(FOOD) Places to Visit in Chicago
Life has been… busy, I guess? Friends were visiting town multiple weeks in a row, and in general we’ve been trying to make the most of Chicago and what short time we have left. It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll be moving June 9, so we’ve been busy on that front preparing for an earlier move than we’d anticipated.
All this is to say that I haven’t really cooked much beyond the basics. I even packed up all the cookbooks this week. Soooo instead of recipe reviews, I am copy and pasting here for the world’s viewing pleasures, a list that was previously only shared privately with friends as a Google Doc.
This is a highly, highly biased list and skewed toward Asian food and cuisines I’m more familiar with. It is by no means definitive. It’s just one person’s opinion. But if you were to visit every place on this list as a tourist, you wouldn’t be disappointed by any of them.
So here ya go. People we’ve shared this doc with will still have access to future updates, should they care. But since we’re moving further away, who knows how many updates this list will see. …and that is a very sad thought.
Here’s the list. Might circle back and add some photos, but we’ll see.
(FOOD) Places to Visit in Chicago
Last update: 3/30/2021
Reasonably priced hidden gems
Kasama ($$) - Run by a husband/wife chef who left a 2 Michelin star restaurant to cook Filipino food/open a bakery. The husband is Filipino and the savory chef, the wife is Korean and an amazing pastry chef. Due to COVID, the menu is small and only for take-out or (dog-friendly!) patio dining. It’s casual, it’s affordable, with slightly refined versions of the classic favorites. True to the flavor and the soul, yet refined and dare I say improved. Order ANYTHING. Any dish, any pastry, and it will knock your socks off.
Mi Tocaya Antojeria in Logan Square ($$) - When I say reasonably priced, I’m not saying this food is cheap. It is definitely not your run of the mill average taco place, nor is it some unique chef-y spin on Mexican cuisine. It’s just really carefully thought out and well-executed regional Mexican food. The chef stays authentic and true to her culture, and the clarity of the flavors is striking and truly eye-opening. But be prepared to pay $30+ per person before tax/tip.
Sao Song ($$) - Lao food pop up! If you are planning a trip in town, check Sao Song on Instagram and see if they’re doing a menu for takeout. Support a local POC chef whose plans to open a restaurant were halted by COVID. The food is slightly refined but still homey and simple. His noodle soups warm my soul.
Carnitas Uruapan in Pilsen ($) really delicious pile of pork by the pound and salsas+tortillas at reasonable prices. They really only do one thing, and they do it really well. Worth checking out the neighborhood in general since it’s really adorable and vibrant and nothing like the touristy areas
Birrieria Zaragoza near Midway ($$) - A plate of goat with unlimited tortillas, cilantro, onion, and lime will run you almost $20pp before tax and tip in a place some may consider a hole-in-the-wall, but those tortillas are a revelation (and the goat is pretty delicious too)! Not to be missed if flying through Midway imo. Definitely try some salsa too, but skip the consomme - the plates are plenty juicy on their own.
Immm in ($$) Thai food. Very casual, very homey, delicious Thai street-style food. Not your typical neighborhood Thai-American fare. But sooooo good. (Bib Gourmand 2017 honoree!!!!)
Other places in Uptown visitors might like: $40 duck dinners at Sun Wah (duck, bao, sides, fried rice, and soup); Chiu Quon bakery
The Vietnamese food in Uptown is very inconsistent. We’ve gone to most places multiple times, and it’s always a coin toss in quality everywhere. Really bad on bad days, slightly above mediocre on good days. Avoid for your few meals in town.
Aroy Thai ($$) has our favorite dish in the city, raw shrimp salad. Otherwise, try the grilled pork neck salad. Cute little neighborhood thai BYOB, great if you’ve been exploring nearby Lincoln Square.
Katy’s Dumplings in Westmont ($$) A bit of a drive, but if you don’t get good Asian food where you live, esp good northern Chinese food, this is 100000% worth the drive. Bring cash and a cooler with ice, eat noodles and dumplings, bring frozen dumplings home.
Updated 2019: They recently remodeled and started taking credit card. Beginning of the end??
2021: the dumplings were indeed not as good as I remembered :’( YMMV.
Ming Hin (Chinatown or Millenium Park) – clean, good quality dim sum / Chinese food in a good environment. The downtown location is harder to find on google maps, but it’s got all day dim sum and a limited regular menu. Chinatown is good for a giant group of people to get a whole fish/lots of dishes to split though. Consider trying the free range poached chicken. It’s simple but the chicken is so… chickeny!
Bari is a lot like Central Market in NOLA. Get a spicy Italian sandwich. SO good. Like, it’s just a simple sandwich, but it’s soul satisfying. Sandwich counter is inside an Italian grocer that’s fun to explore.
Disclaimer 2021: not as good as it used to be in recent years. Still an institution though.
