Parson's Chicken and Fish
With a vibe somewhere between fast-food joint and whitewashed service station, Parson's Chicken & Fish serves fried-chicken sandwiches smothered in American cheese, and other Southern flavors, alongside local draft beers and a seemingly endless stream of their signature Negroni slushies. In fair weather, the picnic table–filled courtyard is jammed with crowds stopping by after walking the nearby elevated park, The 606.
Bang Bang Pie Shop
The menu at this small, all-day Logan Square café Bang Bang Pie Shop splits along sweet and savory lines, with some of the city’s best pies (honey, key lime, chocolate pecan) and comfort foods like spicy fried chicken and sausage biscuits. As if all this weren’t decadent enough, there’s always the option to “put an egg on it” for an extra $1.50.
Sink|Swim
Since Sink | Swim is from the cocktail geeks at The Scofflaw (just down the block), you’d expect top-notch drinks, but dishes like the gin-cured salmon and Singapore-style shrimp toast are as creative. The raw oysters and crudo are simple but excellent.
Parachute
A finalist for Best New Restaurant at the 2015 James Beard Awards, Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark’s Korean meets molecular gastronomy spot Parachute trades tablecloths and stuffy dress codes for mind-blowing dishes (clam soup with beef-and-foie-gras broth) and welcoming service—making it well worth the trek to Avondale, a 25-minute drive from the Loop.
Thank You
Two CIA grads staff the kitchen at this Chinese take-out counter serving classic dishes like General Tso’s chicken, egg rolls, and chow fun—and, after midnight, Spam musubi, the Hawaiian mashup of canned meat and sushi rice. There’s no seating here, but they also do bar service at the Honolulu meets Logan Square tiki bar Lost Lake, located next door.
This post has been updated to correct the location of Parachute.