2024’s Most Influential Bites
While some of these spots have been in my life for a few years now, they’ve each played a major role in my 2024. Without further adieu, here are my favorite bites of 2024!
Panes Bread Cafe
If you’re looking for a good sandwich, you just found it. Similarly to many of the places on this list, this was one of my college favorites that still stands true today. Right off the Wellington stop, Panes is the perfect place to meet with friends. My go-to is the Chicken Club on their signature rosemary bread. They make all their bread in-house; every single one is amazing, but that rosemary bread… girl. Two words- life-changing. The best part? A massive sandwich and a bag of Lays is only $10.
Red Light Chicken
If you know me, you know Red Light Chicken. I literally dressed up as a “Red Light Chicken Girl” for Halloween, I love this place so much. I have loved RLC since I started at DePaul, but in 2024 I moved way too close to that little red shack and it was absolutely over for me. I don’t even like chicken and RLC had me eating it once a week. The menu is simple, your options are a fried chicken sandwich (plain, hot, honey, or hot honey), chicken nuggets, regular fries, truffle fries, and that’s it! My go-to order is a honey chicken sandwich with mayo and pickles, occasionally I add cheese and sometimes I sub for the nuggets if I’m not too hungry. Most importantly, I am not leaving that little shack without some truffle fries and a side of their homemade spicy mayo in hand. RLC, you will always have a fan in Beth Xanthopoulos.
Floriole
This coffee shop is right on Webster, not too far from RLC actually, and she is my absolute favorite place to get an expensive vanilla latte. There, I warned you, this coffee is going to run you $8 but I promise, she’s awesome. Their Parisian sandwich, half a baguette with mustard, butter, smoked ham, and cheddar, is also such an amazing quick grab lunch and it usually ends up being two meals for me. I am such a sucker for a savory scone and Floriole’s maple, bacon, and chive scone is going to do it for me every single time.
Kelly’s Pub
Kelly’s<3 College bar feature! I spent pretty much every Wednesday, most Mondays, some Saturdays, and the occasional Sunday of my senior year here, so she EARNED her spot on this list. Going to Kelly’s for a $.75 Wing Wednesday or splitting a $9 grilled cheese with my girls over a Monday gossip session will forever be unmatched. If you go, get their fries with a side of mayo, if you’re a mayo lover like me, your life is about to be significantly improved.
Farm Bar
I have taken literally half the people I know in this city to Farm Bar and have already told the other half they need to go, so I feel very passionate about this subject. Farm Bar has two locations, one in Lakeview and the other in Ravenswood, and they provide classic Midwestern fare using sustainable and locally sourced ingredients. They even have a farm in Wisconsin, Brown Dog Farm, where they grow most of the ingredients on their menu. As a Midwestern girl, I am absolutely obsessed with this concept. I have only been to their Lakeview location and the service has always been just as fantastic as their food. Their cocktails are also amazing, my favorite is their Bees Knees. The best part is that they have a rotating menu based on the season and what ingredients they can source, so there is always something new to try. If you’re a Caesar salad girl, this restaurant is a must. And by the way, I’d consider my roommate a sticky date cake expert and she claims they have one the best in the city, do with that what you will.
And there you have it, the five most influential bites of my 2024! These might not be the flashiest of eateries, but they’re the kind of neighborhood staples that keep you coming back, my favorite kind of place.
Write you soon!
Beth
