Manny's Deli today was an absolute gem…read more The funny part is, I had no intention of going there today. Manny's has always been on my list, but this morning I was actually heading to Lou Mitchell's. I got there, saw the line, and immediately decided I didn't have that kind of patience in me . So I changed plans, headed over to Manny's, and somehow the place I wasn't even planning on visiting ended up being exactly where I was supposed to be. I walked in having absolutely no idea what I was doing, and there was a woman standing there looking just as confused as I was. She looked at me and said, "This is my first time." I laughed and said, "Mine too. Let's do it together." And just like that, we were off. I decided I wanted breakfast, so one of the guys pointed me back toward the first counter and told me, "He'll take care of your breakfast. If you want anything else, come back and see me." Perfect. I ordered scrambled eggs with corned beef hash, hash browns and toast, then worked my way down to the hot bar where I added some macaroni and cheese and a knish. And THAT was the move. Everything was really good, but the mac and cheese and the knish were the stars of the entire meal. Manny's is famous for the gigantic deli sandwiches, but after today, I'm convinced the real adventure is working your way through that hot bar. The sides are where it's at. While I was waiting in line, one of the guys behind the counter noticed my Dave Matthews Band shirt and started talking music with me. He told me he liked Dave and that he was a huge Phil Collins fan. I told him I'm a Phil Collins guy too, and we ended up having this completely random, genuine little conversation about music in the middle of a busy Chicago deli. Before I left, I told him I was glad he shared that with me and hoped he had a great day. We laughed, said goodbye, and went about our lives. And honestly, that little interaction was almost as good as the food. That's what I loved about Manny's. It didn't feel polished or manufactured. It felt like Chicago. Great food. People actually talking to each other. A little confusion when you first walk in. A stranger becoming your temporary partner because neither of you knows what the hell you're doing. A random conversation about Dave Matthews and Phil Collins. And somehow, by the time you leave, you feel like you were part of the place for an hour. I went looking for Lou Mitchell's today. Instead, I accidentally found Manny's. And I'm really glad I did. Manny's, I'll be back. Next time, though, I know exactly what I'm doing.

I was in Chicago for a wedding and had a few moments to myself. I arranged my other stops so that I…read morewould be at Manny's for lunch. I heard it was the Katz's Deli of Chicago. With a recommendation like that, I was ready to try anything. Parking can be a challenge in Chicago, but they had a lot in the rear of the restaurant, which was nearly empty. I strolled around to the front and walked in. I wasn't ready for it to be a cafeteria-style eatery, but it really didn't matter. The ambience was kind of cute. Lots of black and white tiles for a retro feel and some historical pictures of the founder. I ordered the 1/2 sandwich and cup of soup lunch special. Matzah ball was my choice of soup and my half sandwich looked huge. I was ready. I tasted the soup first. The broth was clear, and the matzah ball was large. I like hard matzah balls and soft, so it didn't matter to me which it was. What surprised me was the lack of chicken soup flavor. The matzah ball was spongy and not particularly tasty. On to the sandwich. The first thing I noticed was that the carver didn't pull a chunk out of a steam cabinet. They had a slicing machine running constantly forming a mound from which the carver grabbed a handful of corned beef, then a handful of pastrami, which had already been sliced and griddled to add to the corned beef. I asked about the smallest size side of chopped liver they could offer and he gave me a tiny chilled dose sized cup of liver pulled out of the fridge. So far I wasn't impressed. The chopped liver tasted very good but it was hand chopped and in large pieces with very little schmaltz. The sandwhich wasn't anything special. Not hot, not piled and the pickle was a kosher dill, not a half sour. I left half of my half sandwich, the pickle (except for the one bite), and even some chopped liver. For the cost of this average lunch , I would have rather eaten at my favorite deli in Atlanta and had tongue which wasn't even on the menu at Manny's.