Da Rae Jung ($) No Korean BBQ, but you get served by the nicest Korean couple and really feel taken care of. They’re really accommodating to non-Koreans and the place is adorable. If you feel adventurous, try the spicy pickled crab (not for everyone). Closed because owner died :(
Nearby San Soo Gab San has KBBQ, but it’s not AYCE. They do give you the most side dishes you’ll get in the city though. Meat quality is better than most AYCE places.
Snack Corner ($) inside Joong Boo Market, a Korean grocery store right off of I-94, is cramped, often crowded, but cheap and comforting. Favorite soon du bu in town, among other Korean snack foods.
Snaggletooth If you like smoked fish, go here for a quiet brunch. Not many people are doing what they do out there. A little expensive, but the food quality is worth it. CLOSED
Gene and Jude’s is the perfect 30-45min drive from the city (in no traffic) for crazy people like us who want to go there to get hot dogs in a city of hot dogs. Look it up. It’s the most simple hot dog in the most bare bones shop. But if you’ve got the time to kill or are going nearby it’s pretty much like visiting a snapshot of Chicago 50 years ago. Try it both ways (fries on top and fries on the side). So simple, but truly beautiful.
Ghareeb Nawaz (Rogers Park) - open 20 hours a day, this is the best valued and most delicious Indian (or maybe it's Pakistani) food on Devon street and therefore probably all of Chicago. You'll see how popular it is at all times of the day. Feed a group of 4 with leftovers for under $30 and be extremely satisfied. A lot of the food is spicy though. Ask for extra yogurt sauce. Bring cash.
Late night chill spots
Ward Eight in Evanston. Small elegant (but dark) space, great cocktails!
Dancen (NOT A DANCE CLUB!) a Korean dive bar, pretty much. Go for the following order: spicy crispy pork skins with Hite (cheap Korean watered down beer), followed by buldak (fire chicken) with yogurt soju slushy. Repeat as necessary
Maria's (Bridgeport) - a short Uber ride from Chinatown is a really cool dive bar supposedly owned by a Korean lady named Maria. They recently renovated but has the same vibe. Awesome beer selection, a lot of small stuff you might not find elsewhere (lots of cans and bottles)
The Darling ($$$) - A newer addition to West Loop’s restaurant row, with some of the best drinks Noah has had in a long time, in an extremely cozy plush environment. A post-COVID standout.
The Aviary ($$$$) truly inventive and a fun experience you can’t really get anywhere else.
Jim’s Original or Maxwell Street Depot – When you’re drunk and need some late night grease to soak up the booze, nothing beats a fried pork chop sandwich or polish sausage from either of these joints. Must be eaten in your car immediately.
Deep Dish
…though real talk: chicagoans don’t really eat this stuff. Thin crust tavern style pizza is where it’s at.
Pequods in Lincoln Park - The least touristy of the popular places. I’ve heard great things from several people but the twice I have eaten their pizza, the dough was really thick. Delicious sourdough flavor though, if that’s your thing. But not really what deep dish is all about, to me personally.
Lou Malnati’s is everywhere and has the most family vibe of all of them. Friendly service. Great butter crust and tomato sauce. The most recommended all around place for deep dish imo.
Giordano’s is also everywhere and people like it a lot. It’s very chain though, and there was some change in management/etc it’s just too corporate. Pizza’s meh.
Uno’s, Duo’s are waaaay too crowded and touristy because they advertise themselves as the “original” deep dish. Filled with terrible people, hectic environment, etc. Lowest on our list.
Popular places that are worth the hype
Crisp (Lakeview) for Korean chicken wings. Get Seoul Sassy. The Korean BBQ is just really sweet gochujang. Alternatively, try Dak in Edgewater(Juicer chicken frying, not as great soy-based sauce, better gochujang based sauce).
The Publican (West Loop) – probably the only thing you could really claim as Midwest cuisine . Try something pork. During the day, sister restaurant PQM across the street would be a good place for a quick bite.
Jeni’s Ice cream – Yes they’re everywhere, but the ice cream is truly some of the best I’ve ever had!
Momotaro (West Loop) – literally a perfect restaurant. From food to service. The Chef and kitchen crew are really disciplined and the food they put out is just perfect. Seriously. Highlights: Chili mentaiko pasta, the nigiri omakase, any of the desserts
Momotaro Izakaya – In the basement of Momotaro, cheaper and more laid back. Just as good.
Boka (Lincoln Park) – if you’re in town to celebrate and want to splurge a bit, I would do it here. Just… so cozy. You feel really taken care of in every manner.
Giant (West town somewhere idk) – a restaurant that caters to chefs. Every chef I know really likes the way the food is conceived/made here. Food is unpretentious, interesting, and done well in a low key manner. Dessert menu is an afterthought but fun.
Signature Lounge for drinks (Mag Mile) – everything they say is true, the view from the girl’s bathroom is actually awesome. Make a reso to get a good window view of the city. Prettier at night.
Elske (West Loop) - newly honored and awarded on every list that matters, including a Michelin star. The food is forward thinking and comforting, and very delicious. Very classy atmosphere and laid back service. Definitely worth a visit if you are willing to spend a little. Tasting menu and a la carte available.
