Southport Corridor

I'll be spending the summer in Chicago, living on Grace St (3800 N) near the Southport Corridor. I'd love to hear any must-visit recommendations for food in that general area.

While I'm at it, i'll probably require a tavern or two in which to wash down all of the tasty chow...

I note that TAC appears to be fairly close, about which I'm very pleased.

I've been lurking the LTHForum for months now, steadily growing more and more excited about the culinary options that Chicago offers. I keep making my wife "come, look at this place," and am looking forward to treating her to the best of the best when she visits. This board is a simply amazing resource, and I look forward to posting my own impressions (such as they are.)

Thanks,
-jim

Hey Jimmy -

Good to hear you're moving to Chicago!

Julius Meinl is a Viennese Coffee Shop located on the corner of Southport and Addison. It's a great place to sit with a cappucino and read the paper. They have fantastic pastries and a creative, yet limited menu of sandwiches and salads along with some breakfast items. The Toppenstrudel is not to be missed!!!

As far as the bar scene - there are at least a dozen bars along Southport from Grace down to Belmont. You may want to do your own little pub crawl to check them out.

You won't be living that far from Lincoln Square, so you should definitely check out that area (Grace west to Lincoln, then head north on Lincoln).
Jury's has some of the best burgers in town. Go on a Monday when it's two-for-one. The Brauhaus is a great German bar - again, don't miss it - there's an oopma band, dancing, schnitzel and great beer!

I think this has been covered before, but I can't find it. Southport has its ups and downs, but it does have sidewalk dining in spades.

I live in precisely the area you describe. Argentine steakhouse Tango Sur and the owners' parents' adjoining South American bodega and meat market, Mercado are at Grace and Southport, across from the picturesque Blaine grammar school.

Cullen's is the Irish bar a few doors south and across from it is the New Orleans place Blue Bayou. Both at one time had very good kitchens. Both had fallen so far by the end of last year that I have more or less written them off except for the odd beer and burger on a nice day.

Banana Leaf is serviceable Thai, as is the idiotically named Once Upon a Thai, both on Southport north of Addison. But I don't go to either since TAC, Spoon, Sticky and others are so near.

Neybours is better than your average Wrigleyville bar, owing to the chef-owner's active role. Good bar food including a courageous lemongrass and fish sauce flavored rack of ribs and mini burgers.

D'Augustino's is the old timer on Southport. Do not get anything other than the super thin crust pie with sausage. It's a solid version of the Chicago tavern pizza that is discussed in Time Out this week.

People seem to like the Southport Grocery, with its fancy prepared foods and light dishes. Every single popular Northside neighborhood has one of these fancy grocery cafes; I have been in most if not all, and I have yet to have my lightbulb go off in any of them.

The bar food at Justins, Southport Lanes, and Schoolyard is all fair to good, as bar food goes. NB the fairly decent fish tacos at Schoolyard, which also appear at the very pleasant but Trixified Brownstone (same owners) nearby on Lincoln, north of Grace.

Coobah is the Latino-Filipino fusion bar-restaurant that passes for sophisticated dining on Southport, and it's not half bad. I have never been able to bring myself into the teeny-bopperish SoPo (Southport, get it?) on the other side of the street. Mystic Celt is the huge Irish Pub that used to be the French Bistrot Zinc. Eh. Then there's a Potbelly, an Einstein Bagel and an Ann Sather Cafe if you desire chain grub. Closer to Belmont you have one of those dumb mongolian bbq places.

It's turning into an ice cream street, for better or worse (mostly the latter). You have the South Beach-Eurotrashy Australian Homemade (actually from Belgium and pretty good but absurdly expensive and filled with air), you have the bare-bones place that sells Double Rainbow, you have a Cold Stone, which is taking over the universe with its gimmicky mall food, and soon, a huge retro DQ in the old Banana Leaf space next to Mercado. The DQ owners have quite the sense of humor. Before the sign was installed, they put up huge posters declaring that a Hooters was coming. What does it say that I'm looking forward to the DQ? Three words: peanut buster parfait.

Noteworthy and nearby (look for posts): Biasetti's (cheap steaks fine au gratin potatoes and creamed spinach, dine with CPD detectives and bookies); Resis, best German food and beer garden around; Diner/Dinner Grill; Byrons (hot dogs near TAC); El Llano and the Flying Chicken (Colombian places on Lincoln between Addison and Irving); Cafe 28 (fancier Cuban/Mexican place apparently named after Cafe Tacuba's address). Then you have the rich bounty of mostly mediocre but sometimes better that is Clark Street near Wrigley, Lincoln Square, Andersonville, and Uptown/Argyle all within short cab or L rides. The world is your oyster.

