This family-owned restaurant started up more than 30 years ago when its owners were looking for a way to show off the ginseng they grew on their farm in suburban Woodstock. Now it’s celebrated for its ginseng chicken soup, which contains an entire Cornish hen stuffed with garlic cloves and is guaranteed to cure all that ails you.

This Chicago institution is known for its retro interior — think red vinyl banquettes — as much as for the ultra thin-crust pizza. Lean into the old-school vibe and order a classic cocktail — something Frank Sinatra would approve of — to go with garlic bread and mozzarella sticks. Or pick up a bottle of Chianti from the attached liquor store. It also has live music with no cover on Thursdays and Sundays.

“Inexpensive” does not necessarily mean “cheap.” Case in point: Lawrence Fish Market, which sells a vast selection of sashimi and sushi, both in individual pieces and rolls, all of good quality imported from Japan, but none for more than $10. Party trays are also available. Be warned: it’s cash-only.

The decor may be minimal at this counter-service Filipino restaurant, but the friendliness of the service and the low prices more than make up for it. Torn between the chicken adobo and the lechon? The owner happily provides samples. SUBO’s regular menu has all the Filipino classics, but many customers prefer to focus on the rotating daily specials posted by the cash register. Don’t leave without trying one of the traditional desserts. 

Coffee all day, beer and cocktails all night — that is the idea behind Nighthawk, an old-fashioned neighborhood tavern complete with exposed brick walls and pressed-tin ceiling. During the day, the friendly baristas offer refills to freelancers and telecommuters working on laptops. At night, locals coming off the Brown Line stop in for a beer or one of the imaginative mixed drinks before heading home.

With samba music blaring and large-screen TVs showing Brazilian soccer matches, Brazilian Bowl wears its national pride on its sleeve. The menu offers a few Brazilian standards (feijoada, pao de queijo) as well as more mundane salads and sandwiches. The real excitement however, comes from the fresh smoothies and acai bowls which feature tropical ingredients such as passion fruit and guarana. 

Generous platters of rice and kabobs — easily enough for two to share — are the stars at this casual Persian eatery. Wash them down with a glass of the refreshing mint yogurt doogh. Among the appetizers, the zaytoon parvardeh, a dip of crushed walnuts and olives, and the eggplant-based kashkeh bodemjan, are also worth trying. Night owls praise the late-night menu as an especially good value. 

Sometimes, eaters just need a big bowl of pho, especially during Chicago’s seemingly endless winter. LD Pho delivers the goods with a rich, flavorful broth with just the right amount of oil. The sliced beef pho comes with thin, tender slices of meat and a generous portion of noodles. 

Renovated in 2017, Arun’s Thai Restaurant is this neighborhood’s fine-dining destination. For a hefty price tag, diners can choose a nine-course prix fixe tasting menu with each plate more beautiful than the last. For a more manageable, and more affordable, dining experience, order off the a la carte menu. The inspired wine pairings belie the common misconception that Thai food and wine do not mix.

This restaurant, formerly known as Las Palmas, serves tacos and classic Mexican entrees, but the real reason to stop by is the chance to try Guatemalan specialities like red pepián, a stew thickened with pumpkin seeds, or caldo de gallina criolla, a chicken soup prepared with a freshly-slaughtered free range bird.

Noon O Kabab has been a presence in Albany Park since 1977, serving, yes, kababs made with halal meat, but also an expansive menu of Persian dishes, made according to old family recipes. Try the tadig, fessenjan (chicken simmered in a pomegranate walnut sauce), or shirin polo (rice sweetened with saffron orange peel marmalade, pistachios, golden raisins, and barberries).

Expect long lines at this colorful paleteria and neveria, so use the wait to narrow down selections from the enormous menu. Will it be ice cream, one of the many fruit-flavored paletas, or a chamoy-soaked mangoneada? Anything that combines sweet and spicy, like the mango-chile paleta, is a winner. If eaters aren’t ready for dessert, there are plenty of street food snacks, including elotes and tostilocos.