Renga Tei (Suburbs) - Definitely popular, not necessarily trendy, but the kind of family run Japanese restaurant that you need a reservation for on a Sunday evening. A community cornerstone! The sushi sets are about $30 but come with a huge spread and a ton of variety. The food is reasonably priced for the quality, and the atmosphere is traditional and laid back.
Trendy things to skip, IMO:
Au Cheval - for a long time the wait was insane thanks to some article naming it the best burger in the US. For a long time I agreed. Since that article they’ve sort of become a burger factory here, and it’s just not as beefy and tender and juicy as it used to be.
If the wait is long, skip. Otherwise, it might be worth seeing for yourself. Single = 2 patties, double = 3 patties. Get it with an egg, ask for bacon for burger on the side.
Not gonna lie, Shake Shack is better. THERE, I SAID IT.
Girl and the Goat, Little Goat, and Duck Duck Goat are all completely overrated. You WILL be disappointed.
The Purple Pig – loud, long wait, salty food, rude staff sometimes, overrated
Big Star – the wait is long, the place gets loud, the food sucks. Drinks are expensive, but at least they’re strong….
Duck Inn – too loud to enjoy anything :/
Any Lao Sze Chuan or Lao anything
Parachute - Yeah they won a James beard and the chef was on Top Chef. We thought it was entirely not worth the price. Bad fusion that really doesn't capture either original cuisine, the space is loud and cramped in a bad way, and it's expensive! Spend your money somewhere else famous.
Coffee: Been making coffee at home since moving back (also COVID’s reckoning on the F&B world), so my previous info is outdated. There is always Intelligentsia and La Colombe to fall back on. Colectivo, if you wanna stay locally Midwest. BUT I gotta plug my friends at Coffee Lab (Lakeview West or Evanston) for being the best people ever.
Bakeries and sweet stuff:
Chicago has a vibrant enough food culture that pastry is not an afterthought. Every reputable restaurant has a “real” pastry chef and the ending to your meal likely won’t be a letdown. But here are some names and places to keep in mind if you have a sweet tooth.
Lost Larson in Andersonville or Wicker Park - back when we lived in stl, if we could only make one stop in Chi to bring goodies home, it was pastries from Lost Larson. Very cute semi-Nordic inspired bakery, with excellent laminated pastries and desserts. Breads and cafe offerings too. Definitely try a slice of princess cake.
Boka - Chef Meg Galus is a chocolate lover so expect her to do right by her favorite ingredient.
Elske - pastry chef & chef husband wife duo; love her creativity and aesthetic.
Pretty Cool Ice Cream - Dana Cree, a thoughtful pastry chef I look up to, opened her own popsicle store. Ice cream is one of her passions and she even wrote a book about it. Popsicles with interesting, thoughtful, yet fun flavors. 100% recommended on a hot summer day.
Kasama - see above!
Mindy’s - a lot of pastry chefs credit Mindy for bringing prominence to pastry in the Chicago dining scene. She’s been around a long time. If you are already going to explore Wicker Park, might as well make a pit stop.
Places on our radar to try:
Monteverde - Visited October 2020 and WOW that is some good pasta. PERFECT texture, and each dish on the menu distinct from the others. Definitely worth a visit if you love pasta. The other food was good too, but the pasta was a true standout.
Old Irving Brewery
Ever - 3-Michelin-star Grace closed in 2017 due to a fallout among the owners, but the chef and GM behind Grace (the ppl who actually matter) opened Ever, and we visited October 2020. While the service was impeccable and the experience was very…. perfect, the food wasn’t overwhelmingly eye opening or memorable. Literal works of art in presentation, perfectly executed, tasted delicious, but missing the emotional WOW good food should invoke. Depends on what you’re looking for in a fancy dining experience, I guess, but I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone.
The newly renovated Alinea
Smyth and Loyalist - did an AMAZING at-home 5-course tasting menu, and Smyth is now #1 on our list for a sit down tasting menu meal
Oriole
Lula Cafe - an institution; idk why we never went in all our years :(
Roister ($75 fried chicken sigh)
Random things we like that don’t make the curated list
Shawarma Inn - Lincoln Square - good sober or not sober
Perilla - really solid, clean tasting Korean food in the city that isn’t an old-school joint in Avondale. We order from here regularly and it’s consistently good.
Big Kids - Opened by friends of our friends, a really wacky, no holds barred sandwich concept in Logan Square - look up their social media and you’ll see what I mean. The chefs have a great Chicago pedigree, and are having fun doing their own thing. The food is not mindblowingly good to me, but still delicious and really memorable.
Allende - Lincoln Park - cheap $5 burrito, ironically better in the day time when they’re not super busy with drunk De Paul college students
Big Jones - Fried Chicken, Voodoo greens, and jalapeno cornbread
Chicken Shack - BETTER THAN HAROLDS HAROLDS IS BETTER NUH UH CHICKEN SHACK WINS