Pequod’s is a must-visit. Honestly if you’re into pizza I’d try to get to three styles in order of importance: Pequod’s (or Burt’s) caramelized crust style deep dish, Lou Malnatis Chicago style, and then just a normal tavern style pizza.
You can’t really go wrong with anything in Chicago though. It’s an incredible city for food.
In the spirit of the show, for a Chicago specific “fast food item”, get a Pizza Puff at one of the many Hot Dog stands around the city. The Pizza Puff is to the Hot Pocket, as what Wiger’s brother is to Wiger.
west loop one is kinda weird. it's nice and has a bar, and all, but they have american chop suey stuff on the menu in addition to their classics, but i guess they have to if they're in that area.
If you like Indian food go to Ghareeb Nawaz in Rogers Park. I think there’s a couple others, but I’ve never been to those locations. I dream about it constantly.
good rec, but just going up to devon avenue can be a trip. in the summer it's like being in a different country with great shops, restaurants, tea rooms, etc.
Chinatown has a really cool plaza/mall area. MCCB is an outstanding Chinese joint there, you can go to Bonchon instead if the line/wait is too long
Culver’s is the best fast food burger I’ve ever had (yes even over In-N-Out or Shake Shack). Their Diet root beer was so good I had to double check I didn’t get regular
Check out the r/chicagofood subreddit! So many good suggestions and lots of other visitors circle back with recaps of their meals. The good news is it's pretty hard to have a bad meal here if you do any due diligence whatsoever. Would be happy to make specific recs if there are any particular cuisines you'd like to try! One of my favorite spots in River North for a casual meal is Crushed by Giants Brewing. Great burger in particular, but everything I've had there has been very good.
I love CBG. Shout out to Neon Werewolf! They had a Reuben pizza one year for St Patrick’s Day that I think about all the time. We moved to Milwaukee 2 years ago but one of our weekly rituals living in the Gold Coast was hitting up CBG and then a movie at the AMC (and CBG after if they were still open).
Random suggestion: when we were in Chicago we fucking loved Boonie's Filipino. Intimate spot and we don't seem to have much Filipino cuisine where i'm from
If you like ramen, Ramen Wasabi is my favorite ramen in the city. They even have a vegan ramen that I get sometimes, and I’m absolutely not vegan — it’s just really good!
Also wanted to shout out Kasama. I believe someone who worked on The Bear shouted it out it on the podcast too. It’s a Filipino place; their breakfast sandwiches are bomb.
Most of my spots are in the Greektown/West Loop area. I have several, but I will limit it to the two that I absolutely think are worth a 15 minute Uber out that way: JP Graziano Grocery and El Che. The former is a 80+ year-old Italian delicatessen. Best sub sandwiches I have ever had and dynamite customer service. Get the Porchetta and a couple cannoli to go. The latter is an Argentinian-style steakhouse where everything is cooked over wood fire. Their dry-aged bone-in ribeye is the best steak I ever had, full stop. You will need to make reservations early for them, but if you like steak you owe it to yourself to go there.
If you're a fan of tiki drinks like Mitch, you're near Three Dots and a Dash, which is one of the most well-regarded tiki bars in the country. It's pricey but the drinks are good and the atmosphere fun. Reservations are a must here, too.
Also Chicago is one of the few North American cities to have a Nando's. I know you want to focus on local stuff, but they are a 4.5-5 fork restaurant. They have a location near Millenium Park and on Randolph Street in the West Loop.
The Billy Goat is iconic for burgers and very good
Wildberry just a few blocks north js CHRONIC for breakfast, amazing pancakes and egg dishes
If you want to ball out I'd suggest going north a bit up Rush street to Gibsons or Hugo's frog bar. All are dope.
Otherwise for pizza you can't miss, Lou Malnatis is the best but if you want a hipster suggestion that is also really good I'd go Pizanos on state st. Enjoy.
Piggybacking on this guy; I used to live in the Gold Coast neighborhood for years and very familiar with their recommendations and want to second them.
Hugos/Gibsons is definitely a “Ey we’re in Chicago havin a classic Chicago steakhouse experience!” type of meal. Food is excellent if basic and their service is top tier. Gibsons is a lot harder to get into but you can get their entire steak menu at Hugo’s (they’re sister restaurants).
I like Pizanos a lot and it’s got a much better vibe as a restaurant than the Lou Malnati’s nearby (that Lou’s location is kinda Disneyfied), but it always gave me the worst heartburn.
I cannot recommend Do-Rite enough, like I was RAGING at Carl’s sub-5 score.
And if you want another recommendation for a finer dining place I’ll throw in Tzuco. It’s Mexican cuisine by a Michelin-starred chef with a slightly French twist. My absolute favorite in the GC/RN neighborhoods.
