What restaurant does your neighborhood need ?

I live in Wicker Park and gosh darn it, if someone opened a decent Indian joint somewhere between Armitage/Division and Western/Ashland, I think it'd be rolling in $$.

In the 10+ years I've lived in the area, there have been about a bazillion sushi places, at least 5-10 Thai but no Indian. They could also use one more Chinese as Papagin is good, but a little variety would be nice.

So what's missing from your neighborhood ?

We live just off Damen in Ravenswood/Lincoln Square and sadly are just out of the delivery area of good Chicago-style pizza places.

ksbeck wrote:We live just off Damen in Ravenswood/Lincoln Square and sadly are just out of the delivery area of good Chicago-style pizza places.

Have you checked to see if Art of Pizza delivers to your area? I live in Buena Park and they deliver to us.

Don't get me started. I live in the North-of-Howard subneighborhood of Rogers Park. We're outside of everyone's delivery range -- Evanston places often won't deliver to Chicago, and Chicago places often make Howard their northern boundary.

At least we recently got a cafe within walking distance (Charmers, @ Greenview & Jarvis), even if they charge a quarter too much for a cup of coffee.

gtgirl wrote:

ksbeck wrote:We live just off Damen in Ravenswood/Lincoln Square and sadly are just out of the delivery area of good Chicago-style pizza places.

Have you checked to see if Art of Pizza delivers to your area? I live in Buena Park and they deliver to us.

gtgirl,

Thanks for the suggestion. If Art of Pizza delivers to Buena Park, then I imagine it delivers to our area as well. We've never tried them before, but are always looking for new options.

ksbeck,
Did you see this thread about Pizza Delivery in Lincoln Square? Hopefully this will help!

Believe it or not, we could use a good old fashioned Greek diner/family restaurant closer to us. We live near Diversey and Sheffield, and if we want to walk a half mile north and west, we've got the Golden Apple on Wellington and Lincoln; a half mile south and east, the Salt 'n' Pepper Diner on Lincoln; a half mile east, the Golden Nugget on Clark. But dammit, there oughta be one around the corner! I've never been able to figure, with all the people who live around here, why someone hasn't put one in.

Pucca wrote:ksbeck,
Did you see this thread about Pizza Delivery in Lincoln Square? Hopefully this will help!

Pucca,

Thanks - this was one of the first threads I went to when I discovered LTH! We've been working our way through some of the places mentioned, but have been underwhelmed by what we've tried, particularly Bubamara and Calo. Still, many more to go...

tem,

As a fellow 10+ year resident of Bucktown / WP, I want Indian too! Chicago and Orleans quality cab fare is plenty good enough. Please send some Indian to WP! May I recommend any entrepreneurs investigate the now vacant Big Horse Taco joint location.

MJ

Don't get me started. I live in the North-of-Howard subneighborhood of Rogers Park. We're outside of everyone's delivery range -- Evanston places often won't deliver to Chicago, and Chicago places often make Howard their northern boundary.

I feel your pain. I live at Ridge & Fargo, and I can't get a decent pizza delivered. Thank God Candelite is so close. Also, no good Thai delivery that I've found, and, as you said, Evanston restos, apart from Philly's Best, redline Rogers Park, for the most part.

vegmojo wrote:May I recommend any entrepreneurs investigate the now vacant Big Horse Taco joint location.

MJ

That's exactly what my friend and I talked about tonight !

IMHO - The world would be a better place if every neighborhood had at least one of each:

1.) Good old fashioned Mexican resturant (ie Nuevo Leon)
2.) Pizza joint (ie Pequod's or Burt's)
3.) Indian restaurant (ie Hema's)
4.) Greasy burger/Hotdog joint (ie Peppers or Wiener Circle)
5.) Sushi (ie Bob San)
6.) German (ie LaSchett's)
7.) Beer joint (ie Hopleaf)
8.) BBQ joint (ie Honey 1)
9.) Breakfast (ie Breakfast Club or Golden Nugget)
10.) Greasy Taco (ie La Pasadita)

... Preferably all in a 1 mile radius would do just fine... I mean really, is that too much to ask..?

~GS

I would want one middle eastern restaurant (in the vein of semiramis or salam or city noor), too. And the burger/dog joint would have to serve good gyros.

Otherwise, I really can't quibble with GS's list.

In addition to GS' list, I would love my neighborhood to have a Thai restaurant and a French bistro.

riddlemay wrote:Believe it or not, we could use a good old fashioned Greek diner/family restaurant closer to us.

As well, for some reason the closest thing to a diner on the eastern part of Howard is the IHOP (yecch) We used to have Belden's, which I really liked, but there was a fire...Maybe someone will open a good one in the old Osco on Asbury (sigh.)

Old Irving could use a good coffee/ice cream shop and Middle Eastern (I love Semiramis, but traffic around dinner time makes it a pain to get to).

As Ramon and I and others have bemoaned at great length, the far NW side of the city [and nearby 'burbs] could really, really use a decent Chinese restaurant. Nothing in the area rises even to the level of OK .

And delivery would be a bonus/blessing.

