We tried Taqueria San Juanito last night. I was happy with the guacamole. Good flavor, decent portion for the price. Chips seemed purchased rather than fresh though.
Daughter, Audrey, is in a torta phase and went with the ham & egg.



She was happy with it. Rice and beans were good, nothing special, but slightly better than average.

Husband got a beef burrito.



He said it was nicely seasoned. Salsas provided perked everything up considerably. I liked the green a lot.

I got the 3 shrimp taco dinner.



They suffered from overcooked shrimp but the tortillas were very fresh and soft and the aforementioned salsa helped.

So far, Torteria San Lenchito is our clear Mexican favorite in the area. We’ve been back a few times and are always happy. Taqueria las Flores is probably our #2. We’ve tried them twice now and are learning their strengths/weaknesses.
Planning to try El Fogon de Elena soon.

LynnB wrote:

I think the student has become the master here. That’s a good looking calzone (and the pizza looks…uh…not as good )

HaHa! As far as last night goes, I agree with you boudreaulicious. In fairness to the restaurant, we have had better looking/tasting pizzas from them in the past. Not great mind you, but better. Just another data point for the file…..

I try to avoid any healthy pizza, especially olives and green pepper, so I think your daughter is pretty spot on

Have yet to try any of the taquerias mentioned in this thread, will have to check them out sometime.

My usual go to's are:
La Fogata
3930 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
They have a really good red salsa that we make sure to get extra to keep throughout the week. Very smoky, like smokier than a typical can of chipotles. Also like their enchiladas.

Taco Max
3402 W Montrose Ave Chicago, IL 60618
Excellent al pastor and cochinita pibil.

Lindo Michoacan Supermarket, A Longtime Albany Park Staple, Gets City Grant To Expand Grocery Store

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/05/04 ... ery-store/

Flavors Of Albany Park Returns For Its 13th Year Celebrating Neighborhoods Restaurants.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/06/07 ... staurants/

Last carry-out of the dance season was daughter’s pick and she chose LD Pho. I find them nothing exciting but certainly not a bad choice either. Solidly mediocre.

Noticed that Rojo Gusano has vacated their Albany Park location and someone else has taken over. Driving by, there were handwritten signs I couldn’t decipher but definitely seemed like a continuation of the Mexican theme.

Taking a dance break for the Summer but we’ll be back in the neighborhood come September…

Went to Torteria San Lenchito and El Fogón de Elena recently, and both were really great experiences. Had cemitas poblanas (carnitas & veggie) at San Lenchito, and a plantain steak sandwich, chicharrón, and veggie arepa at El Fogón de Elena. Really generous and helpful staff at both places.

Revisited an old favorite for carry-out after Nutcracker practice today. Salam was definitely on point. Outstanding hummus, garnished beautifully. Kefta Kebob entree, falafel entree, veggie combo, fresh pita, and a mix of house sauces, all delicious. Glad to be back in the neighborhood for carry-out. Perhaps San Lenchito next week…

LynnB wrote:Revisited an old favorite for carry-out after Nutcracker practice today. Salam was definitely on point. Outstanding hummus, garnished beautifully. Kefta Kebob entree, falafel entree, veggie combo, fresh pita, and a mix of house sauces, all delicious. Glad to be back in the neighborhood for carry-out. Perhaps San Lenchito next week…

Ill have to give them another try! Last time I ordered, I found it to be far below what kabobi and noon o kabab offered.

Flavors of Albany Park is back Wednesday, June 21!
Chicago's biggest single-day restaurant crawl is back! Join us on Wednesday, June 21st to enjoy the diverse flavors you can only find in Albany Park! Across 70 establishments that feature a global array of cuisine, you can eat your way around the world!

https://northrivercommission.org/flavor ... park-2023/

Dave148 wrote:

Flavors of Albany Park is back Wednesday, June 21!
Chicago's biggest single-day restaurant crawl is back! Join us on Wednesday, June 21st to enjoy the diverse flavors you can only find in Albany Park! Across 70 establishments that feature a global array of cuisine, you can eat your way around the world!

https://northrivercommission.org/flavor ... park-2023/

They sold out of all the routes. We were debating between this and the Malt Row on Damen beer tasting stroll. We've done the latter a few times so will likely sit out this year. I want to try try Flavors of AP next year.

