Andersonville: My Neighborhood Spots
Andersonville is a town in northern Chicago known for its Swedish roots. It is comprised almost entirely of unique, locally owned, independent stores, restaurant and businesses. I’ve been living in Andersonville for over a year now, so I’ve tried each of the eateries on this list at least a couple of times. It’s an advantage when your apartment is a block away from the main bustling street, Clark, allowing easy access. Andersonville has a lot of gems, and new eateries are popping up all the time.
Little Bad Wolf
Little Bad Wolf is a dimly lit restaurant bar with a nice selection of beer and bar food. It’s known for their juicy burgers, large salads, and selection of tacos and baos. They serve sliders and also have a regular burger option, which I thought was pretty great. If you want to level up, the wolf burger comes with three patties, a huge stack of onion straws as well as a fried egg, which is very hearty, but always looks way too big and intimidating for me. My favorite taco is the fish taco - perfectly crispy whitefish with a dash of chili aioli, topped with delicious elote and salsa verde. As far as baos go, I love the chicken bao with Thai peanut sauce and house slaw. The flavor of the sauce has a nice kick and the slaw provides a satisfying crunch.
Big Jones
Big Jones has a pleasant space and serves some amazing Southern food. I’ve only been for brunch, and I love to get the grits, which thankfully there is no lack of. One of my favorite dishes is the roasted mushrooms which are soaked in a buttery wine sauce, placed over creamy grits and topped with a perfect sunny duck egg. The shrimp & grits dish is always a classic, and the catfish & grits dish does not disappoint either. To side step from the grits a little, the skillet cornbread - savory, moist, slightly crispy on the outside, with chunks of corn on the inside, and green onion baked into the top is a must.
Jin Ju
Jin Ju is a Korean restaurant in an intimate, minimalist space where they serve lovely soju based martini cocktails. I love the lychee and lemon. The Chu Gu Mi Dol Sut Bi Bim Bap is a unique seafood bi bim bap situation that I’d never experienced before. It comes in a sizzling hot stone bowl with baby octopus, scallops, flying fish roe, kimchi and an assortment of veggies over top of rice. The flavors are delicious, the rice gets nice and crispy, and the seasonal banchan always balances the dish perfectly. My favorite appetizers are the duk boki (crispy rice cakes) and kim bap (korean type of sushi roll).
Lost Larson
Lost Larson is a scandinavian-influenced bakery run by renowned pastry chef Bobby Schaffer. It has a sleek, modern space with an outdoor patio. You order at the counter. The bread (made with house-milled grain) is outstanding. They have a beautifully crafted selection of toasts such as the avocado toast consisting of a green garlic avocado spread, topped with whatever they happen to find at the farmer’s market that week - in my case jicama, cherry tomatoes, radish, and beets. Their pastries are also divine. I love their raspberry custard brioche as well as the passion fruit chocolate tart. They also now offer full dinner service which I’m very excited to try.
Tanoshii
Tanoshii is a small, casual BYOB sushi restaurant with a second location in West Loop. It is famous for chef Mike’s omakase of specialty rolls, which are unique and don’t get too crazy with intense fried rolls. I personally love to just get the simple sushi, opting for yellowtail, salmon, chutoro, red snapper and ikura nigiri. The fish is always fresh and high quality, so I am happy to satisfy my sushi craving when I decide to frequent a nearby spot.
Passerotto
Passerotto serves Korean food with Italian influences and has a charming, fun vibe. I can see the Italian influence in the oxtail tortelloni where the oxtail is nicely wrapped inside pasta, and swimming in broth. The hwe dup bap is very well seasoned, and the combination of raw tuna, pickled ginger and crispy kale over fluffy farro is delicious and makes the dish really stand out. The kalbi is one of the larger dishes that comes with great seasonal banchan. The meat is tender and flavorful, and I love using the shiso leaves to make little wraps with all the ingredients.