Restaurants In Rogers Park: An Unexpected Food Mecca On Chicago’s North Side
Published October 21, 2022
Last updated September 14, 2024
Have you ever been up to Chicago’s northernmost neighborhood? It’s called Rogers Park, and it’s a low-key, quirky part of town. One of the best things about Rogers Park is its incredible food scene! Even though this isn’t a touristy area, restaurants here represent a wide range of authentic international cuisines.
This guide features over a dozen different restaurants to try throughout Rogers Park. To skip down to any particular place or type of cuisine, click or tap the corresponding link below!
Mexican Cuisine
Rogers Park’s most prominent cuisine is Mexican. There are so many authentic options in the neighborhood, and many of them are clustered on Clark Street. Learn more below!
Taquería Restaurant Cd. Hidalgo
Address: 7104 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: http://www.hidalgotogo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaqueriaCdHidalgo/
This is one of my favorite Mexican places on Clark Street. The chiles rellenos combo plate is excellent. It features perfectly soft yet flaky batter on the outside of the peppers, which are smothered in a tomato sauce. The service is quick and friendly, and the food is very satisfying at Taquería Ciudad Hidalgo!
El Pulpo Loco
Address: 6619 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://el-pulpo-loco-restaurant.business.site/
I normally don’t go for seafood whenever I’m at a Mexican restaurant. It tends to be more expensive than other menu items and is sometimes less filling. But at El Pulpo Loco (“The Crazy Octopus”), I couldn’t resist one of their seafood platters. And I must say, the camarones a la veracruzana really impressed me!
Not only was the shrimp served in a tomato-based sauce with green olives, but the dish also came with coleslaw, fresh crispy fries, rice, and salad. It was quite a feast! I saw other customers who had ordered fish, and I was intrigued. I’ll have to order that next time I’m at El Pulpo Loco!
Taquería El Charro
Address: 6661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charrotacos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taqueriaelcharro1/
El Charro is another great place to get authentic Mexican food. I’ve tried their house special pictured below: carne asada with nopales, a type of edible cactus (the green pieces are mostly hiding under that generous portion of beef). Their salsas are genuinely spicy, and the food I got was perfect with fresh, warm tortillas.
Akay Tacos
Address: 7360 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/AKAY-TACOS/61561150195336/
One of the newest Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood is Akay Tacos. It looks like they’ve already made a name for themselves since they opened up shop, because I always see a busy dining room here whenever I walk by.
I really enjoyed the “Enchiladas Akay” I had here, which came with a shredded chicken filling, plus two chicken drumsticks on the side. The enchiladas in green sauce were cheesy and delicious, and I was surprised the chicken on the bone wasn’t fried or grilled. Instead, it was served with a tomato and pepper stew. I really liked it, and it made the meal feel authentically Mexican.
Rocky's Tacos "Super Tortas Futboleras"
Address: 7043 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://www.rockystacoschicago.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Rockys-Tacos-Supertortas-Futboleras/100063752225087/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockys_tacos_futboleras_/
Even though I am obsessed with Mexican food, I haven’t really eaten a lot of tortas. I had to get one at Rocky’s (I’ll try their tacos next time). Upon ordering, I learned that the “super torta futbolera” only references their large size sandwich, and that they have a ton of different flavors to choose from. I requested the “selección mayor” off the Cuban tortas portion of the menu, which included breaded pork steak, pork leg, sausage, chipotle, ham and cheese. It also had lettuce and avocado.
I got the regular size torta, and it was pretty filling thanks to all those ingredients. Some of the meat in the torta was marinated in a spicy red sauce (probably the Chipotle), and you could add more red or green salsa if you wanted to. In terms of texture, this sandwich was perfect! The avocado went well with the meat, and it helped balance out the spice. If this torta had cheese, that flavor wasn’t very prominent. Regardless, each bite was a burst of flavor. The prices are pretty reasonable, too!
