With graduation on the horizon, the Maroon gave UChicago fourth-years the chance to reminisce about their finest memories of meals, shopping, and fun around Hyde Park.
Gorée Cuisine
1126 East 47th Street
On the “Gems” list for the first time, Gorée Cuisine is a slightly more distant spot that’s definitely worth the trip. A 22-minute bus ride away from campus, Gorée serves tilapia with spiced sauce, peanut groundnut stew, and jollof rice. When asked about restaurants near campus, Gorée Cuisine was the first that came to Noah Lee’s mind. “It’s an underrated place, especially because it’s kind of far for UChicago students, but the food there is fantastic, and it’s at a great price,” Lee said.
Like many of this year’s entries, Gorée Cuisine has seen UChicago students through some notable personal moments. “When we turned in our theses, we just had a big group of my friends going there one night and spending hours just catching up and reminiscing and stuff over great food,” Lee said.
Ascione Bistro
1500 East 55th Street
Ascione has been an annual mention since 2022’s “Gems” list. Serving brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert, this Italian bistro—despite being slightly more expensive than some other recommendations—proves itself worth the cost, especially when family comes to town (coincidentally, when students might dine on their parents’ dime). Lee said he had interviewed the restaurant’s owner, who is Bulgarian, for a class in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures his first year.
“The [owner is] really cool.… Italian cooking runs in his family, and he really wanted to come here to Chicago,” Lee said, adding that Chicago has historically had a significant Bulgarian population. “He loves serving Hyde Park.”
Anna Bonnem agreed on Ascione as a higher-end spot, saying she planned to take her mom there for Mother’s Day. Ascione, with roots in Italy, the Balkans, and Chicago, is worth the splurge.
Valois
1518 East 53rd Street
Valois is a Hyde Park staple. Most items it sells (including fries, omelets, salads, and desserts) cost less than $11—but be warned that the restaurant only accepts cash, though it has an ATM for easy buying. “My roommates and I love to go to Valois,” Lucia Rathke said. “I remember pulling an all-nighter to finish a project with a friend, and we went to go as it opened at 6 a.m.”
Scav Hunt judge David Hall regards the 6 a.m. opening time as both a conclusion to very late nights and a way to start particularly special mornings. “Whenever we get new judges for Scav, we initiate them at Valois, and we have a big breakfast with everyone involved. It’s really communal, and the food is cheap and good,” Hall said. This year, a Scav team even named itself after the restaurant.
A popular story among customers is that former President Barack Obama frequented Valois during his time as a professor at UChicago Law School. “There’s the Obama menu, and there’s a table with a picture of him. When we get there early, we would try to sit at the Obama Table.… You can sit there for a while and just chat with people; all sorts of people come in from the community and from the University,” Rathke said.
Elsa Batalden had a different take: “It’s a bit fake, not gonna lie.… It’s unclear whether that’s an actual thing that Obama liked, or [if] it’s just part of the folksy charm that matches really well with the Valois aesthetic.” Fake or not, all have tried but few have succeeded in grabbing the famed Obama table. If you do, be like Hall and send a photo to your mom—just for posterity.
Cafe 53
1369 East 53rd Street
Cafe 53 offers sandwiches, salads, café drinks, and gelato. “Their chicken sandwich is just one of the best things ever,” Hall said. Batalden agreed, calling it “the best place for sandwiches.”
“The patio is a really great spot, because you can’t see it from the street. Not everyone knows Cafe 53 has a patio.… It’s a nice shady spot to do some work, some reading, [and to] chat with friends,” Bonnem said, noting the café’s convenient location within walking distance of many off-campus apartments.
“I went on a first date with my now-girlfriend there. When my roommate got her dream job, we went to Cafe 53 to get cake and ate it in the park afterwards,” Rathke said.
Build Coffee and Books
6100 South Blackstone Avenue
This Hyde Park staple provides coffee, books, and community programming, such as its Third Thursdays open mic and writing workshop. “I love going there, especially because there’s so much stuff happening around it.… I love getting the sandwiches there. There are a lot of vegan and vegetarian sandwiches, so [there’s] something for everybody,” Lee said.
61st Street Farmers Market
East 61st Street and South Dorchester Avenue
While not exactly a store, the 61st Street Farmers Market is still surely a gem. “There’s the bike store; there’s the farmers market; [and] it’s indoors and outdoors depending on the season, right outside Build [Coffee],” Lee said. The market hosts vendors selling produce, baked goods, yogurt, fermented goods, and delicatessen items, with the outdoor season running from May 16 to October 31.
Florence Stout Park
5446 South Greenwood Avenue
Created in 1956 as an urban renewal area by the Chicago City Council, Stout Park offers playgrounds, a baseball diamond, and a sledding hill. It’s an eight-minute walk north from Campus North Residential Commons.
“Whenever I’m in need of a pick-me-up, I walk through the park and watch the dogs playing. They have scheduled meet-ups with the regulars of the park, and it’s the cutest thing,” Brianna Duty told the Maroon. “Over the past two years, I’ve developed a friendship with an elderly gentleman with a pitbull, who is aptly named Stout, and they visit the park frequently. I always carry a bag of dog treats with me just in case I’m lucky enough to see them!”
Salonica
1440 East 57th Street
Salonica returns to the “Gems” following mentions in 2022 and 2024. “The food is so good, and it’s on a quieter side of campus, so you can always relax while you’re there,” Katheryne Dwyer told the Maroon. “The soup specials are so great, and you can go for any meal because their breakfast and lunch stuff is equally delicious. Everyone who works there is also so kind.” Along with rotating soup specials, Salonica offers gyros, moussaka, souvlaki, spanakopita, and more, located near Metra’s 55th–56th–57th Street Station just a few blocks east of the quad.
Siam Thai Eatery
1639 East 55th Street
Siam Thai is another bang-for-your-buck spot near campus. “Siam Thai is my go-to for dinner in Hyde Park and has been for three years. Their dinner special is SUCH a good deal and the food is divine,” Duty wrote to the Maroon. “The first time I went to Siam Thai was on a first date—that date turned into a three-year relationship and counting (and not just with the restaurant!).” Siam Thai serves standard dishes like pad thai and egg rolls, along with sweet offerings like Thai tea. Most entrees range in price from $15 to $20, and it offers vegetarian options.
Class of 2026 readers, please share your recommendations and memories of Hyde Park in the comments.
