My turn! The spots I eat at regularly tend to be for one specific thing. And more times than not somewhat close to me.

La Chaparrita (tacos - suadero, tripe, longaniza)
Redhot Ranch (hot dog and burger)
Johnnie's Beef (combo)
Falafel & Grill (chicken shawarma platter)
Mi Tocaya (tacos)
Arepa George (empanadas)
Bento Box (pork belly Singapore noodles)
Taqueria La Zacatecana (steak tacos)
New China Station (dry chile fish filet)
Mr. D's (shish kebab sandwich)

Monica's (Mexican at Palatine & Milwaukee in Prospect Heights)
Mi Restaurante (Mexican at Wolf & Kensington, Mt Prospect, the second-closest restaurant to my house, and has carne en su jugo and quesadillas hecho a mano)
Salerno's (same center as previous, has outdoor eating we can take the dog to)
Naf Naf (Randhurst)
Rand Red Hots (Rand Rd in Des Plaines)
Giacomo's (Wolf & Central in Des Plaines - not so regular, but we know the owners)

Those are about the only places where I'd be recognized when I go in.

Da Beef wrote:My turn! The spots I eat at regularly tend to be for one specific thing. And more times than not somewhat close to me.

La Chaparrita (tacos - suadero, tripe, longaniza)
Redhot Ranch (hot dog and burger)
Johnnie's Beef (combo)
Falafel & Grill (chicken shawarma platter)
Mi Tocaya (tacos)
Arepa George (empanadas)
Bento Box (pork belly Singapore noodles)
Taqueria La Zacatecana (steak tacos)
New China Station (dry chile fish filet)
Mr. D's (shish kebab sandwich)

Good to see Taqueria La Zacatecana on your list. Big fan of this place and was definitely on my go to list when I lived nearby. Still try and stop in when I can

Pho XE Lua 1021 W. Argyle - We started going there before two owners split up and one of them started Tank Noodle.

Tank Noodle - Argyle & Broadway. My kids grew up with their pho and boba tea.

Sun Wah - many years and many ducks for me. Inspectors and sanitation instructors hate them, but they will always have my unconditional love and tips.

El Famous Burrito - Clark Chicago and Park City/Waukegan locations.

Cross Rhodes
L. Woods
Smak Tak
Sun Wah
D'Candela
Anteprima

Elephant Thai (hoping they reopen soon)
Skokie LSC (until they started downhill)

Take-out:
Mr. Falafel (although I'm still mad they replaced good rice with lousy fries)
Khan's BBQ
ATK-Edgewater
Evanston Chicken Shack
Martino's pizza
Lou Malnati-Lincolnwood
Mei Shung

RIP:
HaShalom - still miss our local, comfy favorite

Its really fun to read all these "regular places"; great thread and also points up how many LTHers apparently live near me.

Eat-in: Bangers and Lace, Prairie Moon, La Principal, Bad Apple, Union Pizza and Union Squared.

Carry out: Hewn Bakery, Hoosier Mama Pie Shop, Evanston Chicken Shack, BBQ Supply, Pita Inn, Kaufman's.

Drink: Bangers and Lace (LOVE this place), Sketchbook, Temperance, Wine Goddess, Half Acre and Mark II Lounge.

Lastly, a shout-out to the Mariano's Lakeshore East store which has totally changed my downtown lunching, post-work happy hours and grab-some-groceries life for the better!

Taste of Peru
La Chaparrita
Aloha Eats
Ghareeb Nawaz
Xi'an Cuisine
LD Pho
Jennivee's Bakery

I go to Burrito Parrilla Mexicana in Carol Stream frequently. I go to Big Guys, Lavergne's in Berwyn, Freddies in Cicero. Naf Naf grill in Naperville. Adelle's in Wheaton as well as Gia Mia Pizza Bar. Steamboat BBQ. Labriola in Lombard, as well as Greek Islands. Breakfast or lunch spots I go to Butterfields, Red Apple or Egg Harbor. I also get soup from the Danada Deli frequently. I go to these places because they are either near my home or near places I frequent. Several times a year we go into Chicago and eat at someplace we have wanted to try. Other places in the burbs I've been to over the past few months are Solstice in Western Springs, Vie, La Barra in Riverside, Fiamme in Naperville.

toria wrote:I go to Burrito Parrilla Mexicana in Carol Stream frequently. I go to Big Guys, Lavergne's in Berwyn, Freddies in Cicero. Naf Naf grill in Naperville. Adelle's in Wheaton as well as Gia Mia Pizza Bar. Steamboat BBQ. Labriola in Lombard, as well as Greek Islands. Breakfast or lunch spots I go to Butterfields, Red Apple or Egg Harbor. I also get soup from the Danada Deli frequently. I go to these places because they are either near my home or near places I frequent.

