Bridgeview might be known as our region's mecca for Middle Eastern food, but I'd rather go to Worth. Following a split from the acclaimed Al Bawadi, the Dyab family—including chef Majed Dyab, a kitchen veteran with decades of experience—opened this outstanding spot three miles south on Harlem. Majed executes a number of unusual dishes including a complimentary eggplant salad and torshi relish tray; piping hot, fried-to-order falafel stuffed with caramelized vegetables; the bracing whipped garlic and potato dip muthawama; fruit cocktails layered with candied nuts, cream, and floral syrups; cheese- and meat-stuffed arayes (kind of like a pita quesadilla); and for the gutsy, a spleen sandwich. The everyday items—smoky baba ganoush, whole-chickpea-studded fateh hummus, orange-scented merguez sausages, and the wood-grilled chickens and kebabs—are pretty special too, made with the kind of love that's evident when a family puts its soul into a menu. —Mike Sula
There's no shortage of good Polish food in the city, but I wouldn't dream of heading to Gary for a Railcats game ($10 or less!) without stopping at Hammond's Cavalier Inn first. A landmark to the northern Indiana Polish community, the Cav was founded in 1949 by the late, beloved Wally Kasprzycki; it's now run by his son Wally Jr. and his mother Mary, who still makes the pierogies twice a week into the wee hours of the morning. Mammoth portions of fried chicken livers, stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, and Polish sausage, preceded by a gratis trio of bean salad, coleslaw, and cottage cheese, are mostly priced under $10, many closer to $5. And you couldn't find a friendlier spot to dive into them. —Mike Sula