I stopped into Belly Shack yesterday. I wasn't really hungry at all--I had had essentially three lunches right before, only figured I should visit since I was in the immediate area--so I planned to get just a sandwich for take-away.

I got the Boricua and pretty much agree with BryanZ's assessment above. It was very messy to eat (as are most jibarito-type sandwiches), but I was surprised to find that it worked. I couldn't discern the tofu marinade, and I would have quadrupled the heat of the sauce served on the side, but it wasn't a bland sandwich by any means (at first thought it might be because of the thick slabs of tofu and all of that brown rice). There was a subtle spectrum of flavors from the plantains, greens and black beans (?). The Boricua wouldn't have worked at all had the plantains and rice not been cooked competently, but they were. Overall, I think the sandwich is a very respectable menu item, which happens to be gluten-free. I'd have it again.



I sat at the communal table while waiting for my order, and Yvonne Cadiz-Kim, Chef Bill's wife and partner, who I had never met before, came over to me and said, "You're happy_stomach, right?" I haven't figured out why, but this has happened to me in restaurants several times in the last month, and every time I'm very surprised and dumbfounded, basically rendered speechless. Anyway, as I had nothing to say, she introduced me to Chef Bill and brought me out an order of huckleberry-lime softserve.



Yes, food is the fastest way to my heart, but dessert is the superhighway. I asked Yvonne how she knew who I was. Her answer was, couldn't tell how seriously, "I used to be a P.I." I wonder if that's how she knew how easily I could be won over with sugar. Actually, I almost never eat softserve (I call it "the food I eat at Ikea"), but the huckleberry-lime topping was really delightful--rich in berry, not overly sweet, very complimentary lime. Maybe not so much come snow and ice, but I live close enough to Belly Shack where I could actually see it becoming a quick dessert stop if the other softserve varieties are as good as the huckleberry.

I have mixed feelings about Urban Belly, mainly because both it and Belly Shack come very close to my value limit, but I can see myself craving the food enough to shell out infrequently $15+ for lunch, especially with Belly Shack as close to me as it is.*

*That said, the absurdity of eating $6+ cookies from Pasticceria Natalina really hit me yesterday--nothing to do with increasingly juvenile tweeting--so I can use all of the money I'm going to try not to spend on Sicilian pastry on softserve.

happy_stomach wrote:Yvonne Cadiz-Kim, Chef Bill's wife and partner, who I had never met before, came over to me and said, "You're happy_stomach, right?" I haven't figured out why, but this has happened to me in restaurants several times in the last month,

Just a wild guess, but perhaps it's because when you go out to eat, you often take pictures, send Twitts about your meal, and write about it on the internet? Could that be right?

I haven't had a meal at Belly Shack, but when I recently got off the blue line at Western/Armitage, on my way to meet a waiting crowd of drinkers at the Map Room, I couldn't help but stop in for some much-discussed Bill Kim kimchee. I brought it to the bar with some plastic forks, and I think everyone agreed that it was quite tasty. Fresh, with a very subtle burn at first, which built substantially as the flavors lingered. It had some sliced squash, unusual spices, and less fish-funk than many more traditional versions around town. Good stuff.

Kennyz wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:Yvonne Cadiz-Kim, Chef Bill's wife and partner, who I had never met before, came over to me and said, "You're happy_stomach, right?" I haven't figured out why, but this has happened to me in restaurants several times in the last month,

Just a wild guess, but perhaps it's because when you go out to eat, you often take pictures, send Twitts about your meal, and write about it on the internet? Could that be right?

Welcome to the club, my fellow tweeter. Celebrity awaits you.

*That said, the absurdity of eating $6+ cookies from Pasticceria Natalina really hit me yesterday--nothing to do with increasingly juvenile tweeting--so I can use all of the money I'm going to try not to spend on Sicilian pastry on softserve.

Funny, I hit the point where my love for a place slams into its price when my Boston Shake at Scooter's got me back only $3 and change from a ten.

