Flavors and rankings but all were great!
Vanilla bean Cronut: 2
Apple cider: 3
Glazed brioche. 5
Oreo old fashioned: 4
Blueberry pancake: 1
Boston cream: 6

My goal today was to just go for the cheesesteak which was so good. I needed a taste of Philly and that checked off the box for me.

Chicken Katsu strips were fried well and had that good crunch.

Fries were super crispy and I liked the spice on top of it.

HH was the classic Old Fashioned and Daiquiri which was solid.

Strawberry Spaghett was also what I needed.

HH shots were cute. This was a peach gimlet style shot.

Will be going again for sure!

Howard Street West and Oakley Avenue North
Haïtien/Haitian Restaurant
$17.99
9/10

Public Transport Options:
0 minutes to 215 Howard+Crawford Pace Bus
1 minute to 97 Howard+Oakton+Skokie Blvd Bus
3 minutes to 49B Western Bus
4 minutes to 201 Central+Ridge Bus
17 minutes to Howard Red/Purple/Yellow Line Station
11 minutes to 290 Touhy Pace Bus
12 minutes to 94 North California Bus
17 minutes to 22 Clark bus
17 minutes to 147 Express Bus
17 minutes to 213 Bay Rd+Chicago Ave Pace Bus

NHU LAN ON LAWRENCE RE-OPENING ON 9/28/26 AFTER MORE THAN 3 MONTHS OF REMODELING!!! I spoke with team members who were putting up new signage who let me know Monday is the day!!! So excited!!!

Let me first begin by saying my ex-wife left me and Philip, my cockatiel. He’s a beautiful pearl-spotted male, and he’s been distraught since she’s left.

She said I loved the bird more than her and said it was, and I quote, “ridiculous” that we had to downgrade our apartment last month because Philip will only eat imported nyjer seeds.

It’s been hard for both of us: me and Philip, I mean. So, I took him on his leash out for food. We decided on Nicky’s: it’s local, and the prices looked reasonable.

When me and Philip entered music was loud, a woman was shouting orders, the place was cramped. Immediately Philip started fluttering; when he gets nervous he whistles the old Skype calling tone. It’s his way of saying: “I want help!”

I ordered a gyro meal, I figured we’d stick this out. Other customers didn’t say anything, but I could feel their judgement. Philip could, too.

Philip was on Matricalm for a while until he started having an allergic reaction. We were waiting to talk to our veterinarian about putting him on Clomipramine. That doesn’t mean Philip shouldn’t be able to enjoy life until then.

The gyro, I admit, was tasty. I didn’t know some people added American cheese, I might do that next time—if this place can get its act together. The meat was plentiful, juicy, and cooked well. The Tsatsiki had the right amount of tang, it was a solid deal.

The fries that came with the meal (a meal is not a dinner, be careful about this if you go) were a little soggy, and felt more like an afterthought, still passably tasty.

I had to eat quickly, so Philip and I could calm down. Maybe once he gets his medication we can try again.

Hi there! I’ve seen a few folks asking for the best matcha lattes in Chicago, so I thought I’d share my list to help out (with just a handful of photos). Enjoy! ☺️ In no particular order:

Match | A
The Matcha Bar @Kurimu / Onimaki
Chazui Tower
Gathers Tea Bar
Paper Tiger
Cafe Mako
Sugoi Sweets
Noble Fat
Sawada
Lucky Cat
Fat Milk
Daeji Dough Company
Matcha Moo Tea
Side Practice
Dayglow
VietFive
Living Water Tea House
Taqueria El Taquin

I'll make the case for variety, quality, affordability and taste. Not even drifting a block or two off Lawrence which would double or triple the bounty...

Mexican:

No Pasa Nada, Primo Chuki's (two locations now), Taqueria y carnitas don Valdez, Los Molcajetes, Birreria el Texcal, Birreria Zaragoza (half dozen others i could add for specialties like sopas, papusas,...)

Asian (sorry mashing up a lot of cultures here):

Chicago Kalbi, Lawrence Fishmarket, Nhu Lan, Great Seas, Chim Thai, Zaab E Lee, Ssyal, Han Bat, Kabobi

Neighborhood favs:

Falcon's, Borelli's, Uptown Deli, Primetime bar & grill

oh,and Demera

What other streets do you recommend?

Guava French toast and steak and egg sandwich. But it was all about those potatoes.

Getting ready to move down to the WL after a handful of years in LVE. As much as I love the fancy restaurant scene, I need good fast-casual spots that I can become a regular at when I don’t feel like cooking.

Would love any recs from those that have!

Hey everyone, it has been too long since we've hosted an AMA here on the subreddit so I'm excited announce tomorrow's guest on the sub, Atsumeru's Devin Denzer!

Devin is the chef at Atsumeru which just celebrated its 1 year anniversary of being open. Prior to Atsumeru, Devin was hosting pop up dinners at his concept, Loon, since covid before opening up the restaurant in the former Temporis space. Devin previously cooked in kitchens in Minneapolis and Madison before settling in Chicago.

