Best ethnic markets with hot bars?

Royal Malabar in Glenview is the lodestar here — delicious food ready to go.

Any others? I’m especially looking for a Chinese market with take out barbecue duck/pork…

HPGlutster2 wrote:I’m especially looking for a Chinese market with take out barbecue duck/pork…

Have you tried Jason BBQ inside Richwell Market on Dempster? Not a vast selection but they do have duck and pork, among other items. Definitely closed, Wednesdays, too.

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Jason BBQ
6120 Dempster St
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 663-5000

ronnie_suburban wrote:Have you tried Jason BBQ inside Richwell Market on Dempster? Not a vast selection but they do have duck and pork, among other items. Definitely closed, Wednesdays, too.

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Jason is closed on Wednesday ? Richwell is definitely open on Wednesday.

lougord99 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Have you tried Jason BBQ inside Richwell Market on Dempster? Not a vast selection but they do have duck and pork, among other items. Definitely closed, Wednesdays, too.

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Jason is closed on Wednesday ? Richwell is definitely open on Wednesday.

Yes, just Jason BBQ is closed on Wednesdays. Richwell is open, though.

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Also, there are a lot of choices in this category but I really love the taqueria and the hot bar in Carniceria Guanajuato #3 on California.

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3140 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 267-7739

Fresh International Market in Schaumburg has Chinese BBQ and other already prepared dishes sold in aluminum containers to go or you can also buy made to order food as well there.

Fresh International Market Schaumburg
1285 E Higgins Rd,
Schaumburg, IL 60173

Not Asian, but ShopNSave in Downers has a pretty ambitious one. Also Montrose and Deli4You.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Also, there are a lot of choices in this category but I really love the taqueria and the hot bar in Carniceria Guanajuato #3 on California.

=R=

3140 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 267-7739

This one is great.

I'm partial to the Lindo Michoacan on kedzie/Lawrence as it's walking distance from me. Carnitas, roasted chicken with veggies (you'll never buy a rotisserie chicken at jewel/marianos/whole food again) and menudo are all excellent. So many other options on the weekend too.

La Union supermarket in Highwood has a hot bar. Havent eaten there much with all the other options in the area, but used to have good Oaxacan tamales.

-Will

Richwell/Jason BBQ on Dempster has been mentioned. A terrific spot.

A Mexican grocery that has not been mentioned yet is Morelia. Huge hot-bar and tip-top grocery. Weird as it may sound. I think they have the best bunch radishes in the city.

Morelia
7300 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60645

Talard Thai Asian Market at 5353 N. Broadway is very good.

bw77 wrote:Talard Thai Asian Market at 5353 N. Broadway is very good.

+1 on this rec—delicious!!!

Kindly forgive my ignorance, but what is a "hot bar"? I've concluded it isn't a place where the heat is turned up to be almost unbearable, but can't think of any other explanation. This has been bothering me for days. Please enlighten me. Thank you.

Xexo wrote::?: Kindly forgive my ignorance, but what is a "hot bar"? I've concluded it isn't a place where the heat is turned up to be almost unbearable, but can't think of any other explanation. This has been bothering me for days. Please enlighten me. Thank you.

A selection of cooked items served on a steam table and usually sold by the pound. Mariano's and Whole Foods have them and they are common at ethnic markets. Generally not the best quality but a good value and quick.

As an example:

spinynorman99 wrote:

Xexo wrote::?: Kindly forgive my ignorance, but what is a "hot bar"? I've concluded it isn't a place where the heat is turned up to be almost unbearable, but can't think of any other explanation. This has been bothering me for days. Please enlighten me. Thank you.

A selection of cooked items served on a steam table and usually sold by the pound. Mariano's and Whole Foods have them and they are common at ethnic markets. Generally not the best quality but a good value and quick.

Thank you.

What spinynorman99 said. Here are a few pics of Morelia's hot-bar.

click to enlarge



Hot-Bar, count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:What spinynorman99 said. Here are a few pics of Morelia's hot-bar.

click to enlarge



Hot-Bar, count me a Fan!

Thank you for the pictures Mr. Wiv! I've not seen anything like that here in Salem. Maybe something like it in Portland, but not to that extent.

I don't visit hot bars here, but when I've been in New Orleans for jazz fest and to visit my sister, we have gone to several hot bars, and Whole Foods has the best hot bar out of all of the ones I have visited, but they are also the most expensive too.

