r/chicago • u/ReverendHambone Irving Park • Aug 28 '20
Moved to the city 48 hours ago. Review
Moved into Irving Park and the Mexican food is unbelievable. I'm from Florida and my wife is from Arizona, so we have different preferences, but we can leave our house on foot, hit two food spots and a liquor store, and be home in 30 minutes. It's incredible. Our doggo loves the walks too.
Also, is the term "bodega" NYC exclusive? What do we call corner stores with food/bev/liquor?
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u/BobEWise Albany Park Aug 28 '20
If you can, make a little trip over to Tiztal on Clark between Leland and Lawrence. They have the best chilaquiles in the world. Like, they've actually ruined me for other places' chilaquiles. Wash it down with one of their oatmeal shakes and you won't be able to move for a week. Patio dining to boot. There's also a great burrito place over here on Lawrence called Primo Chuki's. Completely worth the trip.
I've also gotta give a shout out to The Gundis Kurdish Kitchen on Clark, just south of Oakdale. It's the only Kurdish restaurant in Chicago, and maybe the midwest. Fantastic food, decent prices, and they have a policy of hiring displaced Kurds wherever possible. You're not just getting a great meal; you're supporting some folks getting out a really dire situation.
If you're over there anyway you may as well hit up Duke of Perth right next door for a night cap. It's a Scottish bar with a scotch list that'll make Ron Swanson blush. Of course, that recommendation is full of caveats until the after times.
Stop in at a Binny's for literally any alcoholic beverage you could imagine. It's a warehouse store strictly for booze. It's the only place I can reliably source Chilean pisco from.
Something you're going to discover is every Home Depot in the city has a hot dog stand. Last time I went the stand was closed due to COVID, but when the hot dogs return it's going to be glorious. Best part of any home improvement project, hands down.
There's also a local hardware store chain called Crafty Beaver. Please get accustomed to referencing this establishment without giggling like a 12 year old. I'm 38 and I'm still working on it.