Stopped in last night around8pm.
We had to figure out the seating drill (no "staking claim" to a table prior to ordering) and ordered the Bulgogi Sandiwich (x2)-
a Meatball Sandwich- Tostones w/ a Chimmichuri sauce- and the " Alleged " Hot and Sour Soup (more like a Tortilla Soup if ya ask me!)

All in all- a very good combinations of tastes and flavors.
Would I agree that paying $10.00 for a Sandwich is alot?
Yes.
Would I admit that the flavors worked very well together- and stood out enough to make us check it
out again-
Sure.
What really struck me were two things-
One is the "vibe".
Very "urban"- between the music- the low level of the lighting- the O.S.B. used for the CashWrap and Ceiling Soffit- the "skateboard Graffix" on the walls- and the clear rumble of sitting under the El Tracks made this place- very HIP!
The second though is that Bill Kim musta sensed the new trend in LA- the KimChee/Bulgogi taco trucks- and thought that he'd work out the kinks here- 1st- before opening up a mobile version of BellyShack on Wheels.
I think that if you opened up with this kinda of menu- from the Fusion Sandwiches to the Freaky-Deaky Soft Serve crumbles-
on the campus at the U. of Penn. for example (where the legions of Multi-ethnic Food Trucks are legendary! ),
you'd be "Printing Money" !
Too bad Mayor Daley hasn't allowed this in Chicago (except where the African and other trucks "lurk-in-stealth")-
it would add such a vibrant character to our already diverse palettes!

The experience of The Belly Shack- the vibe- works very well with the menu- make sure to "dine" in, when you try it- late night- with the El
train-a rumblin!

Rene G wrote:I settled on a meatball-noodle sandwich, tostones with chimichurri and cabbage-fennel kimchee. Like Urban Belly, this is a house of Big Flavors. I liked each of the items individually (the tostones were particularly well prepared) but considered together as a meal it was completely discordant. I have nobody other than myself to blame for ordering (I simply chose the dishes that sounded most interesting to me). It was a battle of minty noodles and sweet-sauced meatballs clashing with garlicky chimichurri and anise-tinged kimchee. Order wisely.

On the way home from eating about 3K calories of sweets at Dobra's new Delightful Pastries location on Wells, I'll admit my tastebuds may have been a little out of phase, but I also felt overwhelmed by the onrush of flavors at Belly Shack...which I also agree is the fault of the orderer (me). Sweet-sour soup and kimchee, alone, are enough to pistol-whip the buds into submission.

I love salt, but many of the dishes seemed to have extremely high sodium content; the intense flavors going on in the food are thus amplified.

I didn't have a problem with paying for the kimchee, and thought I detected clove into the mix (interesting), and I also admired the plaintain "bread" used in the boricua (soft not hard, which I've found to be common texture at some Humboldt Park places that make the same type sammie), though I must admit the big slab of tofu was kind of unappealing. Flavors good; ate with knife and fork.

I wondered at dinner if maybe this place wasn't supposed to appeal to people who've been drinking for a few hours, as the high-salt, big flavors might be geared toward bellies already filled with beer. But that is not likely the strategy, as this place closes at 10.

A fun place. Not a bad value.

I have to say I was slightly disappointed in my visit. I went with a friend for lunch a few Wednesdays ago about 12:45pm. It was busy but we were able to get a table fairly easily. I enjoyed the decor although she thought it was a bit cold (literally and figuratively). I ordered the blackened tilapia and she ordered the asian meatball. For sides, I ordered the squash and she ordered the quinoa plate. Staff was very friendly and the plates came out very quickly (probably too quickly). The squash was well-made but too sweet for my taste (too much maple made it candy-like) but my real disappointment was the tilapia. Great seasonings, loved the bread but it was barely lukewarm when I got it so by the time I finished it was cold. Ugh. And I'm not one who needs my food scalding hot either. I find this unacceptable for a place that was not crazy busy, is basically counter-service and charged $11. Some of you may say I should have sent it back and had them warm it up or give me a new one. And you may be right but as a former restaurant employee, I really try not to do that unless it is inedible (raw, spoiled etc.) In this case, I wish they would have gotten it right the first time because the cool temperature really took away from the flavor of the sandwich and it was a waste of a decent piece of fish. My friend liked her meatball sandwich and agreed with previous posters that it was a sizeable portion. The quinoa plate was the surprise of the day and I really enjoyed the pickled vegetables.
Would I return for a second chance? Possibly if I was in the neighborhood.

aschie30 wrote:Yeah, you're probably right. I'll continue to dream the dream though.

