Hermosa is a cozy hotspot serving up unique Asian-fusion sandwiches and delightful ice cream floats, where every bite feels like a culinary discovery.
"Hermosa may look similar to a neighborhood hot dog or beef stand that many Chicagoans grew up with, but chef and owner Ethan Lim, who had a stint as a server at Alinea Group’s Next Restaurant and the Aviary, uses his culinary talent to take Chicago classics to the next level, incorporating Asian flavors to create a Cambodian fried chicken sandwich and an Italian beef banh mi. For those who want a composed meal rather than a fast-casual sandwich, Lim also offers a popular “Family Meal,” essentially a chance to buy out the entire room for dinner. The chef is a one-man show, loading the table up with delicious pan-Asian plates (noodles, Cambodian beef dishes) meant to be shared. The restaurant recently hired a pastry chef for the first time which means Hermosa is growing in unexpected ways and continuing to raise its ceiling as one of the best restaurants in town." - Ashok Selvam
"Ethan Lim’s Pan-Asian sandwich shop charms diners by riffing on classics, such as a bulgogi cheesesteak. But the best of the bunch is the fried chicken sandwich that embraces Cambodian flavors with pickled papaya, long beans, Asian herbs, and garlic mayo. Order online here." - Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman, Eater Staff
"The fantastic Cambodian fried chicken sandwich at Hermosa is a straight-up flavor parade. The thigh is brined with things like lemongrass, garlic, galangal, and turmeric, tossed in fish sauce, and then fried in rice flour. After that, it’s topped with sweet and spicy pickled papaya and put inside a brioche bun. Please go eat this." - adrian kane
"Ethan Lim wasn’t always about a fancy family dinner at Hermosa, his comfy little restaurant in the neighborhood of the same name. It’s worth a weekday visit to get the Cambodian fried chicken sandwich alone, but Lim always has something fun with a rotating menu and some of the best french fries in town." - Ashok Selvam, Eater Staff
"The cross-cultural power of fried chicken in Chicago is arguably best represented by one of the most-discussed submissions in town: chef Ethan Lim’s Cambodian fried chicken, found only at Hermosa, his tiny restaurant on the city’s Northwest Side. An entrancing marriage of Cambodian and American cuisines, Lim’s version — a skin-on, kreung-marinated chicken thigh that’s deep fried and then topped with a fresh herb salad — speaks to a larger philosophy about cooking that he’s dubbed “culinary futurism.”" - Eater Staff
