Sure, you can grab a bite just about anywhere, but a real lunch is something different. In Oak Park, a handful of spots still honor the art of the midday meal. We’re talking about places that serve fresh, thoughtfully made sandwiches, crisp salads, flaky croissants, and soul-warming soups—the kind of food you can take to-go and enjoy in the park on a sunny afternoon or right at the counter.
Whether you’re after something handheld or fork-and-knife worthy, these local gems haven’t forgotten what lunch is supposed to be: simple, satisfying, and made with care.
Addis Café | 818 South Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, IL
Addis Café brings Ethiopian flavors and aromas to Oak Park. Owner Kalkidan “Kalki” Tesfaye mixes her own unique blend of spices for authentic dishes like misir wot, a slow-cooked lentil stew, and chechebsa, a traditional Ethiopian breakfast dish featuring lightly fried flatbread (kita) broken into pieces and mixed with a flavorful blend of berbere and spiced butter.
Lunch Menu: Addis Cafe caters to those seeking a culinary adventure instead of the usual lunch routine. Try dorowat, a spicy dish with berbere braised chicken and boiled eggs served with spongey injera bread—used for dipping and scooping instead of utensils—or beet and potato salad.
Go For: The flavorful veggie combo is a must, as is Kalki’s sweet or savory “loaded” waffles, the fragrant, flavorful housemade soups, and heavenly baked goods.
Why We Love It: A serene, light-filled space with large, beautiful windows and spacious outdoor seating, this is one of those places that is ideal for lingering over your coffee with a book or a friend.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Carnivore | 1042 Pleasant Street, Oak Park
The owners of this artisan butcher shop and gourmet grocery work closely with a network of sustainable farmers and foragers to ensure that all meats, seafood, and produce are fresh, locally sourced whenever possible, and responsibly raised. Fresh craft-raised salmon comes from Vancouver’s Skuna Bay, a leader in sustainable salmon farming, and the Carnivore Bacon Burger is acclaimed as one of the best in Chicago by the Chicago Tribune and WGN’s Chicago’s Best.
Lunch Menu: Choose from deli sandwiches, a delightful BLT, a bone-in pork chop from Kilgus Farmstead, and a perfectly pan-roasted Moser Brothers half-chicken.
Go For: The Carnivore Bacon Burger, tasty meat-forward sandwiches, fresh pasta, and rotating specials.
Why We Love It: A butcher shop with serious kitchen chops—the Cubano and Pulled Pork sandwiches are delicious. We also like elevating our home barbeque (and impressing our neighbors!) with sausages from Carnivore. You can pick them up to go.
Courageous Bakery & Café | 736 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL
Coffee lovers in Oak Park are no strangers to Courageous Bakery & Café. This bright spot on Lake Street, known for its gourmet cupcakes, fresh pastries, and delicious breakfast options, has a great selection of hand-crafted lattes. Everything here is made from scratch using all-natural ingredients, and all packaging is recyclable, unbleached, and plant-based to reduce the cafe’s environmental impact.
Lunch Menu: Discover breakfast-lunch hybrids, like avocado toast, fluffy pancakes, and seasonal quiche, along with sammies and fresh salads.
Go For: Try a bowl of housemade soup along with a grilled cheese or BLTA (the A is for avocado mash!) or the chilaquiles verdes.
Why We Love It: A great spot to refuel with something nourishing and feel-good—every purchase supports job training, community initiatives, and cancer research.
.jpg)
Léa French Cafe | 106 N. Marion Street, Oak Park, IL
Léa French Cafe offers a taste of Paris with artisan French breads, baguettes, croissants, and pastries baked daily in-house from scratch, fresh salads, and quiches created using ingredients locally sourced from Midwest farmers. It offers curated wine, craft beer selections, and coffee from Metropolis, a local Chicago roaster.
Lunch Menu: Try a baguette sandwich, like the Le Vendôme with chicken, avocado, bacon, lettuce, and aioli; a sandwich made on a buttery homemade croissant; or a La Normande Salad, spring mix lettuce topped with goat cheese, cranberries, walnuts, and apple wedges served with house-made balsamic vinaigrette.
Go For: You only live once! Order a Croque Monsieur, a decadent open-faced sandwich with ham, melted Swiss cheese, bacon, and béchamel sauce, or the Croque Madame—the Croque Monsieur topped with an egg.
