Uptown
Uptown Was Chicago's Second Downtown Before It Was Anything Else
Neon marquees and Roaring Twenties ballrooms give way to Argyle Street, one of the country's real Southeast Asian food corridors.
This was Chicago's glamorous alternative to downtown, jazz clubs Capone actually drank in, terracotta theaters, ballroom floors, all of it still standing under the marquees. Decades later Southeast Asian refugees built something just as foundational on Argyle Street, hyper-authentic Vietnamese, Cantonese, Cambodian, and Laotian kitchens with no interest in performing for tourists.
How The Ratings Work
The Promise
Pho 777
1104 W Argyle St, Chicago, IL 60640
Uptown
$
Vietnamese
Vietnamese
Street Food
Solid
Pho 777
-87.6574636
41.9791673
1104 W Argyle St, Chicago, IL 60640
Deep in Uptown's Little Vietnam on Argyle Street, Pho 777 is the no-nonsense real deal. The broth is deep and beefy, the egg rolls are excellent, and the egg roll bun and banh xeo are both worth ordering. Some visits have been better than others but the floor is consistently good. Watch for the aunties folding paper flowers around Vietnamese holidays. A solid bowl on a street worth exploring.
773.561.9909
Visit Website
$
Solid
Deep in Uptown's Little Vietnam on Argyle Street, Pho 777 is the no-nonsense real deal. The broth is deep and beefy, the egg rolls are excellent, and the egg roll bun and banh xeo are both worth ordering. Some visits have been better than others but the floor is consistently good. Watch for the aunties folding paper flowers around Vietnamese holidays. A solid bowl on a street worth exploring.
Immm Rice & Beyond
4949 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
Uptown
$$
Thai
Good Patio
Thai
Street Food
Solid
Immm Rice & Beyond
-87.6594767
41.973163
4949 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
Immm is Thai for stuffed, and the name delivers on its promise. This Uptown spot on Argyle Street is built around Khao Rad Gaeng culture — slow-stewed curry over rice — and it shows. The boat noodles are rich, complex, and worth every visit. The som tum is the real thing. Order Lao style if you want to go somewhere extra funky. Airy room, open windows, good patio. A solid Thai restaurant in a neighborhood that knows what Thai food should taste like.
773.293.7378
Visit Website
$$
Solid
Immm is Thai for stuffed, and the name delivers on its promise. This Uptown spot on Argyle Street is built around Khao Rad Gaeng culture — slow-stewed curry over rice — and it shows. The boat noodles are rich, complex, and worth every visit. The som tum is the real thing. Order Lao style if you want to go somewhere extra funky. Airy room, open windows, good patio. A solid Thai restaurant in a neighborhood that knows what Thai food should taste like.
