Lunch in Irving Park

Hello everyone!

I'm new to this, so bear with me! A friend is visiting Chicago on Saturday and we'd like to go out to lunch in Irving Park (somewhere close-ish to 4130 N Springfield). I've been up there before, but at night, and didn't see much. Something not-too-expensive would be fantastic. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Do you like BBQ? If so, go to Smoque. It is only a few blocks away. My other thought was Sabatino's, an old-school Italian restaurant, but they don't seem to be open for lunch on Saturdays.

Smoque BBQ
3800 North Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60641-3197
(773) 545-7427
smoquebbq.com

Sabatino's
4441 West Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL 60641-2808
(773) 283-8331
sabatinoschicago.com

That's my neighborhood. You really have a ton of options: BBQ, Mexican, Pizza, Peruvian, Filipino, Afghani, generic "Middle Eastern", diners, Italian, bar food, roast chicken joints. None of them are very expensive. You might need to narrow things down a bit.

Best,
Michael

Darren - Thanks! I do like BBQ and have heard great things about Smoque before ... I'll have to run it by my friend. Her only concern was not eating something that would put us to sleep for the afternoon!

eatchicago - Oh, fantastic! What would you recommend along the lines of Mexican, diners, and Peruvian?

Mexican
If you have a car and are willing to drive about a mile and a half, I love La Oaxaquena, a long-time favorite of this board. I'm always impressed by the food here and how well it continues to execute over the years. There are a number of other sit-down restaurants within walking distance of the block you listed like Taxco and 7 Mares (both on Montrose near Elston) but I'd rather go to La Oaxaquena in a heartbeat. There are also a number of taquerias on Montrose and Lawrence (San Juanito prob. my favorite): those will be less of a restaurant experience and more of a fast-food experience (not sure if that's what you're looking for).

Diners
Your two best options are Two-Way Grill and Alps West at Irving and Elston (which is more of a pancake house). I am no great fan of this style of food but both places are "good enough" in that category. If you really want a gritty, blue collar, urban diner experience Carol's Chicago Grill on Irving Park just east of Pulaski, is for you.

Peruvian
There is the slightly upscale Ay Ay Picante on Pulaski, but I am immensely fond of D'Candela on Kedzie, particularly for their roast chicken and plantains.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Ton of other options. It's one of the main reasons I live around there.

Best,
Michael

Michael - can you give a short note about the roast chicken joints? Any notable differences among them? Any favorites?

Darren72 wrote:Michael - can you give a short note about the roast chicken joints? Any notable differences among them? Any favorites?

Honestly, D'Candela, linked above under Peruvian, is the heavyweight champion of the neighborhood in terms of roast chicken (in addition to being a full-service Peruvian Restaurant). They get a solid 90% of my roast chicken money.

I like the El Llano/Brasa Roja chain too (there are now three in the neighborhood) and I'm long a customer of the one on Montrose.

Fina Estampa is good.

Chicken Works & Salad Company is a notch lower but acceptable and popular with people who are intimidated by non-English words.

Sabroso on Montrose (now catering only, I think) is a notch lower than that.

I'm not a huge fan of the Mr. Pollo chain.

I used to go to Chuy's on Lawrence but haven't been back since they've been flipped into a second location of the Nick's Chicken in Bucktown.

Thanks!

La Oaxaquena it is! My friend approved it and we'll just bike there. That should make up for the many many tacos I plan to eat.

pyreneeees wrote:La Oaxaquena it is! My friend approved it and we'll just bike there. That should make up for the many many tacos I plan to eat.

Glad to help. I'd recommend reading a bit about the place in the thread I linked to. Their strength is not in tacos but in mole, seafood, and Oaxacan tamales (in my opinion).

Best,
Michael