Outstanding Women-Owned Restaurants in Chicago, IL
The Chicago food scene is where girl power meets grill power. Many of Chicago’s hottest restaurants are owned by talented female chefs and restaurateurs. Featuring all kinds of cuisines from vegan fare to hot pot restaurants, Chicago is home incredible women-owned spots serving up meals you’re gonna want to try. Here’s a glance at some of the best women-owned restaurants in Chicago, IL.
Tacotln
4312 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL
(312) 924-1856
A review of Tacotln should be done in reverse because everyone needs to be told to try the flan from the dessert menu! Of course, knowing that yummy homemade flan is waiting at the end of the meal is no reason to speed through Tacotln’s amazing birria quesadilla, taco pollo, carne asada fries, or chorizo burrito. Wash it all down with a horchata to get the real deal in Mexican dining. During our visit, the burrito bowl offering generous helpings of rice, meat, beans, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole turned out to be a surprise favorite.
Caribella
3311 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL
(773) 360-8873
It was a pleasure to discover that Caribella is one of the coziest brunch spots in Chicago. The signature Caribella skillet provides the best value by piling on smoked turkey sausage, peppers, onions, tomato, “garlicky” diced plantains, and avocado. When heading to breakfast or brunch with a sweet tooth, the strawberry and banana waffle more than hits the spot. Omelets, frittatas, and breakfast sandwiches round out the list of brunch classics at this oh-so-cozy eatery. We also loved that Caribella has a menu full of fancy coffee drinks. While they cover the basics with drip coffee, the coquito latte that features a blend of different milks that are infused with coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon before being topped with whipped cream and shredded coconut is worth the upgrade!
Big Boss Spicy Fried Chicken
2520 South Halsted Street, Chicago, IL
(312) 877-5031
It’s all about the big flavor at Big Boss. First, the trays on the menu make this the perfect place for ordering big batches of food for a crowd. However, we found plenty of meals for one that more than hit the spot! In fact, the Big Boss spicy chicken sandwich is the superstar item on the menu. Available in five spiciness levels, this tasty sandwich packs in a generous amount of juicy boneless chicken on a butter bun. We also like that the menu offers an option to get all that juicy chicken action topped over a salad instead!
Flour Power
1642 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Flour Power is one of the best places for authentic Italian food in Chicago. In fact, the restaurant’s commitment to freshness is one of the reasons why it’s only open on evenings from Wednesday through Saturday. In addition, the menu changes daily to allow the chefs to tweak their recipes based on what’s in season. All of the pastas served are handmade that day! It was true love at first bite after tasting Flour Power’s bread with the honeycomb and cheese! We were lucky enough to be able to try the creste di gallo featuring goat cheese, squash, and pimenton during our visit. We also enjoyed memorable helpings of spaghetti and meatballs, casarecce arrabbiata, and focaccia.
En Hakkore
1467 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL
(773) 278-5959
The fire tuna poke bowl was enough to make us fans for life of this women-owned restaurant in Wicker Park. We soon discovered that En Hakkore is also home to the best sushi tacos and burritos in Chicago. The lava salad with tuna, crab, and soy-glazed sauce also had us nibbling down to the last crumb on the plate. Everything we tried was crisp, fresh, and beyond flavorful!
Uncooked
210 North Carpenter Street (Suite 14), Chicago, IL
(312) 315-5552
Uncooked is an excellent vegan restaurant in Chicago that offers tons of fresh favorites. The menu covers everything from smoothies on the go to full meals. The cake cups are also delightful! As the name suggests, everything on the menu at Uncooked is raw. We found that the arugula salad with shallots, walnuts, candied beets, and house-made mozzarella cheese served with creamy balsamic dressing was perfect for a quick, crunchy lunch.
JJ Thai Street Food
1715 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
(312) 929-4435
This is a great place to know about when craving Thai food in Chicago. Everything presented to us was so hot, fragrant, and flavorful. While the entire menu is impressive, the noodle selection is out of this world. We fell in love with rice noodles drowning in shrimp, lettuce, mushrooms, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, onions, tamarind, and chili-paste broth. The rice noodles with beef shank also went over beautifully with our group!
Spicy Grandma Kitchen
2353 South Wentworth Avenue, Chicago, IL
Spicy Grandma Kitchen is a hot pot restaurant serving up some delicious classics in Chinatown. This is a terrific place to dine with a group of friends because everyone can hold their own skewers full of ingredients over the pots. We liked that we could each try a few different dishes by sharing our meals. The chicken pot at Spicy Grandma Kitchen was the award-winning dish at our table during a recent visit!
For more recommendations on where to eat and drink in the city, check out our Chicago page, here!
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