1360 W. Randolph St., Chicago
@creepieschicago
With a name that started as a joke between chefs and IRL partners David and Anna Posey (owners of Elske, next door), Creepies is a neighborhood neo-bistro that is anything but. Creeping, lurking, or even gawking at the table over comes with the territory here: don’t feel weird if another diner asks you what you ordered, because they thought about getting that, too. It’s that sort of establishment.
Start with the warm gougères, airy choux puffs with a molten brie center that arrive drizzled with honey and dusted with parmesan. Follow up with too many vegetable dishes. See: one of the best gem salads in the city, dressed with parsley root, apple and sunflower seeds. Did I mention the tarte flambé and the freekeh crepe filled with peak-season produce (currently artichoke, spring onion and fromage blanc)… I could go on.
Ready for entrees? The roast chicken won’t do you wrong. Its rigorous, three-day prep includes being cured, poached, and roasted, guaranteeing one extremely juicy bird. The whole shebang is anchored by a deeply rich pool of dry white wine sauce reduced with finely chopped chicken livers, shallots, garlic, and fresh herbs. And you’ll want to break the big chip of fried feuille de brick atop the French ravioli, creme brulee-style, instead of simply removing it because it’s much more fun.
5131 N. Damen Ave., Chicago
@kanin.chi
Kanin’s main goal is to make a meal of snacks. Here, nurse-turned-chef Julius Tacadena’s marries Filipino heritage with his childhood growing up on the island of Kauai.
There’s the bento box of tender slow-roasted pork or classic adobo loco moco. Or perhaps you want a two-scoop, half-pound poke bowl that will run you less than $20. Or you can get as go ham (Spam?) on as much musubi as possible while still pack away an order of ube-banana pudding before calling it a day.
What started as Tacadena’s passion project quickly escalated when he met entrepreneur and collaborator Francis Almeda. The latter’s Side Practice Coffee is known locally as an incubator for rising talent. (Almeda also helped give life to West Loop’s Drip Collective cafe and community space, and Novel Pizza Cafe in Pilsen.) Kanin keeps it all in the family, from recipes to staff. The storefront also stocks Tacadena’s snack line he shares with his brother, Krackish Snack Co..
But seriously: Let’s talk musubi. With seven options available from 9 a.m. until they’re sold-out, we understand why folks waited in line in the early pop-up days. The tomato jam and egg and spicy Spam are easy favorites, but it’s the Grand Slam (bacon jam, hashbrown and egg atop a molded boat of rice) you’ll really want to start the day with.
3268 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago
@txatxaclub
Pronounced like “cha cha,” this beloved, avant-garde pop-up found its first brick-and-mortar home a few months ago and has already become one of the buzziest all-day cafes in the city. Known for its retro and whimsical approach to plating and communal dining, the cafe takes some of the best elements of Txa Txa’s well-known supper club series, distilled into something appealing to both discerning diners and neighborhood families.
Let Txa Txa take you from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the morning, expect a rotating selection of savory pastries; a hearty breakfast sando featuring one of the city’s fluffiest egg patties with pork, an umeboshi aioli and salmoriglio; and a morning congee. Come by later for a cocktail or two before dinner, especially for the Tuesday Guest Chef series, the keys to the kitchen are handed over to some of the local food scene’s most exciting and ambitious pop-ups.
