My son has orientation at Loyola Lakeshore Monday and Tuesday. I booked a hotel a little north in Evanston. Typical of an 18 year old, I haven’t seen an agenda so I have no idea what I may or may not be involved in. We’ll actually show up Sunday evening, and I assume he will be tied up most of the next two days. I assume he may stay on campus.
I’m not very familiar with Chicago’s public transit (other than many years ago), and we will have a car. My sister went to Northwestern but that was back in the late 70’s and early 80’s so I assume a few things have changed.
Anyway… I’ll probably work from the room at least part of the days and I can probably keep myself entertained just walking around, but I will need food and would hate to find out I was this close to something great and instead I went to something mediocre. I don’t know if it will just be me or me and my son. I do remember my sister taking me to Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder and thought it was great but don’t know how close/accessible it is (yes I now about Google). Any ideas in the area… more on the casual side would be greatly appreciated.
Well, I left Evanston in the early 90’s so undoubtedly things have changed, but if they’re still there I recommend:
Carmen’s Pizza
Buffalo Joe’s (wings and burgers)
um, an Italian place on Davis street. Dang, I can’t remember the name.
a seafood place on Davis? C’mon it was a long time ago!!
I realize those last two might not be very helpful at this point. But Carmen’s is my favorite Chicago-style deep dish and Buff Joe’s had great burgers that I almost never ate because the wings were amazing.
I also haven’t been there in quite a while (2000’s), but Gigio’s is/was a great little pizza place on Davis St., I think on or near Maple Ave. Thin crust, not stuffed, at least as I remember.
I also liked Irving’s for Red Hot Lovers on Davis (but downtown) for your traditional Chicago dogs and other sandwiches. There was a Thai place right next to it that some of my friends liked but I never got around to trying.
I’m not sure where the restaurants are, but Giordano’s and Edwardo’s deliver stuffed pizza to at least some areas of the city.
The Main Cafe (on Main Street, natch) was a neat little diner. Way back when, they were run by a Greek family and would serve flaming cheese - Hopa! - and other Greek specialties as well as your basic coffee and pie americana.
I’m curious to hear from current residents if any of these places are still going strong.
Cross Rhodes - Excellent little Greek diner. Try the fries (in wine, lemon juice and oregano) and the Egg Lemon Soup.
Lucky Platter - Retro kitsch drunken artist decor with creative spins on comfort food. Highly recommended for breakfast. Get the apricot flakey as your side if they haven’t run out.
Hecky’s - Best BBQ north of the Stevenson expressway.
Blind Faith Cafe - Vegetarian food that actually tastes amazing. Ignore the hipsters.
Edzo’s for hamburgers. My favorite burger in the Chicagoland area. It’s of the fast food style, but you can get them grilled or griddled.
I personally have given up on Buff Joe’s. I remember them bring great in the mid-90s when I was a student at NU, but in the last ten years, I’ve gone back a half dozen times and they’ve disappointed with the most anemic wings I’ve eaten. Maybe they’ve gotten better again.
And Heckys is forgettable as much as it pains me. Evanston Chicken Shack a couple blocks NE on Ridge is some fine fried chicken, always in the top ten in Chicago.
Good call on Evanston Chicken Shack. I used to live down the street on Garnett there about 20 years ago. You could smell the fried chicken oil in the backyard. We were a bit scared of the place back then, but I’ve long since learned of and tasted its greatness.
I’ll have to check Rub out. Smoque took me a couple visits before I fell in love with it, although my heart for Chicago BBQ will always be Lem’s and the now defunct Uncle John’s (have yet to try the various spin offs after he passed away.) Hecky’s is nostalgic for me, barbecue of convenience, but pretty mediocre.
Still there, the locals I know all call it Greasyo’s. Thin-crust, the kind you fold in half so the grease runs down the middle. I haven’t eaten there in years.
I grew up a block and a half from there, and it’s been gone for many years now. Your best bets in that immediate neighborhood are Cross-Rhodes and Lucky Platter IMO, though I haven’t tried a couple of the newer places yet.
I went to school at Northwestern in the 80s, but haven’t been back to Evanston much since then. But Carmen’s was awesome, Gigio’s was crap but very popular because it was cheap. Dave’s Italian Kitchen was also popular, but really pretty mediocre Italian food compared to most places in Chicago. Buffalo Joe’s (if it’s still there) was pretty good and trailblazing in its day, but nowadays there are lots of places just as good all over the place.
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder is way south of there in Lincoln Park. It’s good, but if you are going to go that far, there are much better places, like Lou Malnati’s or Pizano’s or Pat’s Pizza on Lincoln.
You’ll be pretty close to a classic Chicago hot dog joint, though: Wolfy’s, on Peterson near Ashland in Roger’s Park. And a few blocks from there is an awesome Taco joint called El Carrito. I highly recommend both.
Born and raised in Evanston, and recently lived in the Chicago area for 3.5 years as an adult.
Don’t understand the love for Buff Joe’s. Very meh. All my friends in HS were obsessed with it.
Hot dogs: my sentimental fave will always been Mustard’s Last Stand (near Ryan Field on Central St.)
Cross-Rhodes is good.
If you like fish/seafood, I think Davis St Fish Market is still popular. I haven’t been since 2000 though.
Not in Evanston, but there is an interesting restaurant just north of Loyola campus, I don’t remember the name but it is a Korean BBQ/burger place. I’ve only had the burgers there but I think they were very creditable. I think the place was featured on Check, Please if you know the show.
My family always favored Carmen’s for pizza, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was anything special.
If you want to try something a little more upmarket and ‘hip’, FOUND on Chicago Ave is quite good.
Also, Wiener and Still Champion on Dempster is great since they got a new owner about 10 years or so ago. The new guy takes his hot dog/hamburger stand food pretty seriously and is inventive and fun with it. I highly recommend the corn dogs with the myriad dipping sauces to choose from, but it’s all in all a solid hot dog/hamburger stand.
I’m more familiar with Rogers Park just south of Evanston but can back up the recs for Rub, Lao Sze Chuan & Indian Boundry Park for a stroll. Closer to Loyola is the wonderous intersection of Broadway & Argyle. There are loads of Asian restaurants there, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese. A Peking duck carved tableside at Sun Wah makes for a fun outing. Nha Hang Viet Nam (yelp link) is a cozy little place I can recommend. Get a drink and a nice pizza at the unique Gino’s North, a quiet neighborhood spot.
In Evanston proper is The Peckish Pig. I’ve been only once but enjoyed it. The have a lovely outdoor dining area.
You just missed the festival in Andersonville this weekend, would have been fun.
That must be bopNgrill. That’s an interesting place. Don’t be intimidated if you’re not familiar with Korean cuisine, it is very approachable.