You'll never lack for a good meal or a good time in Chatham area.

You can find everything here from exotic Senegalese dishes to Harold's Chicken Wings. One thing is for sure, you don't have to travel very far for a good meal or an enjoyable drink, and there's enough variety to keep any diner happy for months at a time.

1. Yassa African Restaurant

716 E. 79th St.
Chicago IL 60619
773.488.5599
Featured on WTTW's Check Please!, this Senegalese restaurant is full of flavor. Not only is the food excellent, but there's great live music every Saturday.

Lamb is a common meat used in this Senegalese cooking, which is apparent as many of the entrees are based around it. Dakhine, which is lamb in peanut butter sauce and served with rice and beans, is an excellent lunch decision and a popular choice among Chatham lo
2. Harold's Chicken Shacks

It's American, but everybody loves Harold's.

Category: Chicken Wings [Edit]
100 W 87th St
Chicago, IL 60620

(773) 224-3314
haroldschicken.com
Harold's Chicken Shacks, Chicago, IL

3. Red Pepper's Masquerade Lounge
428 E. 87th St.
Chicago IL 60619
773.873.5700
Cocktails are this friendly bar’s specialty. Besides two bars, a well-stocked jukebox and a red and black Mardi Gras décor, there’s live entertainment from Tuesday through Thursday, plus cards, dominoes and darts.

But don't get so busy with your cocktails you ignore the hearty blast of Cajun fumes spewing from the kitchen. Sure it showcases live blues music and stand-up comedy, in addition to holding dart tour
4. It's more than a cafe:

Mathers—More Than a CaféMathers
American (Traditional)
33 E. 83rd St.
Chicago IL 60619
773.488.2779
Providing activities such as: piano lessons, computer classes, trips around Chicago, exercise programs, free lectures and much more to those individuals 55 and older, it is easy to see why Mathers is more than a café. The café is open to all ages.

5. Izola's Restaurant
Category: Southern
522 E 79th St
(between Eberhart Ave & Rhodes Ave)
Chicago, IL 60619
Neighborhood: Chatham
(773) 846-1484
Izola's Restaurant, Chicago, IL
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Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
No
Attire:
Casual
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
Yes
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

It has recently been named the city's best 24 hour restaurant by the critics behind AOL Local.
6. Captain Curt's BBQ
8210 S Cottage Grove
773-487-6550
This is one great place to fix a BBQ craving. The self-proclaimed heavyweight champion of barbecue has been around since 1982. Meat, meat, and more meat is what they have here with no apologies to vegetarians. They've got ribs and they've got chicken wings.

The sauce is what makes this food the kind you have to keep coming back for. Naturally, it's a secret recipe that's been in the owner's family for years.


Website:
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7. If Captain Curt didn't do it for you, there are other Captains in Chatham that just might have what you're looking for on their menus.

Seafood specialists, Captain Hook and Captain Smith serve up their catches of the day at their individual Chatham locations:

Captain Hook's Fish & Chicken
8550 S Cottage Grove,
773-483-4600

Captain Smith Seafood
353 E 79th St,
773 488 5000

And for something a little more upscale but still affordable: Captain's Hard Times Dining
438 E 79th
8. Vegetarian East (Soul)
205 E 75th St,
773-224-0104
is for anyone serious about avoiding meat and dairy but who still crave those off-limit flavors. If you have a taste for arbecue roast sandwiches (roast gluten, not roast beef) and Salisbury steak salad (sans the steak) are on the menu alongside the basic veggie burgers.

While the place is decked out in African decor and the servers wear robes to go along with it, the food is influenced by a wide range of regions such as South America, G
9. Cafe Trinidad
557 E 75th St,
773-846-8081

Chatham residents and visitors from around Chicago enjoy Caribbean-style cooking that's slightly different than any other you've had. Not many of the Caribbean kitchens on the South Side are specifically influenced by the small island of Trinidad, just off the coast of Venezuela. Prices are more than reasonable here, under $10 for most items, and the tastes are something you won't soon forget.

You'll soak up the pleasant island Carribbean-st
10. Buckwheat's Lounge
511 E 79th St,
773 783 8383

It's one of the oldest establishments in Chatham and the joint is still jumpin' most of the time. No food served here. Just drinks. In amongst the crowd many regular patrons are found bumping elbows with the newbies, all sipping on their favorite beverages and bobbing their heads to the music.

There's plenty to do while hanging at this Chatham neighborhood institution, making it hard to get bored, and offering ample reasons to stay for a