Portage Park Restaurants

“Frunchroom” is Chicago slang for the front room of a house, typically the lively social center for entertaining guests. That welcoming, family-friendly environment is the atmosphere chef and owner Matt Saccaro wanted to create at his Portage Park restaurant. The cuisine is inspired by traditional Jewish and Italian delis, which means platters of house-smoked and cured fish (sardines, lox, sable, trout salad) and charcuterie like Andalusian chorizo, duck prosciutto, and pork belly terrine. The dining room is small, cozy, and relaxed, the kind of place locals come for Sunday mornings to read the paper while slathering scallion-cream cheese on bagels and drinking endless cups of coffee. In other words, it’s pretty much perfect.