Coalfire is a pizza place with tasty thin-crust pizza.

Moti is a casual counter-service Indian restaurant in the Gold Coast.

Chile Toreado is a great Mexican restaurant in McKinley Park from the team behind 5 Rabanitos.

Lao Peng You is a busy BYOB spot in Ukrainian Village with great handmade noodles and dumplings.

Gaijin is a great all-day Japanese restaurant specializing in okonomiyaki and kakigori.

The Region is a counter service spot in Roscoe Village with excellent (and ugly) burgers.

Middle East Bakery is a spot in Andersonville that’s equally great for a quick lunch or picking up groceries.

Paulette’s is a market in Thalia Hall that’s good for groceries and grab-and-go sandwiches.

La Unica is a grocery store in Rogers Park with great Latin American food.

Taste of Lebanon is a small, cash-only Lebanese spot with excellent chicken shawarma and lentil soup.

Spoken is a small cafe in Ravenswood with great sandwiches and coffee.

Great Sea is a Chinese restaurant in Albany Park with excellent chicken wings.

Cellar Door Provisions is an excellent cafe and restaurant in Logan Square that’s useful for a lot of situations.

D Cuisine is a Chinese restaurant in Lincoln Park that serves great dim sum all day.

Alulu is a small brew pub in Pilsen with inventive beers and excellent food.

Qing Xiang Yuan is a restaurant in Chinatown that specializes in broth-filled dumplings.