Sauganash/Peterson Park

We are finding ourselves in these two areas a few times a week as my daughter is on two soccer teams that play & practice there. Timing-wise, sometimes we lake to grab dinner carry-out on the way home. Other than a few chains, am I missing a gem? We do like Chai’s Asian Bistro. Haven’t tried Eden’s or East of Eden’s yet so opinions on those welcome.
Not fans of Mee Mah or Himshikar.

My wife’s family are long time patrons of:

Martino’s Italian Cuisine & Pizzeria
3431 W Peterson Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
http://martinoschicago.com/

I usually go for a pasta or pizza. Great cream garlic dressing for the salad.

Pickings are kind of slim in Sauganash/Peterson Park.

Both Edens hot dog stands, Devon and across from Whole Foods, are blindingly mediocre. Mee Mah has only one thing going for it, "Special" Egg roll, aka the old Kow Kow egg roll.

Sauganash Grill is good for the neighborhood, a hot dog stand with a surprisingly wide menu.

Great Beijing in Lincolnwood, though I still count it as the neighborhood, is quality American Chinese with a hint of Chinese/Korean.

Elephant Thai is my preference over Chai.

I've eaten inside of Martino’s twice in decades but often order delivery pizza, which I like. And they are fast.

You are pretty close to both Seafood City and H-Mart, both with plentiful dining kiosk options.

Good luck, I'm sure I'll think of a few more places.

We lived in Peterson Park for over a decade (and left about a decade back). I still go out of my way to pick up Martino's thin crust. Try substituting the tomato sauce with alfredo (and adding artichoke) - delicious.

I go through this area a lot, and there aren't many great options

Pho Nam Lua on McCormick isn't technically in those neighborhoods but it's close by and probably my favorite in the area.

Backyard Grill on devon/Pulaski is serviceable and I prefer it to either Edens joints

Also, in an adjoining neighborhood. I wish the Asian options on Bryn Mawr were better, but Big Hill is always solid and better than it needs to be. It's a neighborhood bar/grill from the folks that own Bryn Mawr breakfast club

And while there is no food court, the Joong Boo on Pulaski has a handful of take home and heat Korean options but the pickings can be sparse based on time of day.

WhyBeeSea wrote:Pho Nam Lua on McCormick isn't technically in those neighborhoods but it's close by and probably my favorite in the area.

Yes, yes, I knew I'd forget a few. Pho Nam Lua is my favorite Vietnamese, along with Nha Hang on Argyle. Don't sleep on Pho Nam Lua's fried tofu with salt, ong choy with bean curd sauce, spring rolls, stir fried rice noodle and, of course, pho. Messy, though tasty, chopped chicken on-bone pho, which can be had spicy for the asking.

Pho Nam Lua
6261 Mccormick Rd
Chicago, IL 60659
9 - 9
Closed Tuesday

Also not in the neighborhood but close enough that it might warrant a stop is GNR Psistaria, which is serving up some of the best Greek food anywhere in Chicagoland.

=R=

Psistaria Greek Taverna
4711 W Touhy Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
(847) 676-9400
psistaria.com

El Carrito (6019 N. Lincoln) is pretty good.
https://www.elcarritotacos.com/

Chai's does a delicious Boat Noodles, if you're a fan of such things.

Thanks to All for the replies. I knew there had to be at least a couple of places I’ve overlooked.

I think we will give Martino's a try next week. Pho Nam Lua will likely be next in line. Big Hill was somehow completely off my radar but the menu looks intriguing. Despite it being a bit off the path, they’ve been added to the list too.

Been by El Carrito many times but have not tried it. Telegram Sam, are there particular items there that you recommend?

I do agree with GWiv that the pickings are relatively small for an area with so many households/families.

Back when I had to visit that area frequently, I'd spend time at City's Edge and Dakota 94. Both well above neighborhood average spots for gastropub fare.

City's Edge
5310 W Devon Ave, Chicago

Dakota 94
5304 W Devon Ave

Libanais on Devon and McCormick is pretty good lebanese food. The manasseh and m’hammara are good and they have a large pastry selection.

Best, or at least top 5, Polish in Chicagoland at Home Depot McCormick & Devon.

Fixin’ Franks Maxwell Street Polish with JP Graziano giardiniera Tribune article Nick Kindelsperger .

LTH Post

Strues wrote:Libanais on Devon and McCormick is pretty good lebanese food. The manasseh and m’hammara are good and they have a large pastry selection.

I'll go as far as to say they're the best Middle Eastern around. Was a regular take-out for us during lockdown.

We gave Martino’s carry-out a try last night. I can’t help but compare them to our walking distance Italian American restaurant, Coletti’s. We have given Coletti’s many chances over the years both dine-in and carry-out. Ultimately, the only item my husband and I find “good enough” and regularly order for the convenience is their thin crust pizza. Audrey does also enjoy their cheeseburger sliders. Their salads are OK. Pastas and entrees are not good in our opinion.

