Chicago | Reviews of Recent Eats — Tolerable to Pretty Good 🍽️

Alpana – A very solid Italian spot ✅ Great ambiance + no bad dishes! Recommended: Roasted Half Chicken – juicy and well-seasoned 🍗 Squid Ink Campanelle – reliable seafood pasta 🦑🍝 Focaccia – served with a unique tomato dip, delicious! Okay: Pistachio Pesto / Braised Short Ribs – decent but not memorable. Skip: Salmon – a bit fishy and the sauce didn’t blend well. Virtue – Pretty good Southern American fare 👍 Recommended: Cornbread – loved it!! 🌽 Blackened Catfish – fish was meh but the rice and sauce saved it. Okay: Half Chicken – too sweet and got heavy after a while. Purple Pig – Mediterranean, barely tolerable 😅 Recommended: Mushroom 3 Ways – famous for a reason, rich and flavorful. Octopus – crispy and tasty legs. Okay: Half Duck – overly sweet, made me miss real Peking duck.. Mikami Izakaya & Ramen – Hard to tolerate Japanese 😠 Nice vibe, but food was disappointing. Not recommended: Seafood Udon – soft shell crab was frozen, broth was oily. Tempura Plate – just back from Japan and… this was thick-battered frozen stuff. Not okay. Quick comparison with two other downtown izakayas: Ikigai Sushi & Izakaya – Tolerable ✅ Average yakitori and seafood bowls. Fine if you live nearby. Sushi-san – Pretty good! ✅ Affordable Japanese spot where every dish hits. Recommended: Tako Taco / Nigiri / Beef N Bop. #InternationalStudentEats #FoodReview #ChicagoFood #ChicagoLife #ChicagoSurvivalGuide