Great Resturant in Chicago?

August 29, 2010 5:19 PM

Whats a great place to take my sister out to a surprise dinner in the city of Chicago close to Loyola university?

I'm going to visit my sister this Weekend at college. I think it would be awesome to take her to a nice restaurant. I' haven't gone to Chicago enough to know where all the good places are to eat. I'm looking for a restaurant that's not too far away from the Loyola Campus. I really don't want to spend more than $50, unless you say its worth it. :D I don't care what kind of restaurant it is, as long as its good :D

I'm all ears for suggestions :D

Thanks

posted by NotSoSiniSter to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Is she at the Rogers Park (lake shore) campus or the downtown campus? In Rogers Park, Leona's is a good, relatively inexpensive pick. They're a local chain, and have a good mix of Italian, American, and vegetarian foods, and you could definitely get out of there for less than $50.
posted by catwoman429 at 5:52 PM on August 29, 2010

West of the Rogers Park Loyola campus along Devon Avenue are a ton of very good Indian and Pakistani restaurants.

There are also a couple of Ethiopian restaurants along Broadway south of there — Ethiopian Diamond and Ras Dashen are the best-known.
posted by enn at 6:10 PM on August 29, 2010

I second Ethiopian Diamond.
posted by rbs at 7:28 PM on August 29, 2010

If she's up at the Rogers Park campus, enn's suggestions are great. If she's not into spicy food, Act One Cafe on Morse might be a nice option.

If she's downtown, Devon Seafood (no relation to Devon Avenue up by the main campus) might get you in and out for under $50 before drinks, or maybe Big Bowl.
posted by me3dia at 9:27 PM on August 29, 2010

Indie cafe near Thorndale on Broadway. Surprisingly cheap but delicious (and beautifully presented) Asian fusion food. And it's a BYOB with no corkage fee.

And nthing Ethiopian Diamond.
posted by Lieber Frau at 7:24 AM on August 30, 2010

Morseland -- on the corner of Morse and Sheridan -- would be a nice, hip choice as well.
posted by Work to Live at 7:38 AM on August 30, 2010

Uncommon Ground is the best non-ethnic restaurant in Rogers Park. Great atmosphere, great food, live music most nights (late). It is near the top of your limit if you avoid booze.

Ethiopian Diamond is very good as others have mentioned. Indie Cafe has a neat atmosphere and the food is pretty good, but honestly I liked The Blue Elephant more. Speaking of Thai food, a bit farther south (on Granville) is Summer, which is just wonderful.
posted by Wink Ricketts at 8:19 AM on August 30, 2010

Seconding Leona's. It's a Chicago staple, and if she hasn't been there yet, you should fix that.
posted by RobinFiveWords at 9:07 AM on August 30, 2010

Don't go to Leona's. It's a far cry from nice and she was predestined to go there at least a million times the second she enrolled.

Go to the aforementioned Morseland, Ethiopian Diamond, or Broadway Cellars.
posted by eamondaly at 11:39 AM on August 30, 2010

Late to the party on this. If it hasn't happened already, I recommend this Iranian restaurant with a crappy website (Masouleh).
posted by phunniemee at 7:31 AM on September 5, 2010