Bistros, trattorias and the everyday rooms where Chicago actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Chicago actually eats.
Lou Malnati's in Chicago is the Lincoln Park branch of the deep-dish chain founded 1971 by Lou (Rudy Malnati Sr.'s son), butter-crust pies with The Lou as flagship.
Signature: Chicago deep-dish pizza, The Lou (spinach, mushroom, tomato)
Order: The Lou with sausage, plus a small Malnati Salad first, with sweet vinaigrette.
Tip: Order the pizza when you sit; baking takes 45 minutes. Otherwise you wait twice.
Pequod's Pizza in Chicago is the Lincoln Park pan-pizza institution on Clybourn since 1971, the caramelised cheese ring around the crust copied across the city.
Signature: Caramelised-crust pan pizza, Sausage and mushroom
Order: Medium pan pizza, sausage and mushroom, with extra cheese around the rim.
Tip: Walk in at 16:30 to beat the queue; tables fill before the kitchen opens for dinner service.
Pizano's Pizza & Pasta in Chicago is the family-owned Loop deep-dish room founded in 1991 by Rudy Malnati Jr., son of Pizzeria Uno's original cook Rudy Malnati Sr.
Signature: Cheese deep-dish, Thin pepperoni
Order: The cheese deep-dish, no toppings, the way Rudy Sr. baked it at Uno.
Tip: The Madison location is the original; State Street is the bigger pre-theatre spot.
Pizzeria Uno in Chicago is the original deep-dish pizza shop, opened by Ike Sewell on Ohio Street in 1943, where the city's pan-baked pizza was invented and named.
Signature: Numero Uno deep-dish, Sausage and pepperoni
Order: The Numero Uno, the canonical deep-dish from the original menu.
Tip: The pies bake 45 minutes; order on arrival. The nearby Due (Pizzeria Due) is the same kitchen if Uno is full.
Bonci Chicago is Gabriele Bonci's West Loop pizza al taglio counter on Sangamon, the first US outpost of the Rome bakery, with rectangular pies cut by weight.
Signature: Pizza al taglio by weight, Mortadella and pistachio
Order: Mortadella and pistachio cream; potato and rosemary; whatever seasonal vegetable is current.
Tip: Walk up at 11:30 for the widest selection. By 14:00 the popular cuts are gone for the day.
Vito & Nick's in Chicago is the Ashburn tavern serving the canonical tavern-cut thin pizza on South Pulaski since 1949, family-owned across four generations.
Signature: Original tavern-cut thin, Sausage and onion
Order: Large sausage tavern thin, party-cut, with a side of giardiniera.
Tip: Cash and the bar are the rhythm; first come first served. The kitchen closes at 22:00 sharp; arrive by 21:00.
Pat's Pizza in Chicago is the Lincoln Park tavern-cut thin room on Lincoln Avenue since 1950, with the cracker-crust pies locals send out-of-town visitors to first.
Signature: Tavern-cut thin, Pat's Special with everything
Order: Medium Pat's Special, party-cut; the meatball sandwich as a backup.
Tip: Delivery is the locals' move. The dining room is small, the carryout window quick.
Portillo's in Chicago is the Ontario Street flagship of the chain founded 1963 by Dick Portillo, with Chicago hot dogs, Italian beef and the chocolate cake shake.
Signature: Chicago hot dog, Italian beef sandwich, Chocolate cake shake
Order: A Chicago dog, an Italian beef dipped, a small chocolate cake shake.
Tip: Drive-thru is faster than the counter. The chocolate cake shake is a chocolate shake with a slice of chocolate cake blended into the cup.
Mr. Beef on Orleans in Chicago is the no-frills Italian-beef counter that inspired The Bear, opened by Joe Zucchero in 1979, with a sandwich line out past the kerb.
Signature: Italian beef dipped, hot peppers, Italian sausage combo
Order: Italian beef, dipped, hot peppers. The combo if you want sausage on top.
Tip: Cash only and counter only. Closes by 16:30 on weekdays, earlier on weekends.
Al's Beef on Taylor Street in Chicago is the original 1938 storefront opened by Al Ferreri, the Italian-beef sandwich on Gonnella bread that defined the genre.
