Just returned from our second visit to Latte on Lincoln—a little coffee/tea cafe that serves up a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, small bites, and stews/soups... The most interesting of which (from our brief sampling) are the traditional indian (an example being their curry chicken) and indian fusion items (e.g. the naan wrap—a wheat naan wrap with a polish inside with creamy basil dressing, and a chicken masala sandwich). The food we've had there has been very good, priced reasonably (sandwiches from $6-8, main dishes from $8-12), and their Indian food is (seemingly) made from scratch and very good... especially for the neighborhood (that being their limited offerings are much better than what I've had at Essence of India just up the street. Part of the reason their food is so good is that they aren't afraid to make things spicy. They make the spice/heat level appropriate for the dish or the sauce—they don't make it "white-people" spicy as my wife would say.
While their menu and approach right now is entirely schizophrenic (if you go there and check out their menu you'll see what I'm talking about... it is all over the place) they're planning on stopping to compete head first with Julius Meinl and instead focus their approach and come early february will be an Indian and Indian Fusion Cafe—at this time they'll be changing their name to Dehli 6.
Talking with the owners today they've informed me that they'll be closing for remodeling and a trip back to India from January 15th through February 10th... Until the 15th they'll still be serving their current menu (which includes some items they plan on carrying over—I'm told they are the indian fusion items, but I don't know which ones or what exactly that means. Either way, I'm hoping to make it back before they shut down for a few weeks and am looking forward to (what I hope will continue to be) good indian food in the north center neighborhood.
Latte on Lincoln (will be "Delhi 6" after February 10th)
4229 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 868-4229
www.latteonlincoln.com