Food-10/10 Ambiance 11/10…read moreService 8/10, limited interaction order from a kiosk One of the top ten Beef Pho Soups around only surpassed by the Dino Rib beef Soup in San Jose , CA. The portions are a good size and can stand on their own.

Ambiance - neighborhood gem, casual, offers small dine in area…read more Service - order at kiosk upon arrival, self serve, pick up food at counter Food - pho broth was aromatic, sliced beef was slightly different than what I'm used to (it was marinated, not the typical rare un-marinated sliced beef)

As soon as you open the door, the smell of delicious food hypnotizes you. It's really hard to…read moredecide what to order because everything looks so good! For starters, we tried the Deep-Fried Pork Belly. It had a crunchy exterior with a dusting of chili powder, while the meat was incredibly tender. It came with a sweet chili dipping sauce that balanced the heat of the chili powder perfectly. I don't have much tolerance for spicy food, but I kept going back for "just one more bite." It was that addictive! For the main course, we tried the Mongolian Beef paired with Egg Fried Rice. The beef was so tender it practically melted in your mouth, and the vegetables had a nice bite to them--the perfect combination. The egg fried rice had just the right amount of garlic and egg, and it paired beautifully with the beef. I can't forget to mention the service. I felt like I was at my auntie's house--warm, welcoming, and genuinely cared for.

Great food but slow service! We got a few items such as the chicken lo mein ($19), red chicken…read morechili :($19), 2 order of steamed soup dumplings ($18), string beans ($14), eggplant ($16) and the quality was great and super authentic. However the 30+ min wait for the veggie orders came after the entire meal when every thing was ordered at the same time, they somewhat rushed us at the end so they can sit their regulars, and the steamy soup dumplings were small and stuck to the paper wrapping and not served w the traditional ginger. The seating and place was clean- I just be prepared to wait and skip on the dumplings since it wasn't the best quality.

Came here for dinner as my daughter was craving some liangpi. Nice place and not busy on a Friday…read morenight. Service was very quick & friendly and place was clean and great Asian ambiance. We ordered - liangpi noodle - cold noodle and very refreshing - Biang biang noodles - perfect blend of flavors - Cumin beef - so good, crispy sandwich - Shredded pork with garlic - never had this before and now a favorite, just great flavors - Stir fried lotus root with garlic - such a good mix with crunchy lotus root and fresh garlic flavor - Mapo tofu - we were so full and had to take most of this home - it was spicier at first but really mellowed a bit the next day and got even better

My go-to spot for pickup!! They are so fast with their service time. Don't skip some appetizers, I…read morelove the shrimp dumplings. The beef lo mien noodles were good but not as flavorful as I was hoping today for takeout

Snuck in for lunch and had 2 different variations of the won ton noodles:beef brisket and beef…read moretenderloin, snow tea tops, egg tofu with mushrooms, bbq pork fried rice and chicken chow mein. All were tasty and seasoned just right. Food came quickly. Staff was friendly They advised us on the best dishes. They even chatted with us about our schedule. A great place for a casual meal

Food is reasonably priced, came out fast, and the portion size was huge. Orange chicken entrée was…read moredelicious and could feed two people (unless you're starving). We were seated quickly, staff was very nice Giving four stars however because I got the beef brisket with curry, and while the food was good, there seemed to not be too much meat and the beef brisket and rather cartilage etc. There is no parking at the restaurant, I do not recommend parking on the street because you could get towed and need a permit but there is a parking lot for three dollars within the vicinity

Great chef, great servers, great menu! This is a must when you're visiting Chicago for the first…read moretime from out of town! I was so happy and full!

Very good "diner" feel restaurant! Pancakes are fluffy and really good! We good so much food and it…read morewasn't expensive at all! One of the best breakfast sandwiches I've had in a while! Very large menu to choose from. A lot of space and very friendly staff! I feel like it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it, but it's such a find!!!