Taqueria Hernandez
Address: 6983 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taqueria-Hernandez/116178398405792
This taco restaurant on the corner of Clark and Lunt may look like a hole-in-the-wall. If anything, that’s all the more reason to try it! Their tacos were so good that I had to get an extra one after ordering their taco dinner combo. They charge a little extra for cheese, but it is absolutely worth it, and the overall meal isn’t too expensive.
I’ve tried their steak and lengua tacos, and both are excellent. Even their rice and beans, which come topped with Mexican cheese, are really good!
Other Latin & Central American Cuisine
In addition to excellent Mexican food, Rogers Park is also home to cuisine from Central and South America. See which countries are represented below!
Taste of Peru
Address: 6545 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://tasteofperu.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TOPChicago/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tasteofperu.chicago/
My first real exposure to Peruvian food was during my 2018 trip to Lima, and I’ve loved it ever since! It is complex and subtle. I also appreciate that it draws influence from the many groups of people who’ve immigrated to Peru over the centuries, including from China and Japan. Taste of Peru on Clark Street is the real deal! On my first visit, I had their lomo saltado, a steak stir fry with onions, tomatoes, and potatoes mixed in, plus white rice on the side. It’s a great meal to try if you’re having a hard time choosing a dish from their extensive menu!
On my second visit, I branched out. This time, I tried their tallarín verde con bistec apanado (spaghetti with green pesto sauce and a breaded ribeye steak) and arroz chaufa (Peruvian fried rice). Tallarín verde is incredibly rich and creamy, so I recommend this for all pasta lovers.
Main plates at Taste of Peru are very filling (I definitely brought home leftovers from my second visit). With that said, a traditional Peruvian appetizer to try is yuca. It’s a boiled, starchy root vegetable (also called cassava). It’s got a subtle flavor and a soft texture, which distinguishes it from potatoes. I think it’s supposed to be decently healthy, too!
Las Delicias
Address: 7027 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://www.lasdeliciasrestchicago.com/
Pupusas are a delicious, savory treat from El Salvador. I’m glad that Rogers Park now has a restaurant that specializes in them! Las Delicias on Clark Street is actually the second location of this restaurant; the first one is on Montrose Avenue by Albany Park and Irving Park.
At Las Delicias, I ordered the pupusa dinner. It comes with three of these flatbreads. You can mix and match fillings, so I got a pupusa de camarón, a chipilín y queso, and a pollo y queso. Chipilín is an herb, which went well with melted cheese. Of the three pupusas that I tried, the camarón was probably my favorite. They have about a dozen different flavors to choose from, and you can also order the pupusas individually.
Redz Belizean Restaurant
Address: 7605 N Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60626
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redzbze/
Have you ever had Belizean cuisine? My first time trying it was during my 2018 trip to Corozal in the country’s north. Despite sharing a border with Mexico and Guatemala, Belize offers rich cuisine that shares more in common with that of the Caribbean islands than those Latin American countries.
Pictured here are two dinner plates from Redz: oxtail (above) and fried red snapper (below). Both entrees were phenomenal, especially because of the rice and beans and plantains. Oxtail is a little tough to eat because of all the bones, but it is one of my all-time favorite Caribbean specialties. Redz Belizean Restaurant does an excellent job preparing it!
African Cuisine
Rogers Park is home to a large African community. As such, the area is home to some excellent African dining options you won’t want to miss!
Badou Senegalese Cuisine
Address: 1947 W Howard St, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://badousenegalesecuisine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badousenegalesecuisine
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badou_cuisine/
I don’t think I had ever tried Senegalese cuisine before going to Badou, and this was a great place to get acquainted with it. Senegal is a country on Africa’s Atlantic coast, so typical cuisine features a lot of seafood.
