Eat Your Way Around the World on South Havana Street

The 4.3-mile strip along Havana from Aurora’s East Sixth Avenue to East Dartmouth Avenue is a gold mine of global markets, restaurants, and sweets shops. Get a taste of its riches using this quick-hit itinerary.

Late Morning

1. Addis Ababa Ethiopian Restaurant
This nine-year-old, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. spot has all the fuel you need, available for takeout or dining in: a lineup of hearty early-day dishes and potent single-origin Ethiopian coffee. Order the Sudanese ful, a stew of creamy fava beans, onion, tomato, jalapeño, and hard-boiled eggs served with French bread, or the chechebsa, a rich Ethiopian specialty made of torn kita (flatbread) sautéed in clarified butter and berbere spices. 2222 S. Havana St., Unit B

2. Nana African Market
Pop over to East Iliff Avenue to visit this Ghanaian-owned grocery—one of 25 international markets within the South Havana Street business district—for West African and Caribbean kitchen staples, including fresh-and-fiery Scotch bonnet chiles, green plantains, and kobi (dried, salted tilapia), traditionally used as a stew enhancer. 10223 E. Iliff Ave.

Afternoon

3. Angry Chicken
Korean fried chicken is the main draw at this South Korean franchise, which has just four outposts in the United States. Its juicy, crispy, bone-in birds are dredged in seasoned rice flour, deep-fried, and glazed with the sauce of your choice. We can’t pass up the spicy soy sauce with its floating slices of serrano chile nor the classic sweet and spicy version, spiked with dried red chile, gochujang (fermented chile paste), and honey. 1930 S. Havana St., Unit 13

4. K-Town Imports
Prepare to be mesmerized by a dizzying selection of Korean imports in this brightly lit store, from kitchenware to home decor to apparel to medicinal items. Shop for ttukbaegi, the earthenware pots used to prepare and serve dishes like bibimbap, various jjigae (stews), and bulgogi; plastic storage containers in dozens of sizes; and other cooking must-haves like vegetable peelers and meat-cutting scissors. 1930 S. Havana St., Unit 1-2

Evening

5. Solomon’s Grocery & European Delicatessen
It’s easy to get lost browsing the shelves, cases, and coolers at Solomon Gurzhiev’s 17-year-old market; each is amply stocked with smoked fish, Old World meats (think: Polish hunter’s sausage and German bologna), cheeses, and jars of pickled foods. Not to be outdone: the selection of European rye breads and sweet frenzy of Russian chocolates filled with the likes of caramel and nougat. 1939 S. Havana St.

6. Snowl Cafe
No trip to the South Havana vicinity is complete without a stop at this cheerful dessert shop. Delights await, including taiyaki cones—hollow, fish-shaped Japanese waffle cones filled with sweet red bean paste or Nutella and soft-serve ice cream—and the Snow Bowl, a mountain of Taiwanese-style shaved ice crowned with fruits, black sesame paste, chewy jellies, chocolate candies, or other goodies. 1930 S. Havana St., Unit 5-6