This place always hits the spot if your craving Korean food. They have the basic popular dishes…read morelike kimchi soup, Mandu(Korean dumplings),ramen,bibimbap and the pancakes. Opted to try the ramen today and it was good portion and pretty tasty. Don't skip the banchan ..love the corn here. Definitely try if you're in the west loop/greek town area.

Finally made a stop in the Hmart food court and it didn't disappoint. Food was pricier than…read moreexpected. My boyfriend and I split the beef short ribs bento box, Soondubu Kalguksu, and a spicy tuna samgak-gimbap. The samgak-gimbap had a good amount of tuna and the spice hits in the aftertaste. Soondubu Kalguksu: the noodles were so good. We ordered the pork and regular spicy. The broth was spicy (for me) but needed for a cold day. They were generous with their tofu! Short ribs bento box: I liked the variety of side dishes. I recommend this bento box with another dish to get a satisfying fullness With the food court being close to the exit, be sure to bundle up because it can get cold. You order at the register and they will call your order number when ready. You return your tray to the restaurant you ordered from.

It is definitely a cool spot. It's in the basement and has limited seats. We tried:…read more- Tonkatsu 1/2 spice - Shio 1/4 spice - Coconut Painkiller Slushy I think the tonkatsu was the best, but definitely go low spice. Not because of the heat, but after a few minutes it definitely takes over the bowl and you lose the original flavor. The drink was great, but a bit small.

High 5 Ramen has a lot going for it on the surface. The basement speakeasy vibe is great, the…read moreservice is on point, and those frozen slushy drinks are always a win. Unfortunately, the ramen itself just doesn't hit anymore. ​It's not terrible, but it's definitely not crave-worthy. The broth lacks the deep, complex umami you want in a great bowl of ramen, ending up feeling pretty one-note instead. I was hoping my first underwhelming bowl was just an off night, but after two or three visits with the same mid result, it seems like the quality has genuinely slipped. It's a fun spot to hang out, but the food just isn't hitting the mark like it used to. 3.49 stars.

Momo World is a big, wonderful surprise. It is a fairly basic environment and BYOB, situated next…read moreto the UIC campus so it has a comfortable college atmosphere. We (14 of us) were there for a work dinner and had some skeptical colleagues - until the food started to arrive. Everyone almost fell off their chairs over how good. Momo's are dumpling from Nepal/ Northern India. As none of us had these before, we asked the serving team to bring us their favorites and bring a lot. We kept eating and they kept serving more and different. We all thought that everything was fantastic ( even our skeptics). In discussions since our visit, this restaurant is regularly brought up by our team as a wonderful, big surprise choice. I recommend Momo World highly. While it is a bit different, the food is not unusual or strange, other than the dumplings are called Momos.

I was so excited to try this place, but didn't find it to be what I expected. We tried the tandoori…read morechicken momo, veggie jhol momo, and the veggie biryani. The tandoori chicken momo was the tastiest, by far. But all, seemed to be a bit bland? Even the biryani, which I usually find bursting with flavor, was a let down. Staff was friendly and quick! The ambiance was relaxed. We sat outside on a nice day, and they had nice seating that allowed our dog.

Great food!! We stopped in for a late lunch the other day and we were very satisfied with our meal!…read moreI ordered the turkey bacon club it was very good! My bf had the bagels and lox and was very happy too!!

Not the sourest experience at Half Sour, but not the most memorable either. Our group came here for…read moredrinks and light bites and thought our overall experience was average. We came on a weekend afternoon. We were seated immediately. There's plenty of seating for all party sizes since it's a casual spot. The ambiance is low-key and relaxed. It's a popular spot to watch sports. Service was fine. Our host was nice, but it took a long time to come out, and some of it wasn't cooked well or very warm. Our party got a variety of drinks, and we also shared some food. We got the Steak Nachos and Cajun Fries. The nachos were fine and tasted as they should. The fries were a bit spicy and weirdly coated in hot honey. It was fine. If you're into bar bites and you're in the area, Half Sour is an option, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. You can find them off S Clark Street near public transportation.