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Food & Drink

Updated · BootsnAll

For a lot of Chicagoans, eating and drinking is closer to a hobby than a daily chore. The city has two famous pizzas, a sandwich it will argue about all night and a hot dog with rules, plus 19 Michelin-starred restaurants. Here's what Chicago is known for, where the good food neighborhoods are, and where to find the rest of our food and drink guides.

What to eat in Chicago

Deep dish. The one everybody has heard of, baked in a pan with the cheese under the sauce. Lou Malnati's has been making it since 1971 and now has dozens of locations around the region. Pequod's (2207 N. Clybourn Ave. in Lincoln Park) is known for a pan pizza with a ring of caramelized cheese around the crust, and it's worth the wait for a table.

Tavern-style thin crust. Ask a local what they order on a Tuesday night, and the answer is this, not deep dish. It's a thin, cracker-crisp pizza cut into squares (the "party cut"). Vito & Nick's, way down at 8433 S. Pulaski Rd., may have baked the city's first one in 1946, back when it was called Vito's Tavern (Wikipedia has the history). Our pizza guide covers both styles.

Italian beef. Thin-sliced roast beef soaked in its own juice on a French roll, with hot giardiniera or sweet peppers. Order it "dipped" if you want the whole sandwich dunked, and eat it standing up with your elbows out. Al's Beef has been selling them since 1938, and one of its stands is at 1079 W. Taylor St. in Little Italy.

The Chicago dog. An all-beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, onion, neon-green relish, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt. That's called "dragged through the garden." No ketchup. Portillo's is the easy choice, and its Taylor Street branch has a rooftop patio. We have a whole page on Chicago-style hot dogs.

The Maxwell Street Polish. A grilled Polish sausage with grilled onions, yellow mustard and sport peppers if you want them. It comes from the old Maxwell Street market on the Near West Side, and a lot of hot dog stands around the city sell it too.

The jibarito. Chicago's own Puerto Rican sandwich uses flattened, fried plantains where the bread should be, usually with steak, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and garlicky mayo (Wikipedia has more). Juan "Peter" Figueroa introduced it at Borinquen Restaurant in Humboldt Park in 1996. The Puerto Rican restaurants along Division Street in that neighborhood are the natural spot to try one.

Garrett Popcorn. Garrett has been popping corn in Chicago since 1949, and the line out the door of the downtown shops is part of the experience. Get the Garrett Mix, which is CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn together in one bag. It sounds wrong and it works.

For more on the classics, see Chicago's best burgers, the best ice cream and Chicago's best cheap eats.

Where the food is

West Loop and Fulton Market. Randolph Street and Fulton Market were meatpacking and produce warehouses. Now they're Chicago's restaurant row. Seven of the city's Michelin-starred restaurants are here, along with Girl & the Goat and a string of rooftop bars. Take the Green or Pink Line to Morgan.

Pilsen. The historic heart of Mexican Chicago, just southwest of the Loop. Walk 18th Street from the Pink Line for taquerias, bakeries and carnitas by the pound, and stop to look at the murals on the way.

Chinatown. Take the Red Line to Cermak-Chinatown and walk Wentworth Avenue and Chinatown Square for dim sum, noodles and bakeries. Vegans should head for Veggie House, which is on our vegetarian and vegan list.

Devon Avenue. Out in West Ridge on the far North Side, Devon is lined with Indian and Pakistani restaurants, sweet shops and sari stores. Go hungry and plan to share several plates.

Andersonville. The old Swedish neighborhood along Clark Street, north of Foster. It still has some Swedish flavor and now has a long list of cafes, bars and restaurants. Kopi Cafe, a mostly vegetarian travelers' cafe, has been at 5317 N. Clark St. since 1991.

Logan Square. Chef-driven restaurants and good bars along Milwaukee Avenue and the boulevards. Longman & Eagle and Lula Cafe are both on Kedzie, and the Blue Line stops right in the middle of it.

Eating and drinking guides

We love drinking almost as much as eating. Start with our nightlife guide, then try the rooftop bars, unique bars and the city's breweries and brewpubs. If you're here for a live show, see our blues and jazz clubs.

Photo by gtrwndr87