A guide to the restaurants in West Town, the East Village, the Ukrainian Village, and Noble Square. This section of Chicago is located between the West Loop and Wicker Park.
Where is West Town? The term doesn’t have the strictest definition. When you ask locals, they tend to give different answers. We referenced the map of Chicago neighborhoods that was approved by City Council in 1993. It lists West Town, Ukrainian Village, and East Village as three separate neighborhoods. Some would argue that the Ukrainian Village and the East Village are part of West Town. Often, Noble Square refers to the area directly east of the East Village. We are including all four neighborhoods in this guide to restaurants in West Town.
Last updated: March 2022
Restaurants in West Town
Table of Contents
We have indicated which restaurants serve Breakfast/Brunch and/or Lunch in addition to dinner.
Funkenhausen
American Southern, German
Funkenhausen presents the unexpected combination of Southern and German cuisine in a modern beer hall. Think pretzels served with pimento cheese and white bbq sauce. It works. Other menu items include zucchini schnitzel, beer bratwurst, and confit pork shoulder.
Split-Rail
American
Split-Rail is a hair outside West Town, but we decided to include it on this list. The restaurant serves American comfort food like crab gravy with crispy Carolina gold rice, steak tips, wings, hush puppies, and steak frites. Some say their fried chicken is the best in the city.
Porto
Spanish, Portugese
Porto’s cuisine is inspired by fishing villages and farmsteads in coastal Portugal and Spain. An eight-course tasting menu is available for $100 in addition to the a la carte menu. The a la carte menu is divided into sections with seasonal dishes and “conservas” preserved dishes like sardines in olive oil, clams in brine, and sea urchin roe.
Beatnik
West Town
Mediterranean, Global
Beatnik also has a location on the Chicago River, but the West Town restaurant has a quieter more romantic atmosphere. The menu includes a ceviche bar, spreads like smoked baba ghanoush, and mezze such as feta stuffed dates, pistachio tzatziki beets, and chicken kabobs. Plus there are larger sharable entrees which include Lebanese-style roasted lamb and dry-aged ribeye.
Yuzu Sushi and Robata Grill
Japanese, Sushi, Lunch
Yuzu serves Japanese grilled skewers in addition to sushi. This restaurant is known for their jumbo rolls which come with intricately decorated sauces. The restaurant recently launched a cocktail menu.
Fry the Coop
American, Lunch, Kid-friendly
The menu here keeps it simple: you have the choice of four different fried chicken sandwiches or chicken tenders. Six heat levels range from no heat to lil’ insanity. Sides include three types of fries that are double fried, plus mac and cheese, potato salad, and coleslaw.
Forbidden Root
Gastropub, American, Lunch
A botanical brewpub that serves beers like strawberry basil hefeweizen, sparkling rosé ale, and a double IPA called snoochie boochies. The food menu has bar snacks, cheese plates, small plates and larger mains like a pork schnitzel sandwich, duck and dumplings, a reuben, and a mushroom pot pie.
Hoosier Mama
Bakery
Hoosier Mama is one of Chicago’s best pie bakeries. The rotating menu has both sweet and savory pies. The sweet pies include classics like apple pie, chocolate chess, and Hoosier sugar cream plus options like Jeffersonville Cherry Clafoutis. A chicken pot pie is usually on the menu along with some meat filled hand pies.
Piccolo Sogno
Italian, Gluten-free
Piccolo Sogno means “little dream” and this restaurant’s large garden is one of the dreamiest spots in Chicago. The menu is seasonal rustic Italian with an emphasis on pastas, pizzas, and hearty meat dishes. Dinner is served nightly and lunch is served Monday through Thursday. Much of the menu is gluten-free.
Maillard
American, Lunch
Piccolo Sogno’s sister restaurant is a casual spot known for burgers – the menu has seven. There are tacos, burritos, a sloppy Joe, and a fried chicken sandwich too. Plus, boozy milkshakes.
The Dawson
American
An industrial chic restaurant serving wood fired oysters, burgers, tacos, steaks, and chops plus some comfort food entrees like chicken pot pie and rigatoni. Upstairs at The Dawson has live music on Wednesdays. The large garden patio with an outdoor fireplace feels like an escape from the city.
Coalfire
Pizza, Vegetarian/Vegan
As the name suggests, the pizza here is coal fired in an 800 degree oven. It comes out slightly charred. The menu has 17 pizzas, including two vegan pizzas, plus the option to build your own. There is a second location in Lakeview.
Vajra
Indian, Nepalese, Vegetarian
A Michelin Bib Gourmand winner for 2021, Vajra serves elegant traditional Indian and Nepalese cuisine. Currently, Vajra is offering delivery and take out through their website. The menu includes butter chicken, lamb rogan josh, Pahari goat curry, madras curry, cashew shahi korma, several biryanis, and plenty of options for vegetarians.
Provaré
Creole, Italian
Fried lobster tails, crabby fries, shrimp Hennessy scampi, and pesto Alfredo grace the menu at their restaurant where the pasta is made fresh daily.
Jeong
Korean, Fine Dining, Asian, Romantic
This is one of the hottest restaurants in West Town. Both the restaurant and its Chef Dave Park are a finalists for the 2022 James Beard awards. Jeong serves a tasting menu that presents refined modern Korean cuisine.