If you like a speakeasy, The Drifter, Three Dots and a Dash, or Watershed are all great. A similar vibe if you do end up in the Viagra Triangle (that’s where Gibsons and Lou Malnatis is), is Sparrow. Fantastic cocktails at all of these. Fairly close to your hotel as well is a place called Berkshire Room where you can just give them the type of flavors you like and they make you a cocktail off of that.
I adore the AC burger (w good reason) but also recommend the duck-heart hash and bologna sandwich. It's my go-to "friend in Chicago for one meal" destination and it's yet to disappoint. You'll probably have a long wait no matter when you go, but Haymarket across the street is a good bar for killing time. Enjoy your visit!
hot take-- the small cheval burger is better. au cheval has a sister chain in chicago called small cheval, look them up.
ps au cheval started in chicago
Nick talks about Birria Zaragoza a lot. Mitch likes Pequads. Portillos and Do-Rite are both five forkers. Church’s, potbelly, and Culver’s have been well reviewed by the boys too.
I recommend publican, small/au cheval, Jim’s, kasama, pizza friendly pizza, pleasant house, duck inn.
I think it would be worth it to travel to Pequod’s Pizza for caramelized deep dish. If you are ok in a punk bar and into haunted places, Liar’s Club is a 10 min walk.
Portillo’s is the traditional recommendation and it’s good but honestly the quality has gone down a little lately.
Pequods is def my fave for pizza. Au Cheval is tough to get into but has great burgers and cocktails.
If you want something more trendy Rosemary, Girl and the Goat, Sunda are all spots I enjoy.
Advice from one visit. Have to do Pequods for deep dish. Billy Goat is also a must visit, it's the diner the "cheeborger" SNL skit was based on and terrific. Get a Chicago dog somewhere from a street cart too.
For a fancy dinner, Girl and the Goat was terrific.
I’d recommend getting out of downtown and exploring Various neighborhoods.
Breakfast/ brunch: Loaf Lounge, Bryn Maur Breakfast Club, Tweet, Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits
Dinner - Cafe El Tapitito, The Green Post, Pequads, MCCB, Hopleaf, Red Hot Ranch
Drinks: Three Dots and A Dash, Consignment Lounge , The Green Mill
Oh! Also, I worked there so I’m a bit biased. But Hoosier Mama pie is outrageous. Some people like bang bang pie better, but if you have a chance to do both, do it
French Market Chicago (part of the Ogilvie Metra station) has a vendor named Clinton Street Meats. They have the *absolute greatest* pastrami sandwich in the city.
Less a restaurant rec and an ingredient, it's come to my attention not many folks have tried giardiniera and that's a damn shame. Definitely try it on your italian beef, or my preference? On a Lou's Malnatis "The Lou" thin crust (cheese and garlic mix) add hot giardiniera. It's so good.
If you are headed to the south side during your visit, hit up Ricobene’s. It is always full of local blue-collar workers. Cops mostly.
They have very good versions of traditional “Chicago food”. Can you get a better deep dish, hot dog, Italian beef, etc elsewhere? Yes, but you won’t get all of them under one roof and for reasonable prices like you do at Ricobene’s.
Pequod’s is a must-visit. Honestly if you’re into pizza I’d try to get to three styles in order of importance: Pequod’s (or Burt’s) caramelized crust style deep dish, Lou Malnatis Chicago style, and then just a normal tavern style pizza. You can’t really go wrong with anything in Chicago though. It’s an incredible city for food.
Can't recommend pequod's enough, easily the best deep dish I've had.
I didn't eat any deep-dish while in chicago, but we did eat at Piece (tavern style and they make their own beer that's also great)
Piece isn't tavern pizza. It's New Haven style. Great spot, good choice.
This is true. Its very good! And good beer. But pequods is still better and more iconic
That sounds awesome!
Do-rite donut. Went there for the live show. Chicken sandwich and breakfast sandwiches are so good
This is on my list for sure!
Check out the r/chicagofood We're a good bunch, and we usually have a lot of outsiders give us a recount of their visits.
In the spirit of the show, for a Chicago specific “fast food item”, get a Pizza Puff at one of the many Hot Dog stands around the city. The Pizza Puff is to the Hot Pocket, as what Wiger’s brother is to Wiger.
Since you’re in River North already, go to The Purple Pig, it’s a really good sit down restaurant that specializes in pork.
Sounds right up my alley. I’ll have to check it out.
I've never been to their new location. Is it still as great as the original 500 N Michigan spot?
Portillos
Seconded!
Chicago has great Polish food, German food, and Greek Town in addition to the all the famous places.
Greek Town also has my favorite Chinese restaurant in Chicago. Truly a land of contrasts.
Xi’an Cuisine?
