Kim's Uncle Pizza

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)  
Tavern Style Pizza in Westmont

Is this the best Fall weather we’ve ever had in Chicago? It sure feels that way. I cant remember a better one anyway. It’s been just about perfect. A couple weekends back I jumped in the car, put the windows down and took the ride out west to Westmont to check out this new pizza spot everybody’s been raving about. Kim’s Uncle Pizza comes from the team at Pizza, Fried Chicken and Ice Cream which is out of Bridgeport and has a connection to Maria’s Packaged Goods. A lady named Kim that’s friends with the lady that runs Maria’s used to run a pizza place in Westmont called Uncle Pete’s. She’s since retired but the team behind PFCIC has taken over the space and renamed it Uncle Kim’s.

Newly Opened in Westmont 

Actually it's name is Kim's Uncle Pizza but Uncle Kim's is what I have cemented into my skull. The business came with a once locally made Faulds Pizza Oven which was the pizza oven of choice for local pizzerias back in the 50’s and onward. They’re no longer made today but many are still in use at spots like Pat’s Pizza in Lincoln Park and Lino’s Pizza in Rockford. Uncle Kim’s does mostly carryout but they do have two booths inside and a picnic table outside. The menu is simple with just one size for pizzas and a few sandwiches to go with it. Drinks and t-shirts round it out (no cash). I got my classic sausage pizza which is what I judge all others by and this one is indeed as delicious and desirable as they said it was going to be. All aspects of it were above average with the sturdiness of the squares being the most impressive thing about it, aside from the taste which is all that matters. 

Sausage Pizza at Kim's Uncle Pizza

Money Shot 

Booty Shot 

Kim's Uncle Pizza
207 N Cass Ave
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 963-1900
Website

Chef June's Dumplings

-Grubbing in Chicago(land) 
Noodles and Dumplings in Westmont 

Today we head west to Westmont to get some noodles and dumplings, but no not from Katy's. Today we're going to a newish spot that like Katy's is semi hidden in a strip mall. Katy's being the place that most food people in Chicago would suggest to someone looking for food in the area. It's one of those old school spots that got popular in the heyday of  LTHforum. I'm not sure if Chef June has any connection to Katy's or even where he's from originally bc the menu is filled with regional options.  

Newly opened in Westmont 

The menu at Chef June's has all the usual stuff like orange chicken and such but as the name suggests you want to focus in on the noodles and dumplings. The noodle options are all made with hand cut noodles and include choices like Dan Dan noodles, beef shank noodle soup, Zha Jiang, and Biang Biang which is what I decided to try. I'm a big fan of this dish and have tried enough spots to know that each place makes their biang biang noodles a bit differently. This version came with tomato, ground pork, garlic, hot oil, and peanuts on top. I thought it was a tasty version but don't think it warrants a ride all the way from the city. It would be a nice spot to do carryout from if you lived near. 

Biang Biang Noodles at Chef June's 

The dumplings are also said to be handmade but I'm not sure that's the case with the xiao long bao. It's not that they were bad but they seemed to in uniform as one to be handmade. The pork and cabbage potstickers were likely handmade and much better bc of that. I'd be happy having easy access to the noodles and the potstickers but the soup dumplings were nothing to get excited about. 

Dumplings at Chef June's Dumplings 

Chef June's Dumplings 
341 W Ogden Ave
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 297-8138
Website

Chinese Cafe

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)

Taiwanese on the Weekends in Westmont

With daylight savings time near it's almost the end of hibernation. Which means you're probably very hungry and have a bad case of cabin fever. Well if you're looking for something to do this weekend you can always travel for food. Crack the windows and enjoy the fact it wont be dark before 5p. Sound like a plan? Then head out Westmont. A place most people willing to travel for food have already been. It's home, or was home, to two of Chicago's best restaurants in their respective categories of cuisine. Katy's being home to amazing hand pulled noodles and dumplings and Hanbun who was making some of the best Korean food in the city formerly in the space we visit today.

Chinese Cafe in Westmont's International Mall

The International Mall might not be home to Hanbun anymore but it still has a place worth seeking out especially on the weekends. I found out about Chinese Cafe from a fellow local food enthusiast who goes by @brian_eng on both Instagram and Twitter. He's low key the most knowledgeable person in the city when it comes to our many varieties of Asian cuisine. In fact he recently started his own little site where he shares his knowledge on some of his favorite dishes in the city. It's a great place to start if looking for a 'new to you' place to eat. You can check it out HERE. It was his post from Chinese Cafe, a food stall in the International Mall, that caught my eye. One on Taiwanese food.