I thought the Double Rainbow went out of business? Which is a real bummer as they had a good root beer float and I'm not a fan of Coldstone, in the slightest.

Oddly enough, a DQ will be a nice addition to the street as long as it doesn't start a trend of chain restaurants moving in.

Southport isn't what it used to be 4 or 5 years ago in terms of food. It's becoming Armitage, slowly but surely. Mom and pops moving out to over-priced boutique clothing or eyewear stores and dime-a-dozen upscale sportbars.

Southport has been overwhelmed of late by plastic, faux-Irish bars. In fact, this old German-Scandinavian neighborhood might be the most Irish place in the city, as long as your conception of Irishness does not require a single actual Irishman.

That said, there's still such a density of spots along there that once you pick through the Seamus O'Mulligatawny'ses, and ignore the Sex and the City dress shops, there's still quite a lot along there... it's just harder to see at first glance than it was a few years ago. But add an el stop and it's not a bad place to make your home base in Chicago for the summer, just be sure to explore beyond it. Actually, 14 years ago when I bought my house in Roscoe Village, one of the attractions was that it was close to Southport (and thus the Music Box theater and a couple of restaurants I liked, gone now whatever they were), but I rarely go there now and consequently am amazed every time by what's popped up there in the last five minutes.

P.S. Cold Stone is the devil. There's something weird in that ice cream that makes it so pliable so you can add extra sugary crap like candy to it. Whatever it is exactly, it's not ice cream.

Oh, speaking of Irish pubs, there is a very real one in the neighborhood that serves excellent fish and chips as well as what's likely the best Irish b'fast in town: Ginger's at Grace and Ashland. If you don't like secondhand smoke or rowdy contractors/construction workers, maybe you don't like authentic Irish pubs and you definitely won't like Ginger's. Also the best place in town to catch soccer games from around the globe. Speaking of bars, other good ones in the area are Ten Cat (not to be confused with Gato Negro, though if you like such things, more power to ya) and the Long Room.

Mike, I am as bewildered as you are by the replacement of everything with Irish pubs, whether the old place was Romanian (Little Bucharest), French (Zinc), or German (Schulien's). But the places on Southport are significantly Irish-staffed. Indeed, the Irish American contractor and bar owner who has the two-flat two doors down from me packed it with approximately one dozen kids from the Emerald Isle a few summers ago who staffed the pubs of Wrigleyville. They usually got home from work between midnight and three, depending, and quickly got themselves shitfaced, singing and guitar-picking on the deck, and often brawling (one time, with Chicago's finest; the kids lost, big time). I'll add this disclaimer: the kids were super-polite by day and I do not attribute their shenanigans, er, hooliganism, er rambunctiousness to their ethnicity or nationality but to their age (I'd say 19 to 22) and the fact that you had a bunch of young ladies and gentlemen far from home but close together, with lots of beer to go around. I was guilty of just such behavior once, long ago.

PPS, the OP should know that Scooter's Frozen Custard isn't too far, and it's very good. And all of those little designer jeans shops are supposedly real cool according to the new arbiter of cool, TOC. But all that's lost on me (except for the shoppers it brings to the neighborhood). Interestingly, the more Armitage-like the strip becomes, the better Tango Sur/Mercado (quite literally, an immigrant mom and pop operation) does. Atkins?

Interesting, I hadn't considered that they might actually be bringing in Irish to work there, like the restaurants at Epcot (the Disney dorm there full of young people far from home is said to also be a significant place of alcohol-fueled crosscultural, uh, fertilization). What it's not is a neighborhood that ever had any Irish-American presence more authentic than myself (one quarter Irish on me father's mother's side).

When I was in Ireland a lot of young people we talked to had either already or were planning to come to America to work a summer or a year; however, they usually spoke of America as if its two main cities were about what they were in 1790, that is, "Oh yes, I want to visit America, see New York and Boston." (That's in contrast to the rest of Europe, where they say New York and, yes, Orlando.) The most interesting thing I noticed though was that the Irish always asked you, sooner or later, what kind of heat you had at home. They talk about forms of heating like Americans talk about sports.

And I must admit that the ice cream shops and the shops full of size 4 dresses seem contradictory to me.

