Chicago restaurants

[Glen Putman]

Looking for non-touristy, but tasty, ethnic restaurants in Chicago.

thanks.

gp

[Buzzy Gordon]

No particular name comes to mind offhand, but there is a large concentration of authentic Indian restaurants on Devon. There are also a couple of Persian restaurants on Clark (Reza's is one).  

[Maureen Blevins]

there are so many! One of my favorites though is The Berghoff. It's German food, located right downtown on Adams.If you were going to be out in the 'burbs (Berwyn area) Riverside on Harlem Ave is outstanding! They serve Czech food, it's inexpensive, delicious and their food is always served hot!

[Aimet Arill]

I represent Chat Chow TV, a mouth-watering video podcast that goes behind the scenes with chefs, restaurant owners and mixologist.  Check out Chizakaya, a low-key Lakeview eatery, whose name is a localized take on the Japanese term for pubs that serve small plates (izakaya).

You can view the interview with the chef by clicking on this link: http://www.chatchow.tv/harold-jurado-chizakaya/

[David Paul Appell]

I just got back from my last visit to Chicago several weeks ago, having enjoyed some old favorites and several new ones.  I agree with Buzzy that Reza's is indeed a great experience for Persian.  

I also discovered Café Ibérico in the downtown area for tapas and Spanish food, which has not just a really authentic menu but is also the unofficial "headquarters"/meeting place for Chicagoland's expats from Spain. 

Old Jerusalem is great for Middle Eastern, Penang Noodles & Rice for Thai, and if you like Chinese, an awesome choice that's popular with locals (including lots of local Chinese!) is Sun Wah BBQ uptown (Broadway and W. Argyle); Peking duck is one of the specialties here.  Finally, if you're interested in East/Central European, a fine old standby is Podhalanka at 1549 Division Street. 

I also had tapas at a spot right on Grant Park called Mercat a la Plantxa, also quite popular with locals. It's a bit nouvelle but quite tasty. 

Somewhere I have a list of a bunch of others, so let me root around for that and hopefully I can post more this weekend.

Happy eating...Chi-town is an awesome place to graze the world!

[Glen Putman]

Thanks all for your tips...How can I have six meals a day???!!!

Glen

[Elyse Jessica Glickman]

I can recommend Tecalitlan--still one of the best Mexican restaurants in America in my book. It is on Chicago Avenue between Western and Damen. Pilsen is also a great neighborhood for local Mexican cuisine.

There are also two Polish restaurants called (in English) The Red Apple (Cervone Jabusco?) that are fantastic.

It's Greek to Me in Greektown is a local favorite.

I know old ethnic hangouts in Chitown better than the fine dining stuff.