Taiwanese Fried Doughnut Sticks

Taiwanese food isn't all that common in Chicago but in the last few years a few spots have popped up. Chinese Cafe serves a handful of Taiwanese favorites on the weekends (Sat. & Sun.) and it attracts lots of loyal customers. One thing you'll see on pretty much every table is these long things of fried dough called Youtiao or fried crueller. They're Chinese doughnuts and holy crap they're huge. Pictured next to them up above and also below is a Taiwanese Sticky Rice Roll. A popular breakfast snack consisting of little broken off parts of doughnut, hard boiled egg, and pork floss which is dried meat that's finely chopped. Stuffed in a roll of sticky rice. Breakfast just got interesting.

Taiwanese Sticky Rice Roll

The Taiwanese options are abundant on the weekends. One Taiwanese dish that always gets my attention is a version of Taiwanese fried chicken which is an extremely popular snack in Taipei and other parts of Taiwan. It's always served similar to popcorn chicken so you're getting little nuggets of meat and at Chinese Cafe some fried onions and scallions. Sometimes you just need some nuggets.

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

The main reason I rode out here was to get a taste of the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. Which in Taiwan is called niu ro mien. This might be Taiwan's most popular dish. Everyone there has a spot they swear by in the same way American's have a pizza place etc. It's a dish I hope to one day try in it's natural habitat but for now I gotta travel to Westmont over the weekend if I want to eat it. Sure there's a few other places in town that make this dish but none with the flavors of what you get from here. This was one mighty potent bowl of noodle soup. The broth was extremely addictive. The beef was fall apart tender and I'm told the noodles are housemade. I couldn't get over the fact this bowl of soup tasted almost like an Italian Beef from Al's. Must've been the star anise. They have a few more Taiwanese favorites I have yet to try. Hanbun is gone but a reason to visit International Mall is not.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Chinese Cafe / Yu Ton Dumplings
665 Pasquinelli Dr
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 323-2329

The Hidden Soups of Katy's

Smokin' Bowls of Soup
-Katy's Beef Noodle Soup

Its getting frigid so I'm gonna help you fire up some cold winter nights. During the months of December, January and February you can expect some reports about the best bowls of soup around town, you know the dank stuff. When winter hits in Chicago so does the need for food to be hot temperature wise because you cant always stay warm and numb from the booze and cigars. You can expect the real deal spots around town and nothing on Chili Mac's or any of those wannabe overpriced soups from places like Whole Foods. This is real Chicago.

For the the first bowl pack I take you to Katy's Noodles & Dumplings in Westmont, IL the most amazing unassuming little Asian noodle shop in the state. Katy's makes hand rolled noodles and dumplings that just cant be matched anywhere in the city. Unless you get tipped off on the place its virtually impossible to even know it exists and if and when you see it nothing about it would catch your eye. If you live within city limits like I do then just trust me when I say its worth the drive. The menu at Katy's has some of the typical American-Chinese items like fried rice and such and that is really good and better than most but the soups and dumplings are the star of the show. The fresh dumplings are rolled with hands and there are homemade frozen dumplings from a machine avail. to go along with other pre-packaged lunches.


Homemade Pork Dumplings


Pot Stickers


Stir Fried homemade noodles are a good option if you don't do soup or in the summertime


Beef noodle soup with homemade chewy noodles is over the top good

My first bowl pack was the beef noodle soup. The broth was rich and full of flavor with hints of star anise and a fresh taste of cilantro while the beef tasted like it had been simmered for hours on end and was as tender as could be. The bowls of soup are substantial in size and could feed two but you wont want to share. The price could be double and a half what they charge if they had booze and it was in a hip ass trendy looking spot with waiter service or even the new trend-communal seating. Katy's sits in a very vibrant little strip mall just North of Ogden on Cass that includes a few Indian restaurants and a few Indian stores, a Thai restaurant and a head shop where you can purchase hookahs, pipes, bong's and the tobacco people use to fill those with. You can expect quite a few of these bowls to be packed by Katy. So much more to come.

Katy's Dumpling House
665 N. Cass Ave.
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 323-9393

Hours: 11am – 9pm
Closed Wednesdays
Cash only

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