Pick My Lunch [Lincoln Park]

If you were stuck in Lincoln Park at 12:30 PM, where would you go for lunch?

I'd get a spinach stuffed pizza at Bacino's

Frances' Deli for a sandwich* and some of the best latkes in town. Pretty good milk shakes and malts too, if you're into that sort of thing.

Frances' Deli
2552 N Clark
773 248 4580

Best,
Michael

* I am a fan of the chicken-avocado club: basically a BLT with chicken and avocado on challah.

I would go for fish and chips and a Harp at Red Lion Pub, because I lived in the LP for two years and can't seem to remember a good meal there, except at the Red Lion.

Red Lion Pub
2446 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-348-2695

stevez wrote:If you were stuck in Lincoln Park at 12:30 PM, where would you go for lunch?

Steve,

I'd try Miss Asia, a newish pan Asian restaurant opened by the husband of the owner of Sticky Rice. If not Miss Asia then Aloha Grill for Hawaiian plate lunch, the Half Shell if they are open for lunch or Ponzu, which Jesteinf highly recommends for the Lincoln Park Neighborhood.

Cap lunch with dessert from Molly's Cupcakes.

Molly's Cupcakes



Enjoy,
Gary

Miss Asia
434 W. Diversey Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60614
773-248-3999

Aloha Grill
2534 N Clark
Chicago, IL
773-935-6818

Half Shell
676 W Diversey
Chicago, IL
773-549-1773

Ponzu
2407 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
773-549-8890

Molly's Cupcakes
2536 N. Clark St
Chicago, IL
773-883-7220

Panes Bread Cafe. If they have the chicken salad grab it.

Sultans Market does a great lamb shawarma sandwich at lunch. Not quite as good as the one on North Ave. but still one of the best bets around the neighborhood.

Also Mello's just south of Belden on Clark does good greek dinner food

And Green Tea Sushi between Webster and Belden on Clark which is my favorite sushi in the city.

Good Luck

Can't go wrong with any of the spots that Gary mentioned. I would also consider Cafe Icosium for crepes or Lito's for empanadas. Heading north to Broadway, you could grab some Korean fried chicken at Crisp or a sandwich at Pastoral (although both of those would technically be Lakeview).

Cafe Icosium
2433 N Clark St
(773) 404-1300

Lito's Empanadas
2566 N Clark St
(773) 857-0794

Crisp
2940 N Broadway St
(877) 693-8653

Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine
2945 N Broadway
(773) 472-4781

Weiner Circle
2622 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
(773) 477-7444‎

Doesn't do the same for me as the Wilmette location, but it's still good:
Original Pancake House
2020 N Lincoln Park West
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 929-8130

A couple of slices at Cafe Luigi.

Mitch Cumstein wrote:I would go for fish and chips and a Harp at Red Lion Pub, because I lived in the LP for two years and can't seem to remember a good meal there, except at the Red Lion.2446 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-348-2695

Must not of gotten around much. Also the red lion is closed for remodeling. Id go with any of these...

Aloha Grill
Athenian Room- Skirt steak is amazing and everything on the menu is good
adobo grill
Half shell
birds nest- wings
Lito's- empanadas
Mayan Palace- enchiladas
Pequods
Uncle Julio's- its Ok but they got good lunch specials
Weiner's Circle
Chesters/Hamburger King
Diversey Grill, next to the driving range- not the best fish tacos but pretty tasty and an unlikely place to find them
France's deli
Local Shack

Ikosium Cafe/Coffee and Crepe Palace

Since many of my other faves are taken, spicy chicken roll and a mango lassi at Hema's Kitchen (both really good even at this watered-down location).

I've had sushi on the brain all morn so...I'd vote for a never ending supply of it:
Sushi Para II
2256 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-477-3219

$14.99 AYCE Lunch - not the best quality but well worth the price.

If you haven't been, Crisp is worth a try I think. See where you put it in the pantheon of chicago Fried Chicken...

It may be a little too late to chime in but the burger and greek fries at Athenian Room are on my altime favortite list.

Athenian Room
807 W Webster Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 348-5155

Thank you to all who made suggestions. I lived in Lincoln Park for better than 30 years of my life, so I immediately took almost all of the places that have been around more than a couple of years out of the running simply because I've been there, done that. Of those that remained, 2 in particular are places that I have on my list of restaurants "to do". Although Icosium Café is one such place, I wasn't feeling "frilly" enough for a crepe lunch today, so I started off at Lito's Empanadas for an empanada forspice.