At the risk of veering somewhat off topic, the Southport corridor area was heavily German into the 1960s. The location where Justin's is was a German bar with kitchen of a type now extinct. Neat place, but I was a lot younger then. As with Lincoln-Belmont on up through Lincoln-Irving-Damen and Lincoln Square, the German population dropped off rapidly from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s. There are only a few vestiges left of the old German neighborhoods until you get to Lincoln Square, which has almost as much German presence as it did 25 years ago. Meanwhile, the Greeks who pretty much replaced Germans in Lincoln Square have moved away to be replaced by Eastern Europeans and yuppies. Change is the only constant.

In any case the Southport Corridor revival was more based on transportation, lower priced real estate then farther east and proximity to interesting things than what was there. The businesses followed in a way that is reminiscent of what happened on Armitage for better or worse. At least Southport was never as crime-ridden or crumby as Armitage was 30-35 years ago.

I've worked at Cullens Spring time brings the H1-B visas and the pretty girls carrying them to the City, ah those were good times! I will second Gingers for football, I used to go there a lot before a place opened closer to home. However it's still about the best place to see GAA matches (Hurling mostly) without trekking to Gaelic Park way down in Tinley Park.

Hi,

About twenty years ago, I visited with a friend who was living in Belfast for a year. The home I stayed in simply felt damp (including the beds!)because it was never heated enough to dry it out. A cool temperature is a lot more tolerable in the absence of dampness and unpleasant to the extreme with it!

I was told in an earlier period, when homes were heated by coal this persistent damp inside the homes was not present. However, the coal was so dirty, the attendant coal dust and 'London Fog' phenomena often compromised visibility. Apparently, coal was substantially cheaper than natural gas because it certainly is conserved resource. Of course, by European standards, American homes are overheated and their homes are a tad bit cool by ours.

Regards,

Back to the topic of food on the southport corridor - I've always been fond of Deleece, which is just north of Irving Park. It's got a kind of eclectic California style menu. Generally, this type of place makes me roll my eyes, but I have never had a bad meal at Deleece. They have a dish of black pasta with seafood and shitake mushrooms that I love. It's a very nice place to eat dinner outside, as well.

maureencd wrote:Back to the topic of food on the southport corridor - I've always been fond of Deleece, which is just north of Irving Park. It's got a kind of eclectic California style menu. Generally, this type of place makes me roll my eyes, but I have never had a bad meal at Deleece. They have a dish of black pasta with seafood and shitake mushrooms that I love. It's a very nice place to eat dinner outside, as well.

Deleece does a very good breakfast as well, with some interesting twists on familiar dishes.

I live in that area and agree with much of what has been said here. IMO, it's a great corridor for the unadventurous, which is both a bad thing and a great thing at the same time.

I appreciate it because it offers a number of places to take out friends and family who are more risk averse to foodthan me and my fiancee.

Tango Sur is affordable and a solid meat location. Coobah has some interesting dishes, a few strong appetizers (Fundido), and an unreasonably overpriced drink menu. Schoolyard (and sister bar Brownstone, as JeffB mentioned) are great in terms of bar food. Wednesday nights at Schoolyard are half price everything - food & drinks. Chinalite is a WAY above average Americanized Chinese restaurant. It might seem pricey by the menu, but the portions are ginormous. Don't go looking for an epiphany about Chinese cuisine, but be happy with a solid hot & sour soup and a pleasantly different orange chicken. I'm sure you'll try each of the Irish Bars once like I did, but will probably never return. None of them have anything really special to hook you. Toons (Southport & Byron) is a better option for a neighborhood bar than the rest, as they actually have some drink specials. The wings are solid, too.

For above average delivery a little further away, I generally get Pat's Pizza (not the best by any means, but not bad for not having to leave your house) or Fattoush (Lebanese).

However, you are within reach of greatness. TAC, Spoon, and Sticky Rice are all a short drive/phone call away. Hot Doug's (~3300 N. California) is not out of reach on a weekend morning. The Twisted Spoke (Clark & Roscoe) is a quick bus ride (or slightly long walk) away down Clark and offers significantly better burgers and other bar food than the Southport lot.

For coffee and treats, try Julius Meinl, as suggested above, but also check out Cafe Avanti (just north of Jewel) and Uncommon Ground (Clark & Grace) for some variety.

If you have any other questions about the area, don't hesitate to send a PM.