Has it occurred to anyone else that the combining prefix of Chinese in not "Chino," but "Sino"? Grrr....

Yeah, that was killing me, too. Chino is a predominantly latin city in the Inland Empire, just outside of L.A., so I keep trying to resolve the redundancy.

I stopped in to Belly Shack last night for some take out. I ordered the Korean BBQ Kogi.

What I received was a pile of meat and 4 pieces of pita-ish bread on top of the pile. When I order a sandwich, or in this case a sammich, I usually have the expectation that it will be assembled. Everything tasted great, but i wasnt in the mood for the messy task of assembling my meal while in snowy traffic on the Kennedy. I am assuming this was a mistake. Next time I'll eat in.

iblock9 wrote:I stopped in to Belly Shack last night for some take out. I ordered the Korean BBQ Kogi.

What I received was a pile of meat and 4 pieces of pita-ish bread on top of the pile. When I order a sandwich, or in this case a sammich, I usually have the expectation that it will be assembled. Everything tasted great, but i wasnt in the mood for the messy task of assembling my meal while in snowy traffic on the Kennedy. I am assuming this was a mistake. Next time I'll eat in.

I would think they did it to keep the bread from getting soggy on the way home (although, then I'd think they would package the bread seperately).

jesteinf wrote:

iblock9 wrote:I stopped in to Belly Shack last night for some take out. I ordered the Korean BBQ Kogi.

What I received was a pile of meat and 4 pieces of pita-ish bread on top of the pile. When I order a sandwich, or in this case a sammich, I usually have the expectation that it will be assembled. Everything tasted great, but i wasnt in the mood for the messy task of assembling my meal while in snowy traffic on the Kennedy. I am assuming this was a mistake. Next time I'll eat in.

I would think they did it to keep the bread from getting soggy on the way home (although, then I'd think they would package the bread seperately).

Seems like SOP for BBQ Kogi:

BryanZ wrote:BBQ Kogi


I'm not of the opinion that the BBQ Kogi is a $10 plate of food. It's also definitely not a sandwich. It's a mound of beef, some kimchi, and some pita wedges.

Yep. Thats what i got. I guess it wasn't a mistake. Don't order this to go if you want to eat on the run.

iblock9 wrote:Yep. Thats what i got. I guess it wasn't a mistake. Don't order this to go if you want to eat on the run.

no mistake, and the sandwich is also served like this when you eat in.

i went for lunch recently and had the soup and kogi sandwich. meat was a little on the cold side. enjoyed it none the less and looking forward to my next visit.

I really enjoyed the soup and hope they expand that part of the menu as we head into the cold months.

It did seem like several of the sandwiches were deconstructed, with the bread more as a side item. Loved the sprouts and chorizo.

I finally made my way to Belly Shack for lunch after seeing Sherlock Holmes at the movie theater. I started my meal with the Roasted Squash. This was my favorite item in my meal. The maple syrup wasn't overly sweet, but perfect in my opinion. I could not differentiate the pho spices though. I would definitely have this item again.



I picked the Boricua next because I am an avid eater of tofu and the description and previous posts intrigued me. I agree with past assessments that it was a mess to eat and I ended up using a fork and knife. I loved how the components came together, especially the fried plantains and chinese broccoli. My only qualm with this item was that the side sauce was not hot enough!!! Bring the heat!



I regret not trying the soft serve and will probably go back soon to try the Blackened Tilapia and fries with curry mayo.

David Hammond wrote:I didn't have a problem with paying for the kimchee, and thought I detected clove into the mix (interesting)

Interesting, indeed. I had the kimchee at Urban Belly yesterday (reviewed in that thread), and picked up the same flavor.

