FOODITOR’S TOP FIVE RESTAURANTS IN LOGAN SQUARE:

1. Fat Rice
2. The Radler/DAS
3. Longman & Eagle
4. Osteria Langhe
5. Analogue

FOODITOR’S CURATED LIST OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN LOGAN SQUARE:

AMERICAN

Analogue— Somehow late at night this tiny place turns into a dance bar, but the food and drink interest is earlier in the evening with a list of craft cocktails and very comfortable Southern/Cajun food.

Billy Sunday— Terrific drinks built around tonics and refined-for-a-bar atmosphere, but the menu is an odd hodgepodge that’s hard to make a meal out of.

Cellar Door Provisions— Bakery making gorgeously mahogany-baked French baked goods and crusty bread (when they’re in stock), and serving expensive but impeccably made farm to table open face sandwiches, soups and salads.

Gaslight Coffee Roasters— Sunny coffeeshop which roasts its own in the back.

Jam— Upscale breakfast place overlooking the square, serving inventive versions of classic dishes; watch for occasional special dinners, too.

Johnny’s Grill— Onetime diner on Logan Square reinvented as Irish-tinged hipster place with attached bar; some interesting items on the short menu, but service needs work.

Longman & Eagle— Hipster bar-restaurant that set the pattern for such places, from the alt-country often playing to the beer and whiskey lists to the eclectic, generally seriously delicious farm-to-table food.

Lost Lake/Thank You— Lost Lake serves Paul McGee’s excellent Tiki drinks in a sedate-for-Tiki atmosphere; Thank You is an attached Chinese restaurant serving interesting artisanal versions of Chinese classics that are better (and more affordable) as bar snacks than it would be serving as your local Chinese joint.

Lula Cafe— Jason Hammel’s flagship opened as a kind of hippie cafe, a pioneer in Logan Square and one of the first places doing farm to table city-wide; it still has some of that eclecticism, with lots of vegetarian dishes and the odd ethnic dish that doesn’t quite work, but has matured culinarily under chefs de cuisine like current c-d-c Sarah Rinkavage.

Parson’s Chicken & Fish— Packed hipster spot by night, nearly empty at lunch, serving southern comfort food and Negroni slushies.

Reno– By morning a sunny coffee shop with housemade baked goods and Montreal-style bagels cooked in the wood-burning oven; a natural sandwich cafe at lunch; and best, at dinner a American-Neapolitan pizza hybrid with somewhat eccentric hipster toppings.

Scofflaw— Superior cocktail bar focusing on gin (and with admirably modest prices), serving solid enough if not exceptional bar food.

Sink|Swim— Seafood restaurant and raw bar, also offering good quality cocktails, from the same owners as the Scofflaw.

Son of a Butcher Tavern— Promising tavern/gastropub serving porky comfort food with a Latin and international tinge.

ASIAN

Dena Kitchen— Excellent, authentic neighborhood Thai place; standouts include duck curry and rama garden.

Fat Rice— Innovative restaurant serving a modernist take on the Asian-European fusion cuisine of the Portuguese colony of Macau, ranging from raw seafood dishes to deep, rich stews.

Gosu— Friendly Korean-owned sushi place also serving Korean comfort foods like dolsot bibimbop.

Wasabi— Hip Japanese joint has pretty solid ramen and other Japanese offerings.

EUROPEAN

The Radler/DAS— Chef Nathan Radler describes his fresh approach to Teutonic cuisine as “if Italians made German food”; the easygoing beer hall atmosphere also includes a late-night doner stand, DAS.

Table, Donkey and Stick— Meatcentric gastropub with a German-Alpine tinge, named for a Brothers Grimm tale. Good wine and beer lists complement housemade charcuterie and bread, and a patio with a fireplace works almost year-round.

FAST FOOD

Little Mel’s Hot Dogs— Exactly the burger and dog hole in the wall joint you hope survives in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood; some Mexican items, too.

ITALIAN

Half Italian Grocer— Specialty grocer with a deli counter making pretty good Italian subs.

Letizia’s Fiore Ristorante & Natural Bakery— Full restaurant from the owner of Letizia’s Natural Bakery has comfortable Italian dishes and one of the city’s best overlooked Neapolitan pizzas.

Osteria Langhe— Intimate neighborhood Italian focusing on food of the Piedmont region in the north, so pastas sit next to hearty beef dishes; the wine list, by owner and wine importer Aldo Zaninotto, has a similar regional focus.

LATIN AMERICAN

El Habanero— Pleasant sitdown Mexican spot in Logan Square, specializing in the pambazo, a sandwich dipped in a bright red hot sauce (and best eaten with knife and fork).

4 Suyos Peruvian Cuisine— Attractive, friendly BYO Peruvian place practically screams “cheap date for meat.”

L’Patron Tacos— Busy taco stand which won instant popularity for tacos filled with big hunks of freshly-cooked steak; also offers a standout fish taco.

Masa Azul— Tequila-focused bar program goes well with artisanal Mexican street food.

Punta Cana Restaurant— Dominican restaurant laying out a mouthwatering spread daily including roasted pork, chicken, goat and other Caribbean dishes, plus versions of the Chicago Puerto Rican sandwich the Jibarito, including one made with gyros meat.

Tortilleria Y Restaurante Los Gamas— Tortilla factory and taco stand serving everything on its own handmade tacos—thick and chewy.

List compiled by Michael Gebert 10/3/15.