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This is one of my absolute favorite businesses in Hyde Park. It's a small, independant, produce store, with a variety of other staple grocey items. The price-to-quality ratio on their produce is...
This is one of my absolute favorite businesses in Hyde Park. It's a small, independant, produce store, with a variety of other staple grocey items. The price-to-quality ratio on their produce is excellent, and their selection is surprisingly good given their small size.
You aren't going to find everything you need here, but their stock is consistent. If it's there one week, it's pretty much going to be there the next, unlike certain cooperative grocery stores that will remain nameless.
I always go to Hyde Park Produce first and then fill in the gaps at other places. What they do have, they do well, and I can often do all my shopping there.
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I checked this place out for the first time last night, and had mixed feelings, though overall a good impression.
First of all, I used to participate in the Young Chicago Authors program every...
I checked this place out for the first time last night, and had mixed feelings, though overall a good impression.
First of all, I used to participate in the Young Chicago Authors program every Saturday for 3 years in Wicker Park, in a run down apartment building at Damen and Division with nary a yuppie in sight and many Mexican owned businesses. As I was using the bathroom at the Smallbar I saw their address on one of their posters. "2049 W. Division," I thought, "that sounds familiar." I went outside and looked at the building. It was the building that I had gone to for years, every week, but I didn't even recognize it because of all the trendy new development. Wow.
Ah, but about the beer...
Smallbar has an excellent array of domestic microbrews, including 2 things on tap that I had never seen before (this is extremely rare for me in Chicago.) They always have a beer on cask, and they have lambics on tap. The prices certainly weren't cheap, but they weren't expensive either, given the quality of the beers. Our bartender was friendly and helpful and had cool tattooes.
The atmosphere was unremarkable, but the jukebox seemed good. It was layed back, easy to find a seat, and easy to carrying on a conversation. I'm told that on weekends it's crowded and obnoxious, but I expect that's true everywhere on Division.
Overall, I guess the thing to know is that Smallbar is at least a top 5 place for beer lovers in Chicago.
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The food at the Far East Kitchen is pretty good, though it costs slightly more than I'm usually looking to pay when I go out in Hyde Park. It's a chill place with stereotypical Chinese decor and the...
The food at the Far East Kitchen is pretty good, though it costs slightly more than I'm usually looking to pay when I go out in Hyde Park. It's a chill place with stereotypical Chinese decor and the oldies station playing quietly from one corner. The old couple that run it are very sweet and seem to always be there.
Like I said, the food is perfectly passable, but I don't often crave Chinese food, so I'd just as soon go to Chinatown when I do. I love the Far East Kitchen as a place to have some peaceful drinks with my friends. It's quiet, friendly, and it has a remarkably extensive drink menu. Ok, the zombies are highly inconsistent, the martinis are 25% vermouth, and kir royale tastes like it was made with Manischewitz. That's not the point.
The point is that this place is awesome, and by awesome, I mean totally sweet. The egg rolls are massive and they cost $3.50. The drinks are strong most of the time, though, like I said, they are entirely inconsistent. The people are very nice. The glassware is superb. Zombies come in tiki head glasses with the garnish on giraffe toothpicks. Nuff said.
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My parents used to have events for college students catered by Cedars of Lebanon. The first time, they expected 25 people, so they ordered for 30, just to be safe. There is no reasonable adjective...
My parents used to have events for college students catered by Cedars of Lebanon. The first time, they expected 25 people, so they ordered for 30, just to be safe. There is no reasonable adjective to describe the quantity of food that showed up, but "immense" or "ridiculous" might come close. The next time, expecting 25 people, they ordered for 15. There was still far too much food for our guests to reasonably consume, and our family ate leftover falafel for weeks.
You'll have the same experience dining in here. The family meals appear to be slightly expensive, but you are gauranteed to have leftovers from each of the 6 to 8 dishes that you'll end up with. A meal for 4 is really a meal for 8.
There are cheaper options, too. A falafel sandwich with fried potatoes and a salad is $4.50 and is an ample amount of food for lunch or dinner. You can buy wine two doors down at Kimbark Liquors and bring it in.
Oh yeah, the food is delicious and the staff is friendly.
