. Or rather, maybe it’s pizza but it’s not the same dish as the thing everyone else calls pizza. IMO pequods was the right call. I’ve never enjoyed Lou’s.
5/10???
Ehhh, 4-5/10?
Maybe I’m taking this too seriously, but your post is lengthy soooo…
Credit for doing the homework to find a couple of legit places, but, like Chicago’s food scene is absolutely enormous. And yeah, NY has more options cuz size, buuuut… Speaking as someone with lots of experience with both, I’ll give you NY’s bar and late night scene… but if we’re just talking food?
Higher score (maybe) if you did “Chicago far northside and northside cheap/casual vs same in Crown Heights” … but just Chi vs NY?
Good job getting the buff Joe’s‼️😉
No Mexican is my only complain
Buff joes da best! I don’t have a copy cat recipe, but they will sell you a gallon of it to go. My brother lives in SF and will ship it back home when he’s in town (or ask a local to ship it for him).
Not sure if you went to Johnny’s thinking it was Johnnie’s but Johnnie’s is the best Italian beef, Johnny’s in Lincoln Park is definitely mid.
Chicago stuff:
– Margie’s Candy for ice cream and candy
– Budacki’s for the Korean Philly Cheesesteak
– Rainbow Cone
– Atomic Cake
– Manny’s Deli (kind of like Katz’s but Chicago)
– Red Hot Ranch (a legit hot dog/burger spot)
– SuperDawg (a hot dog/burger drive-in)
Filipino:
– Umaga Bakery
– Near Seafood City with even more Filipino places (Jolibee, Max’s, Red Ribbon, Ima’s)
– Kanin
– Del Sur
– Ruby’s Fast Food (just old school Filipino food and enormous portions)
– Bayan Ko
I truly am touched that you mentioned the warm hospitality. I truly feel that Chicagoans get a bad rap. We might come off as curt and brash but Chicagoans will totally help push your car out of snow bank, will invite you along when bar-hopping, and will watch your back if someone’s fucking with you like a pickpocket or purse snatcher.
Johnny’s not to be confused with Johnnies, mediocre beef vs great beef. Wanted to clarify for the pitchfork holders!
Wow those are low scores from people. Maybe I’m just hungry but 8/10 for sure! What a fun weekend. I’m glad you had beautiful weather too.
Next time I also recommend going to a Garrett’s stand and get the fresh made, it’s divine
Def hit Virtue next time. My sis lives in NYC and loved it when I took her there on one of her recent visits. It’s so good.
That prepackaged Garrett’s is terrible.
Good job. But next time you gotta get fresh Garrett’s… It’s so much better than the prepackaged stuff.
You hit buff joes so this was a successful trip
Johnny’s Italian Beef is meh. Johnnie’s Italian Beef , in Elmwood Park and Arlington Heights, is the best available.
Garrett’s pre-packed pales in comparison to the freshly prepared product. Definitely worth a return visit
Born and raised in Evanston and idc what anyone says Buff Joe’s mild sauce is PHENOMENAL! 🔥🔥🔥🔥😋
As a NYC native (born and raised in queens), I actually didn’t enjoy Rendang Republic. I thought the beef rendang was super tough and chewy. I found myself comparing it to food I’ve had in Elmhurst and Flushing, so I may have gone on an off day and maybe I need to give it another try. Your other spots I def agree are must tries. I loooove Buff Joes!
That doesn’t count as Garrett’s
That beef sandwich looks dry af! Gotta at least try it dipped next time
Peeps are being harsh I think you did a great job. Buff Joe’s is a great pull. Ppl may not love pequods the same way they used to but tbh ppl have just moved on. For others who haven’t had deep dish everytime a friend comes to visit, pequods is def intermediate level deep dish pan (a good thing).
-other than the Johnny’s and Johnnies mixup, did well imo. Its like nyc, hard to hit explore a whole borough in a few trips.
Maybe Chicago does sit down chinese/Asian slightly better or kind of even but in terms of fast casual or fast chinese NYC wins hands down. Nyc is just hard to beat food wise. Except for Mexican I guess.
They do give chili sauce and vinegar but you gotta ask for it
Great choices overall! I’d argue about caliber/choices, def try and get out of Lincoln Park (though Crisp up there also has solid wings) as the west side has so much to offer. Chicago does lack in terms of number of late night options in comparison.
Places to try, Papa’s Cache Sabroso right by Humboldt Park has the best chicken, it’s rotisserie style but they get it crisp to where it’s like having fried chicken. They have really good jibaritos as well
Offset BBQ, Best Intentions, Lula Cafe are also some spots I’d recommend.
Nice to see Rendang Republic. Not a lot of people talk about that place. It’s been on my radar for a while.
Johnny’s Beef in Lincoln Park isn’t that good. I’ve had it a few times and have always been disappointed. It seems to get a lot of positive buzz on Yelp and here. I think they don’t have much competition for that type of food in the neighborhood. There are still a few places I need to try. I love gyros, and I’ve been struggling to find a place I like in Lincoln Park. As someone else pointed out, it has no affiliation with Johnnie’s, which makes the best Italian Beef I’ve ever had in my whole life.
I know a lot of people don’t like it, but I love Buffalo Joe’s. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I really like the flavor of their wings. I freely acknowledge they are small wings.
Someone suggested you go to Manny’s. It’s a nice Jewish deli, some of their dishes are great. If you’ve been to a good New York deli (and I assume you have), DO NOT get corned beef or pastrami. It does not compare at all to what you can get in NYC.
Ya’ll did great!!
You did great. Lots of comments now, dunno if you’ll see this one, but every time we visit NYC (couple or 3 times a year) we hit Brooklyn Bagel straight outta the Uber and hit Joe’s on Carmine street a couple hours later, are we doing it right??!?
Basic af
Damn Fine!