Because the sandwich is possibly the most common home-made lunch, the restaurant sandwich is a delicate art that must straddle the line of generosity and affordability. Today's side deal feeds you a few such masterworks with $20 worth of sandwiches, salads, soups, and breakfast for $10 at Su Van's Café. This charming, tranquil Lakeview eatery is open daily for lunch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and starts serving breakfast on the weekends at 9 a.m.

Su Van's menu is as packed full of delicious sandwiches as its sandwiches are packed full of delicious innards. Su Van's offers one of the city's best BLT sandwiches ($7.50), a heap of smoked bacon, romaine, and tomatoes on Italian toast with sun-dried-tomato mayo. Its chunky chicken salad is made with tarragon and slivered almonds and combined with lettuce and tomato in the embrace of multi-grain bread ($7.75). Vegetarians can find plenty of options such as a cup of chili with cornbread and cheddar (vegetarian or with ground sirloin, $3.25 for a small), a grilled veggie delight (with hummus, zucchini, spinach, tomato, red onion, and feta-dill cream cheese, $7.50), and a pasta salad with olive oil, carrots, and tomato ($2.50–$4). Su Van's Cafe also offers plenty of light tuna and turkey sandwiches, such as the cat's meow (tuna salad with dill and red onion on toasted multi-grain, $7.75). Wash it down with an Arnold Palmer and a selection from the rotating menu of fresh-baked treats.

Reviews

The Chicago Tribune and CenterStage Chicago recommend Su Van's Café for both lunch and the weekend-only breakfast:

• The food here is not to be missed, being truly generous and cost-conscious at the same time. The giant sandwiches, homemade soups and fresh baked goods are always right on the money, while the vegetarian chili is some of the best the city has to offer (served alongside delicious cornbread). – Misty Tosh, CenterStage Chicago
• ...you'll get two plate-sized fluffy pancakes burdened with so many sweet-tart wild blueberries they are positively purple on the bottom. The pancakes are also loaded with more of those tiny blueberries, slice of strawberries, a thick layer of buttery, sweet and crunchy homemade granola and a scoop of melting whipped butter. The concoction is a decadent balance between sweet and tart and fluffy and crunchy, so good you'll eat more than you ought to. – Trine Tsouderos, Chicago Tribune

Yelpers give Su Van's a four-star rating, while Metromixers give the eatery a near-perfect 4.6:

• When you walk into the restaurant, you feel like you are walking into a friend's kitchen or house, it has a very homey feel with excellent food. – M Frazin, Metromix
• Love the chicken salad sandwich and the cream of tomato soup. Also, try the oatmeal cookies or a brownie. Great lunch for a great price! – Steph, Metromix