lunch between O'hare and Gurnee?

I'm arriving at O'hare on Sunday and headed north on 294 and 94 to Gurnee. Any suggestions for a place to stop for lunch on the way?

Relatively inexpensive, non-chain, not Fine Dining, would be preferred. I'm not into breakfast/brunch. I enjoy Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Mexican (not tex mex), Indian, etc. I'm willing to go somewhat out of the way depending on how good and/or unusual the food is but a short drive off the highway would be great.

thanks for your help!

We have a phenomenal restaurant specializing in Mexican seafood that's not far from O'Hare. As the crow flies, it's only about a mile from the northwest corner of the airport property. It's called Flamingo's Seafood and you can read more about it in this topic.

It's really only a couple miles out of your way. From O'Hare you can either take the tollway (I-90 Northwest Tollway westbound and exit at Elmhurst Road, which means you're only on the tollway for a few miles) or local roads (Mannheim Road north to Algonquin Road). Then afterwards you can hop on eastbound I-90 at Arlington Heights Road and take it to I-294 northbound.

I'd recommend a Chicago Area Classic, and one of the few places near O'Hare worth visiting, Paradise Pup. They have outstanding burgers and Chicago dogs. It's well worth a stop if you are in a hurry and are looking for same very high quality fast food.

Paradise Pup
1742 S. River Road
Des Plaines, IL
847-699-8590

comradelaura wrote:Relatively inexpensive, non-chain, not Fine Dining, would be preferred. I'm not into breakfast/brunch. I enjoy Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Mexican (not tex mex), Indian, etc. I'm willing to go somewhat out of the way depending on how good and/or unusual the food is but a short drive off the highway would be great.

thanks for your help!

The first reply has you going to Flamingo's Seafood, and then hopping on 90E at Arlington Heights road.

Just off the highway, on Arlington Heights Rd, and 90, there is a VERY interesting/unusal spot for Asian foods. Definitely fits the bill for inexpensive, interesting, Japanese, Korean, Chinese. I would get sushi from the case - far better than any premade stuff I've ever had anywhere. FAR BETTER. After picking up some sushi from the case, then take a few steps over to the food court, and order whatever floats your boat at some of the stalls. (bubble teas, udons, curries, etc.) When you are done, wander through the market, buy some pocky and mochi and maybe a few interesting looking hard candies/bakery treats for the rest of your ride all from (I'm sure everybody knows the name I'm gonna spit out here:)
Mitsuwa Marketplace http://www.mitsuwa.com/
100 E. Algonquin Road,
Arlington Hts., IL 60005
(847)956-6699
9:00AM - 8:00PM

If you like asian grocery stores, be prepared to stay for at least 30 min after lunch. Sushi grade fish section always grabs my attention for several minutes, as does the produce section, the regular fish section, the refrigerated drinks section, the little bakery, the sale table between the bakery and the registers....

Did a quick search, found a thread with some of the foods in the food court:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7660&highlight=mitsuwa+marketplace

Don't know where you're coming from, but if you don't have a mid to large sized japanese influenced market where you're at, this might be a fun stop.

stevez wrote:I'd recommend a Chicago Area Classic, and one of the few places near O'Hare worth visiting, Paradise Pup. They have outstanding burgers and Chicago dogs. It's well worth a stop if you are in a hurry and are looking for same very high quality fast food.

Steve beat me too it. I had to be up in Wilmette on Saturday, and with the Tri-State under construction at Dempster, had gone via downtown from the land of DuPage. But on the way home, it was only 10:45, so I took the Edens-Wilson-Lawrence-Kennedy zig-zag, got off at River Road, and made it to Paradise Pup just before the lunch rush hit for the cheddarburger I've been craving for two weeks.

I was a little worried because I didn't have time to enjoy the sandwich there, and I was going to take it about 28 miles. But it made it home in fine shape, with the grilled black bread holding its own. A truly fantastic burger for about $4.

Paradise Pup is a great idea.

Mitsuwa would get my vote too, but with the caveat that it's a Sunday. Does anyone know what the food court there is like on Sundays? (I try to stay away from there on weekends so my concern may be misplaced.) Certainly, if you have no Mitsuwa near where you live it's worth a stop if only to see the place.

Paradise Pup Burgers


One note of caution: PP might be closed on Sundays. Please check before going.

I stopped by Mitsuwa and didn't see any posted notice about the food court. I did check the hours at Yanni's, a pleasant Greek restaurant just across the parking lot, and the sign says they open at 12 on Sunday, so that could be a backup. As mentioned above, Flamingo's is not far from there either. (Again, check the hours on a Sunday. And it being August I have already been fooled a couple of times by summer hours, sometimes unannounced.)

Thank you all so much for your great suggestions!

I could just eat whatever is around and easy but I hate doing that. I have this unreasonable compulsion to fit in a good meal no matter what the circumstances, especially if I'm anywhere near Chicago. And you all understand and even support this compulsion!

Those are all great ideas. The Mitsuwa suggestion is right up my alley. I'm visiting Portland, Or right now and one day was spent visiting Asian grocery stores.

Stevez's post with those photos and then a caution that I might not actually be able to eat those burgers on Sunday was especially cruel, though.

The mexican seafood looks delicious too.

Thank you for all of your help!

-Laura

Mitsuwa is not actually on the way, being off 90, and not 294.

PP might be closed on Sundays.

It is.

My apologies for taking so long to report on my lunch. Were there sleepless nights spent wondering if I had to eat at Taco Bell after a long flight?

Well, no need to worry. I went to Mitsuwa and loved it. I had a bowl of hot (spicy) miso ramen soup with special pork. It was incredibly delicious - so far from ramen from a bag that one of the foods should be forced to give up the name. The broth was very flavorful and the pork was meltingly tender. We also had rice cakes (mochi?) with mugwort and red bean paste (adzuki?), a dessert ordered because of the appeal of the word mugwort. Nice to be able to eat such a thing.

Thanks again to everyone who gave suggestions!

-Laura

comradelaura wrote:Well, no need to worry. I went to Mitsuwa and loved it.

blah! no one told you to get the macha froyo??? it is ALL the rage on the West Coast right now.

TonyC wrote:blah! no one told you to get the macha froyo??? it is ALL the rage on the West Coast right now.

Well, I did get macha with adzuki beans and ice cream but forgot to mention it. I'd definitely have it again. I like the flavor of green tea and adzuki beans and it wasn't overly sweet, which I appreciate. I didn't notice any macha froyo but I also wasn't looking for it.