Midway advice?

Hi- One of my sisters is flying in from New Orleans today on Southwest to attend the heart meeting at McCormick Place. She is going to be staying at the Hampton Inn on Huron. I just offered to pick her up at Midway, and then we will go somewhere to eat. She is getting in around 6:00pm. Would Chinatown be on our way to her hotel, or are there any restaurants near Midway or on the way to her hotel that anybody would recommend that we could hit at 7:00pm on a Saturday without reservations? We would prefer to spend $30 or less not including drinks. I would prefer not to eat near her hotel because it is going to be way more expensive, and I will have to pay a ton for parking. Any suggestions? She seemed to be receptive to Chinatown, but I don't know how convenient that would be. Thanks, Nancy

How about some goat?
Birrieria Zaragoza
4852 Pulaski

NFriday wrote:Would Chinatown be on our way to her hotel

Yes.

NFriday wrote:are there any restaurants near Midway or on the way to her hotel that anybody would recommend that we could hit at 7:00pm on a Saturday without reservations?

Also on the way are any of the restaurants in Pilsen (including Nightwood, Dusek's, and Nuevo Leon), Bridgeport (including Nana and Han 202), and Little Italy (including Davanti Enoteca and County Barbeque). At most of these, you're way better off making a reservation - so why not just make one? If your plans change (such as if her flight is delayed), you can always call to change or cancel.

Of these, Nuevo Leon (traditional Mexican) is the least expensive. Nightwood (contemporary American) and Davanti Enoteca (Italian) are both excellent. I love Han 202 and its combination of Chinese and French cuisines. Han 202 may represent the best value among these; I think it's still BYOB which saves you money on alcohol, and the four-course prix fixe menu is only $35, with a $5 upcharge for the yummy dessert soufflé. And County Barbecue is also really good, often overlooked among our many barbecue restaurants.

If you search on midway you'll find a few other threads with some suggestions, as well.

=R=

JasonM wrote:How about some goat?
Birrieria Zaragoza
4852 Pulaski

Zaragoza closes early; I think as early as 6 or 7. Be sure to check their hours before going there.

stevez wrote:

JasonM wrote:How about some goat?
Birrieria Zaragoza
4852 Pulaski

Zaragoza closes early; I think as early as 6 or 7. Be sure to check their hours before going there.

Birrieria Zaragoza closes at 7pm (Mon-Sat; 4pm Sun).

Chinatown is a regular stop on the way home when I pick up my parents at Midway. Plenty of good options there, and cheap or free parking.

Hi- Thanks for everyone's advice. I looked on open table for some of the suggestions that nsxtasy recommended, and none of the restaurants that were on open table had an opening at 7:00. I then called Han 202, and they did not have a table available until 7:45. We ended up going to Chinatown. I have lived in Evanston for 33 years, and this is the first time I have ever set foot in Chinatown. We ended up going to our namesake LTH. We ordered some potstickers which were good, and then I had the schezwan shrimp which was also good, although it was a little more spicy than I would have liked it. My sister ordered a bowl of soup with noddles and some meat in it. I don't know if it was hot and sour or something else. The portions were huge, and the prices were really reasonable. The whole bill including the tip was under $30. The soup was the only thing that we did not care for. I think I have enough food for almost two more meals. They even validated our parking ticket, and so parking only cost us $2. If we would have gone somewhere near her hotel, we would have spent three times as much for less food, and we would have paid $10 for parking.

When I told my sister that somebody here had recommended a goat place near Midway, but somebody else mentioned that they closed at 7:00. My sister wanted to know why they closed so early, and she told me that she did not want to eat goat anyway, which is what I knew she would say. We had an enjoyable evening, although it was kind of strange because I did not see any snow on the ground until I got off of Lake Shore Drive, and started driving down Sheridan past Loyola. I warned my sister that it was cold here, and she said she thought she brought a warm enough coat, but she was cold, and she said she might end up buying a new jacket this week while she is in Chicago. Thanks, Nancy

Thanks for reporting back. Glad it worked out so well!