Write your Eating The Duck Inn Pub Royale The Duck Inn Bom Bolla
Raising the bar
The city’s bars are bringing their food A-game. By Amy Cavanaugh
When you used to get hungry at the bar, you’d order a cheap burger or something fried to see you through the night. If you were super desperate: bar nuts. Now, you can snack on salt-cod samosas, pork tonkatsu or a calamari bocadillo while imbibing. Welcome to the golden age of bar food, when you’re just as likely to go to bars—like these five—for a great meal as you are a great drink.
Momotaro Izakaya
The dark basement bar below the lively upstairs restaurant is ideal for quiet nights with a glass of
Analogue
Japanese whiskey or sake. Sushi and grilled items from upstairs are available, but the izakaya-only menu is filled with gems; try the crab-salad-stuffed deviled eggs, übercrispy fried chicken and tender planks of pork tonkatsu. 820 W Lake St (312-733-4818,
momotarochicago.com)
Pub Royale British-Indian fare turns out to be a 34
TIMEOUT.COM/CHICAGO December 2015–February 2016
truly excellent drinking food, particularly when paired with an ever-changing list of draft beers and ciders. Chef Jason Vaughan zeroes in on the intersection between the two cuisines, with dishes like buttered paneer (cheese cubes in a spicy tomato sauce), samosas packed with salt cod and potatoes, and lamb dumplings in chili oil. 2049 W Division St (773-661-6874,
pubroyale.com)
Chef Kevin Hickey knows his way around bar food, and his Bridgeport restaurant proves it. Super lightly fried cheese curds come with tangy aquavit-laced Bloody Mary ketchup, the hamburger sandwich is topped with a thick cap of grilled Brun- uusto cheese and the duck-fat dog is a seriously good sausage. 2701 S Eleanor St (312-724-8811,
theduckinnchicago.com)
Analogue
Robby Haynes and Henry Prendergast mix some killer cocktails at this low-key Logan Square bar, where Alfredo Nogueira serves superlative Cajun food, like piquillo peppers stuffed with crawfish tails mixed with rémoulade, a lovely smoked fish dip with saltines and house hot sauce, and a luscious gumbo. 2523 N Milwaukee Ave (773-904- 8567,
analoguechicago.com)
Bom Bolla
Spanish aperitifs, like cava, are pretty much designed to make you hungry, so it’s a relief Bom Bolla’s food menu is so good. Snack on olives soaking in fino sherry, clams bathing in vermouth and salsa verde, and a sandwich of tender fried squid with saffron aioli. 1501 N Milwaukee Ave (773-698-6601,
bombollabar.com)
own review at
timeout.com/ reviewchicago
Edited by
Amy Cavanaugh
food.chi@
timeout.com @AmyCavanaugh
Eating
PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP LEFT, TOP RIGHT: MARTHA WILLIAMS; BOTTOM RIGHT: COURTESY PUB ROYALE; CENTER: NICK MURWAY
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76