Spent a lot of time in Manhattan for work in the late 90's-early 00's. There were several late-night spots with hot bars in Mid-town with a wide assortment of ethnic options. None were particularly good but the food was hot and available.

G Wiv wrote:What spinynorman99 said. Here are a few pics of Morelia's hot-bar.

<snip>

Hot-Bar, count me a Fan!

Same. The Morelia on Diversey is also good (although not as good as the above). I like their house made tortillas too.

The weekend spread at the Cermak at Diversey and Pulaski is excellent.

I'm such a sucker for the hot bar at Pete's, and eat from it way too often. It's like Valois, where they just do something to crappy food to make it taste really good. But as good as the hot bar at Pete's in Oak Park can be, it pales to the Pete's in Bridgeview. They put the most amazing lamb on the hot bar, often doing a whole lamb, so you can fish around and, on some days, get a whole plate of rib chops for the price of the hot bar.

spinynorman99 wrote:A selection of cooked items served on a steam table and usually sold by the pound. Mariano's and Whole Foods have them and they are common at ethnic markets.

Some of the Polish groceries around have hot food to go at a fixed price. Montrose Deli has 'a meat, 2 hot sides, 2 cold salads' for $4.99. I haven't tried myself due to timing or long lines but it looks and smells really good.

https://montrosedeli.com/lunch-sets/

I'll second the recommendation for Lindo Michoacan on Kedzie/Lawrence. The Carnitas are really succulent and tasty. The barbacoa was meh, but the chicken looks good, although I've never tried it.

Prior to Covid, Pastificio offered a hot bar. They do not plan to resume.

However they offer frozen pasta dishes to take home to reheat.

Pastificio Inc
122 Highwood Ave, Highwood, IL 60040
Hours:
Wednesday-Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Saturday: 10 AM - 4 PM
pastificiohighwood.com
Phone: (847) 432-5459

Don't forget the hot bar options at each of the Fresh Farms locations. The bakery displays are pretty dangerous too.

https://www.freshfarms.com/

This thread can't be complete without a pic of the long gone Sneeze-Proof banchan bar. Joong Boo, Kimball.

^^^^ God, I loved that panchan bar. It was a required stop on the way back to Michigan.

Being but a visitor to Chicago , I can vouch for Telerud and , especially Lindo Michocan. I stayed at an Air BnB by there, and wandered over on a Sunday morning. Holy crap !!!

Dave148 wrote:Don't forget the hot bar options at each of the Fresh Farms locations. The bakery displays are pretty dangerous too.

https://www.freshfarms.com/

Does Fresh Farms have a hot bar? I think more that is has various prepared foods that can be obtained at various places in the store--and BTW, their lamb is insanely expensive.

But as I was thinking about this, I started thinking some of the others above, are they "true" hot bars also? Like, I love the weekend offerings at the fancy Cermak at Pulaski/Diversey, but while there IS a hot bar, in the sense of help yourself stuff, the better offerings, the multiple kinds of barbacoa, the carnitas, etc., have to be doled out by the staff. The Morelia on Diversey is also they-serve.

The dine-in area at Lewis Fresh Market on Grand is a hybrid model as well. Some items self serve, some cafeteria. For anyone interested, it's way in the back right corner of the store almost in a separate room.

Vital Information wrote:

Dave148 wrote:Don't forget the hot bar options at each of the Fresh Farms locations. The bakery displays are pretty dangerous too.

https://www.freshfarms.com/

Does Fresh Farms have a hot bar? I think more that is has various prepared foods that can be obtained at various places in the store--and BTW, their lamb is insanely expensive.

But as I was thinking about this, I started thinking some of the others above, are they "true" hot bars also? Like, I love the weekend offerings at the fancy Cermak at Pulaski/Diversey, but while there IS a hot bar, in the sense of help yourself stuff, the better offerings, the multiple kinds of barbacoa, the carnitas, etc., have to be doled out by the staff. The Morelia on Diversey is also they-serve.

i agree with rob(VI) that fresh farms, at least the one i shop at regularly on touhy, doesnt have a genuine hot bar. they have a large warm display case of almost identical phyllo shapes with either feta, or spinach in them. they are disappointingly 'meh'. on the weekends they add a tiny display case next to it with decent roasted potato chunks,chicken and some skewers, including the ridiculously overpriced ground lamb skewers... they need to get on this right way! if they can have that expansive feta bar , they should be able to manage a decent hot bar.