If you’re looking to have Asian flavors for dinner in Chicago but want it to feel like you’re having a nice fun cool dinner in the city, you’ll probably end up in one of two places. The first being the famed and at times touristy destination Duck Duck Goat in West Loop. The second being the much loved by locals Mott St in Wicker Park. Perhaps the distance from downtown is what keeps it from being overly congested, but on any given night, you still probably want to have a reservation to be safe.

Mott St is a destination of its own, a little bit off from the main commercial streets in Wicker Park. The space is warm and inviting. The menu brings a little familiar comfort of Chinese American food with punchy flavors of Southeast Asian cuisines (predominantly Thai) and occasionally Korean influenced plates. It doesn’t try to be authentic. There are borrowed flavors in a western dish form, and unexpected additions to more classic dishes. Each menu item has its list of ingredients and inspiration listed out, catering to palates that may be less familiar with Asian cuisines. But regardless of how familiar you might be, Mott St is a guaranteed good time and a good sign of where the city’s food culture is going.