Lito's was very good. During most of the time I lived in Lincoln Park, I lived within a couple of blocks one way or the other of Lito's location. If they had been in business then, I would have been a regular. I had a beef empanada, which was stuffed with ground beef, onions and raisins. It was nicely spiced, but a dip in the optional green hot sauce was just the ticket. Lito's has a table or two set up outside on the sidewalk, but they were occupied so I sat inside at the window on one of their stools. The combination of the empanada, the beautiful day and the high performance jets flying by in preparation for the Air and Water Show made this one of the more enjoyable snacks I've had in quite some time. Sadly, on a day with plenty to shoot, I had no camera with me.

On the sage advice of eatchicago, I walked down the block to Francis' for the main course. As I've posted elsewhere on LTH, I've been going to Francis' since I was a little tyke. I have fond memories of Francis, and Michael after him, serving up massive portions of home cooked food from behind the steam table and kibbutzing with the old men who always seemed to be hanging out at the communal table. When they moved to their new location and became more of a sit-down restaurant, they lost their soul and I stopped going. It's been maybe 25 years since I've been back. So today I figured let bygones be bygones, and I went in to see what has become of this Chicago institution. The place has done a nice job adapting to the changed neighborhood, even if it has completely lost it's identity. There is a nice selection of creatively named burgers and other sandwiches, including some of the originals, such as the "Minsk & Kpinsk" and a full breakfast menu including lots of omelets and a good selection of salads. They've got a fairly decent selection of root beers, too (though none are all that out of the ordinary) and they now serve beer and wine.

I ordered the turkey avocado club on challah (after reading that they use "real" turkey just about twice on every page of the menu). I subbed a potato pancake for fries. The sandwich was solid, but nothing special, however the latke they served surely couldn't be like the one that eatchicago posted about upthread. It was the second worse latke I've had in Chicago (topped only by the mashed potato latkes served at 11 City Diner). This latke was completely flat, with absolutely none of the nooks and crannies I have seen on any latke I have ever had. It wasn't quite a batter pancake; there were shreds of potato on the inside, but it was close. It almost seemed like it was a food service product, but I couldn't say for sure. On top of that, it was reheated. I'm glad I went, but it will probably be a while before I return to Francis', though I'm already thinking about my next visit to Lito's.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

That green hot sauce at Lito's is killer. I think it's almost essential on most of their empanadas.

Sorry about the not so great lunch at Frances'. I generally like their sandwiches, but their latkes are really terrible.

Ive never understood the fascination some folks have with Francis' Deli. I would rank it a tier below The Bagel, Max & Bennys and Max's Deli in the pantheon of Deli-dom. Sounds like Litos is a real find. i'll have to check them out. Thanks for the report.

iblock9 wrote:Ive never understood the fascination some folks have with Francis' Deli. I would rank it a tier below The Bagel, Max & Bennys and Max's Deli in the pantheon of Deli-dom.

I really don't consider Francis' a deli as much as it's a coffee shop (in the Greek Coffee Shop vein). It ceased being a deli long ago.

stevez wrote:I ordered the turkey avocado club on challah (after reading that they use "real" turkey just about twice on every page of the menu). I subbed a potato pancake for fries. The sandwich was solid, but nothing special, however the latke they served surely couldn't be like the one that eatchicago posted about upthread. It was the second worse latke I've had in Chicago (topped only by the mashed potato latkes served at 11 City Diner). This latke was completely flat, with absolutely none of the nooks and crannies I have seen on any latke I have ever had. It wasn't quite a batter pancake; there were shreds of potato on the inside, but it was close. It almost seemed like it was a food service product, but I couldn't say for sure. On top of that, it was reheated. I'm glad I went, but it will probably be a while before I return to Francis', though I'm already thinking about my next visit to Lito's.

I'm terribly sorry.

eatchicago wrote:

stevez wrote:I ordered the turkey avocado club on challah (after reading that they use "real" turkey just about twice on every page of the menu). I subbed a potato pancake for fries. The sandwich was solid, but nothing special, however the latke they served surely couldn't be like the one that eatchicago posted about upthread. It was the second worse latke I've had in Chicago (topped only by the mashed potato latkes served at 11 City Diner). This latke was completely flat, with absolutely none of the nooks and crannies I have seen on any latke I have ever had. It wasn't quite a batter pancake; there were shreds of potato on the inside, but it was close. It almost seemed like it was a food service product, but I couldn't say for sure. On top of that, it was reheated. I'm glad I went, but it will probably be a while before I return to Francis', though I'm already thinking about my next visit to Lito's.

