Rachel Kim

Rachel Kim

Street Food & Hidden Gems

Chicago, IL

3 Reviews
3 Restaurants

About Rachel Kim

Rachel Kim believes the best food in any city is found where the locals eat, not where the tourists line up. Based in Chicago, she's built a following by seeking out hole-in-the-wall spots, food trucks, market stalls, and neighborhood joints that fly under the radar.

A former urban planner, Rachel brings a unique perspective to food writing — she sees restaurants as part of the fabric of their neighborhoods. Her reviews always include context about the community, the history of the space, and the people behind the counter.

Rachel is fluent in Korean and Spanish, which opens doors (and kitchens) that other critics never see. She's especially passionate about immigrant food communities and the way food connects us across cultures.

Reviews by Rachel Kim

A Grandmother's Love in Every Bite

★★★★★ 4.8

Halmoni's Kitchen

Korean Chicago $ Jan 24, 2026

You could drive past Halmoni's Kitchen a hundred times and never notice it, wedged between a nail salon and a phone repair shop in an Albany Park strip mall. That would be a tragedy, because inside, a 72-year-old grandmother named Mrs. Park is making the best Korean home cooking in Chicago. The soo...

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Pilsen's Living Room Gets a Gastropub Upgrade

★★★★☆ 4.3

Pilsen Public House

Gastropub Chicago $$ Jan 15, 2026

Pilsen Public House is what happens when a neighborhood bar decides to take food seriously without losing its soul. The burger — ground daily from a custom chuck-and-short-rib blend — is messy, beefy, and satisfying in a way that fancier burgers often aren't. The pierogi change weekly. My favorite ...

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The Taco Truck That Sells Out by Noon

★★★★★ 4.7

Birria Don Memo

Mexican Street Food Chicago $ Dec 18, 2025

Don Memo's red truck appears on Pulaski Road at 7 AM sharp, and by noon, the birria is gone. I've learned to show up at 8 AM to beat the construction workers who constitute his most loyal clientele. The birria tacos are dipped in consome before hitting the griddle, which means the tortilla absorbs ...

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