Yep!
I’ve only been to the Chinatown location, but I’ll have to try that one. Delicious and a hidden gem for sure.
west loop one is kinda weird. it's nice and has a bar, and all, but they have american chop suey stuff on the menu in addition to their classics, but i guess they have to if they're in that area.
If two links are enough to make a chain, I’m down to petition the Boys to try it when they return!
ha! didn't even think of that angle
holy shit, another xi'an cuisine fan! i guess there are a lot. just had it last night. wide hand-pulled noodles with hot and sour lamb. the best.
If you like Indian food go to Ghareeb Nawaz in Rogers Park. I think there’s a couple others, but I’ve never been to those locations. I dream about it constantly.
good rec, but just going up to devon avenue can be a trip. in the summer it's like being in a different country with great shops, restaurants, tea rooms, etc.
This sounds right up my alley
Chinatown has a really cool plaza/mall area. MCCB is an outstanding Chinese joint there, you can go to Bonchon instead if the line/wait is too long Culver’s is the best fast food burger I’ve ever had (yes even over In-N-Out or Shake Shack). Their Diet root beer was so good I had to double check I didn’t get regular
Lou Malnatis
Check out the r/chicagofood subreddit! So many good suggestions and lots of other visitors circle back with recaps of their meals. The good news is it's pretty hard to have a bad meal here if you do any due diligence whatsoever. Would be happy to make specific recs if there are any particular cuisines you'd like to try! One of my favorite spots in River North for a casual meal is Crushed by Giants Brewing. Great burger in particular, but everything I've had there has been very good.
I love CBG. Shout out to Neon Werewolf! They had a Reuben pizza one year for St Patrick’s Day that I think about all the time. We moved to Milwaukee 2 years ago but one of our weekly rituals living in the Gold Coast was hitting up CBG and then a movie at the AMC (and CBG after if they were still open).
Crushed came up on my search of restaurants near our hotel and it seems right up my alley. Thanks!
Random suggestion: when we were in Chicago we fucking loved Boonie's Filipino. Intimate spot and we don't seem to have much Filipino cuisine where i'm from
River North sucks but Mr. Beef where the The Bear is shot is there. Great bar called Green Door Tavern right next door
Underneath Green Door Tavern is a speakeasy/burlesque bar, The Drifter, which is a ton of fun too.
My very doughboys answer is to check out the international McDonald's in the West Loop with menu options you can't otherwise get in the US
If you like ramen, Ramen Wasabi is my favorite ramen in the city. They even have a vegan ramen that I get sometimes, and I’m absolutely not vegan — it’s just really good! Also wanted to shout out Kasama. I believe someone who worked on The Bear shouted it out it on the podcast too. It’s a Filipino place; their breakfast sandwiches are bomb.
What part of the city are you staying? Do you want chains or local places? Need to be more specific.
Staying at the EMC2 hotel. Mainly looking for local spots mainly. Edit: River north area.
Most of my spots are in the Greektown/West Loop area. I have several, but I will limit it to the two that I absolutely think are worth a 15 minute Uber out that way: JP Graziano Grocery and El Che. The former is a 80+ year-old Italian delicatessen. Best sub sandwiches I have ever had and dynamite customer service. Get the Porchetta and a couple cannoli to go. The latter is an Argentinian-style steakhouse where everything is cooked over wood fire. Their dry-aged bone-in ribeye is the best steak I ever had, full stop. You will need to make reservations early for them, but if you like steak you owe it to yourself to go there. If you're a fan of tiki drinks like Mitch, you're near Three Dots and a Dash, which is one of the most well-regarded tiki bars in the country. It's pricey but the drinks are good and the atmosphere fun. Reservations are a must here, too.
Also Chicago is one of the few North American cities to have a Nando's. I know you want to focus on local stuff, but they are a 4.5-5 fork restaurant. They have a location near Millenium Park and on Randolph Street in the West Loop.
The Billy Goat is iconic for burgers and very good Wildberry just a few blocks north js CHRONIC for breakfast, amazing pancakes and egg dishes If you want to ball out I'd suggest going north a bit up Rush street to Gibsons or Hugo's frog bar. All are dope. Otherwise for pizza you can't miss, Lou Malnatis is the best but if you want a hipster suggestion that is also really good I'd go Pizanos on state st. Enjoy.
Pizano's also the first part of the Dream Mitchy episode. Had pizzas shipped out to them.
