Best Dinner Places to Eat in Frankfort Square

"This no-frills soul food diner is a South Side institution and the oldest restaurant in Chicago, opening in 1892 and becoming its current incarnation in 1918. Breakfast is served all day while the dinner menu includes fried chicken, jumbo shrimp, melt sandwiches, and burgers, all of which can be spiced up with the red pepper vinegar found on every table. Daley’s moved across the street in 2019."

"Nestled in the heart of the South Side, Daley’s has been serving residents homestyle fare since 1892. Generations upon generations of Chicagoans have grown up on its skillets, waffles, chicken wings, and patty melts. If that doesn’t whet the appetite, daily specials like boiled turkey necks, chicken and dumplings, and braised oxtail stew rise above the diner norm."

"Restaurants American Woodlawn. Depending on how you look at it, Daley’s restaurant has been around since 1892 or 1937 (the first, the original opening date; the second, the current incarnation). Either way, it’s one of the oldest restaurants in the city."

"This cafeteria-style establishment is known for their comfortable atmosphere and even more comforting food: mashed potatoes and gravy, patty melts, barbecue chicken, meatloaf, short rib, and more, all scooped up and piled high on your tray. You can also order one of President Obama’s favorites, like the steak and eggs with hashbrowns. Expect to stand in line with neighborhood regulars, students from the nearby university, and visitors who flock to this Hyde Park institution."

"President Obama cites Valois, a cafeteria-style restaurant, as one of his favorite spots in the city. He likes their breakfast, specifically the eggs and turkey sausage. Open since 1921 (making its home in a few locations over the years), the open kitchen churns out daily specials like prime rib, corned beef and cabbage, patty melts, rice pudding, and peach cobbler."

"Enjoy a fresh selection of traditional and modern dishes at this South Side gem. The Woodlawn is a modern and upbeat Internet cafe with a patio and rooftop for a unique outdoor dining experience. They offer coffee from a local South Side roaster by day and a pop-up experience by night."

"Enjoy rooftop dining in your own enclosed igloo at The Woodlawn. The clear domes seat up to five people for two hours and includes a customized three course meal with beer or wine. Make the evening extra special with romantic add-ons like roses or a live musician."

"A family-owned Mexican spot in Archer Heights that's the G.O.A.T. when it comes to goat meat. Why we love it: Thick handmade tortillas, salsas made to order, bright-pink agua fresca—you can get all of that to go. Their only purpose, however, is to accompany the restaurant’s signature platters of chopped goat meat."

"Weekly Gospel Brunch at Norman’s Bistro is a lively and fun Sunday brunch buffet. Weekly Gospel Brunch includes warm sweet potato pancakes, tasty barbecue spare ribs, extraordinary fried chicken, fresh house-made pastries, a fully loaded omelet station, a great carving station, and non-alcoholic beverages. Weekly Gospel Brunch offers the added pleasure of live music."

"With more than three million visitors per year, the Taste of Chicago is the largest food festival in the world. It’s an absolute smorgasbord of everything from sloppy street food to elegant, restaurant-quality dishes. If you like getting your grub on, it should be at the top of your bucket list!"

"At 280 acres, Big Marsh certainly lives up to its name, but this far southeast side public park—opened in 2016 in the Calumet Area Reserve—is still a relative secret to most locals. The park includes 45 acres of recreation areas designed specifically for mountain and BMX biking and casual trail riding. The rest (234 acres) is a nature preserve great for hiking and bird-watching."

"Whether you want to relax with a nature walk or go on an adventurous hike, this park is a great place to check out. Forty-five acres of the park are dedicated to more intense endeavors, such as hiking, adventure courses and off-course biking. The other 235 acres is devoted to more passive activities like bird-watching and nature walking."

"Burnham Park stretches six miles along the shores of Lake Michigan's Oakland Shoal from 14th Street to 56th Street, covering just shy of 600 acres of waterfront. The large Burnham Harbor takes up the shoreline from the park's northern end to 22nd Street, well-protected by Northerly Island. Burnham Park starts at the southern end of Grant Park, and is home to numerous attractions including Soldier Field, home of The Chicago Bears."

"Burnham Park runs for 6 miles (9.7 km) along Chicago's lakefront from Grant Park in the north to Jackson Park in the south, through the neighborhoods of Near South, Douglas, Oakland, Kenwood and Hyde Park."

"This slag-filled site at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Calumet River was once home to the massive South Works U.S. Steel manufacturing plant that employed 20,000 workers at its peak. But the steel giant closed in the early ‘90s and the Chicago Park District acquired the vacant land. In 2014, it re-opened as Steelworkers Park—a 16.5-acre lakeside landscape dotted with pleasant walking paths, artifacts of the old U.S."

"A South Side breakfast staple has been reborn have a two-year hiatus. Ms. Biscuit has an illustrious history that started in Woodlawn before moving to Washington Park. Ms. Biscuit reopened in early March and while Chicago isn’t known for its biscuits, this neighborhood stalwart serves biscuits that would make a southerner blush."

"After a two-year hiatus, this popular South Side eatery has returned. Now run by the family of the original owners, Bob and Juanita Johnson, Ms. Biscuit serves terrific buttery biscuits and a host of breakfast staples like skillets, omelets, waffles, pancakes, and more. View this post on Instagram"