West Town Hides Its Best Work

The breakfast sandwich — steamed egg, Gouda, thick-cut bacon, house-made hash brown, onion aioli, jalapeño jam on a Martin's potato roll — is rich, messy, and worth every conversation about whether it costs too much. It does. Get it anyway. The pastry program is rotating and small; whatever is in the case is worth ordering. The chocolate chip cookie is one of the best in the city when it's available. Coffee is serious, consistent, and served by people who know what they're doing. The fried chicken sandwich is solid but not the reason to come.

Order the fried chicken sandwich on the biscuit, not the bun. The biscuit makes it. Medium heat is the right starting point for most people — noticeable, not punishing. The pickles are excellent. Tenders are worth adding to the table. Fries are well fried and well seasoned. Skip the mac and cheese and skip both desserts — the cobbler does not deliver on the concept and the bread pudding is the marginally better of two underwhelming options. Stick to what they do well and this place does not disappoint.

Order the khao soi. It has richness and real spice, and it is the dish that most closely delivers on what the menu is capable of. The som tum is sweet and missing funk — worth knowing before it arrives. Most of the menu plays it safe and lands in serviceable territory, which is fine for a weeknight order but not a reason to make the trip. The space is minimal and modern, easy to get into, and designed as much for takeaway as for sitting down.

Musical fever dream-themed Dark Matter location in West Town near the Western Blue Line stop. Small space with a polka-dotted espresso machine that earns its own mention. Mostly grab and go but with a few seats if you need them. Same good coffee and Do-Rite donuts as the rest of the collective.

Filipino cafe in West Town built around silogs, rice bowls, and pan de sal sliders. The spam silog, lumpia, and hashbrown patties are the moves. The Pinoy Bang Bang sauce appears on several things and should. Coffee is serviceable but not the reason to come. Airy space with Filipino retail items and a sense of humor. Come hungry, leave full.

Regional Sichuan cooking in West Town that doesn't pull punches. The dan dan noodles are the move, the Zhong's dumplings and long chao shou are can't-miss, and the Sichuan beef soup will warm you up from the inside when the weather turns. The heat here is real and the numbing from the pink peppercorns is half the point. If you don't eat spicy food, look elsewhere.

Mott St is a Michelin Bib Gourmand pan-Asian restaurant on Ashland that makes a wide menu feel intentional rather than scattered. The burger is the first thing everyone orders and it has to be placed before 7pm. Two patties, sweet potato shoestrings, pickled jalapeños, American cheese. It works. The short rib and kalbi are worth ordering alongside it. Brunch is exceptional, especially the congee. Large outdoor section in summer. Accommodates dietary restrictions well.