🍽️ 5 new restaurants to try across Chicago

Cook County Jail Restrained People in Chairs Nearly 900 Times Without Reporting It

Between 2019 and 2023, Cook County Jail restrained people in chairs 874 times: a practice meant as a last resort during emergencies, according to state standards. Illinois also requires jails to report all chair restraints, which Cook County did not. More than 5,500 chair restraint incidents occurred at Illinois jails during those five years. About half were reported. [Illinois Answers Project]

Johnson Creates Budget Task Force Amid $1 Billion Shortfall

Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order to create a new budget task force on Monday and declined to rule out potential city worker layoffs. Facing a likely budget gap of $1.12 billion, plus President Donald Trump’s threat to pull billions more in federal funding, Johnson said the city is at a “crossroads." [WTTW]

Venezuelans in Chicago Share Worries as Trump Pushes To End Protected Status

A federal judge recently blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living legally in the United States. The decision grants Venezuelans with TPS the ability to work through October 2026. However, fears remain for Venezuelans in Chicago, who say they now call the city home. [Borderless]

Poochie and Pang Talk Chicago Food Hot Takes

Today’s throwback episode revisits some scorching hot food takes from Poochie & Pang, Chicago’s unlikely iconic duo. Kevin Pang was a longtime food critic for the Chicago Tribune. Poochie, you might recognize from late-night stops at The Wiener’s Circle. She would be the one cussing you out from behind the counter. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

The weather is improving (slowly), which means it's time to venture out and try something new. Maybe one of these new restaurants?

Taco City (Logan Square)

Taco City opened recently in the former El Habanero space in Logan Square. El Habanero closed in February, saddening neighbors, but you can once again get your fill of Mexican favorites on Fullerton Avenue. Taco City offers all the classics, like tacos, tostadas, tortas, and pambazos, and their saucy al pastor is a real standout.

Cowabunga! Pizza Pies (Bridgeport)

Chicago has New York beat on pizza. We know this. But sometimes a hand-held, New York-style slice just hits. Especially when you’re bar-hopping. Enter, Coawabunga! in Bridgeport, just down the street from Maria’s Packaged Goods. I’ll definitely be stumbling over for a slice of “TMNT”-themed pie.

Spoko (Lincoln Park)

Polish street food. Need I say more? Greasy poetry to any good Chicagoan. That’s exactly what Spoka is cheffing up in Lincoln Park: pierogies and sausages, naturally, plus pulled-meat sandwiches and milkshakes. The husband-and-wife duo behind Spoka also opened Pierogi Kitchen and Wurst Behavior last year.

3LP & Seoul Taco (Hyde Park)

Chinese or Korean … How about both? 3LP & Seoul Taco, new to Hyde Park, combines the Chinese-inspired 3 Little Pigs Chi with the popular Korean taco chain, offering a bulgogi korean beef burrito and 3LP’s salt-and-pepper chicken sandwich under one roof. “Think of this concept as an upgraded version of a KFC-Taco Bell,” the owners say.

Namit Cafe (North Park)

For you far–North Siders missing Merla’s Kitchen (not a day goes by I don’t think about those ground beef empanadas), consider a new family-owned Filipino spot in North Park. Namit Cafe, originally in Ravenswood, has reopened on Bryn Mawr near Kimball. Right next door to the bustling Breakfast Club! It’s welcome news on a corner that long lacked new businesses.