I had lunch at Belly Shack this afternoon and left impressed. As noted, it is not a bargain, but I was impressed by the lemongrass chicken "sandwich" with some nicely sparkly kimchee and the roasted sweet potatoes with maple syrup and pho spices, not too sweet. I don't know much about the vibe, which tended to young families and small groups of friends (I had gone by Big Star Tacos and the vibe was so heavy that I didn't wait 30 minutes for a taco), but Belly Shack was only moderately busy and very congenial. Bill Kim is producing quick food (if not precisely fast food) that shows real thought and care. Of course, $17 for a sandwich, side, and drink is not a bargain price point for lunch, but if I have a spare $20, I will surely return.

happy_stomach wrote:I stopped into Belly Shack yesterday. I wasn't really hungry at all--I had had essentially three lunches right before, only figured I should visit since I was in the immediate area--so I planned to get just a sandwich for take-away.



I have mixed feelings about Urban Belly, mainly because both it and Belly Shack come very close to my value limit, but I can see myself craving the food enough to shell out infrequently $15+ for lunch, especially with Belly Shack as close to me as it is.*

Wow. I am not a small guy and I like to eat but three lunches and then a sandwich? My hat comes off to you.

I did go to Urban Belly once and I did enjoy it but the price point has kept me away since. It is a trying economic time for some of us out here so I am much more likely to hit Spring World for a five dollar lunch than Urban Belly for a twenty dollar one.

As a general rule, Urban Belly and Belly Shack are places I think of as serving very good food, but at a price point that, like others have mentioned here, sends me to other options that I enjoy more. That said, I recently had the hot dog at Belly Shack and fell in love. It's a quarter-pound (I'm guessing) all beef dog topped with some kind of pickled vegetable (I ate it too quickly to think to look closely) and crisp egg noodles and served on a fantastic pita slathered with curry mayo. It's obviously more than a little nontraditional and it's only served on Thursdays and most Sundays, but I think it has to be in the running for best dog in the city



Oh, the togarashi fries served with it are pretty fantastic as well:

trpt2345 wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:I stopped into Belly Shack yesterday. I wasn't really hungry at all--I had had essentially three lunches right before, only figured I should visit since I was in the immediate area--so I planned to get just a sandwich for take-away.
...

I have mixed feelings about Urban Belly, mainly because both it and Belly Shack come very close to my value limit, but I can see myself craving the food enough to shell out infrequently $15+ for lunch, especially with Belly Shack as close to me as it is.*

Wow. I am not a small guy and I like to eat but three lunches and then a sandwich? My hat comes off to you.

I did go to Urban Belly once and I did enjoy it but the price point has kept me away since. It is a trying economic time for some of us out here so I am much more likely to hit Spring World for a five dollar lunch than Urban Belly for a twenty dollar one.

Yeah, my appetite is a little bigger than I am. I am sure my luck will run out eventually, but so far the occasional back-to-back-to-back-to-back lunches haven't really caught up with me.

I actually haven't returned to Belly Shack since my post about it. Given the look of that hot dog and fries though, I may have to visit again soon.

I finally made it to Belly Shack today and I really enjoyed it. My friend and I shared the Asian meatball sandwich, the Korean BBQ Kogi, and the tostones.

Let me start off by saying that the tostones were great . . . as good as I've had. Crispy, perfectly fried, not the least bit greasy, and a delicious chimichurri sauce. I really liked the meatball sandwich. All components were good but I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit that my favorite part might have been the bread . . . but I was just so impressed with that bread. And while I liked the meatball sandwich, I preferred the bbq sandwich. Yes, the meat, kimchi and bread worked so well together, but all of the components were great on their own.

Prices are indeed on the steep side ($9 and $10 respectively for the sandwiches and $5 for the tostones). At the same time, I thought the sandwiches were quite large and the flavors really good. That being said, I'm a bit more of a soup and noodles type of guy, so Urban Belly (which I love) is a little more my speed.

We were also at Belly Shack on Sunday, our first time there. I thought the portions were pretty big, and the food was very tasty. We got the Boricua and the Kogi. I'd go back. I'm not sure I'd order the kimchi on its own, but it really worked with the beef, one of those "whole is greater than the sum of the parts" things.

