{"id":158558,"date":"2025-08-19T14:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T14:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/158558\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T14:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T14:14:14","slug":"savor-reviews-bandit-laurel-windy-city-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/158558\/","title":{"rendered":"SAVOR\u00a0REVIEWS\u00a0Bandit;\u00a0Laurel\u00a0\u00a0 – Windy City Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bandit<\/a>\u00a0might be unlike most of the restaurants people expect to find in the trendy Fulton Market area of Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Basically,\u00a0Bandit\u00a0excels in serving upscale bar food with a huge side helping of nostalgia\u2014making the restaurant\u00a0a\u00a0vibrant\u00a0spot that\u00a0wants customers to just have\u00a0fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s\u00a0talk about the\u00a0(mostly musical)\u00a0nostalgia first.\u00a0It hits you as soon as you enter, thanks to the (non-playing) jukebox\u00a0that lists hits by Cher,\u00a0Madonna\u00a0and many others.\u00a0The \u201880s and \u201890s themes carry over into \u2026 the restrooms, of all places. While the women\u2019s restrooms\u00a0had\u00a0photos of Justin Timberlake and Destiny\u2019s Child all over their\u00a0walls, the men\u2019s rooms featured\u00a0images of Eminem in one; Tupac and Biggie in another; and Britney Spears in a third. (Note:\u00a0While I would understand Spears being featured in the men\u2019s room of a gay establishment,\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not sure what to make of it in a straight one.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"JustinJustin Timberlake-themed ladies\u2019 room. Photo by Andrew Davis<\/p>\n

As for the cuisine,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0practically what\u00a0you\u2019d\u00a0expect in such an environment: casual, fun and, fortunately, delicious.\u00a0To get the most out of what\u00a0Bandit\u00a0offers, you might want to consider trying the City Dipper\u2014a collection of\u00a0the spot\u2019s Diplomat sliders\u00a0(Angus burgers, crispy shallots,\u00a0Merkts\u00a0sharp cheddar, bacon jam, dill pickles and caramelized onion aioli on Parker House rolls,)\u00a0Crispy\u00a0Mozz\u00a0Thicc\u00a0bites\u00a0and Nashville tenders. Although my friend and I enjoyed\u00a0all\u00a0the items, the\u00a0Thicc\u00a0bites stood out\u00a0the most\u2014but the sliders\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0far behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of\u00a0Bandit\u2019s other offerings include disco waffle fries,\u00a0the chicken\u00a0gyro, delightful steak tacos and the\u00a0recently introduced\u00a0Prince Street Pizza\u00a0Pocket\u00a0Pocket,\u00a0created in collaboration with Prince Street Pizza.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"Bandit'sBandit\u2019s Prince Street Pizza Pocket. Photo by DineAmic Hospitality.jpg<\/p>\n

The $9.99 special puts a Chicago spin on a classic, paired\u00a0with\u00a0Bandit\u2019s signature giardiniera dip.\u00a0For dessert, there are items such as the ever-popular skillet cookie with ice cream; although\u00a0Bandit\u2019s cookie was more granular than gooey, it was still good.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And on the weekend, the fun is multiplied, thanks to\u00a0Bandit\u00a0on Two\u2014the spot\u2019s second-floor space that becomes a \u201cclubstaurant,\u201d pumping music, offering\u00a0games\u00a0and\u00a0dishing out food, of course.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a very cozy hidden corner on this floor with a TV screen that allows people to play\u00a0old-school\u00a0video games\u2014but\u00a0my guest and I both thought\u00a0that more than gaming has taken place on that seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bandit, essentially, stands\u00a0out from the\u00a0quainter\u00a0and\/or\u00a0more\u00a0hoity-toity establishments in the West Loop\u2014and if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0in the mood for casual fun, this is a good thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAUREL<\/strong><\/p>\n

LAUREL<\/strong><\/a>, in the Talbott Hotel in Chicago\u2019s\u00a0Gold Coast,\u00a0is one of those places you could slip\u00a0by\u00a0if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0not\u00a0careful, as\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0ensconced in a quiet area near Delaware and Rush streets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t\u00a0make that mistake.\u00a0Otherwise, you might\u00a0miss out on\u00a0some cool eats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I previously reviewed this restaurant in late July of last year\u00a0(shortly after a \u201creimagining\u201d)\u2014and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. However,\u00a0I wondered if\u00a0LAUREL<\/strong>\u2019s charm\u00a0would\u00a0work a second time\u2014and it (mostly) did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During this more recent visit\u2014a weekend brunch\u2014my friend opted to dine inside, as it was a sweltering summer day. (In the spring or fall, dining outside might be a more welcome\u00a0option.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAUREL<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cblends New American creativity with Mediterranean flavor,\u201d according to a press release. It lives up to that billing\u2014much to the satisfaction of my friend, who\u00a0was already salivating\u00a0over the menu he saw online.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ShakshukaShakshuka and pita. Photo by Andrew Davis<\/p>\n

The shakshuka\u00a0and scallion labneh\u00a0with\u00a0pitas were as delightful as I experienced the first visit, although I\u00a0largely\u00a0avoided\u00a0the\u00a0zhoug, a spicy cilantro sauce. However, the spicy mayo in the egg-and-pork belly sandwich initially got me\u2014in\u00a0a good way. The sandwich was\u00a0pretty\u00a0enjoyable, although the belly\u00a0was slightly overcooked, although the side potatoes were perfect.\u00a0My friend devoured the greens-and-feta omelet, which I had to admit looked delicious.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But you should know that there are other tantalizing options, including mushroom toast, the Classic Talbott Breakfast (two eggs\u00a0any style, potato parmesan hash, toast,\u00a0and\u00a0sausage or bacon), and the beet-and-goat cheese salad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Regarding\u00a0drinks, I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0want to overdo it with alcohol (although many people have ordered mimosas,\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0sure) so I went with a healthful Mango Surprise smoothie.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0sleep on those smoothies\u2014they\u2019re\u00a0pretty tasty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So,\u00a0if you happen to find yourself around the north end of Michigan Avenue, keep LAUREL<\/strong> in mind.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0only a stone\u2019s throw from that iconic street\u2014and\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0bound to\u00a0relish your experience there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0SAVOR\u00a0visits are pre-arranged, unless otherwise\u00a0indicated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0No reproduction of this column is\u00a0permitted\u00a0under any circumstances without the express prior written permission of the columnist.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bandit\u00a0might be unlike most of the restaurants people expect to find in the trendy Fulton Market area of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":158559,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,990,5386,1818],"class_list":{"0":"post-158558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-food","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115055851514459021","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}