Street Eats and Interesting Counters

[earthling]

Have been roaming downtown most weekdays since Spring doing the hobo with a laptop thing. Have been hunting down doable street eats, counters and small bites along the way. Am interested in others, seeking specific items to check out not just the place.

City Market of course has a good variety of street food.

Tikka House - Indian/Mediterranean fusion. Check out the curry chicken wrap (extra hot if you can handle it) and the pockets (spinach feta and gyro - ask for tzatziki sauce).

Pigwich - I need to try other things but am fixated on their unusual twist of a Bahn Mi. Tasty and they nailed the baguette.

Beignet - These are pretty good, better than many places I've been in Norleans (surprising how many can be dry). Check out the crab, voodoo vegehead, and cajun.

Others: Taste of Brazil - Their pork baguette also good, cured Brazilian style. Habashi House - Pita kebab pretty good. Opera House - Chirozo Fiesta one of my favorite breakfast items downtown. Freestyle Poke - not quite street food either but above avg poke on national scale, like their zucchini noodle and cauliflower rice base as well.

Loop

Wrap it Up - Like their build your own breakfast burritos.

Meshuggah Bagels - Pretty good bagels and schmears, but would be nice to see a schmear cold case to choose from like E Coast bagel shops. They don't ask if you want toasted, which sucks when you forget to mention.

Cosentino's - Doable bagels only $1 but can only get a basic packaged cream cheese. The sandwich counter is OK but I don't think they use Boars Head meat, which is odd because they carry it. Gyro's are OK but packaged meat, not cut from spit. The cold case of prepared side items is maybe their best stuff.

Zaina - Reluctantly pulling back. Not as good as it used to be but their shawarma platter still doable.

Downtown could use a real Mexi street taco counter within streetcar. Burrito Bros doesn't really qualify - no salsa bar. Otherwise Rico's Taco Lupe on SW Blvd.

Also check out Empanada Madness' namesake Venezuelan item, though wouldn't call it above avg.

Midtown
Haha's - That tiny counter spot with 2 tables near 39th/Main. The gyro's are well above avg but don't do the pizza. Mostly Arabic heard in here, and from customers.

Pancho's - I like the chorizo bfast burrito but don't really do anything else here.

Will post others later. What other counters worth checking out? Seeking specific items.

[tskev]

I'm a big fan of Kitty's Cafe on 31st. The pork tenderloin sandwich with hot sauce and mayonnaise is excellent with a side of fries. Though I usually feel like taking a nap afterward!

Edit to say it is cash-only

[KCPowercat]

Loop - neo deli, in and out, h&r block cafeteria, street side Cafe, pizza bar, Milwaukee deli, those places in the 13th and oak garage (ever changing) the food trucks that line up on 13th. Mildred's, mixx, protein house, spokes (x2), plowboys, planet sub, Johnny c,

[earthling]

Have been meaning to try Spokes. What stands out there. Will hit soon.

tskev, agree about Kitty's.

[WSPanic]

Seems like we're just naming places that really don't offer much carry out.

But, iPho Tower offers Buy One/Get One for $2 Bahn Mi. Well worth it.

[earthling]

iPho Tower bahn mi pretty good, didn't realize they had such a cheap special.

And yeah, in strictest sense of term food trucks is closes with some City Market places that fit the bill. But I did open door to counters as well in OP. Have changed title to reflect.

[shinatoo]

Cancun Fiesta in Westport has street tacos that I really like.

[WoodDraw]

Loop - neo deli, in and out, h&r block cafeteria, street side Cafe, pizza bar, Milwaukee deli, those places in the 13th and oak garage (ever changing) the food trucks that line up on 13th. Mildred's, mixx, protein house, spokes (x2), plowboys, planet sub, Johnny c,

Milwaukee deli is a pretty aggressive use of the term streat eats. Good luck showing up there at lunch hour and finding a seat, let alone walking out with anything.

It's much more of a restaurant.

[KCPowercat]

They do a pretty heavy walkout business is why I thought of them

[WoodDraw]

I guess I'd throw that into a different category. More carry out that you order and pick up. It's normally packed and there isn't much room to just chill and order.

Anthony's does a good job of cheap carryout lunch, but still a restaurant and not counter service or street food.

[KCPowercat]

I love the internet.

[mean]

I love the Chinese counter in the old Kentaco shack, where Colonel Sanders still grins at customers from the Pepsi fountain.

[KCPowercat]

Loop - silver spoon Wyandotte street. I think the one in traders building is gone.

[earthling]

What items stand out? Looking for stand out items to check out, not really just naming places.

[KCPowercat]

Oh I thought you were doing the reviews and just wanted places to try.

Spokes everything I've had there is good. Their southwest chicken sandwich is my go to.

[mean]

Silver Spoon is fine for mediocre diner fare, but it's very much in the reheated from the Sysco truck vein.

With Longan, the Chinese place I mentioned, it doesn't really make any difference what you get because there are like six different menu items which are all basically the same (delicious) ingredients arranged in slightly different (delicious) ways, except the "Chinese hamburger" which is a subset of the aforementioned ingredients on a hamburger bun (not recommended).

If you want an example, the Longan beef consists of lo mein noodles wok fried with cabbage and carrot in a savory sauce in the main section of the takeout box, with tender marinated beef bits in one of the smaller "side dish" sections, and broccoli with some kind of red sauce that is definitely neither tomatoes nor plum sauce nor anything I could easily identify in the other side dish section. But if you want to really mix it up, you can get beef lo mein, which is all of that (minus the mystery red sauce) all mixed and cooked together rather than split up into sections. The difference is subtle to the point of almost being nonexistent, but they're both really good. Of course you can get either of those same things with any of several protein options, none of which fundamentally change the dynamics of the dish other than the flavor and texture of the chosen protein being a bit different (but marinated and cooked in the same sauce, of course). Or if you want to go bonkers, I think they offer the same protein choices with fried rice, but as I don't generally go to noodle shops for rice I haven't bothered; I suspect, however, that you are likely to find the fried rice with a bit of cabbage, broccoli, and carrot, and the aforementioned tasty marinated protein. As far as I can tell, they do one thing there. You can swap proteins or starches around a little, but you're basically getting the same thing no matter what you order, and I think that's probably why it's so good.

[bobbyhawks]

Dang, remember when Port Fonda was always outside the Rieger? Here's to hoping the next PF materializes in the DT area soon. It's one thing to follow a trend and another to just be good at what you do, but most things that have opened lately seem to be following a trend without the focus required to be really good at something (save maybe Betty Rae's which I've still never been to and Parlor which almost requires the food stalls to have hyper focus). KC's carryout/bento-style food scene is a bit lacking in my opinion, but one or two key places could really change that feeling.

Any updates on Grand Place? I worry that it will be a half-assed grocery akin to what Sundry was (the "boutique" nature will need to really differentiate from Cosentino's and City Market on weekends to gain interest). Are they going for high-end/quality products, or will it just be a hodge podge?

[TheLastGentleman]

The last cityscenekc article didn’t even mention the market hall. Who knows if its even a part of the project anymore

[KCPowercat]

Port Fonda was 10x better as a food truck

[kboish]

The Iron District in NKC at 16th and Iron (right past where the cycle track goes under I-35 to head west toward Swift) will be a nice food hub and add to the growing draw in NKC. They plan to have a stage for music and events as well.