Best Lunch Restaurants in Darien

"Make one large or four minis from the cookie dough balls ($3 each) in chocolate chip, peanut butter or funfetti flavors. The Lettuce Entertain You beach house concept restaurant in Lincoln Park never seemed to make much sense to me as a former Southern California resident, but we can all use a virtual escape right now."

"A post shared by Summer House Santa Monica (@summerhousesm) on Dec 6, 2018 at 11:55am PST. It’s easy to forget the frigid temperatures when you’re inside Summer House Santa Monica, a California-inspired restaurant in Lincoln Park. Each day comes with an assortment of holiday cookies, from reindeer to mittens."

"Fat Rice creates dishes with bold flavors from the around the world|© Hugh Galdones. Fat Rice’s unique blend of Chinese, Portuguese, and South Asian flavors has earned it critical acclaim and numerous awards. Among its most popular dishes are the potstickers, which arrive both hot and crispy, and its namesake rice dish layered with Chinese sausage, Portuguese chicken, prawns, clams, tea eggs, and croutons."

", and South Asian flavors has earned it critical acclaim and numerous awards. Among its most popular dishes are the potstickers, which arrive both hot and crispy, and its namesake rice dish layered with Chinese sausage, Portuguese chicken, prawns, clams, tea eggs, and croutons. Other popular plates include piri piri chicken and hand-rolled rice noodles."

"Fat Rice's light-drenched dining room makes for an inviting brunch, with wood-accented walls, quirky art, and colorful, Asian-style platters hung as art. The room is buzzing with energy, thanks to the spacious open kitchen. Chef Abe Conlon executes what could be one of the few Macanese menus outside of Macau."

"Just a few minutes from Millennium Park (and other locations in the Loop and River North), Goddess and The Baker is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert all day. In fact, dessert is their jam: among the temptresses in the display case are the popular layered rainbow cake, cupcakes, muffins, macaron cookies, jars of sweetness, pastries, bars and brownies. Pair any with a scoop of Zarlengo's rich, local, Italian gelato."

"Sure, you can score a well-rounded meal here, but wouldn't you rather have a multi-course feast of rainbow layer cake, iced cut-out cookies, pecan sticky buns, and hulking rice crispy treats?"

"This goddess is more than a baker with their extensive breakfast through dessert menus. Taste their avocado toast or baked mac and cheese, but leave room for their artisanal sweets."

"Music is never far from mind at this bar: In addition to a rocking soundtrack, nearly all the burgers are named for bands. Try the Slayer: a bunless patty on a pile of fries, topped with chili, andouille sausage, cherry peppers, onions and cheese. Watch the Video: The Slayer Burger"

"Having the fam there for support will help alleviate the stress of the endless amounts of options on the menu. Bonus: since the menu is so overwhelming with goodness, having the extra people there means getting a bite off of everyone's plate. What to order: Led Zeppelin Burger"

"If you like your burgers with a side of heavy metal (and ridiculous mac and cheese), Kuma’s your guy. Just don’t be alarmed ordering the Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden. Also Try: Au Cheval, DMK Burger Bar, Shake Shack"

"Restaurants Bakeries Near South Side. Life's sweet at Veranda Runsewe's South Loop bakery, where the pastries are baked fresh daily and the custom cakes are crafted with love. The muffins and loaf cakes pair nicely with the lengthy list of tea varieties, from cinnamon-plum and jade oolong to matcha-ginger buzz."

"The striking English Gothic clock tower that sits along the lakefront at Waveland is home to the Clock Tower Café. The casual spot is popular with those playing on the nearby tennis courts and golf course, but all are welcome to enjoy cold drinks and a casual menu. Choose from burgers, salads, sandwiches, and hot dogs, plus your choice of seating on two different patios."

"This is one of the smallest coffee shops on the list, the little sibling location to the slightly larger original Café Jumping Bean in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago — you could sit indoors at the 18th Street location before the pandemic, but I’m not sure when that option will return. On the surface, this isn’t the best option for remote work strictly speaking, with no outlets available and the outdoor seating being fairly limited. I wanted to include it nonetheless for a few reasons."

"The city’s premier restaurant for modern Chinese cuisine receives a lot of attention for its colorful xiao long bao but dessert is an equally eye-catching affair. The signature creation, called Lunar Blossom, is a pandan cake topped with almonds and a scoop of gelato. The whole thing is covered with a white chocolate shell, which breaks apart when dark chocolate ganache is poured over it at the table."

"Imperial Lamian is known for its soup dumplings – but not just any ordinary soup dumpling. The soup dumplings here are multi-colored, the perfect setting for a fun and unique photo."

"Three Happiness serves up Szechuan shrimp at all hours of the day in Chinatown.|© jeffreyw / WikiCommons. Located in historic Chinatown, Three Happiness serves up authentic Chinese cuisine 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Zagat has this spot featured on both their lists of Best Dim Sum in Chicago and Best Chinese Restaurants in Chicago, so there’s definitely expertise behind the menu."

"Jess Café specializes in Asian cuisine ranging from Chinese to Malaysian food. Their food is undoubtedly delicious and they also have an impressive selection of drinks including their popular bubble tea options. Jess Café is famous for fresh and richly flavored bubble teas that have the perfect texture from soft and well-prepared tapioca pearls."

"A post shared by Tummy Growl (@tummy.growl) on Mar 24, 2018 at 4:14pm PDT. If you’re looking for Asian food that is cheap and good, Jess Cafe ticks both boxes!. At this Pan-Asian food haven, you’ll be spoilt for choice by their wide selection of Cantonese, Thai and Korean dishes."

"Breakfast: Monday – Friday 7 – 10:30 am, Saturday 7 – 11:30 am, Sunday 8 – 11:30 am Lunch: Monday – Friday 10:30 am – 3:30 pm, Saturday 11:30 am – 3:30 pm Dinner: Monday – Wednesday, Saturday 3:30 – 8 pm, Tuesday – Friday 3:30 – 9 pm, Sunday 11:30 am – 3:30 pm. Hold up… a soul food buffet?. Does this list get any better!?"

"Source: Photo by Flickr user Michael Coghlan used under CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo is only for illustrative purposes. Classic brunch buffet food with a genuine Southern twist is what you’ll uncover at Pearl’s Place."