We don’t eat like we used to.
And perhaps that’s a good thing. If there’s any pandemic silver lining we can suss out, it’s the explosion of creativity within the dining industry that had chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants flipping unbelievably good burgers, pioneering mixologists deducing how best to transport their intricate tipples, and culinary wizards working out the calculus of making restaurant-quality food, sans restaurant.
It seems the innovation will continue for the duration of the pandemic and beyond — even as we pondered whether Chicagoans were still ordering takeout as dining rooms reopened and capacity limits dropped earlier this summer, we realized takeout had become an integral part of our lives, a suppertime ritual we’ve come to relish.
New restaurants debuting in 2021 have made takeout a core feature of their business model — clearly a smart move as COVID-19 cases rise and have many restaurants rethinking their dine-in options. With school about to start and offices reopening, our lives certainly aren’t getting less busy, and having an easy way to grab dinner that won’t break the bank will remain vital for many families.
So we’ve dusted off our Takeout 100 list — which we first published in January — and made a few changes. Some places closed over the past seven months or stopped offering takeout altogether, leaving us room to introduce 13 newcomers, listed alphabetically. Find the full map and list of restaurants here.
Andros Taverna
The city’s best new Greek restaurant from the husband-and-wife team of Doug Psaltis and Hsing Chen has a stunning dining room, but the equally gorgeous food travels surprisingly well. That’s definitely true of the mezze collection ($32), which features a massive assortment of three spreads, pristine crudite, feta, olives, two house-made pitas and four meat skewers. But even hot entrees such as the best-in-the-city octopus ($31) and the gyro ($22) stand up to delivery.
2542 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-365-1900, androstaverna.com
Big Kids
How good can a humble sandwich be? With former Blackbird executive chef Ryan Pfeiffer at the helm, the sky might not even be the limit. He and co-owner Mason Hereford — the brain behind one of the country’s most acclaimed sandwich shops, Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans — don’t just make a turkey sandwich; they make one packed with pastrami, pasta salad, tangy onions and a mess of “shreddy letty.” Their Grynder ($15.50) has enough hot capicola, mortadella and salami to satisfy Tony Soprano, but they toss on fennel and bitter orange marmalade for a playful twist on an Italian classic.
On Mondays, they switch gears and become Shiddy’s Burger Palace and serve one of the smashiest smash burgers in Chicago. The lighthearted frivolity and fine-dining cred piqued our interest — and prompted Tribune readers to name Big Kids the Best New Restaurant of 2020 — but the food itself will keep us coming back again and again.
2545 N. Kedzie Ave., bigkidschicago.com
Boonie Foods
Chef Joseph Fontelera describes the menu at his Revival Food Hall stop as being mostly “rice, fried eggs and stuff,” which is mostly true. But it’s also one of the most exciting Filipino restaurants, where the “stuff” includes some of the city’s crispiest and juiciest bagnet ($16), thin slices of fried pork belly, and adobong manok ($16), a chicken dish flavored with soy sauce and vinegar. You’ll also want to save room for the Boonie bomb tacos, especially the bomba iloko ($5), which features longganisa, a garlicky Filipino-style sausage, wrapped in a flour tortilla with pickled papaya and, of course, a fried egg.
125 S. Clark St., exploretock.com/booniefoods
Chile Toreado
It’s not easy to consistently dish out food that will equally satisfy the highbrow downtown crowd as easily as a local looking for a good deal from a neighborhood joint. But this McKinley Park restaurant from the owner of 5 Rabanitos, Jaime Sotelo, manages such a feat with verve. Paying tribute to his hometown of Ixcapuzalco, Guerrero — as well as the restaurant’s namesake blistered peppers — the alum of Rick Bayless restaurants packs flavor into every bite of dishes such as the pizza-like vegetarian tlayuda ($10.50), hefty Milanesa tortas ($10.25) and rich enchiladas de mole ($16). The menu is perfect for a picnic in the park, a takeout dinner at home, or a casual bite on the restaurant’s petite sidewalk patio.
2022 W. 35th St., 773-823-7793, chiletoreado.com
Cocoa Chili
Niquenya Collins makes food so irresistible that a passerby once grabbed hot chicken off the grill in her backyard and took off running down the alley. Collins remained unperturbed and took it as yet another sign she should open Cocoa Chili. Her virtual restaurant at The Hatchery incubator in the East Garfield Park neighborhood makes that coveted, charred-yet-tender jerk chicken ($15) and constantly evolving Afro-Caribbean-soul food menu, which traces the historic journey of many Black Americans.