Why We Love It: Casual and fun, this is a cozy little slice of Paris in Oak Park. It's a great spot for a relaxed lunch or mid-day break for a strong cup of coffee with something buttery on the side.
.webp)
Onion Roll | 6936 West North Avenue, Oak Park
Co-owners Ryan Rosenthal and Igor Russo at Onion Roll are so particular about their bagels that they brought in a bagel consultant and built their own bakery with a water filtration system specially designed to obtain the perfect light, fluffy, and slightly chewy texture. The sandwiches, Rosenthal teases, will give you lockjaw because they are piled so high with meat and fresh ingredients.
Lunch Menu: The pastrami on rye with a cup of chicken soup is a lunchtime staple. Try the Onion Roll’s legendary Hot Corned Beef Sandwich or a bagel layered with cream cheese and lox hand-sliced so thin you can almost see through it.
Go For: Classic deli sandwiches, matzo ball soup, and bagels.
Why We Love It: This old-school Jewish deli brings plenty of comfort, and the personal, friendly service explains why this spot has been a favorite for 70 years.
Publican Quality Bread | 211 Harrison Street, Oak Park
Headed by master bread maker Greg Wade, who was recognized as the 2019 Outstanding Baker of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, bakers at Publican Quality Bread (PBQ) start the day creating pastries, like buttery layered croissants, cardamom bread, decadent danish, and sweet and savory brioche buns, perfectly complemented by the coffee served here. They start making bread around 9:00 a.m., moving on to lunch items, sandwiches and lunch pastries, savory snacks, and some cookies. In the evening, PQB offers Roman-style pizza with a light and airy crust, served “al taglio” (sliced and sold by weight) at the counter from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m.
Lunch Menu: The Big Sandwich is a PQB staple—a split Roman-style bread filled with ingredients that change with the seasons. Open-faced tartines and jambon-beurre sandwiches (rosemary ham, butter, creamy Comte cheese, and seeded dijon on a fresh demi baguette) are also go-tos.
Go For: Artisan sandwiches, focaccia, and fresh-baked bread—PBQ makes a variety of excellent, hand-shaped ciabattas, baguettes, boules, sourdough, and rye breads.
Why We Love It: Bread is the indisputable star here, and it shows. Grab a sandwich or a slice of whatever just came out of the oven—you won’t regret it.
.webp)
Spilt Milk | 811 South Boulevard, Oak Park, IL
Community is the heart and soul of this beautiful bakery, pantry, and kitchen, thanks to its owners, the Svec sisters, Meg and Molly. The specialty at Spilt Milk is pie, of course, but this sister act also offers a selection of sandwiches, salads, and other bites to eat in or take home. Look for their Friday Night Dinners. They prepare delicious take-and-heat, family-style meals to help you shine at dinnertime at the end of a long week.
Lunch Menu: A rotating selection of tasty hand pies, savory pastries, and traditional favorites like Waldorf chicken salad.
Go For: Try the classic—a Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwich served on a flaky croissant. And take a pint home for lunch tomorrow!
Why We Love it: It's perfect for a lighter, pastry-forward lunch (or just skipping straight to dessert) with a rotating menu that keeps things interesting.
The Daly Bagel | 130 Chicago Avenue, Oak Park, IL
In addition to bagels made in the traditional New York style—slow-fermented dough that is boiled, then baked—and flavored cream cheeses, The Daly Bagel offers breakfast and lunch sandwiches, including classics like lox and whitefish pate, as well as roasted Dark Matter Coffee and Smith Teas.
Lunch Menu: Try a bagel sandwich, like the Sweet & Tart, a vegetarian delight with apple, arugula, goat cheese, cream cheese, and honey; Eatza Pizza with marinara sauce, cheese, and pepperoni; or a traditional hot reuben on a toasted bagel.
Go For: You can’t go wrong with the sandwich that put Daly on the Chicagoland foodie radar; “The Ultimate” is made with whitefish pate, pickled or raw red onions, and cucumbers. Don’t forget to grab a Black and White Cookie to go!
Why We Love It: The vibe is chill, the bagels are legit, and it’s perfect for a grab-and-go or sit-and-work lunch.