With just 24 seats and five main courses, this shoebox of a restaurant seems to traffic in smallness. But slurp rice noodles in a Thai chili–scented broth, or take a bite of the complex curries or juicy bulgogi in one of the namesake bento boxes, and you’ll be hit by big Asian flavors, fresh ingredients (such as Jidori chicken) and the sense that the chef—Rick Spiros—is cooking with some real gusto. Tip: The menu changes daily, and when Spiros says barbecue-pork steamed buns, you'd better run.
Sure, we have great Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and other great Asian cuisine options in Chicago, but sometimes we want to try a variety of Asian flavors in one meal. When we want bibimbap, we head to the Bento Box, and when we're craving chicken wings, we go to Rickshaw Republic. Noodles? You'll find us at Urbanbelly, slurping up ramen. Here are our picks for the best pan-Asian restaurants in town.
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