Roti shops in Chicago

I was telling my girlfriend about roti the other day (she's never eaten it), and I said, well, we've have to go get some. Then I realized that I've never seen a roti shop in Chicago. I've only lived here for two years and I haven't been to every neighborhood (plus I don't drive), so I'm sure I just haven't seen them. I tried a Google search, but no luck. I'm sure they must exist, though.

Ever since that conversation, I am craving a nice potato and chick pea roti. Where can I get a good one, preferably on the north side (as I said, I don't drive).

Thanks so much in advance!

I'm not aware of any Chicago roti shops such as you'll find seemingly everywhere in Toronto (they even have roti shop franchises there) but you might be able to satisfy your craving at Café Trinidad. It'll probably cost more and won't be as good as what you're used to but overall the restaurant is quite pleasant. It may not be easy to reach without a car though not impossible. I hope others will have better suggestions but I'm afraid that's all I can come up with.

Café Trinidad
557 E 75th St
Chicago
773-846-8080

Miss Mimi wrote:Ever since that conversation, I am craving a nice potato and chick pea roti. Where can I get a good one, preferably on the north side (as I said, I don't drive).
Thanks so much in advance!

Depends what you mean by a roti-shop

Roti is, of course, an Indian thing originally.. the Indian flat-bread I guess
youd call it. But there are no "roti shops" per se in India.. its part of
every meal, and almost every Indian restaurant has it. But I presume
you dont mean that.. you mean "roti shop" as in Caribbean? Or
Malaysian? (ie filled roti in wrap-style? Or roti used with a dipping
sauce in some way?)

If you mean these.. Penang is a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown,
which has a pretty good version of their roti-kanay. A good
Caribbean version of the filled-roti can be found at Cafe Trinidad,
way down on the south-side (79th street).

These may be the only two "roti shops" per se, that I know of, at least.

OTOH, if youre just craving *roti*.. any Indian restaurant up on Devon
will satisfy the craving That is, freshly made flat-bread.. and you
can order chick-peas and potatoes with it (or anything else).
And not just Devon either, most burbs nowadays have an Indian
restaurant or two, most of which should have decent roti.

For the roti arriving already stuffed with chickpeas-and-potatoes, however,
youd have to go down to Cafe Trinidad on the south-side I believe. I
dont know if anyone else carries it (most Northside West Indian
restaurants, though very good, are Jamaican. CT on 79th street
is one of the few of Trinidad origin in Chicago IIRC.. and roti is much
more a Trinidadian or Guyanese thing than Jamaican I suppose).


c8w

c8w wrote:

Miss Mimi wrote:Ever since that conversation, I am craving a nice potato and chick pea roti. Where can I get a good one, preferably on the north side (as I said, I don't drive).
Thanks so much in advance!

Depends what you mean by a roti-shop

I've eaten Indian roti, of course, but AFAIK, "roti shop" only means one thing--a little fast-food take out type place that sells Trinidadian roti.

I thought I'd done a search before posting, but I guess I didn't. Shame on me--I know better. But even if I had searched, it seems there are only two places in the Chicago area to get roti (thanks for the suggestion, Rene and c8w!), neither's the type of establishment I mean, and they aren't near me. Well, if the craving gets strong enough, I might just set off on a 1.5 hour bus trip.

Oh yeah, it's definitely a Trini thing, though I have seen them sold in patty shops, too. Is there just a much more significant Trini population in NYC (here I come from) than here?

Oh, speaking of patty shops, I haven't had callaloo loaf in ages, either. I'm off to search the forum for the best place to get that in Chicagoland.

Miss Mimi wrote:I thought I'd done a search before posting, but I guess I didn't. Shame on me--I know better. But even if I had searched, it seems there are only two places in the Chicago area to get roti (thanks for the suggestion, Rene and c8w!), neither's the type of establishment I mean, and they aren't near me. Well, if the craving gets strong enough, I might just set off on a 1.5 hour bus trip.

Oh yeah, it's definitely a Trini thing, though I have seen them sold in patty shops, too. Is there just a much more significant Trini population in NYC (here I come from) than here?

Oh, speaking of patty shops, I haven't had callaloo loaf in ages, either. I'm off to search the forum for the best place to get that in Chicagoland.

Cafe Trinidad isnt neccesarily a fast-food type place.. they make their
rotis to order, so it can take a few minutes - but other than that it sounds
very much like the kind of place you want IMHO. They have a variety of
rotis too - the chickpea-and-potato, the chicken-curry etc. They also have
a few entrees IIRC, curry-goat and so on. (And they make their own
ginger beer). They also have callaloo on the menu (though not callaloo
*loaf*). It is, of course, very far away however (which is one
reason I havent made it there in a while - even when Iam in the area,
I end up getting barbeque or at one of the Jamaican Jerk places a bit
more often).

I do think the Trini population is probably not quite as big in Chicago as
in NYC - the Jamaican population seems fairly strong (from anecdotal
evidence at least), and Ive met quite a few Guyanese (though I dont
know of a Guyanese restaurant per se).

You might be able to get callaloo at one of the Jamaican places on
the North Side too maybe? There are a fair number, and some of
them are pretty good.. Good to Go on Howard Street, for one. There is
also a Caribbean bakery on Howard which sells patties etc.. maybe
they have callaloo too, youd have to ask.

c8w

Cafe Trinidad
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5007

This thread containing a classic TonyC review made my eyes mist up.

Thanks, all.

I'm thinking I should check out Howard Street for the Jamaican stuff...

(Calallo loaf is a patty, but with somewhat different pastry, filled with calaloo. Most of the patty shops sell them.)

Oh Miss Mimi,

You have made me yearn for some roti, a patty and a ginger beer.
I was so hoping to hear that there were lots of places where I could satisy my cravings, but alas, it looks like I will have to head to Toronto!

Jyoti

Good call, Jay K. "1.5 pieces of chicken-on-the-bone, bland potatoes and blander chicken" indeed.

Miss Mimi, I look forward to your report when you get down to Cafe Trinidad. You might also like to try out Malaysian roti, which is closer to what I had when staying at Asa Wright on Trinidad last year than it is to Indian roti. An easy place to get to on public transport is Penang at the entrance to Chinatown (2201 S. Wentworth). I wouldn't recommend it for everything, but the roti canai (with a little pot of chicken curry) is usually wonderful.

Or Thai roti ...

...always on hand at Sticky Rice, though TAC using Erik's curry remains unmatched.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2603

Or a nice masala dosa from one of the South Indian spots? You have options.