With that in mind, I couldn’t resist their “thiebou djen jolof” (sometimes spelled Thieboudienne). This is labeled on the menu as the national dish of Senegal, and it’s basically fish with veggies and a side of jolof rice. The fish was satisfying but the jolof rice was really the highlight of the meal. It has a tomato flavor to it, and the grains of rice are smaller than what I’m used to. It’s also not very sticky, but it can still hold its shape. The entire plate was rich in flavors and textures, and I highly recommend trying this lovely little spot on Howard Street!
Denden Eritrean Restaurant
Address: 6635 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DenDenRestaurant/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dendenrestaurant/
Like Senegalese, Eritrean food was another new culinary experience for me, and I absolutely loved it! The meals at Denden were set up similarly to Ethiopian meals I’ve had, with an injera base on a large metal plate. I ordered their spicy lamb, which came with some veggie-based sides. Everything was so good! Denden really feels like a local secret hiding in plain sight.
Asian Cuisine
In all honesty, Rogers Park doesn’t have as many Asian dining options as other parts of Chicago. Despite that, Rogers Park’s Asian restaurants showcase cuisines from countries like Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining
Address: 6580 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://khmai-fine-dining.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monabellacatering
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khmai_fine_dining
This beautiful Cambodian restaurant really puts Rogers Park on the map in terms of its culinary offerings. If you have never had Cambodian food, you’ll be in for quite the experience at Khmai. Pictured below is their Kuy Teav Kok, egg noodles tossed in garlic oil topped with ground pork, meatballs, shrimp, crispy garlic, and cilantro. This was served alongside a delicious savory broth. It was listed as one serving but could’ve fed two people.
The Kuy Teav Kok had a full range of flavors and textures, with perfect hints of sweet and spicy aftertastes, and just enough garlic to pull everything together without being overpowering. The cilantro went very well with the ground pork, and the broth was just as interesting and complex as the rest of the meal. The staff are really helpful as well, and mentioned that the noodles and the soup could be eaten separately or together. I tried both ways, and the food was amazing regardless.
This feast took a little while to come out, but when I saw how intricate the meal was, I completely understood why. It was well worth the wait! Just know that this is a place where you’ll want to really savor your food and give yourself time to enjoy the meal.
It seems like Khmai has been noticed by lots of prominent people in Chicago’s food sphere, and the restaurant has quickly gained recognition as one of the city’s most popular new places. As such, it appears that they have moved towards requiring reservations (this was not the case when I went back in August 2022). They also post updates including rotating menus on their Instagram, so that’s the first place to check for up-to-date info.
Asian Station
Address: 1343 W Morse Ave, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://asianstationchicago.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theasianstation/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianstation_at_morse_redline/
This pan-Asian restaurant is conveniently located right next to the Morse Red Line stop. They used to be take-out only, but have since expanded to offer dine-in seating. I’ve only tried the pad thai so far, but I loved that it was made with an original slightly spicy sauce. The beef in the dish was also very tender!
On Asian Station’s pan-Asian menu, sushi is a prominent feature. I will have to get that next time I’m here! Many of their rolls have fun names that pay homage to Rogers Park, the Red Line, Morse Avenue, and other local landmarks. It’s a nice touch!
Cafe Nova
Address: 6431 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://thecafenova.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecafenova/
Cafe Nova’s website indicates that they serve Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine. I’d say I’m familiar with the former, but not so much the latter. I ordered a chicken curry plate with a side of naan. The plate came with a green chicken curry, dhal (lentil) curry, and carrots. Everything at Cafe Nova was excellent, including the two curries! The green curry had a ton of spice and complexity to it, and the chicken pieces were super tender.
Eggs with Benefits
Address: 6441 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://eggswithbenefitschi.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eggs_with_benefits_chi/
Eggs with Benefits is a casual Korean restaurant that serves breakfast-style dishes all day. The menu also includes some Japanese options, like the tonkatsu curry rice bowl pictured below. It included scrambled egg, which was an original, “brunchy” touch to this otherwise traditional dish.
The two main sections of the menu here are egg bowls over rice and egg sandwiches. I still need to try one of those sandwiches, and I’ll add a review of it on this post as soon as I do!
