Try 8 Excellent Breakfasts From Around The World (Without Leaving Chicago)
By Anthony Todd in Food on Feb 23, 2016 4:40PM
By Jennifer Olvera
Ubiquitous bacon and eggs aren’t the only game in town at breakfast time. There are an ample number of alternatives, in fact, and some of the most endearing options can be found at small, traditional spots that are easily missed. So, the next time you're craving the tastes of far-flung places—or want to break away from staid greasy spoons—hit up these gems for sustenance first thing in the morning.
Chicken at Tabaq. Photo by Jennifer Olvera.
Tabaq
If you’re the type to seek out fiery fare, this bare-bones, counter-serve Pakistani joint (featuring 24-hour service and a lower-level prayer room) certainly fills the bill. Featuring a small, cafeteria-style spread and poofy, fresh-baked naan turned from the kitchen in back, it has all the makings of a great meal—especially if flavorful frontier chicken and soupy lentils are in the mix.
Tabaq is at 1245 N. Clybourn Ave.
Nha Hang Viet Nam
Head to this simple Vietnamese spot as early as 8:30 a.m. for one of the city’s best bowls of pho. The shatteringly crisp banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) stuffed with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts is almost as good, when dipped in slightly funky, tangy fish sauce. Meanwhile, ultra-fresh spring rolls burst with herbaceous flavor. There’s homey congee (thick, porridge-like rice soup) of many kinds, too; try the hearty standout chao thap cam — it’s decked with a quail egg, pork, beef, chicken, beef meatballs, shrimp and wontons.
Nha Hang Viet Nam is at 1032 W. Argyle St.
Cabbage and sausage at Podhalanka. Photo by Jennifer Olvera
Podhalanka
There’s a timeless feel to Podhalanka, a tchotchke-filled ode to Polish food and an authentic vestige of the city’s “Polish Broadway.” Consisting of a long bar and a handful of basic, VFW hall-like tables, it’s a place where devotees can be seen digging into heaping plates of beige-hued food, including plump, starchy sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi; stuffed cabbage; smoked sausage; sour white borsht; and powdered sugar-showered cheese blintzes come 9 a.m. Just remember to order the potato pancakes, slathering them with applesauce and sour cream.
Podhalanka is at 1549 W. Division St.
Birrieria Zaragoza
Family-run Birrieria Zaragoza has a long-cooked formula that works. Offering the best version of the Jaliscan specialty, birria tatemada (roasted goat) citywide, the tender meat is butchered in-house before it spends five hours in the oven. It’s then rubbed with ancho and other fragrant spices and returned to the oven to roast until a crispy exterior develops on the breathtakingly tender, decidedly non-gamey meat. Then, it’s finished in brothy tomato consommé. Tuck meat — especially the killer shank — into house-made tortillas — it’s a life-changing experience. On weekends, you can abate hangovers by 8 a.m.
Birrieria Zaragoza is at 4852 S. Pulaski Rd.
Ruby’s Fast Food
You’ll have to wait until 10 a.m. most days to get your Filipino fix at Ruby’s Fast Food in Albany Park, but your grumbling tummy will thank you. Of course, you’ll be in good company since the tiny, welcoming space regularly fills with in-the-know diners, many of whom plunk crunchy lumpia Shanghai into sweet chili sauce and devour fair shares of pancit and tapsilog with green onion-specked garlic rice.
Ruby’s Fast Food is at 3740 W Montrose Ave.
Taqueria Moran
Make your way to this Logan Square fave bright and early — it opens at 6 a.m. — for crisp, saucy chilaquiles, carne asada tacos and satisfying caldo de res (beef soup), munching on chips and salsa and pickled carrots while you wait. There’s also a lineup of Mexican and American breakfasts — including huevos rancheros, a breakfast burrito and omelets — if you absolutely must.
Taqueria Moran is at 2226 N. California Ave.
Hon Kee Restaurant
Don’t be deterred by the lacquered barbecue ducks that hang in the window of this frills-free Chinese eatery — they’re legendary, thanks to glisteningly crispy skin that belies the lush fat and tender, moist meat beneath. Fortunately for squeamish types, this deliciousness appears on-menu in a variety of configurations. Open every day except Tuesday at 9 a.m., it serves soul-satisfying soups and dumplings made from delicate, see-through-thin dough, too.
Hon Kee Restaurant is at 1064 W. Argyle St.
Donor kebab at i-Cafe Sukur. Photo via i-Cafe Sukor.
i-Café Sukur’s Place
Divey, diner-like i-Café Sukur’s Place is one of few games in town when it comes to authentic Turkish fare, served from the morning until the wee hours. If you’re a traditionalist, You will find scrambled eggs with sucuk, a pepperoni-like sausage, served with Turkish tea. However, a better bet is the doner kebab; lahmacun, topped with spiced beef and lamb, onions and peppers; or a calzone-like pide. Just be sure to order some bracing Turkish pickles on the side.
i-Café Sukur’s Place is at 1814 W. Irving Park Rd.