The falafel recipe at Ragadan crossed generations and oceans before landing in Uptown, where Jordanian flavors come through in this Mediterranean-meets-Midwest shop. Chef Danny Sweis and his family bring well-executed dishes like the falafel ka’ak sandwich from home together in impressive harmony with American staples, such as the Oklahoma onion burger (one of the best burgers in the city). Above all, against the backdrop of family and tradition, Ragadan serves an incredible experience — full of warmth, quality, and tasty joys.

Chicago’s original Hawaiian plate lunch restaurant Aloha Eats is a taste of paradise. For many Chicagoans, it was their first encounter with a Spam musubi, and for homesick islanders, an important reminder of Hawai’i. Recently celebrating 20 years, a lot of stories and history have been made here, and the family continues to pile the mac salad and kalua pork high.

For many family restaurants, serving the same unchanged things works brilliantly; for others, those traditions spark new and delightful surprises. Tacotlan, a father-daughter collaboration, took the father’s experience and recipes from prior restaurants along with some additions (e.g. quesabirria, following the trend), giving them new life at the right time. With plenty of collaborations and delicious food, Tacotlan is a case study of how the best traditions are often the ones you create for yourself — and we’ll gladly eat them.

There’s a rich stickiness softly holding this Prohibition-era, former speakeasy and rib sanctuary together, the stickiness from a sweet-tangy sauce you will never know the secret behind. The neon anchor sign has welcomed travelers through snowstorms and heat waves since 1932, and the Tuzi family has owned the place for more than four decades. They’ve kept the magic alive long after Frank Sinatra held his last party there. The ribs are famous, of course, but don’t sleep on the homemade chili.

In an unassuming dining room with subtle nods to Morocco — the burnt orange walls, traditional tea sets, and tagine pots — your first bite transports you to a family’s living room, being embraced by generational recipes. Simple, wholesome ingredients infused with delicate yet complex spices hug you, while tender meat falls off of the bone into beds of couscous and steam rolls off of the mint tea. These moments turn first-timers into regulars and regulars into family.

Since 1941, this Italian steakhouse has been serving prime cuts and old-school dishes garnished with attitude. The wood-paneled walls have absorbed decades of power lunches, celebration dinners, and countless, “forget about it,” moments from regulars who count Gene & Georgetti a second home. The late owner Tony Durpetti passed in September 2024, leaving the third generation, his daughter Michelle, to keep the flame burning bright by serving up the same dishes that brought Sinatra through the door.

Tucked away from the typical Polish and hot dog stands of Maxwell Street, a very different menu awaits discovery. Cairo Kebab, while being the family’s second restaurant in the Chicago area, gifts the city with more of the Salehs’ deeply rooted Egyptian recipes beyond the typical kebabs and dips you might expect. Here’s you’ll find koshari, a popular street food and Egypt’s national dish, packed with rice, noodles, and chickpeas, as well as the ground beef-stuffed pita called hawawshi. Don’t overlook Cairo’s take on macaroni bechamel — a very hearty and comforting dish you’re going to need in the colder months to come.

Chef Alfonso Sotelo’s love letter to his upbringing in Guerrero, Mexico, has transformed into a beating heart in Pilsen, where traditional recipes collide with chef creativity. The balance between Mexican street food and bold Chicago plating and finesse makes locals swoon. Handmade tortillas and fresh, vibrant flavors speak to his childhood, when he and his four brothers would sell their family-grown radishes at the market (hence, the 5 Rabanitos).

What started as a humble butcher shop and market has evolved into a favorite destination for those on the hunt for local tacos and burritos. It is still a small grocery store in the front, but as you make your way to the back counter, the familial marinade recipes and homemade tortillas start tickling your senses. We don’t have bodegas in Chicago (those are the rules) but small family-run corner stores like Carniceria Maribel are some of our most beloved.

Most famous for its breaded steak sandwich — an experience that feels somewhat spiritual for both tourists and locals alike — Ricobene’s is a South Side institution three generations deep. This family has watched their small beef stand counter turn into a Chicago pilgrimage site, dripping in a marinara sauce recipe they keep locked in a vault. Aside from the breaded steak, don’t sleep on the other pounded meats. (I enjoy the Buffalo or Vesuvio chicken).