15 mid-range rooms in Chicago, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good rooms in Chicago — no surprise on the bill, real cooking. All Chicago food.
Lula Cafe ★ 4.5
logan-square · 2537 N Kedzie Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647
Lula Cafe in Chicago is Jason Hammel's 1999 Logan Square dining room and breakfast counter, anchored by a Monday farm-dinner menu the neighbourhood books out fast.
Tip: Brunch is walk-up only on weekends; aim for 09:30 to skip the worst of the queue.
Daisies ★ 4.5
logan-square · 2375 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Daisies in Chicago is Joe Frillman's Logan Square pasta-and-vegetable dining room on Milwaukee Avenue, with grain and produce sourced directly from Illinois farms.
Tip: Brunch is the underrated meal here. The same pasta program with eggs and patio seating in summer.
Pequod's Pizza ★ 4.5
lincoln-park · 2207 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
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.
Tip: Walk in at 16:30 to beat the queue; tables fill before the kitchen opens for dinner service.
Honey Butter Fried Chicken ★ 4.4
avondale · 3361 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Honey Butter Fried Chicken in Chicago is the Avondale counter from Christine Cikowski and Joshua Kulp, with the honey-butter biscuit that named the place.
Tip: Order online from your phone before you walk in. The counter line is twice as long as the screen-pickup one most evenings.
Smoque BBQ ★ 4.4
irving-park · 3800 N Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60641
Smoque BBQ in Chicago is the Irving Park no-frills counter on Pulaski Road since 2006, with brisket and St Louis ribs smoked over apple and hickory in-house.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Closes at 21:00 sharp and meat sells out from 19:30 on weekends.
Lou Malnati's (Lincoln Park) ★ 4.4
lincoln-park · 958 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
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.
Tip: Order the pizza when you sit; baking takes 45 minutes. Otherwise you wait twice.
Hopleaf Bar ★ 4.4
andersonville · 5148 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
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.
Tip: The back dining room takes walk-ups only. Aim for 17:00 on Sunday to land it for dinner without waiting.
Big Jones ★ 4.3
andersonville · 5347 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
Big Jones in Chicago is Paul Fehribach's Andersonville Southern kitchen on Clark Street, with shrimp-and-grits and buttermilk biscuits that anchor the brunch menu.
Tip: Sunday brunch tables go on the books two weeks out. The bar takes walk-ups if you arrive at 11:00.
Bonci Chicago ★ 4.3
west-loop · 161 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607
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.
Tip: Walk up at 11:30 for the widest selection. By 14:00 the popular cuts are gone for the day.
Big Star ★ 4.3
wicker-park-bucktown · 1531 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
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.
Tip: The patio queue is long in summer. The walk-up window pays out a perfectly good takeaway dinner in five minutes.
Pizano's Pizza & Pasta ★ 4.2
the-loop · 61 E Madison St, Chicago, IL 60603
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.
Tip: The Madison location is the original; State Street is the bigger pre-theatre spot.
Pat's Pizza & Ristorante ★ 4.2
lincoln-park · 2679 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
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.
Tip: Delivery is the locals' move. The dining room is small, the carryout window quick.
Pizzeria Uno ★ 4.1
river-north · 29 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611
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.
Tip: The pies bake 45 minutes; order on arrival. The nearby Due (Pizzeria Due) is the same kitchen if Uno is full.
Ramen-san ★ 4.0
river-north · 59 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654
Ramen-san in Chicago is Lettuce Entertain You's River North ramen room on Hubbard, with a tonkotsu base and a spicy garlic bowl that pulls the regulars back.
Tip: Lunch is faster than dinner. The 12:30 rush clears by 13:15.
Greek Islands ★ 4.0
greektown · 200 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661
Greek Islands in Chicago is the Greektown standard on South Halsted since 1971, with the flaming saganaki tableside-presentation that the neighbourhood made famous.
Tip: Sunday lunch with the family is the room's natural use. Book a long table and a bottle of Boutari.