River North Friday lunch with kids

[tpuppie]

We will be in Chicago this Friday with our 4 kids, staying at the Residence Inn on Dearborn. Looking for a lunch spot that is not too far from the hotel (so River North), not too expensive, not a super long wait for a table. Other than that, we are very open as far as cuisine. We're doing Quartino for dinner and getting pizza for lunch Saturday so Italian is covered. Suggestions? Did Portillo's last year (great, but like to try new things) and if I ever have to go to Rainforest Cafe again I'll stick a fork in my eye.

Suggestions? TIA!

[Querencia]

A lot depends on ages of the four children. If they are fifteen and have bottomless stomachs you might consider lunch at Fogo de Chao (half the price of dinner---prix fixe) where you can turn them loose to eat grilled beef until they pass out. Also I second the Ben Pao suggestion; BTW they serve everything family style and, since this is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, the food is always good---not your average Chinese joint.

-----
Ben Pao
52 W. Illinois St., Chicago, IL 60610

Lettuce Entertain You
2171 Northbrook Ct, Northbrook, IL 60062

[tpuppie]

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions. It will be difficult to choose! So many great options. Maybe we will let the kids pick. Definitely going to have to get hot chocolate at XOCO.

[Wanda]

When I got to Xoco at 11:15 one AM, there were already very long lines! But I think maybe only 20 minute wait.

-----
XOCO
449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

[ferret]

Lunch with 4 kids? I'm going to buck the trend and suggest Heaven on Seven (Cajun) or Ben Pao (Chinese). Steve's is also a reasonable suggestion.

-----
Heaven on Seven
600 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Ben Pao
52 W. Illinois St., Chicago, IL 60610

[jbw]

Xoco is practically right around the corner. Long lines at 12:00, But if you get there at the beginning of lunch (11:00) or later (2:00-3:00) lines shouldn't be too bad. The kids'll love the hot chocolate:

http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurant...

-----
XOCO
449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

[ms. mika]

I'd also suggest Hub 51- the food is very good (esp the chicken nachos) and it has great variety on its menu. They're on open table and if you're going for dinner- you'll definitely need a reservation.

[nsxtasy]

The places you've already mentioned are good suggestions. Here are a few more.

About five blocks west on Hubbard is Steve's Deli, an excellent Jewish deli that should meet your qualifications. In addition to the usual Jewish deli sandwiches, they do a great chicken pot pie, and their beef stuffed cabbage is also good. www.stevesdeli.com

You could also walk east about six blocks on Illinois Street to Fox & Obel. It's our premier gourmet grocery store. They have a cafe in the rear where you can order food prepared to order, including everything from lighter fare to a complete meal. The atmosphere is just your basic coffeehouse but the food is very good. www.fox-obel.com

You could also go to one of our nearby breakfast-specialty places for lunch, including Orange on Clark Street ( www.orangerestaurantchicago.com ), Yolk on Wells ( www.yolk-online.com ), or Eggsperience on Ontario ( www.eggsperiencecafe.com ).