This farm-to-table mainstay turns 27 this year, and the space has a well-used, well-loved energy. When the host tells you to watch your step as she escorts you from the front room to the back, she doesn’t even look down. The staff knows every corner of this place and every corner of its menu, which never seems to evolve yet always smacks of the moment. Jason Hammel is so attuned to the season that you know to order any of the fresh vegetable-forward specials along with whatever you love — maybe the baked feta with basil and jalapeño, the pasta yiayia with feta and cinnamon, the OG breakfast burrito. There are two times when Lula Cafe is the best restaurant in town. One is a time of day: when late breakfast turns to lunch, and you’re somehow hungry for both pastries and a farro-quinoa bowl. The other is a time of year: late summer/early fall, when the local produce sings and Hammel’s kitchen shows its unerring instinct. 

Price: $$$
Address: 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd.
Website: lulacafe.com