The April Hit List: Taquizo, Andros Taverna, SoJu BBQ, House of Fire, and More

This no-frills, modern Korean BBQ serves clever fast-casual mashups like bulgogi pizza with kimchi reduction, soju pork tacos, and excellent Korean fried chicken with waffles. A stable of Korean barbecue and rural home-cooking favorites — like grilled pork with gochujang, charred thin-cut L.A.-style kalbi, doenjang stew, and bulgogi beef bibimbap — satiates more traditional cravings.

Dining status: Limited indoor dining available; also pickup and delivery.

This unassuming storefront offers up deliciously nuanced Sichuan street cookery. Think fried pork strips in sweet-hot yuxiang sauce, savory dumplings bathed in vinegar and chile oil, and steamed eggplant beneath a thick layer of crushed chile sauce and scallions. Of course, you’ll find excellent dan dan noodles, too.

Dining status: Limited indoor dining is available; also pickup and delivery.

Former RPM chef and partner Doug Psaltis (the “P” in RPM) debuted this modern Greek restaurant in February with his wife, the pastry chef Hsing Chen. Unfettered and flavorful preparations include whole-grilled fish; gyros with woodfired pita; plus a dozen tantalizing mezze, from charred eggplant to roasted calamari, and kataifi cheese pie, a crunchy, gooey assemblage of shredded filo and feta, baked in butter then topped with honey and pistachios.

Dining status: Limited indoor dining is available; also pickup and delivery.

Chef Timur Khalilov serves sustaining homestyle dishes from his native Azerbaijan at this Northwest-side virtual storefront, like supple steamed-lamb gurze dumplings, shredded beet tartare imbued with feta and mint, marinated chicken thighs with rice and roasted vegetables, and qutab, thin flour crepes folded over spiced lamb. Pro tip: This menu lends beautifully to picnicking, especially the ku-ku (cold, herb-flecked frittatas) and fried cauliflower nuggets with smoky dipping sauce.

Dining status: Open for carryout and delivery.

Named for the fictional neighborhood pub from the sitcom “Martin,” this Southeast Side newcomer delivers plenty of ‘90s nostalgia and Southern-focused American cooking from chef Greg Smith (Frontier, Terzo Piano). Highlights include Southern-fried catfish, collard and black-eyed pea soup, plus specialty pizzas like pepperoni, sausage and caramelized onion (Nipsey’s opened in a former Leona’s and inherited its ovens). A range of local and vintage beers and classic and seasonal cocktails make this the casual midweek stop Burnside was missing.

Dining status: Limited indoor dining is available; also pickup and delivery.

HaiSous’s chicken wings, lacquered in caramelized fish sauce, undoubtedly rank among the best bites in the city. So when Thai and Danielle Dang debuted Dang Good Wings at adjacent sibling spot Cà Phê Dá earlier this year, we welcomed the news with almost giddy delight. Beyond the crispy, sticky fish sauce, expect wing sauces like Saigonese barbecue and Thai-chili Buffalo, and upmarket sides like black-sesame waffles or fries with chilies, salt and pepper.

Dining status: Pickup is available; call 773-999-1800.

After closing Mexican restaurant stalwart Las Palmas mid-pandemic, the owners reopened in December with a fresh, more casual taqueria specializing in modern Mexican flavors from veteran chef Yanitzin Sanchez (Mas, Sabor Saveur). Think esquites with epazote cream, grilled chicken and mole negro tacos, and “quesatacos” — of which Chicago is finally getting its share — with carne asada or wild mushrooms rolled in crispy melted cheese. Aside from Las Palmas’s glorious, back dining-room atrium, we’re delighted that its delicious margarita varieties like pineapple-guajillo haven’t gone anywhere, either.

Dining status: Limited atrium seating is available; also pickup.

Opened in February inside the Hatchery, a food incubator and shared kitchen, head chef Niquenya Collins’s restaurant aims to bring people together, both with Afro-Caribbean soul food and a raft of ways to support fellow Chicagoans. Sustaining dishes from across the African diaspora include jerk chicken, Senegalese poulet yassa (marinated stewed chicken), Puerto Rican rice, and the namesake cocoa chili, black beans con carne seasoned with a mole-like spice blend. Collins’ effort also hosts webinars to educate diners about food insecurity and other pressing issues, and includes a donation tab on its menu to help stock Love Fridges (a mutual-aid network of community fridges) around the city. More info here.

Dining status: Carryout and delivery are available.

Since halting indoor dining last year, James Beard award winner Sarah Grueneberg’s soulful Italian restaurant leaned into take-and-bake pasta kits, and hawking fresh pasta and curated sundries, including popular suburban deliveries through Dwell Social. We can’t wait to see the inviting dining room hum to life again, starting April 8 with limited indoor and patio dining. Nothing beats passing around hefty platters of pork shank ragu with fusilli made before your eyes in the centralized pastificio.

Dining status: Limited dining room, patio and heated tent seating available starting April 8; also carryout and delivery.

This warehouse-y brewpub offers satisfying drinking food like crunchy jalapeno-cheddar pork rinds, panko-crusted cod po’boys, and deliciously messy mole barbecue brisket sandwiches. It also pours about a dozen expertly house-brewed beers, including our fave (and 2019 Great American Beer Award-winning) Beezer, a light and tropical double-dry hopped IPA with a dry finishing bite.

Dining status: Open for dining in (with two-hour limit); curbside pickup (including growlers!) is also available.