Recommendation, Late Night near Lincolnwood?

Recommendation, Late Night near Lincolnwood?

I have a weird day scheduled, especially given the weather situation: A hockey game here in Chicago at 5:30, then another hockey game in Lincolnwood (near Touhy and Lincoln) at 9:30. I'm not sure how much time I'll have in between the two games (given traffic/weather considerations) and also not sure whether I'll just want a little snack or something more substantial. If between games I'm just going to snack, I'll stop at New York Bagel and Bialy, which is quite near the rink in Lincolnwood, but then I'll probably want to go out with some of the boys after the second game for something. So then, the request for help comes down to this:

Either between games (ca. 8 p.m.) or after the second game (ca. 11 p.m.), what would be a good informal place near Lincolnwood for a meal? I thought of Pita Inn in Skokie and that might work for 8 p.m. but I'm sure they'll be closed by 11. Any good late night options up there in Lincolnwood or northern Chicago?

Antonius

Good luck getting around today. My take-out menu, actually, says that Pita Inn is open 'till 12 midnight on Friday and Saturday, so that's one option. (Nearby Larsa, also good, closes at 11.) There's also the good Korean place Jang Mo Nim, at 6320 N. Lincoln (just around Lincoln and McCormick) that's open all night (or until 6 a.m., actually, but that should do for you.) Table top bbq grills should entertain your kids. Incidently, there's a story in today's New York Times, part of a series, on youth hockey that might interest you. Drive safe!

Antonious,

Three late night options to consider in the general area are Jack's, Hai Woon Dae and Jang Mo Nim.

Jack's is a Jewish meets Greek meets coffee shop on steroids Skokie institution. Jack's was open 24/7/365 for 30-40 years until Skokie's no smoking in restaurants ban killed their late night business. Saturday nights they are still open until 1am.

My Jack's favorite is a BLT, made with thick cut bacon (Country style) and an order of crisp fries, thick cut bacon is a slight upcharge. Good bacon and eggs, once again with thick cut bacon, served with bialy from NY Bagel and Bialy.

Decent sandwiches, the Ruben isn't half-bad, grilled/baked/broiled/fried, chicken/fish and a plethora of plate lunches, dinners etc. Maybe not the best in town, but 11pm Touhy West of the Edens one could do a lot worse, Buffalo Wild Wings for example.

Hai Woon Dae, open until 5am, is my favorite Korean BBQ, in fact that's where we ate earlier in the week when we ran into the cast of Cookn'. Live Coals, nice assortment of panchan, and a good selection of Korean dishes in general. Beer, wine and soju available.

Jang Mo Nim, open until 5am, is more of an all-around Korean restaurant. Nice atmosphere, though not expensive, liquor available and a good selection of well made dishes. They have Korean BBQ available, but it's cooked with gas. Jang Mo Nim tends to have multiple TV's running, which I find mildly annoying.

Enjoy,
Gary

Jack's Restaurant
5201 W. Touhy
Skokie, IL
847-674-5532
open until 1am on Saturday

Hai Woon Dae
6240 N. California
Chicago, IL 60659
773-764-8018

Jang Mo Nim
6320 N Lincoln
Chicago IL, 60659
773-509-0211

Antonius, I"m familiar with the area. My biggest client is right next door to the rink. But I have to admit, after 4 years of lunches in the area, I'm really tired of most places. Here are the ones I go back to, and I confess I don't know about their late-night hours. (Let's see, no addresses, no knowledge of hours, will I be banned from further postings?)

Pita Inn and Kabul House, of course; Hub's (good burgers and dogs)

L. Woods. Yes, I know, it's a Lettuce, but the menu should please everyone, and the burgers are good (Guinness on tap, always a plus). The specials are usually decent, and they're known for their flatbread appetizers and combos. Don't bother with the quesadillas. On Lincoln about a block south of Touhy, one minute from the rink.

Pretty good, cheap Thai buffet at Ruby of Siam, in the Cost Plus shopping center north on Cicero/Skokie Blvd., just before you get to Old Orchard, on the west side of the street.

No good Chinese that I'm aware of, altho there are lots of bad ones in the neighborhood. Don't bother. Also don't bother with Graziano's; the service has been downright poor every time I've been there, and I quit going after we discoverd, shall I say, a "hygiene" problem.

In Old Orchard shopping center, you'll find Johnny Rockets, the usual Corner Bakeries and Maggiano's, and a Champp's sports bar. Mostly pretty boring but dependable. Dependably boring, I guess.

For good Jewish food, try What's Cooking, on Lincoln south of the rink at about Devon, east side of street, in a shopping center with a huge Borders, Starbuck's, Panera, etc. I like the kreplach and matzoh ball soup.