Hala In

Technically Mayfair? Close enough. When they first opened in 2010 we lived within walking distance and were carry-out customers. Flash forward to around 2016 - Audrey was a toddler and she and I had lunch there a few times. The ladies working the front of house were so welcoming and kind. They were surpprised how much Audrey loved hummus and falafel and fussed over her so much that it made a lasting impression on her.
We haven't been back in years but recently Audrey started asking me if we could revisit it. Tonight was girls-only night so we decided to take the opportunity to return together. Tables had been rearranged a bit and the ladies of Middle Eastern heritage were not there. There was a very friendly woman taking great care of everyone in their place. Everything else was the same - fresh flowers on the tables, owner present and working the phones while bouncing between the kitchen and front of house. The food is fresh, nicely seasoned and generously portioned. Pita is fine, but not nearly as good as what you'll get over on Kedzie. I have always thought of them as a mostly carry-out/delivery spot but when we arrived around 7pm there were 4 tables occupied and 3 more groups came in after us. It was very nice to see a small neighborhood restaurant surviving.

We shared a small hummus. I had the Falafel Salad and Audrey went with the Chicken Shawarma. I brought home leftovers, she had nothing left!





Hala In
4624 W Lawrence

This is great! This area has a glut of middle eastern places and it's a good reminder to try more than the few which are a part of my regular rotation

Delicious carry-out from Hala In tonight. Audrey had been craving the chicken shawarma. Veggie combo, kofta kabab, and extra falafel rounded out the meal. If only they could improve their pita...

Taqueria Las Flores suffered a fire which has permanently shut down the restaurant. Such a bummer!

Link to the gofundme which provides a lot more detail about the restaurant

https://gofund.me/86021b1c

LynnB wrote:Revisited an old favorite for carry-out after Nutcracker practice today. Salam was definitely on point. Outstanding hummus, garnished beautifully. Kefta Kebob entree, falafel entree, veggie combo, fresh pita, and a mix of house sauces, all delicious. Glad to be back in the neighborhood for carry-out. Perhaps San Lenchito next week…

Lynn, was the practice at NEIU? We're going to the Nutcracker performance Saturday afternoon and looking for a nice lunch venue nearby. Nice as in, girls dressed up for the ballet might feel fancy dining in...somewhere? Any recs? They're good eaters.

annak wrote:Lynn, was the practice at NEIU? We're going to the Nutcracker performance Saturday afternoon and looking for a nice lunch venue nearby. Nice as in, girls dressed up for the ballet might feel fancy dining in...somewhere? Any recs? They're good eaters.

Tre Kronor

annak wrote:

LynnB wrote:Revisited an old favorite for carry-out after Nutcracker practice today. Salam was definitely on point. Outstanding hummus, garnished beautifully. Kefta Kebob entree, falafel entree, veggie combo, fresh pita, and a mix of house sauces, all delicious. Glad to be back in the neighborhood for carry-out. Perhaps San Lenchito next week…

Lynn, was the practice at NEIU? We're going to the Nutcracker performance Saturday afternoon and looking for a nice lunch venue nearby. Nice as in, girls dressed up for the ballet might feel fancy dining in...somewhere? Any recs? They're good eaters.

No, but her dance school is not far from there.
GWiv’s recommendation of Tre Kronor is a very good one. Not terribly far from there is Noon O Kebab. The main dining room is quite opulent and you would not feel uncomfortable a bit dressed up.
Enjoy the ballet!

It was Audrey's turn to pick out a restaurant for carry-out last night. We drive the strip of Foster Ave. from Cicero to Kedzie and back 4 times a week. She's noticed and was curious to try Los Asaderos.

I assumed it was just a taco/burrito joint catering to the NEI and North Park University students. It's more than that. The menu includes a large breakfast section, beef birria section, several steak and seafood entrees, a few tortas, pambazos, etc...

Their online ordering system is efficient and direct from them. Pick-up was smooth, everything was packaged well and nothing was missing.

Audrey went with Chicken Flautas. Trust me, there are 3 large flautas underneath all that lettuce, tomato, and cheese.


Jonathan got steak Enchiladas Verdes. Same, they are there underneath all the garnish.


I tried their Huarache with mushrooms and rajas.


This place is not as special as Torteria San Lenchito, but it is a solid substitute for the sadly closed and missed Las Flores down the street. We'll definitely carry-out from them again.

So it begins again….dance season 2024-25.

We are back in Albany Park with a schedule that is very conducive to pick-up meals.

We decided to start by checking out the new (around the corner) location of Kabobi.

Audrey’s Middle Eastern go-to is chicken shawarma but they don’t offer it. I ordered for her their chicken koubideh with dill rice and that proved to be a great choice. Their pita bread is reliably fresh.

We’re looking forward to revisiting old favorites in the neighborhood and hopefully checking out some new-to-us places too.

Really been digging the grilled chicken with rice at halal inn on kedzie just north of Lawrence. The rest of the menu is meh, but that chicken is ridiculously good

Just moved to the neighborhood. It is dangerous living so close to Kabobi. I like indulging in a lunch special by the open air windows as well as their patio. The filet kebab was surprisingly perfect mid rare. Huge down vote still charging for sauces. I understand but c'mon.

