Belly Shack

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Asian and Latin flavors converge at this casual counter-service BYOB from the Urban Belly crew (chef Bill Kim; his wife, Yvonne Cadiz-Kim; and his brother Mike Kim) plus Cadiz-Kim's LA-based filmmaker-designer sister Yasmina Cadiz, who collaborated on design and music selection. The concise salad-, soup- and sandwich-focused menu salutes Kim's Korean heritage and Cadiz-Kim's Puerto Rican background with dishes such as "hot and sour" soup with hominy, chicken and cilantro; a blackened talapia sandwich with curry tartar sauce; a barbecued tofu jibarito; and tostones with chimichurri. For dessert there's soft-serve ice cream with custom toppings in flavors like Vietnamese cinnamon-caramel, bacon-chocolate chip cookie crumbles and mint brownie bits (those last two come courtesy of Hot Chocolate's Mindy Segal). Expect an urban-industrial feel from the 44-seat dining room, which combines reclaimed elements and materials such as concrete, plywood and iron with graffiti-inspired art for a wholly original aesthetic. There's one large, angular communal table in the center of the space; the rest of the seating is at smaller tables around the perimeter.

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Logan Square restaurants, Bucktown/Wicker Park restaurants, Chicago restaurants, Chicago restaurants, Asian restaurants, International fusion restaurants, Latin american restaurants