Norwood Park good eats?

Just moved to Norwood Park, by the Kennedy and Harlem, and was looking for recommendations of some good places to eat around here.
Thanks in advance for your excellent suggestions.

I guess it all depends on what you are looking to eat?

I lived in that area for years and still go back there quite often.
One place that i continue to always visit is Mr. Beef on Harlem for their Pizza Slices (just south of Irving Park Rd). It is hard enough to find a slice of pizza, let alone a GOOD slice. I have been to Gigios on Broadway and several other places and i believe Mr Beef arguably has the best Slice of Sausage or Cheese in Chicago.

I can't remember the last time i have had their burgers, beefs, or anything else but they were good.

Slice of Sausage, Fries well done, Large Coke. I lived on that for years.

Hi, Slav. Welcome to the neighborhood and the LTH tribe.

I'll give you a quick off-the-top-of-my-head list & I'm sure others will chime in with favorites . . . and then you can search the list for specific write-ups*.

Your easiest food concentration is on Northwest Highway around Oliphant. I can recommend Zia's [Italian], Elliot's isn't a bad steak house, and I like the specials on the menu at Don Juan's [I think they do a mediocre job with the standard Mexican-American dishes, but ymmv]. Cafe Touche isn't bad, but I find them to be a kinda overpriced for the bistro stuff they do. Tony's isn't my favorite Italian deli, but it's OK. NEVER buy a pre-made sandwich there; have them make it fresh. Conca D'Oro is a good bakery & they sell canoli shells that you can make filling for yourself . . . my mom makes me bring them to her house at Christmas.

My favorite local pizza delivery is Joe's on Higgins. I like 'em ordered with light cheese & extra crispy crust.

Chinese food in the neighborhood is hopeless. Fried Rice Express on Higgins can be edible. Sometimes.

Avoid Taco Burrito King @ Harlem and Higgins. Food for inebriates on the way home from the bar. If you want a decent taqueria, try Estella [I think it's called] at Milwaukee & Lawrence.

Basilico on Cumberland a block south of Lawrence is decent Italian-American food**.

Rich's on Harlem at Lawrence is a Polish-oriented grocery/liquor store. They have a large selection of prepared food packaged up & refrigerated to go. A default for me when I want to eat at home & the current left-overs aren't interesting to me. Produce World at Lawrence & Cumberland is an OK store; oriented toward Greek/Italian/Polish and recently some Indian food-stuffs. It just got a badly-needed face lift. MUCH better produce and ethnic food selection than any local Jewel or Dominick's, but that's damning with faint praise. I frequently go to Fresh Farms on Touhy in Niles for my produce shopping. [I've given up on the Jewel and Dominick's in the neighborhood. The one around the corner from my house at Harlem & Foster has a particularly awful produce section.]

Joseph's Market on Irving Park east of Cumberland is a very good Italian deli. They make sausage there & have a good butcher counter.

Bobo's Hot Dogs on Irving Park is across the street from Joseph's is probably the best, closest hot dog stand. [Avoid Brandy's on Harlem by the RR tracks. Bad AND over-priced.]
Jay's on Narragansett near Montrose does an Italian beef I like a lot. Get lots of giardinara.

There's another nice restaurant cluster in Edgebrook. GNR winning Elephant Thai is there. The Chocolate Shoppe sells ice cream across the street [the decorations are a must-see]. Moher is an OK Irish-type bar. Al Primo Canto does a nice Brazilian-style meat fest, but the quality was off last time I visited.

Well, that'll get you started, anyway. There's lots of interesting food in reasonable traveling distance . . . feel free to inquire about specifics.

Giovanna


*if you don't know this search trick, you can search for a specific place using google:

restaurantname site:lthforum.com

** being of Sicilian-American background, I'm very, very picky about the quality of my Italian food. Zia's and Basilico are the ONLY places in the neighborhood I'll recommend . . . and there are a lot of them.

Hey, if the traffic is good, you're only about 15 minutes away down the Kennedy from Honey1.

And I'd probably agree on the woeful Chinese in the area. I live a little further south so I've only touch a few right in that area. But what I've tried has been pretty bad. While not that close, I'd still recommend Happy Garden on Belmont about half a mile west of Harlem.

About a block east of there is Notolli Bros., a small Italian deli. They too make their own sausage and I like it better than Joe's. But both are pretty good.

I haven't tried the pizza place that Giovanna mentioned, but we've been frequenting Lonnies on Irving just east of Cumberland a lot lately. Worth a shot at least once.

Smak Tak is pretty close: Elston & Austin.

Second nod to Smak Tak. Sausage at Nottoli on Belmont is good; there's also a Nottoli on Harlem a little south of Foster that is NOT.

I was thinking about meat driving home from work . . . Andy's on Milwaukee [near Foster/Central/Northwest Hwy. - that's one complicated intersection!] is a Polish deli, has every kind of kielbasy known to humankind, and also has a good selection of regular meats - very heavy on the pork. Schmeisser's Meats on Milwaukee a block west of Harlem is very good, too. A bit pricey. Great sausages. They sell smoked goose breast around Christmas [the counter lady compared it to proscuitto] that I'm going to have to try. They're almost nearly kinda as good as Paulina Meat Market - I may like their bratwurst better, but their overall selection is much smaller - and closer to home.