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I don't have much to say about this place, after all, it's a convenience store. I go to convenience stores for one reason and one reason only, now that I've quit smoking, and that is to buy beer....
I don't have much to say about this place, after all, it's a convenience store. I go to convenience stores for one reason and one reason only, now that I've quit smoking, and that is to buy beer. Magic Mart (formerly known as "Pullman's") sells 6 packs of cheap beer $0.50 cheaper than other places that I can walk to. For $2.99, you can get Old Style, Ice House, Schlitz, and maybe other stuff, too. Don't come here looking for good beers.
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As an unabashed despiser of soulless corporate businesses, and a borderline socialist, you'd think I'd be the first to sing the praises of and 80-year-old cooperative grocery store in my...
As an unabashed despiser of soulless corporate businesses, and a borderline socialist, you'd think I'd be the first to sing the praises of and 80-year-old cooperative grocery store in my neighborhood. Alas, this is not the case. The Co-op on 55th Street manages to have high prices, bad products, long lines, and a bizarrely spotty selection, all at the same time.
The only things to be said for this place are that (1) I can get there without a car and (2) it's better than their other branch on 53rd Street.
If you're shopping for groceries in Hyde Park, get everything you can from Hyde Park Produce, and then fill in the gaps at the Co-op.
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It may say "Woodlawn Tap" on the wall, but anybody who's been there knows to call it Jimmy's. This is a venerable Hyde Park institution, and should probably be visited at least once for that reason...
It may say "Woodlawn Tap" on the wall, but anybody who's been there knows to call it Jimmy's. This is a venerable Hyde Park institution, and should probably be visited at least once for that reason alone.
In a study done by The Reader a few months ago, Jimmy's was found to have far and away the worst air quality in their entire sample of Chicago bars. I love Jimmy's, but I find it completely intolerable at night. In my opinion, the time to go is in the late afternoon, or for Bears games. In the afternoon, some sunlight comes in, the bartenders are happy to chat, and an interesting collection of regulars assemble after/during work. At night, the U of C students come in droves, and it's impossible to breath (I say this as a smoker!) or have a conversation with your friends.
The $2.75 pints of Leinie's Red and the $6 Bombay Sapphire martini's are the best deals here. The jazz set in the back room on Sunday evenings is fun and free.
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Salonica
Category:
Food & Dining
1440 E. 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(773) 752-3899
Salonica has a pretty comprehensive diner-style of menu, plus some Greek fare. For some reason, I only ever come here for breakfast. All the food here is decent, pretty cheap, pretty greasy, and...
Salonica has a pretty comprehensive diner-style of menu, plus some Greek fare. For some reason, I only ever come here for breakfast. All the food here is decent, pretty cheap, pretty greasy, and often exactly what I’m looking for in the morning. The coffee is bad, but bottomless. The service is ridiculously fast, and it can get crowded, so don’t come here for a long coffee drinking session.
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Books are jammed literally into every corner of this old used book store. This isn’t the place to go if you’re looking for something in particular (though the staff, in my experience, has been very...
Books are jammed literally into every corner of this old used book store. This isn’t the place to go if you’re looking for something in particular (though the staff, in my experience, has been very helpful and nice.) This is a place to go if you love browsing through books. There is always an interesting selection on display in the window and on tables in the store, and there is frequently a box of free books sitting outside. The downside is that there's nowhere to sit and read. The upside is that the place smells like old books, you can browse, get something to read for cheap, and head across the street to Caffe Florian.
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Although it is hardly known outside of Hyde Park, people who are familiar with the place will frequently assert that Cafe Florian has the best deep dish pizza in Chicago. This is, of course, a...
Although it is hardly known outside of Hyde Park, people who are familiar with the place will frequently assert that Cafe Florian has the best deep dish pizza in Chicago. This is, of course, a controversial claim, especially since the pizza is not as deep as more traditional Chicago pizzas. The Florian Spinach on white crust is delicious, and inexpensive when compared to other deep dish pizza. Florian also offers a wide array of other options, including sandwiches, soups, salads, and most other things you’d expect to find at a diner. The coffee is terrible, but bottomless. The atmosphere is comfortable and inviting, and this can be a good place to read or write in the afternoon when it isn’t crowded.
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