Not to hijack this thread with Western burbs talk, since we have our own zone for that, but I've been curious about Parrilla. I shop at Caputo's over by there. Also, there's one closer to us opening in West Chicago on Roosevelt. My wife likes Chipotle. I don't hate it, but the kids at the Wheaton store on Roosevelt turn out some of the worst product I've had from the chain. So an alternative would be great!

Naf Naf Naperville has increasingly become a part of our rotation, though the weekday lunch crowd can be a zoo.

And still have to get to Danada Deli!

I'll bite:

Breakfasts - Alexander's, Edgebrook Diner, Bongo Room

Everything else:

Boston Fish Market, Tava, Anteprima, Spacca Napoli, Wholly Frijoles, Garage, BBQ Supply, Psistaria, Makisu, Izakaya Yume, Tub Tim Thai, Malnati's (original), Martino's.

Every Sunday Night - Delivery - Tsukiji Fish Market for sushi

Dinner: each ~1-2 times per month
- Momotaro
- Boka or Honeys
- RPM Steak (they used to have the best outdoor booths, but have opted to switch to normal tables) the bar now remains a favorite

Lunch during the week
-Protein Bar, Aloha Poke Co or Benjihuda

I too am enjoying this thread. Here are mine off the top of my head:

Barba Yianni
LD Pho
Nha Hang Vietnam
Kabobi
Pita Kebab
Hala Inn
Rainbow Thai
Aroy
MeDee Cafe
Tiba Mediterranean
I-Café / Sukur’s place
Café Melao (Used to be El Llano?)
Huaraches Dona Chio (Lawrence location)
Furama (reliable, quick dim sum)
Ora Sushi (favorite such bar none)
Sushi Tokoro (quite a contrast from above, but not bad for AYCE)
Chubby Wieners (Dogs, Polish and burgers)
Red Hot Ranch (Ashland location)
Tortorice’s (Chicago thin)
Spacca Napoli (Neapolitan)
Lou's (Rare deep dish)
Resi’s

alessio20 wrote:Frame (reliable, quick dim sum)

I'm not familiar with Frame (nor is Google). Where is it?

Autocorrect of "Furama"?

cilantro wrote:Autocorrect of "Furama"?

Thank you!!

alessio20 wrote:

cilantro wrote:Autocorrect of "Furama"?

Thank you!!

Ahhh. That makes sense. I thought there might have been some new, under the radar dim-sum spot. Thanks.

From south to north:

Greek Islands
Santorini
Cross-Rhodes
Kaufman's
Pita Inn
Poochie's
Prairie Joe's
Symphony's
Pinto Kitchen
Tsing Tao (mostly take-out)
Irving's for Red Hot Lovers
Szechuan Kingdom
Max & Benny's
Cooker's
Portillo's
Demetri's
Piero's Pizza (Highland Park location - takeout only)
Yummy Bowl
Rhapsody Cafe
Curry Hut
Tacos El Norte (Highwood location)

The only place I consistently go more than 3 times a year (a pretty low bar for "regularly") is Hoosier Mama, where I find myself at least 20 times a year. When I lived in Ravenswood, Aroy and Budacki's were regular stops and now that I'm in Uptown, Tesfa is.

In no particular order and with no claim of completeness: Manny's, Portillo's, Jim's/Maxwell St Express, Saucy Porka, JPG Graziano, Cafecito, UB Dogs, The Gage, The Florentine, The Dearborn (had to get all the "The's" out of the way!), Cellars Market, Potbelly's, PQM, Zaragoza, Brown Bag Seafood (Randolph), many of the places at Revival Food Hall, Green Street Smoked Meats, Fumare at French Market, Owen & Engine, Eggy's Diner, Walker Brothers (Wilmette), Eleven City Diner.

stevez wrote:

alessio20 wrote:

cilantro wrote:Autocorrect of "Furama"?

Thank you!!

Ahhh. That makes sense. I thought there might have been some new, under the radar dim-sum spot. Thanks.

Maybe we should start one . Frame sounds like a name they would come up w nowadays.

In no particular order:
Renga Tei
Francesca North
Red Hot Ranch
Jimmys Pizza
Noon O Kabab
Lou Malnatis
Wah Sun
Shaws Crab House
Wildfire

EvA mentioning L. Woods reminds me that that's one of ours, too, in addition to the ones I named. Also places in our neighborhood, like Penny's and La Creperie.

Rather than "fabulous," everything on our list meets the standard of good, welcoming, comforting, convenient.

Pollo Vagabundo
Dairy Queen (Dilly Bars) Villa Park and Park Ridge/Edison Park
Carnitas Don Alfredo - Melrose Park
Taqueria La Catrina - Addison
Las Quecas - Melrose
Mickey's - Villa Park
Zenwich
Portillo's
Pizzeria Antica- Bloomingdale
Danada Deli for soup or Toltott Kapuszta
Katy's
Tae Fu - VP
Happy Dog - West Chicago
Chicks 'n Salsa
New York Bagel and Bialy
Freddies
Fatso's Last Stand
New York Bagel and Bialy
Psistaria




All are a subset of the list.

funkyfrank wrote:Happy Dog - West Chicago

Nice! Best fries in west Dupage! A not too shabby char Polish either! This one would have been next on my list above.

