Amaru

Amaru stays late working at the office after everyone else goes home, and color codes PowerPoint presentations to make them just a little better. In other words, this small Latin American restaurant in Wicker Park is doing more than it needs to. Amaru is a small spot that’s surrounded by big, loud restaurants like Etta, Piece, and Paradise Park. It’s the type of place that’s fun, but also casual and low-key enough to wander into any night of the week. But after eating some fantastic food that’s way more affordable than it has any right to be, you’ll realize that sometimes staying late and color coding is worth it to be half this good.

You’ll realize as soon as you walk in that instead of being the annoying kiss-ass you described above, this place is like the coworker you actually want to hang out with on the weekend. Kennebec fries. Plus, it has flaming drinks, which is definitely more exciting than the box of wine in your fridge you’ve been rushing out of work to get to. The short menu is mostly made up of Latin American small plates, which all have something extra happening that you might not expect - like when you find out about a coworker’s surprisingly funny podcast. In the case of the chicken skewers with huancaina, it’s the acidic cucumber salad and chewy kernels of choclo.

Location: 1904 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, USA

Tel: 773-687-9790

Website: https://www.amaruchicago.com/

Hours: 17:00 PM - 21:00 PM

Google Rating: 4.8/5