Restaurants around Chicago

The Silver Spoon is a small Thai restaurant that provides an excellent lunch option. You are immediately seated, and then promptly served, for only 8 dollars. Given the price, the quality of the food, and the lack of waiting time (all things that are not available everywhere in downtown Chicago) this seems a quite convenient deal for me. And now, some details about the food from the fixed menu: (1) the appetizer wont... (read more)

Apparently an institution in Chicago, Potbelly is well known and its locations are disseminated all around the windy city. I guess their strong points are their quick service, the quite fresh ingredients, and especially the cheap prices. My overall experience was neither particularly remarkable or impressive, and I remember having thought that their sandwiches reminded me of Subway--that is, mass consumption assemble... (read more)

Another Chicago institution, Giordano's features all the best (and the worst) of the other 'institutional' pizzerias, including a kitsch ambient, an extenuating (and unbelievable, if compared to what you get) waiting line, a series of distorted stereotypes concerning Italy and Italians (including tons of garlic, as if we were fed by garlic only in the peninsula), and other common characteristics I have found elsewher... (read more)

I really wanted to try the famous Chicago Pizza, and one of the first things I did upon my arrival in Chicago was to head up to to Pizzeria Due (apparently an institution) with my high expectations. Well, these expectations were fulfilled only in part. First, I did not really liked the rudeness of the waiters (I understand that some stereotypes want them to behave in an informal manner, but in the case of both the wa... (read more)

Cool and not so expensive restaurant (at lunch) that serves the best bread I have ever found on this side of the Atlantic (so far). I went for the 'Make it Chicago!' lunch option ($25) and I was not dissatisfied at all. The restaurant is clean, the waiters are polite, the dressing code is reasonably casual, and the ambient is nice (with all the pictures of the past Chicago mayors hanged on the walls and stuff). What... (read more)

While we were spending, as it often occurs in Chicago, hours in line waiting to be seated at the apparently fashionable café' across the street, my eyes fell on the Artopolis sign, which I initially mistook for an art&crafts shop. Once realized it was a café, the decision to eat there-where food was waiting for us and seating was immediately available-was almost immediate. And that was a very good choice indeed... (read more)

If you are, like me, a foreigner traveling to Chicago for the first or second time, please be advised of the following: 1) The Blue Line is the slowest metropolitan train ever invented in the history of mankind; 2) Outside most restaurants, customers like to spend hours and hours waiting in line before eating. 3) 99% of the times, the weather really sucks. The Grand Lux Cafe makes no exception, because it features a... (read more)

Apparently a quite popular restaurant (esp. among young clients) and immediately adjacent to the Mile, Dao features a quite pleasurable and well designed space with multiple dining options which include besides the conventional tables, also the tatami-like low tables. Dao also features: a basic thai menu with all the basic dishes of the rich thai cuisine; a reasonable-albeit not extremely low-pricing, and some diffic... (read more)