Asian Station

If you’re in Rogers Park and can’t pick between pad thai and sushi, Asian Station is a workable option. It has a long menu of Thai and Japanese dishes, plus a whole section for banh mi. And unlike the infinite loop of take-out activity happening at the front counter, the bright main dining room is pretty relaxed. There are usually only a few people dining in, so grabbing a table for a solo lunch or casual catchup meal is easy. Noodles might be slightly overcooked, or a curry might lean too sweet (though the rich chicken curry with the roti canai is always reliably good), but everything is decent enough that you’ll leave satisfied.