From Martino’s last night we ordered a garden salad to share and it was a generous portion with lots of fresh vegetables. I appreciated the few green olives tossed in. It was plenty for the three of us. Jonathan tried the Martino’s special pizza and I think it was the weakest dish of the night. Coletti’s for the win here but we need to try again with customized crust and ingredients. Pastas were way better than Coletti’s. Audrey really enjoyed her linguine Alfredo with chicken and I liked the spaghetti aribiatta.









Always good to try someplace new to us.

If you're seeking an alternative to Coletti's the far superior Pasta d'Arte is just a few minutes North.

We enjoy Pasta D’ Arte, especially for dine/in.

Advantages of Pasta D’ Arte over Coletti’s: Food, Wine, Service, Ambiance.

Advantages of Coletti’s over Pasta D’ Arte (for us): food for pick-up ALWAYS ready in 30 minutes, 3 minutes from our house. In certain situations they just come in handy.

This seems to be the best thread to tack this onto as there are a few mentions of Edgebrook spots…

Edgebrook has seen it’s share of business losses since 2020. Starbucks at Devon/Central closed, the Donegal Imports owner retired and closed, lost a beauty salon recently, Edgebrook Diner is up for sale, and Ruk Thai shuttered then permanently closed. So we were happy to see an opening in the former Ruk spot. We’ve ordered carry-out a few times now. The menu has more variety than Ruk did. Everything has been fresh and packaged very well for carry-out. Portions are generous. Audrey really likes the Tempura Udon. It comes in three separate containers- broth, udon, tempura shrimp/veggies. The tempura items have not been greasy and remained crisp. The sushi is standard for these type of neighborhood spots - perfectly fine, nothing special. The only thing I’ve actively disliked is the Miso soup - overly salty, minuscule pieces of tofu, and just not “miso-y” enough.
Unlike Ruk, there are now a few tables for dine-in.

Certainly not a destination for anyone outside of the immediate are, but a nice option to have for those of us here.

Sushilicious Sushi and Rice

5419 W Devon

I grew up in this neighborhood and my family still lives there, in addition to the restaurants noted above I can also recommend the following:

Pride Sushi & Thai - 2706 W Peterson Ave
Savanna Restaurant - 5657 N Lincoln Ave (breakfast & lunch)
BryAnna's Restaurant & Bar - 5695 N Lincoln Ave (beware the live music may not be to your liking)
The Angry Crab - 5665 N Lincoln Ave
Hoanh Long Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant - 6148 N Lincoln Ave (BYOB)
Charcoal Delights - 3139 W Foster Ave
Tre Kronor - 3258 W Foster Ave (one of my favs, go off hours and enjoy their backyard!)
There is also a large number of good Indian restaurants on Devon between Kedzie & Western.

WhyBeeSea wrote:Also, in an adjoining neighborhood. I wish the Asian options on Bryn Mawr were better, but Big Hill is always solid and better than it needs to be. It's a neighborhood bar/grill from the folks that own Bryn Mawr breakfast club

Finally got around to trying Big Hill, although not for carry out. We dined in their lovely back patio last night. The three of us shared a poke stack to start. It was delicious and a generous amount of tuna (appropriately priced at $17). We then had burgers - 2 BH Burgers and a Veggie Burger for me. Solid fries. Everyone was happy.

Given the location, comfortable patio and high quality food, I see us here frequently this Summer. Thanks for mentioning it!

Another lovely meal at Big Hill tonight. It’s a hidden gem. So cozy, great service, consistently well-executed menu. Reasonable prices.
We started tonight with the fried Brussels sprouts appetizer. So delicious. Creatures of habit, I got my usual poke bowl and Audrey had her usual Katsu bowl. Jonathan broke with his tradition and went for the carnitas tacos which were messy but got the thumbs up from him.
Looking forward to warmer weather so we can head back to their patio for outdoor dining.

LynnB wrote:Another lovely meal at Big Hill tonight. It’s a hidden gem. So cozy, great service, consistently well-executed menu. Reasonable prices.
We started tonight with the fried Brussels sprouts appetizer. So delicious. Creatures of habit, I got my usual poke bowl and Audrey had her usual Katsu bowl. Jonathan broke with his tradition and went for the carnitas tacos which were messy but got the thumbs up from him.
Looking forward to warmer weather so we can head back to their patio for outdoor dining.

If you follow them on ig, they do a weekly post of specials. It's a prime example of a hidden gem!

lizpeck wrote:Chai's does a delicious Boat Noodles, if you're a fan of such things.

This was enough to get me to take a look at their menu, but there's no boat noodles on it.

Having grown up in Peterson Park, Pho Le 777 would be at/near the top of my options. Roast pork pho is in a class of its own. They have roast duck, which is a dish in a class of its own generally.

6257 N McCormick
(773)942-6630

Big Hill
3307 W Bryn Mawr Ave
Chicago, IL 60659