It’s tough to decide how to spike your insulin: salted caramel macaroons, raspberry eclairs, chocolate-maple-walnut brownies and other creamy-frosted confections glisten on the shelves, while Intelligentsia coffee brews as the backdrop. Take your picks to the lounge next door (or out to the sidewalk tables, weather permitting) and join the crowd reading or typing on laptops using the free wi-fi....
Pick up a plastic tray and tongs at the front counter, then open the doors to various white-wood cabinets to pluck out your Mexican bakery treats. Macaroons, bread pudding, muffins, apple tarts, cookies, cheese danishes – nothing is labeled, but it’s all so cheap it hardly matters. Another Artemio’s outlet (3919 N Sheridan Rd) bakes near Wrigley Field. Yelp reviews
Acclaimed Chicago chef Paul Kahan revamped an old filling station into this uber-popular, hard-drinkin’, tortilla-lovin’ honky-tonk. The pork belly and lamb shoulder tacos rock the palate, as does the gulpable whiskey shot selection (ask for the $3 shot of the day). Cash only. Yelp reviews
Tribune and Sun Times reporters have long boozed in this below-street-level joint while writing their columns. But it’s most famous for spawning The Curse. It started with owner Billy Sianis, a great fan of goats. He was also a fan of the Cubs, contenders in the 1945 World Series. When he tried to enter Wrigley Field with a four-legged friend,...
What did we do to deserve the hunky Cubano – a pressed sandwich with citrus-garlic-marinated pork and ham – at such a thrifty price? Or the pork “Guava-Q”, Cuban-style espresso or steak-and-egg breakfast sandwich? There’s always a decent crowd filling the plain wood tables and lounge chairs and tapping at the free wi-fi (ask at the counter for the password)....
The Dinkel family has been baking donuts, strudels, bundt cakes and other German pastries here for more than 85 years. Take a number and get in line while contemplating the big issues. Walnut-apple or cherry-cheese strudel? Whiskey cake or the whopping two-pound stollen? Arrive Tuesday for cupcake discounts, or Wednesday for donut deals? The Old World vibe and yeasty-sweet smells...
More than 30 food purveyors line the aisles of this Euro-style hall in the Ogilvie train station. Graze through stalls serving Belgian fries and beer, Montreal-style smoked meat sandwiches, vegan soul food, Hawaiian poke (raw fish and rice), peach wood-smoked barbecue, and organic fruits and vegetables. Then devour your purchases at the tables congregated on the market’s east side (nearest...
For deep-dish pizza, many locals and visitors prefer to heft a slice at Gino’s, whose golden crust cradles a pound of cheese and ladleful of chunky tomato sauce. Bonus: you’re encouraged to graffiti the walls, staircases and chairs while you wait. Bring your own markers. There are several Gino’s locations around town. This one is the original and has the...
Giordano’s is our favorite in the gooey, doughy, deep-dish pizza pantheon. To be fair, it’s technically not deep-dish but rather “stuffed” pizza, which is built like a sandwich (layer of crust, then cheese, then more crust, then zippy tomato sauce ladled on top). The result is bigger and thicker than regular deep dish. Giordano’s has multiple locations around town. And...
Carnivores salivate at the juicy meat here, served boneless and under the sweet drippings of the famed honey butter. They also go gaga over the pimento mac ‘n’ cheese side dish and wee, bee-embossed corn muffins. Craft beer and zesty cocktails add to the casual deliciousness. The queue is typically out the door, but it moves fast. In warm weather,...
Can’t get a reservation at chef Stephanie Izard’s high-falutin’ restaurant, Girl and the Goat? Then mosey across the street to Little Goat, her diner for foodies. Grab a seat in one of the high-backed booths or on a twirly stool at the counter. Order something decadent – say the Fat Elvis peanut butter waffles – off the all-day breakfast menu....
Lou Malnati’s pizza places are located all around Chicago and its suburbs, but this South Loop location is handy for folks visiting the Museum Campus or attending a Grant Park festival. For background on Malnati’s as the brilliant inventor of deep-dish pizza, see our listing for the flagship Lou Malnati’s here.
Lou’s is a Route 66 relic, located a few blocks west of the fabled road’s starting point (on Adams St, near the Art Institute). The ageless waitresses deliver fluffy flapjacks, double-yoked eggs and thick-cut French toast amid time-honored coffee shop ambiance. Lines can be long, but Lou’s knows how to soothe the pain: free donut holes while you wait for...
Everyone from Al Capone to the Beatles has sunk a spoon into Margie’s ice cream sundaes. The retro, neon-lit soda fountain has been scooping since 1921; the wall photos show who has slid into the booths for a dip or three. Fantastically thick, rich, voluminous hot fudge – served in its own silver pot – is the draw. Burgers and...
Oddly located in the Jewelers Mall, you have to walk past vendors hawking diamonds, watches and other bling before you reach the Middle Eastern cafe in back. So it really is an oasis amid the commercial din. Crisp falafel, grilled chicken kebabs and Egyptian fava beans are among the favorites, along with bargain-priced, piled-high daily specials. Eat at the handful...
Pastoral brings artisan cheeses and meats to the Loop. Fresh-shaved Serrano ham, Basque salami, roasted turkey with prosciutto bacon and other carnivorous fixings meet smoky mozzarella, gruyere and various spreads on crusty breads. The Farmhouse Veggie (with manchego cheese, avocado, green apple and more) and Blue Pig N’ Fig (ham, blue cheese, fig preserves and greens) make excellent choices. Pastoral...
Valois has such a long-standing, diverse clientele that there’s a book about it, called Slim’s Table, by a University of Chicago sociology prof. For years, neighborhood folks – including a gent named Barack Obama – have gathered to gossip while forking into Southern-style French toast, biscuits, pot pies and patty melts. It’s a genuine cafeteria, so grab a tray and...
Xoco is celeb chef Rick Bayless’ Mexican street-food hut. The focus is on warm, crusty tortas (sandwiches), caldos (meal-in-a-bowl soups), churros (crunchy fried dough spirals) and hot chocolate (ground from cacao beans and chili-spiked). The ham and cheese torta (with Iowa ham and Wisconsin cheddar) wins raves. So do the cucumber and lime margaritas. For a celeb chef who serves...
The place to go for the most authentic Vietnamese food and flair. Officially called West Argyle Street Historic District or LIttle Vietnam, although with Chinese, Cambodian, Laotian and Thai businesses, it’s easier to just refer to it as Argyle. Either way, the best places to hit up are Pho 888, Tank Noodle, Ba Le, and Vinh Phat BBQ (you’ll know this place...
Right under the Western Blue Line stop sits the epitome of urban eats. You may be quick to walk on by the Belly Shack, but if you knew how good the food is, you’ll definitely regret it. Korean BBQ at it’s finest, simplest and quickest. Of course there’s other things on the menu, but seriously, get the beef. There’s also...