I'm terribly sorry.

No need to apologize. The sandwich was fine, and it was interesting to revisit Francis' after all this time. I am curious to hear how the latkes used to be. I know you well enough to know that what I was served is not what you had in mind when you said that they were some of the best in town. Even in their heyday, I can't recall ever trying them, usually opting instead for home made kishke.

eatchicago wrote:

stevez wrote:I ordered the turkey avocado club on challah (after reading that they use "real" turkey just about twice on every page of the menu). I subbed a potato pancake for fries. The sandwich was solid, but nothing special, however the latke they served surely couldn't be like the one that eatchicago posted about upthread. It was the second worse latke I've had in Chicago (topped only by the mashed potato latkes served at 11 City Diner). This latke was completely flat, with absolutely none of the nooks and crannies I have seen on any latke I have ever had. It wasn't quite a batter pancake; there were shreds of potato on the inside, but it was close. It almost seemed like it was a food service product, but I couldn't say for sure. On top of that, it was reheated. I'm glad I went, but it will probably be a while before I return to Francis', though I'm already thinking about my next visit to Lito's.

I'm terribly sorry.

Just to save a little face, I think I've mentioned it elsewhere on the site frequently that Frances' (note spelling) had the only latkes in town that bore any resemblance to my grandmother's. I always thought their sandwiches were fine, but the latkes kept me coming back time and again. It saddens me to hear that this is over. (Either that or steve would really hate my grandmother's latkes, which I doubt).

stevez wrote:

eatchicago wrote:

stevez wrote:I ordered the turkey avocado club on challah (after reading that they use "real" turkey just about twice on every page of the menu). I subbed a potato pancake for fries. The sandwich was solid, but nothing special, however the latke they served surely couldn't be like the one that eatchicago posted about upthread. It was the second worse latke I've had in Chicago (topped only by the mashed potato latkes served at 11 City Diner). This latke was completely flat, with absolutely none of the nooks and crannies I have seen on any latke I have ever had. It wasn't quite a batter pancake; there were shreds of potato on the inside, but it was close. It almost seemed like it was a food service product, but I couldn't say for sure. On top of that, it was reheated. I'm glad I went, but it will probably be a while before I return to Francis', though I'm already thinking about my next visit to Lito's.

I'm terribly sorry.

No need to apologize. The sandwich was fine, and it was interesting to revisit Francis' after all this time. I am curious to hear how the latkes used to be. I know you well enough to know that what I was served is not what you had in mind when you said that they were some of the best in town. Even in their heyday, I can't recall ever trying them, usually opting instead for home made kishke.

Well, it is worth noting that Frances' latkes, in my experience, were always of the batter style (which is my family's traditional style). Essentially, this style of latkes has potatoes grated to a liquid, as much water removed as possible, held together with very little binder (just a bit of flour and egg in our case), salt, and then fried. They are more like traditional pancakes than hashbrowns. If that's not something you'd enjoy, then I probably should have steered you clear from the beginning.

eatchicago wrote:They are more like traditional pancakes than hashbrowns. If that's not something you'd enjoy, then I probably should have steered you clear from the beginning.

These were not Bubbe class latkes. I'm sure what I was served bore no resemblance to anything your grandmother would serve. It could have just been a bad day, or maybe I got some of yesterday's leftovers.

For my tastes, Francis' is always mediocre and fairly overrated. Not sure what the hubub is about.....

For lunch suggestions I would have echoed the Aloha Grill suggestion and added a recommendation for some fantastic Lebanese food at Fattoush (fattoushrestaurant.com 2652 N Halsted St). They have probably the best tabouleh I've ever had. Combine a large version of that with a side of chicken shawarma, a small side of toum (garlic sauce) and the very fresh, thin pita they serve, and you're in heaven.

Athenian Room!
Get the taramasulata with pita! I also like the salad with gyros. MMMMMmmmmmm. Sit outside. Good people watching.

Athenian Room
807 W Webster Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 348-5155

I really don't consider Francis' a deli as much as it's a coffee shop (in the Greek Coffee Shop vein).

Very apt. But if you're looking for that sort of a place, it does a good enough job, especially for breakfast. (By the way, if you want to split the difference, try the lox platter--a choice I occasionally make at 11 City, another diner wanting-to-be-a-deli--altho Frances, in my experience, could use a more dependable and versatile bagel supplier.)