Kama - Wicker Park

"Kama is a Wicker Park Indian restaurant that is the younger sibling of a suburban location that sought to serve Indian flavors in familiar vessels like tacos. The restaurant found a niche, but more than a decade later in the city, Kama arrives more polished with traditional North Indian fare plus Indian-American fusion including ribs, steak, and more. Those special items are available dine-in only where customers will also find an extensive cocktail menu." - Ashok Selvam

"Kama proves that the suburbs have more to offer than perfectly manicured lawns and neighbors who cordially hate you. This La Grange Indian restaurant opened a Wicker Park location, serving familiar staples like vindaloo and malai kofta, plus Indian-adjacent dishes like paneer ravioli. And most of the menu is successful. The tikka masala is fantastic, with a creamy, smoky tomato base and chicken so tender you can just poke it and it falls apart. But some dishes are too mild, and others too one-note—for example, gulab jamun that tastes like it sat in a bathtub of bourbon for 24 hours. The dark, moody walls and tufted leather banquettes might inspire you to drink bourbon anyway, and they help make the place feel more fancy than your average neighborhood restaurant. Keep Kama in mind next time you need a nice place to eat tandoori sea bass with a friend you’re trying to ease back into city life." - Veda Kilaru

"Like Chin Up Buttercup, Canteen is another Inception-esqe restaurant within a restaurant. It’s the delivery-only street-food spot spun out of Vajra, one of our favorite Indian restaurants in the city. But unlike an insufferable Christopher Nolan film, Canteen is a pleasure to experience. The menu has tasty snacks like paav bhaji and pan puri, along with a goat burger and drinks like Thums Up (an Indian cola) and Indian and Nepalese beer." - adrian kane