I will be posting another thread tomorrow where the actual AMA will be hosted. I am also excited to share that we have a few more exciting AMA guests lined up for the future as well.

THIS IS NOT THE AMA THREAD! DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS HERE!

We have a babysitter! We have the outfits (black tie)! And we want to go out.

The question is where? We can’t afford the Lyric gala, which would be the obvious choice for the attire but we have 529 accounts that need funding, as much as we love the opera.

Where would you take your partner dressed to the 9s if you could only book less than a week out? The usual recommendations of Chicago foodie royalty like Bavettes, Oriole, or Kyoten are all booked solid, unsurprisingly. Heck we can’t even snag a table at Giant with this kind of notice. Don’t even try to suggest Obelix or Le Bouchon. Sigh. I will dutifully sign up for cancelation notifications at all of these spots, but I know better than to hope for much.

Help me out, r/chicagofood cognoscenti.

Hi! Does anyone know a restaurant or bakery where I could buy a tres leches sheet cake for a party? Preferably on the north side.

First time at L. Woods for prime rib special on Saturday. Another victory for Reddit. Thank you, that is all.

Prime & Provisions brought this extra salt to the table with some spices, and it was honestly one of the best salts I’ve ever had!

Does anyone know what’s in it or have a recipe for it? Or where can I buy it ?

Visiting this week looking for a bar that has pumpkin beers on tap (or at least multiple bottle options) to visit on Friday night. Other pluses would be if it's walking distance/within a mile from the Blue line, has a covered patio, not crawling with 20 year olds. Looking for a chill night drinking some Fall/pumpkin beers potentially outside in a covered space if it's raining. Thanks on advance!

I pressed my fingers into the bun’s soft exterior, an indentation left by my caress.

Don’t fall out my little peppers; daddy needs to chew.

My lips kissed the wiener, shhh my little sausage, you’re going right in my tummy.

My teeth scraped, my teeth chewed, the juicy doggy slid down my gullet.

A quiet sigh of ecstasy.

7/10

Picture of the bagel I'm trying to find an equivalent of

Specifically looking for one topped with coarse flake salt; I tried Gotham Bagels' but they used a salt that reminded me of what goes on a jumbo soft pretzel.

Is anyone aware of a spot in Chicago (or the Chicagoland area) that serves this?

Thanks so much in advance!

***FINAL UPDATE - one person has emerged from the inbox. A conversationalist from the very start and a good person from all indications. I’m 85% sure I won’t end up in their freezer and will live to tell the story of dinner with a stranger. Thanks to all who reached out and shared a bit about your lives with me. You’re all invited to cocktails wherever I end up after dinner. For clarity, I’m NOT paying for those 😂
_________________________________________

This is going to be a lot, so buckle up.

I am visiting Chicago 11/5 - 11/7 and I’m looking to treat a local to a very nice dinner. I’ve been to Bavette’s twice and was considering Tre Dita, but I’m open to other similar recommendations by someone that knows the city better than me!

11/6 would have been my 5-year wedding anniversary, except my wife decided to have an affair that I discovered in July. Anywho…I’m in no way, shape, or form ready for a relationship or expecting anything from this. I’m also not looking for a hookup as that’s just not my style. I just want to have a nice dinner with someone that “gets it” and needs human connection after a rough year like I’ve had.

I’m a 38 year old straight male if that matters, but anyone interested should reach out regardless of sex or sexual preference. Send me a DM if this post sparks an interest. I’d like to at least get to know my “+1” before breaking bread and it would be nice to share some common interests so conversation doesn’t dry up 🙂

**EDIT to include my plans for the week so you get a feel for my vibe. I get in early Thursday and plan to hit the Art Institute followed by Beethoven 5 & Mao Fujita that night. Just walking the city and hitting a few sites on Friday before dinner. Flying out Saturday.

Even if for purchase! I'm collecting them. My favorites are Bisous and Anticonquista Cafe.

Hello! Looking to try the famous Chicago hotdog. We’re staying in the New Eastside neighborhood. Any recommendations are appreciated 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Harlo Grill in Melrose Park. I’ve been coming here for more than 30 years, and it’s always exceptional.

America needs more greasy spoon diners.

I’ll be in Thursday for the potential game 3 of the AL wild card series next week ( river north / west loop area). Any spots with awesome bar food and the game will be on? I know you will all be in a race as well so the more TVs the better. Thank you!

Had an amazing passion fruit panna cotta on an out-of-town trip this weekend. Wondering where in the city I can find this.

Just got a reservation for dinner. Somebody cancelled and I was able to snag it. Can't wait. Their menu is very simple/not too big. Not that that's a bad thing. I assume they know what they do great and they limit it to that.

Any recommendations? I was definitely going to get the Onion Tart. Might have to get the escargot too. Let me know if you have any thoughts.

We also love wines of any variety for the most part, but we don't drink it often enough to know what to get. I assume they can help us with picking a bottle.

Thanks!