J.J. Thai Street Food
Thai, Lunch, Asian
This is a casual restaurant serving food made with love and it’s best Thai street food restaurant in Chicago. While this is street food, it is beautifully presented. The menu has several appetizers, noodle soups, and grilled meats.
Tempesta Market
Sandwiches
A grocer, deli, and sandwich shop serving over a dozen sandwiches plus some salads, soups, and appetizers. Charcuterie boards and cheese boards to serve 6-8 people are available, as are sandwich platter. Remember this for the next time you are throwing a party.
Three House
American, Brunch, Lunch
A counter service restaurant that has one of the best burgers in the city. Brunch is served all day and the lunch menu starts at 11 am. Three House is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 am – 4 pm and is not open for dinner. Note: there is also an unaffiliated restaurant called Tree House in Chicago.
Restaurants in the Ukrainian Village
Tryzub Ukrainian Kitchen
Ukrainian
This family-owned restaurant is the place to try traditional Ukrainian cuisine like Ukrainian-style pierogi, potatoes pancakes, borshch, and goulash. When it comes to drinks, Tryzub is known for their infused vodkas. On weekends, a brunch menu has items like fluffy cheese pancakes, mini potato pancakes with various toppings, avocado toast, and a breakfast burger.
Boeufhaus
French, German
The farm to table cuisine at Boeufaus combines old world culinary technique, contemporary style, and French and German influences. The small menu does focus on beef with four different cuts available. Other entrees include halibut, duck, and pork chops.
Parson’s Chicken & Fish
American
Parson’s is a casual restaurant known for negroni slushies, fried chicken sandwiches, and fried fresh fish. It’s the type of place where you can grab a quick meal, or hang out and sip drinks with friends.
a tavola
Italian, Romantic
A restaurant serving Northern Italian cuisine and wine that opened in 1995. A four-course menu is $72 per person or you can opt to order a la carte.
All Together Now
American, Lunch
This cafe with bistro fare serves several sandwiches, snacks, and bites, plus larger plates like meatballs and farina, crispy chicken confit, and ricotta tortellini. On weekends, the restaurant serves brunch and house made bagels.
Lao Peng You
Chinese, Asian, Lunch
A Chinese restaurant that hand makes their noodles and dumplings daily. The menu focuses on noodle and dumpling soups but also includes some Roa Jia Mo (often referred to as a Chinese hamburger) and small plates. The beef noodle soup is one of their most popular menu items.
Restaurants in East Village
Kasama
Filipino, Asian, Fine Dining, Bakery, Breakfast, Lunch
This restaurant owned by a husband and wife team of chefs is a bakery by day and a fine dining restaurant at night. Kasama’s pastries are creative and elegant. The croissants have flavors like black truffle with Delice de Bourgogne, honey, and pearl sugar. The breakfast sandwiches are so in demand that a line forms down the block to get them. At night a fine dining Filipino tasting menu is served. Kasama is a semi-finalist for the James Beard Best New Restaurant category.
Temporis
American, Fine Dining
A contemporary American restaurant with a Michelin Star, with just twenty seats that serves a ten-course tasting menu. Some ingredients are sourced from the restaurants hydroponic garden.
Arami
Sushi, Japanese
A sushi restaurant that received a Michelin Bib Gourmand win. Arami offers an omakase tasting menu and an a la carte menu with maki, nigiri, and sashimi. Arami has a second location inside the Time Out Market food hall.
Soulé
Southern, American
Soulé serves Creole inspired soul food. The menu includes jerk shrimp, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, catfish po’boy, and shrimp and grits.
Homestead on the Roof
American
A rooftop restaurant serving farm to table American cuisine made with ingredients from the on-site garden. Homestead on the Roof is open seasonally during the warmer months, enter through Roots Pizza.
Root’s Pizza
Pizza, Kid-friendly
One of four Chicago locations, this pizza place serves up Quad Cities style pizza. They often collaborate with other restaurants to bring things like Korean Fried Chicken Pizza and Butter Chicken Pizza to the menu. They have a long list of salad options too.
Restaurants in Noble Square
Flo
Southwestern, Lunch
Flo brings the cuisine of the New Mexico to Chicago. The all day menu has green chile chicken enchiladas, a smothered pork and black bean burrito, carnitas tacos, and Baja fish tacos. Flo also serves brunch on weekends.
Frontier
Southern
Want to order a chicken stuffed alligator, a whole pig, or a wild boar? Frontier is the place. In addition to offering a whole animal experience (which must be pre-ordered in advance), a full menu of Southern staples like char grilled oysters, fried chicken, and smoked beef ribs is available.
Noble Thai
Thai, Lunch
Noble Thai has a casual modern space and serves traditional Thai food. The menu is very affordable (most dishes are $11.95 or less) and includes soups, noodles, curries, fried rice and entrees. You can find fresh spring rolls, chicken satay, pad Thai, and panang curry here.
Kimchi Pop
Korean, Vegetarian
A counter service restaurant serving soups, stews, bibimbap, and noodles dishes including bulgogi. Upon request, many menu items can be prepared to be vegan or vegetarian.
The Best Pizza in Chicago - cityguidetochicago.com
Saturday 26th of March 2022
[…] Dante’s serves big 20″ New York style pizzas. You can order a pizza from the menu, build your own, or buy a slice. Five vegan pizzas are available too. Check their instagram account to see the slice of the day. In addition to pizza, the menu offers wings, salads, and sandwiches. A second location recently opened in West Town/Ukrainian Village. […]