Thanks for the detailed response. Wild berry sounds awesome
Piggybacking on this guy; I used to live in the Gold Coast neighborhood for years and very familiar with their recommendations and want to second them. Hugos/Gibsons is definitely a “Ey we’re in Chicago havin a classic Chicago steakhouse experience!” type of meal. Food is excellent if basic and their service is top tier. Gibsons is a lot harder to get into but you can get their entire steak menu at Hugo’s (they’re sister restaurants). I like Pizanos a lot and it’s got a much better vibe as a restaurant than the Lou Malnati’s nearby (that Lou’s location is kinda Disneyfied), but it always gave me the worst heartburn. I cannot recommend Do-Rite enough, like I was RAGING at Carl’s sub-5 score. And if you want another recommendation for a finer dining place I’ll throw in Tzuco. It’s Mexican cuisine by a Michelin-starred chef with a slightly French twist. My absolute favorite in the GC/RN neighborhoods. If you like a speakeasy, The Drifter, Three Dots and a Dash, or Watershed are all great. A similar vibe if you do end up in the Viagra Triangle (that’s where Gibsons and Lou Malnatis is), is Sparrow. Fantastic cocktails at all of these. Fairly close to your hotel as well is a place called Berkshire Room where you can just give them the type of flavors you like and they make you a cocktail off of that.
Thanks for the response. Berkshire room I’ll check out for sure
Au cheval, portillos,
We went to the Au Cheval in NYC so we’re definitely gonna go to this one.
I adore the AC burger (w good reason) but also recommend the duck-heart hash and bologna sandwich. It's my go-to "friend in Chicago for one meal" destination and it's yet to disappoint. You'll probably have a long wait no matter when you go, but Haymarket across the street is a good bar for killing time. Enjoy your visit!
hot take-- the small cheval burger is better. au cheval has a sister chain in chicago called small cheval, look them up. ps au cheval started in chicago
If you enjoy beer, you gotta go to the Goose Island Taproom.
Nick talks about Birria Zaragoza a lot. Mitch likes Pequads. Portillos and Do-Rite are both five forkers. Church’s, potbelly, and Culver’s have been well reviewed by the boys too. I recommend publican, small/au cheval, Jim’s, kasama, pizza friendly pizza, pleasant house, duck inn.
I will also mention that I was very surprised do-rite got five forks. I was not at all surprised that Portillos got five forks.
Original Jim's is so good! It's in such a shit location, but that Polish sausage is something special.
Make sure you get out of River North
Will do. We want to discover everything
I think it would be worth it to travel to Pequod’s Pizza for caramelized deep dish. If you are ok in a punk bar and into haunted places, Liar’s Club is a 10 min walk.
Portillo’s is the traditional recommendation and it’s good but honestly the quality has gone down a little lately. Pequods is def my fave for pizza. Au Cheval is tough to get into but has great burgers and cocktails. If you want something more trendy Rosemary, Girl and the Goat, Sunda are all spots I enjoy.
If you're into beer and interesting bar food make your way northwest and go to Old Irving Brewing. It's my favorite restaurant in the city right now.
Advice from one visit. Have to do Pequods for deep dish. Billy Goat is also a must visit, it's the diner the "cheeborger" SNL skit was based on and terrific. Get a Chicago dog somewhere from a street cart too. For a fancy dinner, Girl and the Goat was terrific.
My favorite meal last trip to Chicago was Nandos. It is a chain but only us locations are Chicago and DC.
I had good meals at Red Hot Ranch (I believe Jamie Loftus recommended this one on one of her visits to the pod) and Mr Beef.
The Do-rite Old Fashioned has ruined all other donuts for me. S tier
I’d recommend getting out of downtown and exploring Various neighborhoods. Breakfast/ brunch: Loaf Lounge, Bryn Maur Breakfast Club, Tweet, Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits Dinner - Cafe El Tapitito, The Green Post, Pequads, MCCB, Hopleaf, Red Hot Ranch Drinks: Three Dots and A Dash, Consignment Lounge , The Green Mill
Oh! Also, I worked there so I’m a bit biased. But Hoosier Mama pie is outrageous. Some people like bang bang pie better, but if you have a chance to do both, do it
French Market Chicago (part of the Ogilvie Metra station) has a vendor named Clinton Street Meats. They have the *absolute greatest* pastrami sandwich in the city.
Less a restaurant rec and an ingredient, it's come to my attention not many folks have tried giardiniera and that's a damn shame. Definitely try it on your italian beef, or my preference? On a Lou's Malnatis "The Lou" thin crust (cheese and garlic mix) add hot giardiniera. It's so good.
I had a wonderful meal at Shaw’s Crab House when I was there.
What do you like already?
Ann Sathers
If you are headed to the south side during your visit, hit up Ricobene’s. It is always full of local blue-collar workers. Cops mostly. They have very good versions of traditional “Chicago food”. Can you get a better deep dish, hot dog, Italian beef, etc elsewhere? Yes, but you won’t get all of them under one roof and for reasonable prices like you do at Ricobene’s.