Signature: Italian beef dipped, Cheesy beef
Order: Italian beef, double-dipped, sweet peppers. A side of fries to mop the jus.
Tip: Eat standing at the counter with the lean-rail. The sandwich does not survive a sit-down booth structurally.
Johnnie's Beef in Elmwood Park is the suburban-edge Italian-beef counter on North Avenue since 1961, known for the combo (beef and sausage) and the Italian lemonade.
Signature: Italian beef combo, hot peppers, Italian lemonade
Order: Combo, dipped, hot peppers. Italian lemonade in the lemon-and-ice flavour, large.
Tip: Cash only. Two lines: one for sandwiches, one for Italian lemonade. They are not the same staff.
Superdawg in Chicago is the 1948 Norwood Park drive-in on Milwaukee Avenue, with car-hop service and a pair of giant Superdawg-and-Maurie figurines on the roof.
Signature: Superdawg with everything, Crinkle fries
Order: Superdawg with everything (mustard, relish, onion, sport peppers, pickle, fries inside the box).
Tip: Use the car-hop. It is the same price as the counter and the experience is the point.
The Wieners Circle in Chicago is the Lincoln Park late-night hot dog counter on Clark Street, open since 1983, famous for the staff-and-customer banter past 02:00.
Signature: Char dog, Chocolate milkshake
Order: Char dog with everything; cheese fries on the side. A chocolate milkshake to walk home.
Tip: The shouting is the show. If you are not up for the banter, the daytime queue is exactly the same dog without the audience.
Gene & Jude's in River Grove is the 1946 hot-dog stand on River Road, west of Chicago: no ketchup, no tomato, no cheese, no chairs, just dogs, fries and drinks.
Signature: Hot dog with everything (no tomato, no cheese)
Order: Double dog with the works (mustard, relish, onion, sport pepper) and the hand-cut fries.
Tip: Fries are tucked into the same paper as the dog. Eat them off the dog as you go, that is the point of the design.
Big Star in Chicago is the One Off Hospitality taco room at Six Corners on Damen, with an outdoor patio, a frozen margarita machine and tacos al pastor on a trompo.
Signature: Al pastor taco, Frozen margarita
Order: Three al pastor tacos, a frozen margarita, chips with the smoky tomato salsa.
Tip: The patio queue is long in summer. The walk-up window pays out a perfectly good takeaway dinner in five minutes.
La Chaparrita in Chicago is the Little Village taqueria off 26th Street with handmade-tortilla tacos from a small storefront counter, run by the Loera family.
Signature: Suadero taco, Tripa taco
Order: Suadero and tripa tacos, with a sip of agua de jamaica.
Tip: Cash only. The salsas at the counter are unmarked; ask which is the hottest and start there.
Hopleaf in Chicago is the Andersonville Belgian beer bar on Clark since 1992, with moules frites, a 200-bottle Belgian list and the cashew-butter-and-fig sandwich.
Signature: Moules frites, Belgian beer flight, CB&J (cashew butter, fig jam)
Order: Moules frites with the Belgian-frites mayo. CB&J sandwich for the table.
Tip: The back dining room takes walk-ups only. Aim for 17:00 on Sunday to land it for dinner without waiting.
Calumet Fisheries in Chicago is the East Side smokehouse on the 95th Street bridge since 1948, with smoked chub, fried perch and shrimp wrapped in butcher paper.
Signature: Smoked chub, Fried lake perch
Order: Smoked chub by the piece and a fried perch fillet plate.
Tip: Cash only, no seating. Walk to the bridge and eat the chub on the railing watching the boats; that is the meal.
Greek Islands in Chicago is the Greektown standard on South Halsted since 1971, with the flaming saganaki tableside-presentation that the neighbourhood made famous.
Signature: Saganaki (flaming cheese), Lamb on the spit, Gyros
Order: Saganaki (Opa!), lamb on the spit, gyros plate to share.
Tip: Sunday lunch with the family is the room's natural use. Book a long table and a bottle of Boutari.
Peak food season in Chicago is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Chicago rewards trust.