Uni-Mart Niles

Did a search, and only found this place tucked into a discussion of Niles in general. But a visit there today suggested it deserved its own thread.

I hadn't been there for a while, but went expecting some grocery shopping with a bit of food on the side. However, this place is in transition. It still has some groceries, but it is in the process of becoming more restaurant than grocery store. There are more tables and chairs, and instead of just carry-out and catering, they are able to accommodate dine-in (though you still stand in line and eat your food out of a styrofoam container -- at least at present). Aside from being interesting and tasty, the meals are a great bargain -- two entrees with noodles or rice, plus a soda, for $6. If a dish is unfamiliar, they'll give you a sample so you can find out if it's what you want to order. Be advised, however, that drinks are limited to soda and sweetened iced tea -- or water. But not a full-service place yet.

From the dining room, one can watch people making interesting fried and baked pastries (and offering samples), as well as the high-end Filipino chocolate they are now promoting.

They still offer catering--including a whole, roasted pig, if you so desire, but have signs up that encourage you to talk to them, and they'll help keep you within your budget.

Good chicken curry, chicken adobo, beef stew, and pork belly with vegetables along with tasty rice noodles with vegetables, and we were mighty pleased with our meal -- especially at $6. Looking forward to going back and trying something else (more than a dozen choices).

Uni-Mart
7315 Dempster Street,
Niles, IL 60714

Never been impressed with this place for shopping, may have to try it again for lunch.

Were you aware that at one point this building was the home of Abt Electronics? They moved from there to Waukegan in Motion Grove where 3T Imaging is now, and then to their current Glenview campus.

JoelF wrote:Never been impressed with this place for shopping, may have to try it again for lunch.

Were you aware that at one point this building was the home of Abt Electronics? They moved from there to Waukegan in Motion Grove where 3T Imaging is now, and then to their current Glenview campus.

Agree--not fabulous for shopping (unless you need some specific Filipino ingredients).

And no -- thought it looked like it might have been a bank at some time but had no idea Abt was there prior to its Waukegan Rd. location.

As for lunch -- I enjoyed the food -- and it would be hard to beat the price.

Thanks for the information! When I was working up in Glenview I visited several places nearby but never there.

Looks like a place I would of enjoyed.

I noticed in the window they advertise BBQ?

Not the BBQ we mostly discuss on LTH -- more like "Korean BBQ" -- that is, anything cooked with fire. (I do love Korean BBQ, so that is not a disadvantage, just not going to be the kind of BBQ that draws LTHers to Smoque and Honey1.)

Cynthia wrote:Not the BBQ we mostly discuss on LTH -- more like "Korean BBQ" -- that is, anything cooked with fire. (I do love Korean BBQ, so that is not a disadvantage, just not going to be the kind of BBQ that draws LTHers to Smoque and Honey1.)

I do realize (especially considering the area) that it probably was an Asian style BBQ.

I didn’t see you mention it? Was it available?

Thanks!

I did notice meat on sticks among the luncheon items. Looked like they might have been over a fire. But for the $6 lunch, I didn't see much else "barbecuey" on offer. However, they do have signs up for things that were not part of the lunch offerings. Or maybe it refers to the whole, roasted pig they do. Don't know. Sorry.

Went back today with a friend -- hard to resist a $6 lunch.

Tasted the chicken curry last time, but made it one of my two entree choices this time. Wonderful. For my second dish had something called Tocino -- which is usually a word I associate with bacon. This wasn't bacon, but it was clearly a relative -- thick strips of fatty pork in a sauce that tasted of pineapple and seemed distantly related to barbecue sauce. Hard not to love that.

Don't go expecting the servers to be able to explain a great deal about the dishes. All the description I received for the Tocino was "pork -- a little sweet." But they are at least able to tell you key ingredients.

Apparently, the name of the restaurant is or will be Bacolod's Best. I did notice (harking back to the query up thread about the BBQ sign) that while the steam table didn't offer anything that appeared to be cooked over fire, the carry-out menu offers a number of things char-grilled.

So still fun -- and still more things to try. (And only about a mile and a half from Richwell Market, so convenient to fun shopping opportunity, as the in-house market devolves.)