Steel-city kitchens, deep-dish pride, immigrant flavour at every stop.
Free cancellation on most tours, with live prices on the partner's site.
Chicago eats like a city of butchers, bricklayers and immigrant grandmothers. The Union Stockyards stopped slaughtering in 1971 but the muscle memory remains in pork chops at Gene & Georgetti, Italian beef at Mr. Beef, and the steakhouse expectation of red meat on a white tablecloth. The food map runs from West Loop tasting menus (Alinea, Smyth, Oriole, Ever, Elske) to Pilsen taquerias open until 3am, from Avondale Polish counters with smoked kielbasa to Albany Park kebab houses and Chinatown banquet halls. Two pizzas coexist: the 1943 deep-dish from Pizzeria Uno and the older tavern-cut thin, square-sliced at corner rooms in Bridgeport and Beverly. Hot dogs are dressed by unwritten law (no ketchup; mustard, neon relish, onion, tomato, pickle, sport peppers, celery salt) and Italian beef is dipped, sweet or hot, on Gonnella bread. In 2026 the West Loop fine-dining cluster around Randolph Street still draws the national press, but the cooks themselves are eating in Avondale and Pilsen after service.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste the finest examples of Artisan, Neapolitan, Detroit Style, and Chicago deep-dish pizza on this professionally guided walking tour that takes you to highly-rated ...
Water activity · 2h 30m
An unforgettable celebration of holiday cheer and fine dining awaits on our Christmas Eve Dinner Cruise on Lake Michigan. Enjoy a 3-course plated dinner, an on board D...
2 hours
Make pasta night feel like a full Italian escape in this fun 4-course cooking class in Chicago. Learn to roll ravioli from scratch, prepare a vodka sauce and a veggie ...
The plates that define eating in Chicago.
Chicago's defining pie, built upside down in a cast-iron pan: an inch of buttery cornmeal crust holds slabs of mozzarella, fennel-sausage and chunky tomato.
Where Lou Malnati's (Lincoln Park), Pequod's Pizza, Pizano's Pizza & Pasta, Pizzeria Uno
Taste itLoop Food Tour of 6 Tastings with Deep Dish Pizza$92Where to eat Chicago deep-dish pizza in Chicago →Thin-sliced roast beef on Gonnella French bread, ladled with peppery jus, finished with sweet peppers or giardiniera. Dipped wet is the canonical order.
Where Mr. Beef on Orleans, Al's Beef (Taylor Street), Johnnie's Beef, Portillo's Hot Dogs
Where to eat Italian beef sandwich in Chicago →An all-beef Vienna frank on a poppy-seed bun, dragged through the garden: yellow mustard, neon-green relish, chopped onion, tomato, sport peppers, pickle, celery salt.
Where Superdawg Drive-In, The Wieners Circle, Portillo's Hot Dogs, Gene & Jude's
Where to eat Chicago hot dog in Chicago →A Chicago invention: fried green-plantain slices used as bread, stuffed with garlicky steak or chicken, lettuce, tomato, mayo and a thin slice of white American cheese.
Where Papa's Cache Sabroso, La Bomba, Borinquen Lounge
Where to eat Jibarito in Chicago →The cone-shaped beef-and-lamb gyros loaf that Chicago's Greektown standardised in the 1970s, thin shaved meat tucked into pita with tomato, onion and tzatziki, the Halsted Street lunch staple.
Where Greek Islands
Where to eat Greek-Chicago gyros in Chicago →A whole Chicago-style tamale (machine-extruded cornmeal in waxed paper, not corn husks) crammed into a soft hot dog bun and smothered in spicy beanless chilli. South Side cult; Anthony Bourdain put it on TV.
Where to eat Mother-in-law sandwich in Chicago →Chicago-style cheesecake: golden-brown skin, dense creamy interior, baked on an all-butter shortbread cookie crust. Created by Eli Schulman in 1980 for Taste of Chicago; now the city's signature dessert.
Where to eat Eli's Cheesecake in Chicago →Floured kefalograviera cheese pan-fried in butter, doused in Metaxa brandy at the table and set alight to cries of OPA. Invented in Greektown Chicago in 1968, has nothing to do with Greece.
Where Greek Islands
Where to eat Flaming saganaki in Chicago →A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Chicago.
Alinea in Chicago is Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star tasting menu at 1723 N Halsted, the dining room that codified American modernist fine dining.
OrderWhichever course needs your two hands; the kitchen is unsentimental about it.
Smyth in Chicago is John and Karen Shields's two-Michelin-star tasting menu on Ada Street, with produce from their own farm 90 minutes south of the city.
OrderThe yolk in sea-buckthorn vinegar; it has been on the menu since 2016 for a reason.
Oriole in Chicago is Noah Sandoval's two-Michelin-star room on Walnut Street in the West Loop, a quiet 28-seat tasting menu with a strong caviar service.
OrderThe opening caviar course; the kitchen treats it as the focal pivot, not a bookend.
Ever in Chicago is Curtis Duffy's two-Michelin-star Fulton Market tasting menu, opened 2020 after Duffy left Grace, with rigorous service and quiet plating.
OrderThe foie gras course; it is the dish that follows Duffy across his career.
Elske in Chicago is David and Anna Posey's Danish-influenced Michelin-starred Randolph Street kitchen, a married chef-team plate with restraint and clean.
OrderThe duck-liver tart, an opening course that has stayed on the menu since 2016.
Kasama in Chicago is Tim Flores and Genie Kwon's Filipino bakery by day, Michelin-starred tasting menu by night, in the Ukrainian Village on Winchester.
OrderThe morning ube cruffin, which sells out by 10:30 most weekends.
The former meatpacking and printing district turned tasting-menu corridor. Randolph Street is the spine; Fulton Market runs parallel to the north.
