Essence of India

Essence of India
4601 North Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Essence of India website
We have yet to check out the 3,000 or so Indian restaurants on Devon Avenue. Craving Indian food the other night, we decided on this closer-to-home restaurant in Lincoln Square.


We visited on a Friday night and the restaurant was pretty busy. It's a pretty small interior and the tables are literally inches from each other. We're not fans of unintentionally eavesdropping on our dining neighbors' conversations, but we didn't allow this to ruin our dining experience.

I think our favorite thing about this place is the appetizers. We started with the complimentary papadum (thin wafer-like chips) served with a trio of Indian chutneys. The green mint/cilantro-based chutney was absolutely amazing! We followed that with two vegetable samosas and some buttered naan. I haven't tried a whole lot of Indian food, but Jenn has and said that the samosas were some of the best she's ever had.

Indian Appetizers

Vegetable Samosas

We could have been satisfied with the appetizers alone and nearly forgot about our entrees. Jenn got the Vegetable Korma, a variety of vegetables and cheese in a curry sauce and topped with shaved almonds. I got a ckicken curry consisting of tomatoes, carrots, garlic, yogurt, cardamom, cumin and curry leaves. Jenn loved her dish. Mine was good, but not great. I would probably try something different on a return trip.

Vegetable Korma

Indian Chicken Curry

Overall, prices are reasonable (about $10 a dish), service is quick and friendly, and the servings are generous and filling. We give Essence of India an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.8
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.2
Customer Service: 8.4
Overall: 8.4

Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna

Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna
4761 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Barba Yianni's website

For greek food in Lincoln Square, Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna is a must stop restaurant. Our good friends and newly newlyweds Erik and Rocky visited us in ChiTown on a tuesday night and we decided to try some greek cuisine.


The restaurant was rather empty on this tuesday night but we enjoyed the quiet, laidback atmosphere. After ordering some Aris Lager, Erik suggested we start with the saganaki, aka flaming plate of cheese. As is tradition, our waitress set the plate of cheese on fire before our eyes and gave a rather unenthusiastic OPAA! Despite the tame OPAA!, the service was very helpful and friendly.

Saganaki

I decided to get the mousakas, a traditional greek specialty consisting of eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, seasoned ground beef, grated cheese and topped with bechamel sauce. It also came with a side of rice, peas and a serving of egg lemon soup. Needless to say, it was a lot of food for a fair price. I really enjoyed this dish. I loved the combination of ingredients and the meat was cooked and seasoned to perfection. I even ate the peas and I usually hate peas! The egg lemon soup was interesting. It was creamy, tangy and unique, though not great. But overall, I would definitely come back and get the mousakas again.

Egg Lemon Soup

Mousakas

Jenn got the falafel with tzatziki sauce. It was a generous portion and the falafel was crisp on the outside and perfectly textured on the inside. The sauce was exceptionally flavorful with just the right amount of spice.

Falafel

We came to this restaurant with really no expectations, but we were pleasantly surprised and left satisfied. It was a fun night with great friends and great greek food in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere. We give Barba Yianni an 8.6 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.7
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.9
Customer Service: 8.8
Overall: 8.6

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant
4760 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
If you're looking for authentic mexican food in Lincoln Square, this is the place to be. Garcia's is another restaurant that we've already been to a handful of times and we know we can always count on a delicious yet rather cheap mexican meal.


Most entrees here are less than $10 per person and the portions are huge. For us it usually means leftovers for the next day. On this visit I got the tostadas suizas, two generously sized tostadas topped with ground beef, veggies, sour cream and melted cheese and served with beans and rice. Jenn got the veggie platter: two veggie tostadas, a cheese quesadilla and rice and beans. All the ingredients were fresh and delicious. I especially enjoyed the avocados, which were creamy, subtle and perfectly ripe. We must also comment on Garcia's margaritas. They are huge, delicious and don't skimp on the tequila. Definitely a must-have!

Tostadas Suizas

Veggie Platter

The quality of ingredients and large portions reign supreme at Garcia's and make it a must-stop for Mexican dining in Lincoln Square. Our only complaint is the atmosphere. The fact that Garcia's is always packed is a testament to its quality and value, but the high ceilings and stone walls make it sound more like a rowdy high school gymnasium. Needless to say, if you're looking for a quiet evening out, this is probably not the place for you. This brings our score down a little, but it's still a great place to stop for authentic Mexican cuisine. We give it an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.1
Value: 9.1
Atmosphere: 7.0
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 8.4

Chicago Brauhaus

Chicago Brauhaus
4732 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Chicago Brauhaus website
We both have German in our blood and we both love a good German beer, so we decided to venture to this Lincoln Square staple with our good friends Brad and Lindsey. The Chicago Brauhaus serves traditional German specialities like wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, and plenty of sauerkraut. We went on a Friday night and this place was hoppin'. They had a polka band playing polka music, along with some occasional weird European electronica. They also have a dancefloor for those who like to dance.


We started with, what else, a round of beer. A liter of Hofbrau Lager to be exact. Yes, a liter each. In other words, 33.81 fluid ounces of German deliciousness. The Brauhaus has about a dozen German brews to choose from with about 6 or 7 on tap. None of us were brave enough to try the Boot, however, which I believe is 2 Liters of beer.


Well, the beer was delicious and refreshing and although we did not get actual dinner here, we got a few appetitizers to tide us over. We started with a giant pretzel accompanied with butter, spicy brown mustard and horseradish. We followed with some fried Jalapeno Poppers. Maybe not traditional German fare, but tasty nonetheless.


Overall, the food was very good, but we noticed that most of the entrees were fairly pricey. In our opinion though, this place is worth checking out for the atmosphere alone. If you like German music, food and tradition, or just a fun, lively atmosphere, this is the place for you. And of course, the Germans know how to brew a good lager as well. We give it an overall rating of 8.3 out of 10.

Quality of Food/Drink 8.1
Value 6.7
Atmosphere 9.1
Customer Service 9.0
Overall 8.3