Uncle John's BBQ in Chicago is the South Side aquarium-smoker BBQ counter on Cottage Grove, with the rib-tip plate locals send out-of-towners to first.
Tip: Cash only and the wait is long; arrive 16:30 to beat the 18:00 rush. The link-and-tip combo is the all-the-way order.
Address: 8251 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60619
Borinquen Lounge in Chicago is the North Center Puerto Rican kitchen on Western Avenue from the family that invented the jibarito in Humboldt Park.
Try: Jibarito, mofongo
Tip: Order the steak jibarito with garlic-mayo. The mofongo is the second visit; the jibarito is the first.
Staropolska Restaurant in Chicago is the Avondale Polish dining room on Milwaukee Avenue, with handmade pierogi, kielbasa plates and hunter stew (bigos) since 1992.
Try: Pierogi, kielbasa, Polish hunter stew
Tip: Lunch is the cheaper visit; the daily $12 plate with pierogi, kielbasa and stew is the menu's value benchmark.
Ghareeb Nawaz in Chicago is the West Ridge Pakistani halal counter on Devon Avenue, with the $7 chicken biryani that feeds two and runs from 11:00 until 02:00 daily.
Try: $7 chicken biryani special
Tip: Cash only and large portions. Bring a container for leftovers; the biryani plate is at least 2.5 portions for the price.
Irazu in Chicago is the long-running Bucktown Costa Rican BYOB on Milwaukee Avenue since 1990, with the casado plate (rice, beans, plantain, salad, protein) for $13.
Try: Costa Rican casado
Tip: Bring your own wine or beer; the casado is the under-$15 dinner. The horchata in oat-milk is the house drink.
El Faro in Chicago is the Little Village family-run Mexican kitchen on 31st Street near Pulaski, with three-taco combo plates and a $9 lunch chilaquiles.
Try: Combo plates, taqueria classics
Tip: Cash only. The breakfast chilaquiles plate runs from 09:00; arrive 10:30 to land a table without waiting.
Papa's Cache Sabroso is the Humboldt Park Puerto Rican kitchen on Division Street that locals send first-time jibarito eaters to: BYOB, green chilli sauce, steak.
Try: Jibarito, lechon, pollo a la brasa
Tip: Order the jibarito de bistec with the homemade green chilli sauce on the side; ask for extra garlic. Cash and card both fine, but bring your own beer.