I've been enjoying the taco truck that sets up at night in the tiny parking lot on Lawrence across from Ridgeway. Last visit, the barbacoa virtually melted into the corn tortilla; so good. It's a festive atmosphere when the parking lot is full. They take zelle

mkess wrote:Just moved to the neighborhood. It is dangerous living so close to Kabobi. I like indulging in a lunch special by the open air windows as well as their patio. The filet kebab was surprisingly perfect mid rare. Huge down vote still charging for sauces. I understand but c'mon.

I've been enjoying the taco truck that sets up at night in the tiny parking lot across from Ridgeway. Last visit, the barbacoa virtually melted into the corn tortilla; so good. It's a festive atmosphere when the parking lot is full. They take zelle

Lucky you! So many choices….

Agreed on the sauces thing. I too get it but their entree prices already went up when they started charging for the sauces. As their quality and consistency remains high, we still think it’s worth it but don’t go as frequently as we once did.

Please continue to post here with your experiences.

Would love to pick-up at Tamales Mi Chula but they close at 7pm which is just before our preferred time. Should we go out of our way to make it happen? Any opinions on this place?

I had dinner at Kabobi last night. Enjoyed the new space and the food was about what I remember it being at the former space -- so, tasty. If you eat there, hot sauce is provided gratis. Squeeze bottles of it are on every table.

Unfortunately, they messed up our order and packed it to go instead of bringing it to our table (even though we were given a dine-in to number place on our table, etc). We eventually figured it out and they were very apologetic about it but they short-cutted the solution by serving us the room temperature falafel that had been packed up for ~10 minutes in the to-go container instead of just dropping some fresh ones on the table. In the very next moment, in a sincere but annoying over-correction, the entire meal showed up all at once. Unfortunately, some of it also seemed to have been reclaimed from the erroneously packed to-go order. For example, I unwrapped the butter pat and put it on my rice but it never even got close to melting . . . even a little. *Sigh*

After that, without prompting, they comped us a round of hot teas and a plate of desserts, which was very kind. All very well meaning but some of it frustrating nonetheless.

=R=

LynnB wrote:Would love to pick-up at Tamales Mi Chula but they close at 7pm which is just before our preferred time. Should we go out of our way to make it happen? Any opinions on this place?

Its a good place to have around! Liked having the different varieties of fillings available but felt like the tamales itself were not much different in quality than other spots. Which isn't a bad thing by any means!

In this household, Audrey is the biggest fan of Brazilian Bowl. Last night, due to logistics, she ate earlier in the evening but requested a post-dance smoothie from BB. Jonathan and I decided to grab some carry-out for our dinner as well. Their bowls are not something I crave but I do enjoy them occasionally. I've tried their Vegetarian, Shrimp, and Vegan bowls and decided that their Vegan (with tofu) is my favorite. You can also completely customize your own by choosing a base, protein and various add-ins.


My Vegan Bowl:

Looks a bit of a mess because I didn't artfully arrange it. This is tofu served with seasoned rice, grilled veggies, pico de gallo, lettuce, corn and black beans. Mango vinaigrette.

Jonathan's Steak Bowl:

Angus sirloin steak served with seasoned rice, grilled veggies, pico de gallo, lettuce, corn, Brazilian mushroom sauce, cheese, and black beans.

Audrey's smoothie:

This is the Muscle Beach Smoothie - Strawberry, banana, peanut butter, whey protein and coconut milk. She declared it delicious.

Brazilian Bowl
3200 W Lawrence
Open daily - 11:30am-9:30pm

Something Sweet Donuts on Kedzie remains excellent as always. Don't miss out on their savory pastries (except the plain croissants aren't good), too, my favorite being the leek and I forgot what kind of cheese. Their seasonal pumpkin donut right now is delicious.

AaronSinger wrote:Something Sweet Donuts on Kedzie remains excellent as always.

Something sweet is routinely on Too Good to Go. IIRC $4.99 for 6 donuts usually.

mkess wrote:

AaronSinger wrote:Something Sweet Donuts on Kedzie remains excellent as always.

Something sweet is routinely on Too Good to Go. IIRC $4.99 for 6 donuts usually.

Nice, I've never used it but that might get me to, hah.

Last night we gave Pizza Y Pan Pa 'Ya a try. It's Columbian menu offers empanadas, arepas, breakfast all day items, and pizza. We were curious about the pizza and decided to go with their deep dish.

Audrey got a chicken & rice empanada as a snack. She reported that the green sauce was way hotter than the red.

She enjoyed it.

We liked the pizza. Not something I would get often as thin crust is our go-to, but sometimes it's fun to mix it up. The tomato sauce on top was nicely seasoned. The pizza was put together with care - nice distribution of the toppings, the crust was crispy on the sides and bottom. I wouldn't hesitate to order from here again.




Pizza Y Pan Pa 'Ya
3125 W Montrose
7am - 9pm daily