Baby-on-Board Review: Southport Grocery and Cafe

By Elizabeth Shapiro in Food on Oct 11, 2007 4:00PM

Chicagoist has long been a fan of Southport Grocery and Café, helmed by chef/owner Lisa Santos. The small, specialized shop and bakery also has a take-out/eat-in menu for adults as well as a handful of dishes especially for kids.

This menu section, nicknamed “For Our Little Ones”, has a variety of foods for $5 that include breakfast and lunch options. It’s ideal if your kid wants noodles for breakfast or pancakes for dinner. Choices range from French toast or scrambled eggs, to PB&J or hot dogs, mostly staying true to “traditional” kids’ favorites.

We ordered a grilled cheese with a side of applesauce and veggies for our kid, and tried the adult version for ourselves: grilled brie with a warm apple, pecan and cranberry salad ($10). Our meal was succulent and drool-worthy, with the salad as standout comfort food in this chillier weather. The kid’s meal was a lot tamer. While it was cute that the crusts were cut off the sandwich, we could have gotten a similar version at any diner. The applesauce tasted freshly made, but the “veggies” were a bit disappointing: a carrot stick and some wilted celery with ranch dip that would have looked more at home accompanying chicken wings.

Their tight quarters take a little maneuvering with a stroller, especially since you get and pay your tab at the counter hidden behind the stocked grocery cases. Our one-year-old wanted to get up close and personal with the tempting items on the low shelves. It took some jostling to get in line, wait and pay without incident.

Kudos to Southport Grocery and Cafe for even including a kids’ section on their menu, not to mention stocking high chairs. We were won over enough by our own food to return; perhaps this time, we’ll share our dish with our kid.

Southport Grocery and Cafe is located at 3552 N. Southport.