Favorite Hole in the Wall? [was Good, cheap, BYOB, ugly]

I have a small group of male friends that goes out to dinner on what is turning into a regular occasion. We are looking for restaurants of a type that some of our wives who prefer the finer things in life (such as not having to walk through the kitchen to use a not-particularly clean bathroom) refuse to frequent. Ethnic and spicy is a plus, but not a requirement. Think places like Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan, Rainbow Thai, Katy's Dumplings (if it weren't in Westmont), any of the supermercado taquerias, and of course Little Three Happiness.

We want to stay in the city (not everyone has a car), but anywhere from Bridgeport to Rogers Park will work.

Bonus kudos for recs beyond Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Mexican (which I already know reasonably well). And I'd really love to hear of a place like this where I can get a decent steak - Tango Sur has been deemed too upscale for this purpose.

Loncar's Liquors
Good, cheap, (but not) BYOB, ugly
It's out of range, but public transportation might get you there.

Nha Hang
Good, cheap, byob, ugly (but charming)
My wife frequents Nha Hang, but it still seems to fit your requirements.

Bite
Good, cheap, BYOB, (but not) ugly
Although your wive's would surely like Bite, you do need to walk through the kitchen to get to the bathroom...so hopefully your dude friends will love it.

Lalibela for excellent Ethiopian food and a beautiful room.
Las Tablas for steak is BYOB Sun-Thurs
Manchu Picchu on Ashland
Cafe Orchid for Turkish
Cohiba Cuban Cuisine

NOK, in Norwood Park on Milwaukee Ave where it meets Elston up North. It's Noon-o-Kabob's NW Side outpost. Persian/Iranian food. It won't be hot and spicy though.

Good. Inexpensive. Not ugly, and is comfortable. It's fast casual service with china/silverware/glasses, not waitstaff served.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/nok-chicago-3

Thanks, this is pretty much what I'm looking for, although a couple of them are a little too expensive or too nice. I've been to Nha Hang and it's already on the to do list. NOK looks great, but do they allow alcohol? I'll hit Loncar's Liquors on my next trek (pilgrimage?) to Calumet Fisheries, but it's too out of the way for this particular crowd. Cohiba Cuban definitely goes on the list.

Any Central Asian suggestions? I liked the Afghan place that used to be on Dempster in Skokie or Evanston.

lowwall wrote:I liked the Afghan place that used to be on Dempster in Skokie or Evanston.

That would be Kabul House, (a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee and BYOB) currently at 4949 Oakton Street, Skokie - probably walking distance from the Yellow Line Oakton stop. Other good selections in the area would be Libertad (Nuevo Latino, but not BYOB, also a a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee) at 7931 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, or Yolo (I know you said no Mexican, but it's yet another Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee, and BYOB) at 5111 Brown St, Skokie.

You might also consider Smak-Tak, a small Polish BYOB place, also a Bib Gourmand recipient, at 5961 N Elston Ave, Chicago. As Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city other than Warsaw (take that, Krakow!), you can be assured it's a cuisine you won't find done as well anywhere this side of the pond.

nr706 wrote:That would be Kabul House, (a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee and BYOB) currently at 4949 Oakton Street, Skokie

And, of course, its most important designation as an LTHForum GNR. This place fails on the ugly front, but succeeds on the other three.

(This is the same restaurant that used to be on Dempster near McCormick. They moved to this location a few years ago).

nr706 wrote:That would be Kabul House, (a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee and BYOB) currently at 4949 Oakton Street, Skokie - probably walking distance from the Yellow Line Oakton stop. Other good selections in the area would be Libertad (Nuevo Latino, but not BYOB, also a a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee) at 7931 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, or Yolo (I know you said no Mexican, but it's yet another Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee, and BYOB) at 5111 Brown St, Skokie.

You might also consider Smak-Tak, a small Polish BYOB place, also a Bib Gourmand recipient, at 5961 N Elston Ave, Chicago. As Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city other than Warsaw (take that, Krakow!), you can be assured it's a cuisine you won't find done as well anywhere this side of the pond.

I should have been more specific. I mentioned Central Asian because I'm not that familiar with the food of that region and would like to try something new, Kabul House is the only example I've been to. Bib Gourmand is what we don't want, Michelin's standards for ambiance are too high for this purpose. Also, FWIW, the wives in question happen to be Polish, so we are covered there

I'm going to retitle the thread to clarify this.

lowwall wrote:

nr706 wrote:That would be Kabul House, (a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee and BYOB) currently at 4949 Oakton Street, Skokie - probably walking distance from the Yellow Line Oakton stop. Other good selections in the area would be Libertad (Nuevo Latino, but not BYOB, also a a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee) at 7931 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, or Yolo (I know you said no Mexican, but it's yet another Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee, and BYOB) at 5111 Brown St, Skokie.

You might also consider Smak-Tak, a small Polish BYOB place, also a Bib Gourmand recipient, at 5961 N Elston Ave, Chicago. As Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city other than Warsaw (take that, Krakow!), you can be assured it's a cuisine you won't find done as well anywhere this side of the pond.

I should have been more specific. I mentioned Central Asian because I'm not that familiar with the food of that region and would like to try something new, Kabul House is the only example I've been to. Bib Gourmand is what we don't want, Michelin's standards for ambiance are too high for this purpose. Also, FWIW, the wives in question happen to be Polish, so we are covered there

I'm going to retitle the thread to clarify this.

Probably more relevant that Kabul House is a GNR than that it is a Bib Gourmand.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Probably more relevant that Kabul House is a GNR than that it is a Bib Gourmand.

I agree. Initially I confused this thread with the thread about a group wanting to dine between O"Hare and downtown; I assumed out-of-towners wouldn't know what a GNR was, which is why I used Bib Gourmand's recommendations. Obviously, of the joints I mentioned, Smak-Tak is also a GNR.

For Central Asian I usually go to Bai Cafe or Dastorkon. I think the food at the latter is better, but unless they changed something recently, there is no menu in English so you kind of just have to ask for things randomly. Bai Cafe has a more extensive menu...I think, and some items are translated into English. I don't think either of these places will be Bib Gourmands anytime soon The food is not as widely appealing as Afghani food, but if you like hearty gamey meats, you'll find a satisfying meal.

In my neighborhood I can also recommend Cafe Central (Cuban Diner) and Uncle Mike's Place (Diner with some filipino items).

lowwall wrote:NOK looks great, but do they allow alcohol?

They did in October 2013:

http://www.meetup.com/taste-of-vegan-ch ... 144662242/

Maybe call first: (773) 647-1988