Thanks for the reminder abt Carnitas Don Alfredo & Las Quecas too.

Regular places for me are pretty much all waking distance so:

Redhot Ranch
Spinning J
Cozy Corner
Johnny's Grill
Shawarma Inn (Damen)
Fat Rice
Jam
New China Station

Does eating a sandwich from a grocery store deli count? Because Fresh Market Place is probably my #1 go-to.

I love going out for breakfast -- while SO is half asleep across the table, I happily enjoy my coffee and eagerly await my order. He usually gets up to leave at the same time I do. On our rotation:
Tiztal
Bongo Room
Nookies/Edgewater
Bang Bang Pie
Tweet
Batter and Berries (if we have an hour to wait)
Wishbone

Friday nights we don't want to cook so we go out for something cheap and easy or we order in or carry out.
Evanston Chicken Shack (and Hoosier Mama - it's the best one-two punch)
In Summer -- Moody's for burgers
Lou Malnati's
Fireside
House of Wah Sun
If we're ambitious -- Boiler Room in Logan Square (but it's a haul)

Favorites:
Five Guys
Portillo's
Popeye's
Owen & Engine
George's in A-ville for ice cream and treats
Jerry's for sammiches
A Taste of Heaven for treats
Chief O'Neill's
HopCat

Splurges
Anteprima
The Gage
Joe's Stone Crab

Extremely neighborhood heavy. Time to get out and about!

I want to see a neighborhood heavy list. Good food close-by is what I want. If we are honest, half of us will have Malnati's. It's good when I don't want to think. I need a map of the Taco Tour.

So it turns out that everyone on this forum goes to the same places . . . Here are my go to spots - my cut off is averaging 2x a year over a two year look back - so off are some places that I love but don't get to that often (e.g. Vito and Nick's, Tank) - but many of these are places that we go to at least once a quarter, and others even more than that (Red Hot Western is probably 2x a month). Fun exercise to think through this, and disappointing to think about places that no longer are around (I went a few years where I was at Nuevo at least once a week).

Hot Dogs: Red Hot Ranch Western Ave.
Take Out Fried Chicken: Harold's 53rd
Loop Lunch Hot Fried Chicken: Budlong
Kids Running Around in a Backyard Fried Chicken: Honey Butter (Summer only)
Fast Food Fried Chicken: Popeye's
Pizza: Piece
Italian Beef: Al's
Italian Subs: Bari
Regular Bar Food: Floyd's
Gastro-y Bar Food: Loyalist
Yuppie Mex: Big Star
Goat Mex: Zaragoza
Seafood Mex: Islas Marias Grand Ave.
Asada Mex: Pasadita
Missing Nuevo Mex: Canton Regio
Bayless Mex: Xoco
Loop Med: Oasis
Italian with Kids: Club Lucky; Tufano's
Italian with the Adults: Osteria Langhe
Friends Steak: Boeufhaus
Work Steak: Bavette's
Working Late Steak: Rosebud Prime
Kids Steak: Erie Cafe
Kids Japanese: Mita
Adult Japanese: Momotaro
Ramen: Wasabi
Sushi: Sushi Dokku
Thai: ATK
Dim Sum: Cai (last time I tried to go it was closed, however)
Sichuan: Lao Sze Chuan
Greektown Greek: Athena
To-Go Greek: Dox
Kids Ribs: Green St. Meats
Adult To-Go Ribs: Lem's
Korean: San Soo Gap San
Take-Out Korean: En Hakkore (original)
Indian: Cumin
Macanese: Fat Rice
Driving to Michigan Fried Fish: Calumet
Out Late Fried FIsh: Goose Island
Kids Burgers: Small Cheval
Late Night Burgers: Au Cheval

In no particular order-
Lou Malnati Lincolnwood
Panino's Evanston (luv ya Patty)
Calo
Wildfire
Texas de Brazil
Dengeos
Bob Chinn's
China Chef
Shaw's
Redhot Ranch Ashland
Art of Pizza
Hokkai Glen Ellyn (with the golf buddies)
Longhorn Schaumburg (with the golf buddies)
Pita Inn
Tuscany

Pretty constant rotation involving:
Bad Apple
Hopleaf
Big Jones
La Scarola
Laschetts
El Tapatio
Katsu
Ora
Big Star
Spacca Napoli
Sun Wah BBQ
Demera
Shaw's
Purple Pig
Mia Francesca - Bryn Mawr
Art of Pizza
Noon o Kabob / Kabobi
Turquoise