Went to Belly Shack for lunch yesterday, and I was happy to see that the Belly Dog is now on the regular menu. A combination of the dog and their togarashi fries is $9. These may be two of my favorite food items in Chicago right now. The dog is an absolute mess to eat, but it is an amazing combination of textures and flavors. And the fries are perfectly cooked with a nice dusting of togarashi spice and a side of curry mayo.

I like Belly Shack, but feel like they can often be very hit and miss. This combo, however, is a definite winner.

It had been a long time since I'd eaten at Belly Shack, but I was nearby yesterday and stopped in for a late afternoon snack. The brussels sprouts with chorizo were excellent, perfectly roasted and tender with a lot of chorizo. The sausage wasn't spicy at all, which usually bothers me, but it was otherwise very flavorfull--very porky with some char--so I was happy.



I also had the hot and sour soup, which was swampy in a good way. It was light on the hominy and chicken, though as a result I could appreciate more the broth, which was perhaps a little slick but also just spicy enough to soothe gently on a cold day. In the neighborhood, I could easily alternate between Belly Shack's hot and sour soup and Big Star's pozole to keep my, um, belly warm this winter.



The brussels sprouts were so attractive that they made me a friend at the communal table, who shared his food with me. I had forgotten how good the togarashi fries are, very crisp, and that may be the best curry mayo in town. My new friend also praised repeatedly the open-faced fried fish (catfish?) sandwich, which I didn't try but did look delectable.

Incidentally, I walked to Belly Shack after a visit to the nearby OhNo!Doom, a gallery run by the eponymous artist collective, started by an old classmate of mine. Their current show, "Soft Served," includes a few food-inspired works. Most of the show has sold, but as of yesterday, James Liu/Veggiesomething's O.G. Chunky Fries was still available.

Not sure if this is the correct thread for this, but I needed some place to post about a dish that I tried at Belly Shack a few nights ago: the half-chicken special with sweet potatos and chorizo. This dish was warmth and hominess reduced to a bowl. The chicken was flavorful, the skin crisp, the meat moist. If you're thinking of going to Belly Shack, I highly recommend calling ahead until you're told the half-chicken is available.

tem wrote:

Habibi wrote:I think it's supposed to be LA/NYC food. Korean! Mexican! Urban! Handoveryourwalletasshole!

that's what I was thinking ... great. another counter service 'sandwich shop' to go for a $17 lunch. The other stupid thing I see is "seasonal kimchi". I mean, kimchi is a pickled dish that originated (like almost all other pickled dishes) because pickling preserves the cabbage so it can be served out of season. What's next ? Seasonal beef jerky ?

It's called seasonal Kimchee because it is made with spring/summer vegetables.

weinerjb wrote:Not sure if this is the correct thread for this, but I needed some place to post about a dish that I tried at Belly Shack a few nights ago: the half-chicken special with sweet potatos and chorizo. This dish was warmth and hominess reduced to a bowl. The chicken was flavorful, the skin crisp, the meat moist. If you're thinking of going to Belly Shack, I highly recommend calling ahead until you're told the half-chicken is available.

Yes. This. A lot.

If Belly Shack was within walking distance of my home, I don't think I would ever go anywhere else.

Tostones crispy plantain chips with chimichurri sauce and lime zest


Belly Dog topped with pickled green papaya and egg noodle; served with Togarashi Fries



Korean BBQ Beef with kimchi, ssam paste and scallion; served with flat bread



the Bacon Chocolate Chip softserve caught my eye


But Chef Kim told me I had to try the Vietnamese Cinnamon Caramel

and yes, that was the winner.

The tostones and dog look great! Now, I really want to get to Belly Shack.

Are the fries cut from fresh potatoes in store?

Habibi wrote:Are the fries cut from fresh potatoes in store?

I wish I could answer this, but alas, I'm not sure. I think I may have had about half a dozen of those fries, and although great, I focused on finishing the dog so I could get to their soft serve. The fries were crispy and fresh tasting though.