3101 W. Lake St., 312-725-3170, cocoachili.com
Dear Margaret
A culinary love letter inspired by chef Ryan Brosseau’s French Canadian grandmother, Dear Margaret opened in the Lakeview neighborhood with takeout packed as carefully as picnic baskets. Get the delicately fried smelt ($12) and silky duck liver mousse ($10) if you can. Remember to order extra house-made nine-grain toast ($3), sliced thin and grilled crisp after a thoughtful two-day process. Brosseau and co-owner Lacey Irby now offer outdoor seating and limited dine-in for their lovely seasonal menu.
2965 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-360-8213, dearmargaretchi.com
Funeral Potatoes
If meatloaf isn’t a perfectly Midwestern entree, nothing is. But when you order some from Logan Square-based virtual restaurant Funeral Potatoes, know it’s going to be the best rendition of meatloaf you’ve ever tried (in sandwich form, no less). While the rotating weekly menu from chefs Eve Studnicka and Alexis Thomas rarely repeats, expect just as toothsome options as the smoky chive-and-onion meatloaf brushed liberally with house-made “cherry rhubarbeque” sauce.
The portions are more than generous and pay apt tribute to the Midwestern casseroles, cheeseballs and pasta salads that filled our hearts (and often, our arteries) growing up in the heart of the nation. Also generous? The $7,000 raised in their first year for organizations such as Assata’s Daughters, The Okra Project and Pueblo Action Alliance.
instagram.com/funeral.potatoes
George’s Deep Dish
George Bumbaris makes pizza out of this world. They’re not traditional Chicago-style deep dish, but thick-yet-crisp crusted pies from the multiverse. Bumbaris builds on carefully caramelized, cheese-edged crusts, then goes wild. You can get his Halas’ Classic sausage, but the spaghetti- and meatballs-topped Michael’s S&M, too. He only makes about 25 pizzas ($26 for 10-inch, $33 for 14-inch) per night in the Edgewater neighborhood, but you can order a week ahead to ensure you get a piece of the metaphorical (and literal) pie.
6221 N. Clark St., 773-801-1551, georgesdeepdish.com
Kasama
Award-winning chefs and owners Genie Kwon and Tim Flores have become best known for the stunning sweet and savory pastries and sandwiches at Kasama. Their debut bakery and modern Filipino restaurant still features the signature ube-and-huckleberry Basque cake ($6), plus Filipino breakfasts with house-made longganisa, but change is underway. Their highly anticipated full indoor dining menu is coming soon. Meanwhile, take your order out to the side patio in the East Ukrainian Village neighborhood.
1001 N. Winchester Ave., 773-697-3790, kasamachicago.com
Oooh Wee It Is (Burnham location)
You still can’t order pickup or delivery from the perpetually packed Chatham location, but fortunately the original location in suburban Burnham is there for takeout. That’s where diners can get generous portions of soul food classics, including oxtails ($22.99) or fried catfish ($16.99). Each entree also comes with your choice of two sides and cheddar jalapeño cornbread. Of course, no order is complete without the shop’s immensely popular Oooh Wee sweet tea ($3), which forgoes white sugar for local raw honey and fresh fruit.
2208 E. State St., Burnham; 708-933-0363; ooohweeitis.org
A Place in Northeast
This Northeastern Chinese cuisine specialist quietly debuted in the influential Chinatown Richland basement food court in 2020. Its beef pie ($10.99) has become the most popular item at A Place in Northeast. When you order the stuffed fat pancakes at their second location at the 88 Marketplace food court, you can watch the cooks hand-make each order. Crisp yet chewy, bits of the northeast region’s signature salty pickled vegetable punctuate the juicy filling.
2105 S. Jefferson St., Floor 2; 312-358-8592
Soul & Smoke
D’Andre Carter’s Evanston barbecue project serves brisket ($16 per pound) so luscious and smoky, one bite may convince you that it’s the best version in the state. The juicy baby back ribs ($26) certainly aren’t bad either. But don’t forget about the soul side of the menu. That’s where Carter dishes out comforting classics such as Cajun shrimp and grits ($17) and chicken gumbo ($14). Finally, make sure every order features some of the shop’s sweet and fragrant cornbread muffins ($6).
1601 Payne St., Evanston; soulandsmoke.com
Taqueria Chingón
This Bucktown taqueria opened during the worst of the pandemic, so the chefs had to make sure that the tacos would travel well. They do this by freshly making extra-thick tortillas in-house, which refuse to buckle during delivery. But you really want to order from here because of the endlessly creative fillings,that include the duck carnitas ($6.50) and the morcilla ($5), a blood sausage paired with pickled apple. Sure, you’ll definitely want to try the al pastor ($5), which is freshly sliced off the trompo, but you can also try the vegetarian al pastor ($4), made from marinated portobello mushrooms and celery root.
2234 N. Western Ave., 773-687-9408, taqueriachingon.com
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