My beef with the Chicago dining scene (Lincoln, Manhattan: 2015, neighborhoods)

[HBS2015]

Overall the restaurant scene is great, but unlike NYC, it's hard to find good ethnic food (indian/thai/korean especially) around downtown (i live in river north). Also very few restaurants deliver past 10 PM, which is another huge negative.

[chet everett]

NYC includes several boroughs -- Rents in parts of Manhattan make it pretty hard for low margin businesses like carry out Chinese to thrive, and the pace of development for River North similarly has squeezed out lots of more affordable options.

How late do carryout places in NYC close?

[long101]

Originally Posted by HBS2015

Overall the restaurant scene is great, but unlike NYC, it's hard to find good ethnic food (indian/thai/korean especially) around downtown (i live in river north). Also very few restaurants deliver past 10 PM, which is another huge negative.

Sounds like you have an issue with River North dining, not Chicago. I can walk and get just about any type of food I want.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by HBS2015

Overall the restaurant scene is great, but unlike NYC, it's hard to find good ethnic food (indian/thai/korean especially) around downtown (i live in river north). Also very few restaurants deliver past 10 PM, which is another huge negative.

Good ethnic food comes from ethnic enclaves or neighborhoods. And very few of these are close to River North, which is frankly sort of a bland area. I had excellent ethnic food options when I lived in Uptown

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by HBS2015

Overall the restaurant scene is great, but unlike NYC, it's hard to find good ethnic food (indian/thai/korean especially) around downtown (i live in river north). Also very few restaurants deliver past 10 PM, which is another huge negative.

There is good ethnic food downtown but you have to know where to go for it honestly. When I first moved here I thought the same, but it does exist. However, other parts of town is your answer. The thing is that the rents are high, so if you want the immigrant who came here from whatever country with not much money's food, they can't afford River North. You have to go elsewhere and really this is no different than any other city.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by long101

Sounds like you have an issue with River North dining, not Chicago. I can walk and get just about any type of food I want.

+1 million

[emathias]

I'd agree on Korean - I think the nearest decent Korean food to downtown is in Chinatown, which isn't exact close but is closer than Koreatown.

For Indian, my Indian coworkers like India House, but think the quality is better at Gaylord's.

There are a number of decent Thai places downtown - as well as a number of what I'd call "neighborhood thai" places that aren't great, but aren't terrible either. I'm not sure what your criteria are?

I'll also say there aren't really any great Vietnamese places in downtown either. The "Vietnamese" place on State at Chicago Ave is pretty close to terrible. But Chinatown isn't that far, and they do have some good Vietnamese places there. There are also a couple half-way decent Vietnamese places in Lincoln Park.

In my experience there are a lot of places even in Manhattan that aren't open past 11, so that's not exactly a universally-available thing even in all parts of Manhattan.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by emathias

I'd agree on Korean - I think the nearest decent Korean food to downtown is in Chinatown, which isn't exact close but is closer than Koreatown.

There's a place in a crappy food court on the 2nd floor at 201 N Clark called Green Apple and it is pretty decent actually (it has both Vietnamese and Korean).

I'll also say there aren't really any great Vietnamese places in downtown either. The "Vietnamese" place on State at Chicago Ave is pretty close to terrible. But Chinatown isn't that far, and they do have some good Vietnamese places there. There are also a couple half-way decent Vietnamese places in Lincoln Park.

Le Colonial. Best pho I've had in Chicago by far. Not a huge bowl but the flavor is awesome. Not a "neighborhood" place, but if you know the menu, there are some good values on there like the fried rice and the pho.


There's also a lot of Japanese places in the area and while a number are cookie cutter sushi places, there are actually a number of ones with more depth and more authentic.

[reppin_the_847]

You forgot the food carts which are nearly ubiquitous in Manhattan. These things seem to be open 24/7. They are virtually non-existent in Chicago.

Oh, and let's not forget the incredible deli's that are 24/7 and all over Manhattan. Again, virtually non-existent in Chicago. In Manhattan you can pick up a decent lox & cream cheese bagel pretty much at any hour of the night, lol. Pretty difficult in the Windy City.

Originally Posted by chet everett

NYC includes several boroughs -- Rents in parts of Manhattan make it pretty hard for low margin businesses like carry out Chinese to thrive, and the pace of development for River North similarly has squeezed out lots of more affordable options.

How late do carryout places in NYC close?

[chet everett]

Sorry I am not a fan of "street food". Where do the people working those things "answer nature's call"?

NYC's grossest food carts - NYPOST.com