Oh...and RE: Ice Cream...I don't have a feeling one way or another about DQ as an establishment, but so far I *ABHOR* the huge neon sign I have to walk by every morning and evening. So tacky. [/yuppie]

jimmy!, nullius in verba, and all that, but dare to go west. Do try Ginger's Ale House on Grace and Ashland. Good food, good bar, and none of the cause for complaint one finds on Southport.

Tango Sur doesn't need my help. The place is completely bananas on the weekends, and the crowd is a very nice mix of young Latinos, families, Trixies and Hipsters. Rather like the casually cool hangers about in Buenos Aires or Montevideo, the diverse group at TS is remarkably attractive, also. And the sister (parent, really) butcher shop is one of Chicago's great ethnic groceries. (Go near the holidays and be amazed at the variety of panettoni.)

I have always liked TS and thought that it deserved some attention in spite of the fact that it is the most popular restaurant on one of the most irritating social strips in Chicago. The menu makes few if any concessions to those who expect something lite, veg, or a pasta with previously frozen broccoli and chicken strips. Blood sausage and glands, they got.
Sad little salad, check. Hearts of palm and mayo, yep.

But I have to say, TS has gotten better recently if my meal last night is any indication.

My parrillada was excellent, top to bottom. The morcillas, chorizos and sweetbreads (mollejas) from next door were the best I've had at any US version of a South American steakhouse. Turns out my 3 year old daughter loves sweetbreads. The ribs and the churrasco were more tender and flavorful than I remembered. The kitchen also has gotten past the Argentine tradition to overcook beef (that's a tradition I reject when the meat is this good). My medium rare was perfect medium rare, even charred outside, and even though the meats were of different thicknesses, some with bones, others without. The kitchen was in a groove.

I also want to emphasize that TS makes probably the best tortilla espanola in Chicago, always has. And the Italian-(South) American items are not half bad, either. El Mercado carries really great and unusual pastas from Italy that come via South America. I have not seen some of them here otherwise. The pasta served at TS is, as a result, generally high quality stuff -- though overcooking is a problem at times. But last night, the tallarines en salsa blanco, loosely an Alfredo, were very good. No gloppiness to the sauce, just a lot of heavy cream, butter, cheese and a deft hand with the nutmeg, pepper and a few other complimentary spices.

Really, it was a great Italian-American steakhouse meal. And the nearby wine shop, Que Syrah, while a bit cutesy for my tastes, has a fairly interesting selection that is obviously aimed at the TS diner. Still no cork fee.

I cannot guarantee the same results or that you will enjoy somewhat gamey sweetbreads as much as my toddler or confusingly dessert-like blood pudding as much as I. But on any given Tuesday, when the crowd is minimal, Tango Sur can put out a fine meal.

Mike G wrote:The most interesting thing I noticed though was that the Irish always asked you, sooner or later, what kind of heat you had at home.

See, I thought the answer they might be looking for would be something like a .357 Magnum, 20 gauge pump, XMA Lightweight Assault Rifle, oh...and a derringer in my nightstand.

Hammond

The Southport Corridor has a lot of for sale signs going up these days. Recently both Winston's Market and Chinalite seem to have closed down. Winston's was a solid sandwich/salad place near my apartment. I went a handful of times, though I rarely crave sandwiches when I'm at home since I eat them so often during the week. Chinalite was our go-to Chinese place, more because they delivered really fast than because their food was particularly good. Still I'm sad to see two places I patronized fairly frequently shut down. I hope some interesting stuff opens up on the street. It sucks to walk past a bunch of shut down store fronts all the time.

turkob wrote:The Southport Corridor has a lot of for sale signs going up these days. Recently both Winston's Market and Chinalite seem to have closed down. Winston's was a solid sandwich/salad place near my apartment. I went a handful of times, though I rarely crave sandwiches when I'm at home since I eat them so often during the week. Chinalite was our go-to Chinese place...

Not knowing this news, we called Chinalite last night for a delivery order. This was partly because the weather was so inclement, and Chinalite's delivery service was so consistently reliable and fast we knew it would stand up to the elements. (We always joked that Chinalite must have a mobile kitchen already circling the neighborhood, in order to get its food to us as fast as they always did. They'd say a half-hour and it would show up, not infrequently, in only twenty minutes.) The phone rang and rang. I thought I must have misdialed, because they never don't answer by the second ring, so I dialed again with the same result. I thought the snow must have brought down a phone line somewhere, because Chinalite letting the phone ring was an event as likely as the sun rising in the west and setting in the east. After it rang about thirty or forty times, I gave up and called Young's, who came through with good food. We are sad to see Chinalite go.