Best for: Tasting menus, Cocktails, Steakhouse
Mexican working-class neighbourhood with the country's densest concentration of taquerias, plus mural-lined 18th Street and the Mexican Museum of Mexican Art.
Best for: Tacos, Tortas, Birria
South Lawndale's Mexican corridor along 26th Street, the highest-grossing retail stretch in Chicago after Michigan Avenue. Carnitas, panaderias, paleterias.
Best for: Carnitas, Birria, Paletas
Northwest Side neighbourhood with Chicago's strongest Polish presence on Milwaukee Avenue, plus Logan Square spillover restaurants like Parachute and Honey Butter.
Best for: Polish, Modern Korean, Pierogi
Boulevard-lined neighbourhood north of the Kennedy with Lula Cafe at the heart, plus a heavy cluster of bars, bakeries and bistros around the eagle column.
Best for: Brunch, Wine bars, Cocktails
Six Corners at North, Damen and Milwaukee anchors a neighbourhood of cocktail bars, late-night taquerias, indie bookshops and Big Star's taco patio.
Best for: Cocktails, Tacos, Brunch
Chicago deep-dish pizza
Chicago's defining pie, built upside down in a cast-iron pan: an inch of buttery cornmeal crust holds slabs of mozzarella, fennel-sausage and chunky tomato
Italian beef sandwich
Thin-sliced roast beef on Gonnella French bread, ladled with peppery jus, finished with sweet peppers or giardiniera
Chicago hot dog
An all-beef Vienna frank on a poppy-seed bun, dragged through the garden: yellow mustard, neon-green relish, chopped onion, tomato, sport peppers, pickle, celery salt
Jibarito
A Chicago invention: fried green-plantain slices used as bread, stuffed with garlicky steak or chicken, lettuce, tomato, mayo and a thin slice of white American cheese
Greek-Chicago gyros
The cone-shaped beef-and-lamb gyros loaf that Chicago's Greektown standardised in the 1970s, thin shaved meat tucked into pita with tomato, onion and tzatziki, the Halsted Street lunch staple
West Loop
The former meatpacking and printing district turned tasting-menu corridor
Pilsen
Mexican working-class neighbourhood with the country's densest concentration of taquerias, plus mural-lined 18th Street and the Mexican Museum of Mexican Art
Avondale
Northwest Side neighbourhood with Chicago's strongest Polish presence on Milwaukee Avenue, plus Logan Square spillover restaurants like Parachute and Honey Butter
Logan Square
Boulevard-lined neighbourhood north of the Kennedy with Lula Cafe at the heart, plus a heavy cluster of bars, bakeries and bistros around the eagle column
A sample of Chicago hotels from our booking partner, who list 666 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Chicago Getaway Hostel
With a stay at Chicago Getaway Hostel in Chicago (Lincoln Park), you'll be within a 15-minute walk of Linco...
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Chicago Parthenon Hostel
With a stay at Chicago Parthenon Hostel, you'll be centrally located in Chicago, just a 4-minute walk from ...
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Found Hotel Chicago River North
Located in Chicago (River North), Found Hotel Chicago River North is within a 10-minute drive of Museum of ...
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Chicago Lake Shore Hotel
In the heart of Chicago, Chicago Lake Shore Hotel is within a 5-minute drive of Chicago Museum of Science a...
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HI Chicago
A stay at HI Chicago places you in the heart of Chicago, steps from State Street and 2 minutes by foot from...
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Freehand Chicago
Freehand Chicago is centrally located in Chicago, a 3-minute walk from Chinese Consulate and 5 minutes by f...
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Hotel Chicago West Loop
Located in Chicago (Near West Side), Hotel Chicago West Loop is within a 15-minute walk of United Center an...
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Travelodge by Wyndham Downtown Chicago
A stay at Travelodge by Wyndham Downtown Chicago places you in the heart of Chicago, steps from Columbia Co...
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Aloft Chicago Mag Mile
With a stay at Aloft Chicago Mag Mile, you'll be centrally located in Chicago, a 5-minute walk from Northwe...
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The Chicago Hotel Collection - Wrigleyville
With a stay at The Chicago Hotel Collection - Wrigleyville in Chicago (Lakeview), you'll be a 5-minute walk...
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Hampton Inn Chicago McCormick Place
With a stay at Hampton Inn Chicago McCormick Place in Chicago (South Loop), you'll be steps from Wintrust A...
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Renaissance Chicago O'Hare Suites Hotel
With a stay at Renaissance Chicago O'Hare Suites Hotel in Chicago (O'Hare), you'll be within a 5-minute dri...
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Also compare: Holidu in Chicago from USD 95/night · LateRooms in Chicago from 114/night · Expedia in Chicago
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Chicago, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Peak food season: May to October for patio season, lake-perch fries and farmers'-market produce. November to February: braises, hot pots, paczki on Fat Tuesday, oyster towers at Shaw's.
Local dining hours: Lunch 11:30-14:00, dinner 17:30-22:00. West Loop tasting menus seat 18:00-21:30. Italian beef stands open from 10:30; many taquerias and hot-dog stands run past midnight.
Tipping: 20 percent on the pre-tax total at full-service restaurants is the baseline. 18 percent for adequate service, 22 to 25 for great. Counters and taquerias: a buck or two on a small order, 10 percent on a big one.
Chicago's signature dishes include Chicago deep-dish pizza, Italian beef sandwich, Chicago hot dog, Tavern-cut thin pizza, Jibarito. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Chicago by district. West Loop, Pilsen, Little Village (La Villita), Avondale are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Chicago include Alinea, Smyth, Oriole, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Chicago, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Chicago dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal, kosher venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.
