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[title]Jibek Jolu The city’s only Kyrgyzstani restaurant, serving traditional dishes from Central Asia, like lagman (slick, hand-pulled noodles) and manty (tender, oversize dumplings). 5047 N Lincoln Ave, 773-878-8494
Klopa A Serbian grill, where the chef-owner recalls his homeland in dishes like ajvar (smoky red-pepper spread) and urnebes (creamy feta-and-sour-cream salad). 4835 N Western Ave, 774-745-5672
Gene’s Sausage Shop & Delicatessen The Meyer Delicatessen sign remains, but after a serious build-out, this two-story European-style grocery is now one of the city’s most impressive specialty groceries, not to mention an incomparable sausage purveyor. 4750 N Lincoln Ave, 773-728-7243
Nhu Lan Bakery It’s Cubs versus Sox for some, Nhu Lan versus Ba Le for others. How nice to have two standout banh mi shops worth fighting over. 2612 W Lawrence Ave, 773-878-9898
Isla Pilipina Restaurant Filipino food ranks among the city’s hardest to find. Narrow that down to good Filipino food, and you’ll end up here. 2501 W Lawrence Ave, 773-271-2988
Pannenkoeken Cafe Cheery breakfast café; foot-long, savory Dutch pancakes topped with bacon and Havarti. Discuss. 4757 N Western Ave, 773-769-8800
Spoon Thai In a city enamored of secret Thai menus, Spoon Thai’s is worth the buzz. 4608 N Western Ave, 773-769-1173
Julius Meinl One of three Chicago locations of the Austrian coffee shop where the traditional dishes—like braised lamb over spaetzle—go far beyond coffeehouse expectations. 4363 N Lincoln Ave, 773-868-1876