What to eat in Chicago? Pizza and hot dogs? Yeah, Chicago does 'em great. (See #1 and #2.) But when locals wind up homesick and craving the food that really makes them long for sweet home Chicago, these are the cult-classic dishes they dream about.
What to Eat in Chicago Before You Die
Live like you're dying and eat up
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Published Feb 26, 2016
Kailley's Kitchen
1. Pepperoni Pan Pizza At Pequod's
The pepperoni is crispy. The cheesy is gooey, but it’s the crunchy caramelized crust that gets us every time.
2207 N. Clybourn Ave.; 773-327-1512 or pequodspizza.com
The Duck Inn
2. Duck Fat Dog At The Duck Inn
You can go for a classic Chicago dog, or you can up your game with a juicy beef-and-duck link that takes this ballpark food to a whole new level.
2701 S. Eleanor St.; 312-724-8811 or theduckchicago.com
3. Carrot Cake At Gibson's
You can’t not Instagram this monster. It’s bigger than your head.
1028 N. Rush St.; 312-266-8999 or gibsonssteakhouse.com
ChowDownNow
4. Pizza Potpie At Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co.
It’s not quite deep dish, it’s not quite pot pie. You must try it yourself to understand. No regrets.
2121 N. Clark St.; 773-248-2570 or chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com
Road Food
5. Caramel And Cheesy Popcorn Mix At Garrett's
Our signature sweet-and-savory treat is worth the line at Garrett’s.
Locations here
6. Whole Duck At Sun Wah Bbq
The skin is crispy. The meat is moist. The price is low. Order ahead--these birds fly out of the kitchen.
5039 N. Broadway; sunwahbbq.com
7. Beef Wellington At Swift & Sons
There are too many steak houses in Chicago to pick just one, but this is the steak of the moment. Served with mushrooms, foie gras and spinach in a puff pastry.
1000 W. Fulton Market; 312-733-9420 or swiftandsonschicago.com
Belly of the Beest
8. Chickpea Fritters At Girl And The Goat
Only Stephanie Izard could make a vegetable taste this good.
809 W. Randolph St.; 312-492-6262 or girlandthegoat.com
9. Arroz Gordo At Fat Rice
A big bowl of Macanese flavor, aka rice layered with about eight different kinds of meat and seafood. Oh, and eggs. This rice is fat.
2957 W. Diversey Ave.; 773-661-9170
Blackbird
10. Endive Salad At Blackbird
This delicate creation served in a crisp bird’s nest and topped with a perfectly poached egg arguably kicked off a food revolution in Chicago.
619 W. Randolph St.; 312-715-0708 or blackbirdrestaurant.com
11. Cheeseburger At Au Cheval
A perfect diner-style burger with two thin patties, a buttery bun, melty cheese and a not-so-diner-style three-hour wait.
800 W. Randolph St.; 312-929-4580 or auchevalchicago.com
12. Chorizo-stuffed Bacon-wrapped Dates At Avec
You can bring a date. As long as he’s wrapped in bacon.
615 W. Randolph St.; 312-377-2002 or avecrestaurant.com
13. Honey Butter Fried Chicken At Honey Butter Fried Chicken
Hot, crispy, tender perfection made even better by the fact that you slather sweet butter on it.
3361 N. Elston Ave.; 773-478-4000 or honeybutter.com
Dining Chicago
14. Cassoulet At Sunday Dinner Club
At the secret club associated with Honey Butter Fried Chicken, devouring the ultimate wintertime casserole will be easy. Getting on the word-of-mouth-only mailing list? A little more challenging.
Feeding off the Rails
15. Belgian-style Mussels At Hopleaf
Steamed in beer and served with a pile of piping hot frites, they’re everything you always knew mussels could be.
5148 N. Clark St.; 773-334-9851 or hopleafbar.com
16. Milanesa Torta At Xoco
Crispy, creamy, spicy, layered, griddled, huge. Too incredible to really call a “sandwich.”
449 N. Clark St.; 312-661-1434 or rickbayless.com
17. Maple Bacon Long John At Glazed & Infused
When you realize you can eat bacon on top of a doughnut, nothing is ever the same.
Locations here
18. Green Bean Salad At In-on Thai
A mountain of exotic-tasting goodness with shrimp, ground pork and hard-boiled eggs swimming in sweet coconut milk.
3821 N. Broadway St.; 773-857-2475 or inonthai.com
Baker & Nosh
19. Pecan Sandies At Baker & Nosh
These cookies taste and crumble like they have a stick of butter in every bite. That is to say, they’re incredible.
1303 W. Wilson Ave.; 773-989-7393 or bakerandnosh.com
20. Honey Ham Empanada At Café Tola
All of the piping-hot empanadas at this tiny spot are worth waiting in the Saturday morning line for, but this one is basically a deep-fried version of our favorite breakfast sandwich. So there’s that.
3612 N. Southport Ave.; 773-687-8428 or cafetola.net
21. Steak And Ale Pie At Pleasant House Bakery
The savory treat with the flaky crust that proves British food’s not all bad...as long as it’s served in Chi-town.
964 W. 31st St.; 773-523-7437 or pleasanthousebakery.com
22. Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie At Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits
They get the crust-to-nut-to-custard texture exactly right. See?
2051 N. California Ave.; 773-276-8888 or bangbangpie.com