Giovanna

For a taqueria, it is worth the couple miles to hit La Pasidita Express on Elston. Steak tacos and burritos, try 'em with just cilantro and onions before you go "super" on the fixings. Both styles are done well, but the char grilled steak is so good you should let it shine.

Of course there is Superdawg at Nagle and Devon on Milwaukee, which I love for the neon relish, the crispy/chewy fries, the whoopskidawg done their way, and the nostalgia.

Mac's on Higgins just east of Cumberland is a pretty good diner that'll have you feeling like a regular by your second trip.

For standard American Chinese you may want to try Chinatown on Touhy just west of Harlem. They deliver, do the standards like sesame chicken, potstickers, and beef and broccoli well, and some interesting things like lumpia and ma po tofu are pretty good.

La Pasadita Express
4968 North Elston Avenue, Chicago
(773) 282-8226

Superdawg
6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
(773) 763-0660‎

Mac's
812 West Higgins Road, Park Ridge
(847) 696-2950‎

Chinatown
7254 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago
(773) 763-3690‎

Hi neighbor!

Here are some of the places that we like in the area

Smak Tac on Elston for Polish (Norwood Park / Jeff Park) http://www.smaktak.com/

Tanzitaro on Milwaukee/Elston for Mexican and Guatemalan dishes (Norwood Park) http://www.tanzitaro.com/

Pasta D'Arte for Italian on Milwaukee for Italian (Norwood Park) http://www.pastadarte.com/

Amitabul for healthy, hearty vegan on Milwaukee (Norwood Park) http://www.amitabulvegan.com/

Zia's for Italian on Northwest Hwy (Edison Park) http://www.ziaschicago.com/

Cafe Touche for French on Northwest Hwy (Edison Park) http://cafetouche.com/

Elliots Seafood Grill and Steak house on Northwest Hwy (Edison Park)

Elephant Thai on Devon (Edgebrook) http://theelephantthai.com/default.aspx

Renga Tei on Touhy for Japanese (Lincolnwood)

Giovanna wrote:Bobo's Hot Dogs on Irving Park is across the street from Joseph's is probably the best, closest hot dog stand. [Avoid Brandy's on Harlem by the RR tracks. Bad AND over-priced.]

I know some people who swear by Bobo's. Just DO NOT stop at Parsee's on Higgins just east of Harlem, no matter how hungry you are.

Giovanna wrote:Avoid Taco Burrito King @ Harlem and Higgins. Food for inebriates on the way home from the bar.

I found a knuckle in my enchilada.

You may also want to take a look at this thread, you're near enough to this area.

Thai Pastry Restaurant II
7350 West Lawrence Avenue
Harwood Heights, IL 60706-3504
(708) 867-8840

It's a full restaurant not just baked goods.

You can also head up Milwaukee Avenue to Niles, for various good dining options, notably Siam's House and the Himalayan, and fabulous ethnic grocery shopping.

Stopped into Andy's today to pick up some sausages and sides. Walked out with what I believe is one of the best deals on the NW side. A fully cooked, crispy skinned and stuffed duck for $20 from the to-go heated dishes to the right of the deli counter. The stuffing an herbed meat (liver maybe?) stuffing...very little breading. It was delish. We have half of a duck left over and a lot of the stuffing. I plan on reheating the meat stuffing tomorrow morning with some creamy scrambled eggs.

Tony's Italian Deli & Subs
6708 Northwest Hwy, Chicago, IL 60631
Phone: (773)631-0055
http://www.tonysdeliandsubs.com/

There seem to be plenty of Asian places in the area, but I can't tell one from the other. I'm meeting my parents this weekend so I could use some recommendations:

My parents will be in Park Ridge, and I live in Niles near Superdawg.
I like Thai, but as my mom doesn't like spicy food and is not terribly adventurous, so a Thai place with some simpler dishes would be nice.
Not Kow Kow.
No sushi.

Thanks everybody!

Pie Lady wrote:There seem to be plenty of Asian places in the area, but I can't tell one from the other. I'm meeting my parents this weekend so I could use some recommendations:

My parents will be in Park Ridge, and I live in Niles near Superdawg.
I like Thai, but as my mom doesn't like spicy food and is not terribly adventurous, so a Thai place with some simpler dishes would be nice.
Not Kow Kow.
No sushi.

Thanks everybody!

How about - http://theelephantthai.com/default.aspx - several LTH posts

Dave148 wrote:How about - http://theelephantthai.com/default.aspx - several LTH posts

Seconded. That's a great call!

Thai Elephant is pretty good and a comfortable spot. I think I slightly prefer the food at Siam's House up on Milwaukee near Oakton, though:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=961

Saigon Grill is in the neighborhood if pho sounds good. Ameri-Chinese entrees, too.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=29872