Chicken Carbonara at Corner Bakery

I love the vast number of fast casual eateries in Chicagoland. The ones that are a step up from fast food spots (often absent of a drive-thru window), but more casual than a formal full-service sit-down restaurant with waitstaff. They are generally quick and have good quality food, sometimes even featuring some items made from scratch. The price point is affordable. The surroundings are casual, but cozy. There's a lot of them out there. One of my favorites is Corner Bakery. Today I visited the Oak Lawn location for lunch and it was actually only my third time there.

I was introduced to it three years ago when I visited with my family to explore the new Choose Two menu. I was glad when I stopped this afternoon to see that not a lot on the menu had changed as was happy to see that I could still get my favorite thing on the menu - the chicken carbonara. It varies a little from traditional pasta carbonara, but I think I may even like this version better. Rather than pancetta, it contains crispy bacon, and has the addition of chicken breast and peas, which I love.

I did a "Choose Two" order and paired it with a turkey avocado sandwich, which was also quite tasty. The closest location to me is about a half-hour drive and that's the only reason I haven't visited more frequently. There have been dozens of times that I have craved the chicken carbonara from Corner Bakery and wished there was one nearby. Today I happened to be in the area of the Oak Lawn location and had to stop and tame that craving.