If you have time to kill, take a walk through Lincolnwood Produce, on Touhy and Lincoln, a half block from the rink. But beware: You'll end up spending money on the incredible produce, imported foods and deli items. Hey, who was looking for Quark last week? I bet you'd find it there. (There used to be a little gyros restaurant right next door; huge servings for the money.)

Hope this is somewhat helpful.

Carol

i might have looser standards as to "informal" than you, and there's the possibility of a wait, but you could do a lot worse than wholly frijoles, a really great, tiny mexican joint. metromix indicates that they're open until 10, so if you do your 8pm dining option, you're good (assuming there's no wait, which there might be).

i also heartily endorse the lincolnwood produce option.

Wholly Frijoles
3908 W. Touhy Ave.

Totally forgot Wholly Frijole. Excellent. Not expensive and not the same old, same old Mexican stuff. Try the Chef's Special Chicken, or the lamb, but everything's good. Recently expanded space, too.

Gary wrote:My Jack's favorite is a BLT, made with thick cut bacon (Country style) and an order of crisp fries, thick cut bacon is a slight upcharge.

I went to Jack's specifically to try this sandwich. The extra thick cut bacon is referred to as the "Slab" according to the waitress. Very nic sandwich, though I had to take at least half home because it was so substantial. Of course, the cup of mushroom soup just before may have contributed.

Regards,

I think Kow Kow at Pratt and Cicero is decent Cantonese.

foo d wrote:wholly frijoles, a really great, tiny mexican joint. metromix indicates that they're open until 10, so if you do your 8pm dining option, you're good (assuming there's no wait, which there might be).

foo d,

I'd strongly advise Antonious, or anyone with a tight schedule, against Wholly Frijoles for the next month or three as they were Check Pleased last evening. I found the person who recommended Wholly Frijoles particularly annoying as her highest compliment, and a term she used often, was Double Yum.

In general I'm not all that enthused about Wholly Frijoles, been there 3-4 times, mainly because my neighbors like the place and I like my neighbors.

Wholly F seems like the kind of place I'd enjoy, family owned, friendly and fresh made food, but, in general, the food seems a bit dumbed-down. I'm not talking chain restaurant no flavor, but nothing really pops, flavor wise, for me at Wholly F. It's not someplace I'll resist going, but not a place I'd pick on my own.

I'd certainly agree Lincolnwood Produce is well worth a visit as is Marketplace On Oakton, in the same general neighborhood.

Enjoy,
Gary

Lincolnwood Produce Ltd
7175 North Lincoln Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60646
847-329-0600

Marketplace On Oakton
4817 Oakton St
Skokie, IL 60077
847-677-9330

G Wiv,

duly noted on the check please warning (i thought about but couldn't remember if they'd been reviewed or not, but i guess i sort of hedged my bets by cautioning about a wait ). also, i appreciate your contempt for, ostensibly, both the person who used the term "double yum" and the term itself. i'm gritting my teeth now, and i didn't even watch the show.

as for your review, i'd personally not wholly disagree. i was there only once, and had much better than average but not "knock-my-socks-off" mexican served by a way above average nice and efficient waiter. friends and family have uniformly raved, tho.

G Wiv wrote: Jack's was open 24/7/365 for 30-40 years until Skokie's no smoking in restaurants ban killed their late night business.

Now it makes sense. I'm a Loyola Academy grad ('95) and, both being so close the the Edens, Jack's was a major unofficial meeting place/hang out. I have many fond memories of watching the sun rise from a booth at Jack's after a skillet and 10 cups of coffee.

Last time I tried to go there, it was ..closed!? Now I know why.

Too late for last night, obvioiusly, but for future reference...

Not too many years ago the only bars I knew were the 4 o'clock bars near ice rinks that also served food... of course I don't know when I was last in a bar, but pregnancy will curtail drinking and hockey (for a woman, anyway ).

So after hockey in Lincolnwood (where I met my husband!) we always ended up at the Village Inn in downtown Skokie. They have pizza by the slice as well as whole pizzas and other bar food. Not exactly a pizza destination for me, but open late enough for hockey people!

Village Inn
8050 Lincoln Ave.
Skokie

Don't forget Lou Malnati's Pizza! YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As things turned out, my friends and I decided that we should all just head home after our second game of the day, since the condition of the roads after all the snow and drifting was unknown to us. In retrospect, we made the wrong decision, for by 11:30, when we got out of the locker room in Lincolnwood, the major streets and highways were remarkably clear. Hats off to the Streets and Sanitation folks throughout the area.

Playing two games, both with a short bench, after three hours of snow shovelling, all in one day, is certainly a way to work up an appetite.

Many thanks to everyone for all the tips and suggestions. I've made a print-out of this thread and will store a copy in my hockey-bag for future use.



Antonius

And I apologize for not reading your first post more clearly (and, I confess, for not knowing much about Chicago's hockey scene). Clearly you were playing hockey, not bringing kids to play. Hope it was fun.