Restaurants I have recently been to-.
Chicago has tons of restaurants. The following is my attempt to summarize my experiences in trying out various places. This might be of special interest to vegetarians, as am one. Of course there are several other fantastic review sites -- Note the links given below. On the same front, this list bears a bias that it stems from a vegetarian's experiences in these (not necessarily vegetarian) restaurants. I also adjust these ratings based on multiple visits (See the number of visits to each restaurant).
My ratings are on a scale of five stars, and dinner costs follow this scale ($-0 15, $$-15-30, $$$-30+ dollars). For most locations, a link to Google maps is also provided.
This page is seriously out-of-date, but just kept online for legacy reasons. I have moved, have not been to several restaurants off-late, but haven't kept up with the updates to this page. Just provided for what it is worth!b>
| Month/Year | Name of the Establishment | Number of visits | Type of cuisine | Address | Price ($ - $$ -$$$) | Ratings | Comments |
| Oct 2007 | Babylon Bistro | 1 | Middle Eastern | On Damen ave, half blk North of Armitage Map. | $ | 4 stars | Their Chila Fry was very good! |
| Oct 2007 | Uru Swati | Several times | Indian Gujarati (Vegetarian) | On Devon ave, at Talman Junction Map. | $ | 4 stars | Quite possibly the best vegetarian place on Devon. |
| Apr 2007 | Green Zebra | 1 | Vegetarian Tapas | On Chicago ave, 1 blk East of Ashland Map. | $$$ | 3 stars | Had the tasting menu ( whopping 55 bucks!), interesting, great looking numbers. |
| Apr 2007 | Vermillon | 1 | Indian & Spanish fusion cuisine | On Hubbard st, one block east of Dearbornmap. | $$$ | 4 stars | Tasteful, exotic recipes |
| Apr 2007 | Cousins | 1 | Middle Eastern | On Broadway, just north of the Diversey junction. Map. | $$ | 1 star | Had a bad experience, and read that many others had a similar experience as well!! |
| Apr 2007 | Hot Wok Village | 1 | Indian + Chinese fusion (Indo-Chinese) | In Schaumburg. | $$ | 1 star | Very hot, spicy food, but can't say much about its preparation. |
| Mar 2007 | Sage Restaurant | 1 | Deli / Restaurant | On clark st, North of Fullerton Map | $$ | 3 stars | Fresh, fresh food!! seasonal menus. Several vegetarian options | Feb 2007 | La Pasadita | 3 | Mexican | On Ashland, just south of Division Map | $ | 3 stars | Wonderful fresh veggie tacos and a unique roasted pepper black salsa... |
| Nov 2006 | Ras Dashen Restaurant | 2 | Ethiopian | On Broadway, south of Devon. Map. | $$ | 4 stars | Truly amazing choices!! Highly recommended! |
| Nov 2006 | Victory's Banner | 2 | Brunch place | In Roscoe Village. Map | $ | 4 stars | Great breakfast choices, plenty of vegetarian food. Great service. A peaceful place! |
| Aug 2006 | Zad | Several times | Middle Eastern Lebanese | On Broadway at Barry intersection Map | $ | 3 stars | Nothing to write about -- good for a quick bite. | July 2006 | A La Turka Restaurant | 2 | Turkish | On Lincoln, just south of Belmont. Map. | $$ | 3 stars | Belly dancers on Thurs,Fri, Sat nights!! | July 2005 | Phoenix Restaurant | 2 | Chinese Traditional | On Archer, just around the main corner of Chinatown. Map | $$ | 3 stars | A large restaurant (>200 seats), and quite customer-friendly |
| July 2005 | Chicago Diner | 2 | Multi-cuisine Vegetarian | On Halsted just north of Belmont map | $ | 3 stars | Vegan options available for most dishes. Quality is somewhat incosistent! |
| June 2005 | Flat Top Grill | 1 | Stir Fry place | On North Avenue just east of Sedgewick map | $ | 3 stars | Making your own stir-fry. Healthy, good. Several other locations in Chicago. |
| April 2005 | Orso's | 1 | Italian | On Wells st just north of Division intersection map | $$ | 3 stars | Pesto Gnocchi worth trying. |
| June 2005 | Indian Grill | 2 | North Indian | On Clark just south of Fullerton intersection | $$ | 2 stars | Standard North Indian fare |
| March 2005 | Vivere | 1 | Italian | On Monroe just east of Clark intersection. map | $$$ | 3 stars | Has a beautiful interior design. The same, unfortunately, could not be said for food during my visit. |
| Feb 2005 | Tizi Melloul | 3 | Moroccon/Middle Eastern | On Wells just north of Grand intersection map | $$$ | 3 stars | Try their Crescent Room -- it is a nice communal sharing table environment with small multi-course servings from a fixed menu. |
| Jan 2005 and several times thereafter | Sinbad's | Several (>10) | Middle Eastern/Lebanese | On Belmont just east of Sheffield intersection map | $ | 3 stars | Absolute value for your money! Fresh, healty food! |
| Dec 2004 | Lao Sze Chuan | 4 | Chinese Szechwan | In Chinatown, last one in the main-strip mall | $ | 3 stars | Quite spicy! Ask the chef for custom-made veggie selections |
| Dec 2004 and several times thereafter | Hema's Kitchen | Several times (>10) | North Indian | On Clark just north of Fullerton intersection | $$ | 3.5 stars | My favorite North Indian restaurant in Chicago. Try their Dal Dhakani!! |
- Metromix the leading review site from the Chicago Tribune.
- Centerstage Chicago. Another exclusive chicago review site.
- The Reader Not just restaurant reviews!
- Check Please! a nice program on WTTW 11 with people discussing their favorite restaurants.
Links
