8 street food places in Chicago we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Chicago | Street Food across every city.
Chicago street food is a mix of immigrant-run carts, neighborhood stands and counters that became institutions. Garrett Popcorn Shops on Randolph Street and Harold's Chicken Shack on Wabash are downtown fixtures, while along Blue Island Avenue in Pilsen, El Milagro Tortilleria and the Tamale Spaceship work the Mexican side. The Wieners Circle on Clark Street rounds it out with its late-night char dogs.
La Michoacana Premium ★ 4.8
1855 S Blue Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60608
La Michoacana Premium in Chicago is the Pilsen paleteria on 18th Street with fresh-fruit paletas, elote in a cup, raspados and mangonadas at a painted.
The Wieners Circle (street counter) ★ 4.5
2622 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
The Wieners Circle in Chicago is the Lincoln Park late-night hot dog counter on Clark Street, with char dogs, cheese fries and customer banter past 02:00.
Harold's Chicken Shack ★ 4.3
636 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Harold's Chicken Shack in Chicago is the South Side fried chicken chain founded by Harold Pierce in 1950, with mild sauce and a white-bread plate in a paper.
Tamale Spaceship ★ 4.2
2296 S Blue Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60608
Tamale Spaceship in Chicago is the lucha-libre-masked tamale operation that began as a food truck in 2011 and now runs from a Pilsen storefront on Blue.
Garrett Popcorn Shops ★ 4.1
26 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
Garrett Popcorn Shops in Chicago is the Loop popcorn counter on Randolph since 1949, with the Garrett Mix (cheese-and-caramel) bag in a gold tin to take home.
Kuma's Corner (counter) ★ 4.0
2900 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Kuma's Corner in Chicago is the Avondale burger bar on Belmont, with a heavy-metal-named burger menu and a 90-minute weekend wait for a 10-ounce pretzel-bun.
El Milagro Tortilleria ★ 4.7
1923 S Blue Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60608
El Milagro Tortilleria in Chicago is the Pilsen tortilla shop on Blue Island Avenue, with stone-ground masa tortillas pressed for the neighbourhood taquerias.
The Fish Keg ★ 4.6
2233 W Howard St, Chicago, IL 60645
The Fish Keg in Chicago is the Rogers Park no-frills fish-fry counter on Howard Street, with deep-fried smelt by the cup and perch by the fillet.