Chicago Reviews

Verdict’s triple mocha and miso peanut butter cookies are dense, brownie-leaning, and the last drop sold out in an hour. Here’s what they taste like and how to get on the list before the next one.

Magnífico roasts its own Colombian coffee in plain view, and on a sunny day the patio is all dogs and conversation. The coffee holds up. The pastry case is another story.

Cozy Corner has been serving Logan Square cheap, fast breakfast since 1977. Most of the plate is fine, but one side is worth the line, and it isn’t the potatoes.

Bigsuda puts xiaolongbao and mandoo side by side, and both are worth ordering. But the dumplings are only the opening act, and the noodles and small plates are why you’ll want to come back with friends.

QXY’s dumplings carry hot broth like soup dumplings, but they’re a different thing entirely. Here’s how to order them, which fillings to start with, and how to eat them without burning your mouth.

Eden grows its own ingredients, nails the space, and has a staff that makes the night feel special. Then the plates arrive with one thing too many, and the seasoning never catches up.

Traspasada has been feeding Avondale for twenty years with a menu that covers just about every Mexican craving. Here’s what’s worth ordering, what to skip, and why the salsa negra comes first.

Void takes a red sauce menu and has the time of its life with it. Come for the No-Lört and the 15-foot Last Supper, stay for Spaghetti Uh-O’s poured tableside from a can.

Txa Txa Club looks like the coziest cafe in Logan Square and cooks like it has something to prove. The flavors are huge, the execution is tight, and the breakfast sandwich is a must.