Other Great Options
Beyond Mexican, African, and Asian restaurants, Rogers Park is home to lots of other unique places to grab a meal. The last section of this post features a variety of other delectable options.
Burger Bite
Address: 1500 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
Website: https://burgerbite.dine.online/locations/821551?fulfillment=pickup
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/8burgerbite/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/8burgerbite/
This little diner with only a few tables is interesting because it’s located inside of a Shell gas station convenience store on Rogers Park’s south edge. I get it, gas station food doesn’t always have the best reputation. But don’t judge a book by its cover! The burgers, shakes, and fries at Burger Bite are all top notch. This place has even had articles written about it for its unique location and the fact that locals seem to love their take on American classics.
Drippin' Bites
Address: 6808 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://www.drippinbites.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drippinbites/
Rogers Park’s newest burger joint is certainly making waves! The name really captures what this restaurant is all about; they don’t shy away from serving messy burgers that do, in fact, drip. Their two signature offerings seem to be a smash burger and a “Drippin’ Burger.” I went with the latter as a double. The Drippin’ Burger had American cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, Drippin’ Sauce, and sweet chili sauce on a brioche bun.
The Drippin’ double was pretty neatly stacked when it was served. Nonetheless, the burger required two hands to hold and inevitably slid around a bit. With so many ingredients, the Drippin’ Burger offered a bunch of overlapping flavors and textures in each bite. Of all the ingredients on that long list, I think the pickles stood out the most. While the other sauces and grilled onions sort of blended together flavor-wise, the pickles were pretty distinct.
The fries here are also freshly sliced in house, so they have some potato skin left on the edges. Prices here are a little high, but I applaud them for their bold and innovative concept. Burger aficionados should check out Drippin’ Bites!
Anto Pizza Chicago
Address: 1547 W Jarvis Ave, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://antopizza.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antopizzachicago
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antopizzachicago/
You’ll find this cute little pizza and pasta place right off of the Jarvis Red Line stop (walk west for about thirty seconds or a minute). They have all the bases covered: thin crust Napolitan pizza, thick crust Roman pizza, and a variety of pastas, which they serve in an iconic cone. Pictured below is their Italian sausage and pepper thick crust pie, which I thought was really good! It was filling but still had a crispy bottom side, and it wasn’t overwhelmingly heavy.
Honeybear Cafe
Address: 7036 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60626
Website: https://honeybearrp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehoneybearcafe/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehoneybearcafe/
This brunch restaurant is undoubtedly one of the busiest restaurants in Rogers Park. Weekends are always packed, which speaks to how much the community loves Honeybear Cafe! I always prefer dining out during non-peak times, so I have taken advantage of the occasional weekday morning off to eat here when it’s not as busy.
I think one reason Honeybear Cafe is so popular is that they do a great job with both the sweet and savory sides of brunch. Pictured below is their Lulu Louisiana skillet with seasonal pumpkin French toast. As you might imagine, it was a very filling breakfast and a great way to start the day. I appreciated that the skillet included Andouille sausage and a lot of melted cheese.
Bon Appétit in Rogers Park!
Chicago’s far north side is one of my favorite parts of the city, in no small part because of its stunning international food scene. Incredible flavors from around the world are always within walking distance no matter where you are in Rogers Park!
Have you been to any of the places on this list? Are there any restaurants you think I should include? Leave a comment below and let me know! I will definitely update this post if I find any more restaurants nearby that really stand out. Thanks for reading!
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This post was published on Oct 21, 2022
This post was updated on Sept 14, 2024
The Caffeinated Man Behind The Blog
Where I’ve Been
Cannot believe you’ve tried all of these, but glad you did! Great review!
High Noon Grill on Glenwood, between Morse & Rogers Park Social. Simple set up run by an amazing older Asian woman who does it all (literally). Must have patience, but sooo worth the wait..
Bulgogi & Kimchee Omelet for breakfast! So good..😋