Chicago | Delicious Finds in the Windy City đ
I didnât overplanâjust picked highly rated spots (4.8â4.9 on Google Maps) near me and went. Zero regrets! Italian Homemade Company đ A clean, fresh little shop run by an Italian owner. All pasta is fresh, with a wide variety. An older gentleman cooks sauces on-site, and the owner warmly recommends pasta and sauce pairings. â Happy hour starts at 3 PM on weekdaysâcocktails around $10, refreshing and well-made! đ 947 W Fulton St Le French Patisserie đ„ An elegant French pastry shop. The chocolate Ă©clair was stunningâhavenât had such a crispy-shelled Ă©clair in ages! đ 505 N Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Dr La Perla Chicago, Restaurant & Lounge đźđ Mexican-Italian fusion. Not too hungry, so we just ordered snacks and drinks. The lime-marinated shrimp with crispy banana taro chips instantly transported me to Xishuangbanna đ„ș Mexican food really is a Yunnanese personâs comfort cuisine! The two drinks we ordered were just okay, but the happy owner sent over two shots on the house. đ„ Tlayudas Oaxaca Grill đ¶ïžđŠ Super tasty Mexican food. The owner doesnât even speak Englishâthe menu is in Spanish. We matched photos on the wall and figured out âskirt beef,â ordering a seafood soup and grilled meat rice. The seafood soup was savory-spicy and rich, like a Southwest-style fermented fish stewâpacked with fresh seafood and firm fish. The other dish had a salty, tomato-based sauce that reminded me of savory scrambled eggs with tomatoesâvery fragrant! Grilled meat was tasty too, though less sauce wouldâve been better. Pre-meal snacks: complimentary chips with salsa and a light veggie soup. That salsa tasted just like Yunnan-style sour chili sauce đ Portions are huge! đ 3652 W Lawrence Ave S2 Express Grill Downtown đ 4.9 stars with 1,551 reviewsâneed I say more? Tender, fragrant grilled lamb chops. You can trust the vibe of âBlack cuisine.â Note: No need to add extra tipâthey already include service fees (I was surprised by the 3% tip line, then noticed other charges). đ 420 S Clark St The rest were casual eats: deep-dish pizza (waited 2.5 hours⊠not really worth it), roasted suckling pig (standard Cantonese level), and the industrial museumâs fried chicken sandwich (way too hard and filling). #Foodie #SatisfiedByFood #StudentEats #ChicagoFood #ChicagoTravel #HiddenGems #NoRegrets