Giovanna

kafein wrote:Old Irving could use a good coffee/ice cream shop and Middle Eastern (I love Semiramis, but traffic around dinner time makes it a pain to get to).

You'll probably have much better luck getting to Shiraz during dinner time.

Also, Nefertiti Cafe (Egyptian) on the 3700 block of Lawrence is much closer to Pulaski and probably easier to get to.

For North African (similar), you also could try Tassili Cafe (broken images, Mike G!). I've been in there a few times and it is still just as Mike describes it. The food is good and the guys behind the counter are nice.

We recently had a menu in our mailbox from a place on Montrose & Hamlin called "Around the Clock Middle Eastern Food". The menu looked promising and the place looks like it's in business, but I've never seen them actually open. I'm still holding out hope.

For now, we give most of our business (mostly take out) to Salam. It's easy to call ahead and pick up because there's usually a spot in their little lot.

Best,
Michael

My neighborhood used to be Hyde Park. I moved *

*with apologies to fans of RibsNBibs and Rajun Cajun.

We do need to try Shiraz. We could probably walk there I'm so spoiled by Semiramis though, it's hard to not compare.

Thanks for the tips!

Mhays wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Believe it or not, we could use a good old fashioned Greek diner/family restaurant closer to us.

As well, for some reason the closest thing to a diner on the eastern part of Howard is the IHOP (yecch) We used to have Belden's, which I really liked, but there was a fire...Maybe someone will open a good one in the old Osco on Asbury (sigh.)

So why aren't you going to Patty's Diner?

tem wrote:They could also use one more Chinese as Papagin is good, but a little variety would be nice.

Friendship Chinese, though they are in Logan Square, delivers to most of Bucktown, WP, and a good amount of Ukranian Village. I'm at Leavitt and Chicago and my orders typically take about 30 minuets from from the time I hang up the phone to when it is at my door. Frienship, while beaing a bit more expensive than the usual greesy noodle places, is easily the best chinese I have had outside of China Town.

I live at North and Kedzie, and although West Humboldt has a couple of great Mexican and Puerto Rican spots, it needs EVERY OTHER kind of restaurant, preferably within walking distance. Thai? Japanese? Italian? Indian? A burger joint? Bueller? Bueller?

I agree also about Indian food in Bucktown/Wicker Park area. I've worked there for ten years and I keep thinking that at some point someone will see the light and open an Indo-Pak restaurant of some type, and there would be much rejoicing. Alas!

Cicero & Irving, aka Six Corners needs...

ANY kind of authentic Chinatown-style restaurant, be it a noodle & dumpling house, Hong Kong style ala Ken Kee, or something like the old & orig Look Mo Five. and no, Friendship does not fit the bill. and PLEASE, not Joy Yee-esque either.

and of course, Harold's. i like Pollo Campero at Brickyard plenty, but sometimes i just want a different kind of bird.

speaking of chicken, does anyone else like the wings at Mike's Ale House? a tad pricey for wings, but i think they do a pretty good job regardless what "flavor" u choose.

i would have said ribs about a week ago, but Smoque is a fine BBQ joint. in the opinion of many (not mine), it may not be as good as some of the LTH faves, but it's better than anything that was on NW side before...which was nothing. i've tried everything on the menu & the brisket is particularly good.

a good sushi place would be just too much to ask for. i'm not sure i could trust the freshness of fish (especially blow fish) once it has to be transported to the NW region.

Everywhere in the city except Chinatown and Argyle Street needs authentic Chinese, and ain't gonna get it anytime soon.

actually, i heard there's a won ton noodle place on west Irving near Austin, but i have not yet verified this. sadly, i've been lied to in the past.

Coming to think of it now, I'm glad HP didn't have many dining options. That led us to explore the city.

If neighborhoods had good examples of many different cuisines - where's the fun in that.

You people don't know how lucky you are. I'm in Mundelein, where ethnic food goes to die. I used to live near Dempster St. in east Skokie, so I know what it's like to have it...

Instead of saying what cuisine we don't have, I can say that all we DO have are very good Mexican places, good Japanese and fair Chinese. That's it. I would kill for a decent Vietnamese place--no , I have to import it from Annam Cafe in Evanston. Middle Eastern? A truck down to Pita Inn in Wheeling. Don't get me started on Italian--I'm kinda picky there, but no place comes even close to what can be gotten down on Oakley St. India House in Buffalo Grove is a new favorite, but still a 25 minute ride.

stevez wrote:So why aren't you going to Patty's Diner?

I do! I do! But you can't exactly consider that in my neighborhood...certainly it's not walking distance.

I used to enjoy the Sunday walk to Belden's, followed by the stagger back home after filling up on Belgian Waffles.

I'm in Prospect Heights, near the Rt. 21 & Rt. 45 junction. We have a decent taqueria (Rico's Tacos on Kensington & Wolf.) For Italian, it's Salerno's, in the same shopping center as Rico's. But I wish we had a good Thai place. I have to go down to Pad Thai at Oakton & Elmhurst or all the way out to Ruby of Siam in Skokie. And for Chinese, it's out to China Chef in Morton Grove. At least I'm close to Pita Inn.