Taste quest: Rogers Park

Illustration: Jennifer Thermes

Some call North Clark Street the new Pilsen, but we know the stretch of eateries between Devon and Touhy Avenues has a whole lot more going for it than carnitas. This hungry walkers’ paradise will showcase its global cuisine this weekend at the second annual Celebrate Clark Street Festival (Clark St between Morse St and Touhy Ave. Sat noon–8pm; Sun noon–6pm.). This food, art and music fest drew 20,000 people last year and expects to draw even more this year, especially since frosty cervezas will be on offer this time around.

Taste of Peru

A few blocks north is 2Taste of Peru(6545 N Clark St, 773-381-4540), a BYOB (you bring the Pisco, the staff makes the Pisco sour) in a cramped strip mall. Weekend visits are replete with live Spanish-Peruvian music, and the dish to share is paella, flush with spindly crab legs, calamari rings and mussels. The waitstaff is quick to offer suggestions, and you’d be wise to let it steer you toward house specialties, especially the lime-tinged ceviche. If the ceviche sets off a full-fledged fish craving, duck out and head for the budget-friendly 3Grande Noodles and Sushi(6632 N Clark St, 773-761-6666). Maki are loaded, and some are gluttonously creative, but the real show stopper is the whole red snapper: sweet, spicy and enough for two.

Just a few steps away you’ll find 4Big Buns and Pita(6649 N Clark St, 773-262-2000), a Mediterranean restaurant with a constantly smiling Assyrian chef. It looks like a cheap takeout joint and the name sounds like a randy porn, but the food here is superb. This hideaway has perfected buttery tashreb (braised lamb shank) and masterful bowls of green lentil soup. Don’t be surprised if you score a free appetizer of exquisite hummus or crispy lamb borek; they’re known to take care of their customers.

A & T Grill

Cash-only 5Dona Lolis Quesadillas(6924 N Clark St, 773-761-5677) is one of the dozens of Mexican eateries on this swath of Clark Street, but is a true champion among champions. Fried cactus and egg huaraches and half-moon huitlacoche (corn fungus) quesadillas keep company with $10 plates of luscious shrimp. You don’t know bliss until you’ve washed down a handful of its housemade chips topped with smoky chipolte salsa and refried beans (all on the house) with an icy cantaloupe juice.

After filling up at Dona Lolis, 6Paletería La Monarca(6955 N Clark St, 773-274-6394) is the ideal place to satisfy your sweet tooth. Grab a paper sack of made-to-order churros and a few scoops of velvety ice cream to go and be prepared to say the words La Monarca over and over again as everyone you pass quizzes you on where you got your fix.

For more eat-on-the-run grab bags, stop by 7Tamales lo Mejor de Guerrero(7024 N Clark St, 773-338-6450). This spot serves one thing and one thing only: steaming-hot bags of tamales. Open at 5am daily, this colorful café also runs a nearby outdoor pushcart that hawks a variety of tamales and champurrado, a masa-thickened, cinnamon-spiked hot chocolate—just in case you require an on-the-go breakfast and don’t have time to hunt for parking.

Romanian Kosher Sausage Company

A bit farther north is the old-school 8A & T Grill(7036 N Clark St, 773-274-0036). Serving Rogers Park since 1959, the A & T could stand for abundantand tasty. You’ll be hard-pressed to choose between the fluffy cheese blintzes, tire-size pancakes and award-worthy omelettes. Hot coffee is refilled before you can get down two sips, and the chirpy waitresses seem to know all the old-timers by name.

A little more hidden and a lot more bustling, the little café housed in the back of 9Supermercado Chapala(7117 N Clark St, 773-465-3907) is the spot for spectacular carne asada tacos, king-size pork burritos and a euphoric array of meats and sides served buffet-style. Try not to get carried away at the buffet, because there’s one more stop along Clark before hitting Evanston. At the heavenly 10Romanian Kosher Sausage Company(7200 N Clark St, 773-761-4141), every encased meat is made in house except the turkey version. Load up on thick, garlicky Polish sausages, creamy potato salad (Thursdays only), spicy Dijon mustard, and soft buns dotted with poppy seeds and diced onions. But plan on saving that spread for another time; you’ve already had a belly-busting day of pure taste-bud nirvana.