A complete guide to the Chicago French Market

Simple is best at Beavers Coffee + Donuts, which serves up mini rounds of fried dough with your choice of toppings. At $2 for four warm, freshly fried mini doughnuts topped with cinnamon or powdered sugar, you’ve got one of the best breakfasts in the French Market. These toppings are better than the elaborately dressed doughnuts, like the turtle, which comes weighed down with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and chopped pecans. As for whether you should get the milkshake, which blends doughnuts and ice cream, we’ll let you decide how healthy you feel like being.—Amy Cavanaugh

Deli classics are available at Bebe’s, which is known for its hot pastrami sandwich and reuben. The reuben is a bit of a misnomer though, as it was cold and featured rubbery corned beef, sauerkraut, cole slaw and Russian dressing. Skip it in favor of a couple of dough-wrapped, potato-filled knish, which are served hot with a couple packets of mustard on the side.—AC

This stand makes for a quick to-go option at the market, but both the enchilada and tamale we ate were bland and slightly dry. The creamy, chunky homemade guacamole, however, was the highlight of our lunch and made up for the fact that our entree left a lot to be desired.—Erin Delahanty

The grocery store section of the French Market has a meat and seafood case and groceries, so you can tackle food shopping on your way to the Metra. But there’s also a case with items like sandwiches and salads designed to grab and go. A container of creamy penne pasta salad is packed with chunks of smoked gouda and roasted red peppers, while a turkey wrap with cheese and lettuce is sliced up into rounds. Both are decent and at just a couple bucks per item, this is one of the better deals at the French Market.—AC

When lobster roll cravings strike, Da Lobster makes a perfectly serviceable version for $12.95. There's a generous amount of lobster, with warm butter drizzled over the top and a vinegary coleslaw on the side. If you're not in the mood for lobster, they also serve shrimp and crab rolls.—Martha Williams

With both savory items and pastries, you can get both lunch and dessert at this stand. The Thanksgiving, a turkey sandwich with Swiss, horseradish, mayo, mustard, greens and cranberry sauce, was well-balanced, but it was packed to go on top of a pickle, so the bread was soggy by the time I returned to the office. The macarons aren’t quite as good as Vanille Patisserie’s, but we’d recommend the pierogi and paczki.—AC

Sushi is supposed to be expensive (discount sushi should come with a Surgeon General's warning), but spending $24 for a sushi combo ($11), two salmon nigiri pieces ($5), and one seaweed and squid salad ($4.95) seems hefty considering I was still hungry afterward. Add the fact that I waited 10 minutes for my sushi—which, to its credit, was fresh and delicious—and I probably won't be going back.—Laura Baginski

Crepe sandwiches are the specialty at this French Market vendor, where you can find both breakfast and lunch versions. The crepe is thick and made with buckwheat, so it’s hearty, but the turkey club, with cheddar, avocado, tomatoes, bacon and spinach, featured too much drippy chipotle mayo. You’re better off with thicker toppings, like the ham, egg and cheddar breakfast crepe.—AC

Three reasons why this is one of our favorite French Market vendors: 1. Crisp fries, which come with dipping sauces. 2. Burgers, like the well-cooked gouda and caramelized-onion topped patty. 3. Belgian beer. Take a long lunch break today.—AC