Chicago has always celebrated its diversity, whether through festivals, music, or its multi-ethnic cuisine, and there is no place better to find diverse foods and colorful restaurants here than in Uptown. Follow the local foodies and head to one of these 10 great restaurants for a treat.
Carmela’s Taqueria
Carmela’s Taqueria is the spot in Uptown for affordable and fresh tacos that will knock your socks off. Also it is conveniently located a stone’s throw away from the Redline at the Lawrence stop. Prepared right in front of you by some of the friendliest cooks in Chicago, their Al Pastor burrito is the quintessential blend of spicy and sweet.
Lao Sze Chuan
Restaurant, American, Chinese
Specializing in American-Chinese cuisine, Lao Sze Chuan is yet another addition to the awesome blend of cultures you can find in Uptown. Using only the highest quality ingredients, Lao Sze Chuan’s modern interpretation of classic dishes like General Tao’s chicken will definitely turn you into a food snob.
Ba Le Sandwiches
Located at the west end of Asia on Argyle, Ba Le Sandwiches is a perfect representation of the diverse cuisine you will find in Uptown. Ba Le specializes in a Vietnamese-style sandwich with a French twist; here, you can find spicy-sweet Vietnamese barbecue on a baguette, pastel-colored macarons, sushi, and a collection of other diverse side dishes.
Tweet
Watch out breakfast, move over lunch! Tweet’s brunch menu is a culinary force to be reckoned with. With power-hitters like Swedish Donuts, Pumpkin Pancakes, and traditional American breakfast combos, Tweet’s menu is unparalleled. Here, colorful presentation of the food matches Tweet’s modern, artsy interior. At Tweet, there is an abundance of cool things to look at whether that be the food in front of you or the awesome locally sourced art work on the walls.
Thai Pastry
Another prime example of the multicultural flavor of Uptown, Thai Pastry stakes its claim as one of the best Thai restaurants in the area. Specializing in traditional curry dishes and, of course, various flavorful pastries, Thai Pastry is authentic as it gets. Your meal even comes with either a delightfully green, sugary pudding or a spongy, melt-in-your-mouth pastry.
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Family-owned Sun Wah BBQ in Uptown, Chicago was established in 1987 and has been a local favorite for decades. At Sun Wah, you’re treated to Hong Kong-style BBQ that is made to order right in front of you. Provided with a mouth-watering selection of barbecue beef, chicken, and seafood, it’s impossible to go wrong when picking something off the menu.
Golden House Restaurant and Pancake House
Diner, Restaurant, American
You can’t beat the feel and taste of classic diner-style pancakes. That’s what you’ll get and more at Golden House Restaurant in Uptown, Chicago. Like the great pancake houses that have come before it, Golden House isn’t shy of big servings. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Tank Noodle
One of the most authentic and well-known Vietnamese restaurants in the Chicago area, Tank Noodle is the provider of some of the best Pho in the city. This warm, brothy, noodle-filled cuisine is essential to braving some of the colder days in Uptown, Chicago. It’s also BYOB, so bring the booze and bring some friends for a family-style dinner.
In the midst of this melting pot neighborhood, the Fat Cat bar represents the best of classic American food. You can’t go wrong with Trivia Tuesdays or Mussel Pot Wednesdays which, yes, means there will be a lot of mussels. With awesome burgers like the Hot Mess, and TVs that always have the game on, the Fat Cat is the ideal location to watch football on those slow Sunday mornings.
Fat Cat, 4840 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL, USA, +1 773 506 3100
Demera Ethiopian Restaurant
The Demera Ethiopian Restaurant continues in that trend of diverse and delicious cuisine with selections like their Doro Wot, lemon-marinated chicken stewed in Berbere sauce and served with onions, garlic, and ginger. And you’ll never go back to generic wine after you try their homemade Ethiopian honey wine.
Brady Guy is a graduate of Eckerd College where he earn his degree in Communications in Creative Writing. He is also currently Associate Producer of the PleasureTown Show, a dramatic episodic podcast set in the wild west. Brady enjoys telling stories and one day hopes to one day have his very own study to stuff with dusty volumes, none of that Kindle nonsense.
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