Lynette Smith

The ribs here are as unfamiliar with the smokehouse as they are with the Seder table. They’ve been baked, sauced, and set on a plate with a pickle. But they’re all kinds of sticky, and you’ll readily commit to the pleasant mess. Longtime Chicagoans have a deep fondness for this dish because they remember coming … Read more

People from all over the city have been flocking to Tigist Reda’s Ethiopian spot since 2007 for her well-seasoned wots and tibs, tangy injera, and house-roasted coffee. But perhaps no menu item reflects Reda’s talents more vividly than the vegetarian messob (which, for what it’s worth, is actually vegan). Six veggie dishes of your choice … Read more

Sun Wah BBQ’s Hong Kong–inspired version of the beloved Beijing specialty makes for an epic night out. The experience at this Asia on Argyle spot, which opened in 1987, starts with the whole roasted duck being carved tableside. For the first course, you stuff the duck’s crackly, mahogany skin and juicy meat into steamed buns … Read more

Chicago’s go-to spot for Persian food has been steadily expanding since it opened in 1997. Originally little more than a shack, it now occupies an expansive location that handles both dine in and catering. As the restaurant’s name suggests, boldly flavored grilled and skewered meats get top billing, and the barg — juicy filet mignon seasoned with … Read more

Still humming beautifully after 21 years, chef Jason Hammel’s Lula Cafe is the matriarch of Logan Square’s dining scene, and this warming, Greek-inflected tangle of noodles has been on the menu since day one, holding strong as the winds of seasonal cooking have shifted around it. Aptly enough, the dish is an ode to co-owner … Read more

Arguably Chicago’s most influential Chinese restaurant (it currently has eight locations scattered around the city and suburbs), Tony Hu’s flagship made its name with Sichuan specialties that deliver numbing heat. The signature dish — diced chicken stir-fried with garlic, ginger, scallions, dry chiles, and Sichuan peppercorns — is an ideal entrée to the cooking of this heat-obsessed region of … Read more

In 1975, Inocencio Carbajal set out to re-create the signature fried-pork dish of his native Michoacán, and a Pilsen legend was born. There’s a reason his family’s carnitas — sold by the pound with tortillas, lime, onion, and cilantro, or tucked into a taco — attract lines out the door on weekends: After a low, slow simmer in manteca … Read more

New York had steakhouses before Mrs. O’Leary had a cow, but let’s be clear: This Midwestern stockyard city perfected the genre. Want proof? Walk into the gray, shingle-roofed building that has stood under the L in River North since 1941 and watch history still writing itself. Visiting celebrities, titans of industry, and stalwart regulars smile … Read more

Order the kalamata chicken from this half-century-old Greek restaurant and, for the price of a glass of wine at most Lincoln Park spots, you’ll get your own broiled and grilled half chicken, crisp-skinned and juicy, plus an ample side of thick Greek fries drenched in a jus of olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and … Read more