Chicago's Best Restaurants

The cheap eats capital of America has a few great restaurants

This is an upfront shout out to Kit Graham from The Kittchen: a Chicago Uberfoodie who has contributed mightily to this effort - Her Chicago guide is indipensable

The windy city..did you know it is named after blowhard politicians instead of the weather? Chicago has a long history of hospitality centered around the founding of the mid-west and the taverns, hotels and mostly french restaurants that marked the rise of Chicago. For an absolutely superb retrospective, this article from Understanding Hospitality is unmissable. The fine dining scene has seen meduim successful initiatives interuptted by two global superstars: Charlie Trotters (1989-2012) and Alinea (2005 to now). A brief bit of Nostalgia:

Charlie Trotters - He inspired a generation of modern chefs

From his legacy web site:

Trotter´s was the birthplace of the country’s first vegetarian tasting menu, the original kitchen table and a menu that changed each night. Young cooks came here to grow. Guests came to be surprised.

Chef sourced the finest foodstuffs available through a network of over 90 purveyors that provided the fresh, healthful ingredients from naturally raised meat and line-caught seafood to organic produce. Every component was the most pure available like: Indiana bobwhite quail, petite greens from Farmer Jones, heirloom tomatoes from Illinois, North Dakota buffalo, and Hawaiian gindai.

He said: The taste of free-range and organic products is so much better than the alternative. It is also good to know that you are eating unadulterated food and supporting farmers and growers who are directly connected with the land.

Charlie preferred saucing with vegetable juice-based vinaigrettes, light emulsified stocks, and purees as well as delicate broths, and herb-infused meat and fish essences.

Does this sound familiar? He pioneered many of today´s modern philosophies without any formal training.

Read about Charlie in hs prime

Alinea - Grant Aschatz still innovating after all these years

Alinea debuted as one of two Michelin 3 star restaurants in the 1st Michelin Chicago guide and stayed there ever since. Alinea is one of only 16 Three stars in the USA. It has been in and out of the top 10 of World´s 50 Best from 2007 - 2017 and will surely debut in the top 5 of the new World´s 50 Best North America . He has influenced a generation of chefs, survived tongue cancer and is still the icon of Chicago.

Read this fine retrospective about Grant Aschatz

The Essence of Chicago:

Chicago is America’s greatest city for cheap eats including diners, legendary hot dogs, burgers, pizzas and sandwiches. Read on.

Doughnut Vault - Handcrafted, small batch doughnuts using traditional techniques

Doughnut Vault

This tiny shop in a converted coat closet set off a doughnut craze throughout Chicago. Although the menu features mostly old-fashioned doughnuts, it was their vanilla glazed yeast doughnut that was named the best doughnut in America from The Daily Meal in 2013. The Doughnut Vault announces its ever-changing flavors online each week, and the doughnuts sell out quickly.

Curt Wagner: Heaven has a hole

This is a beautifully made video about the vault.

Mindy’s Bakery - Choose morning or afternoon pastries!

Mindy´s

Helmed by Mindy Segal, winner of the James Beard award for “Outstanding Pastry Chef”, Mindy’s Bakery prepares two bakes per day: a first bake focused on breakfast pastries and a second, early afternoon bake with cookies, cakes, tarts, and sweets. The flavors of quiche rotate frequently, yet never disappoint. On weekends, try their hot fudge glazed donuts and sour cream vanilla bean glazed cinnamon rolls.

Here is a great podcast about Mindy Segal

Kasama Breakfast Sandwich - One Michelin Star Breakfast Sando

The most famous breakfast sandwich in Chicago comes from Kasama, a contemporary Filipino restaurant with one Michelin star, and there were lines down the block even before it was featured on The Bear. Pro tip: order the longanisa, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich and a side hashbrown, and then add the hashbrown right to the sandwich. Open from Wednesday - Sunday.

Lou Mitchell - Legendary breakfast in a skillet

Mitchell's has been offering old-school food at the beginning of Route 66 since 1923. Politicians including Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Bernie Sanders and George Bush are fans. Women and children are welcomed with free Milk Duds, and everyone a basket of piping hot doughnut holes. All day breakfasts are brought to the table in steaming skillets. Get the smoky greek sausage & feta omelette “hobo style” with potatoes. Dishes are huge so plan a post-breakfast nap.

Here is a definitive video about Lou Mitchell

Billy Goat Tavern - To relive the legendary Saturday Night Live skit

Billy Goat Tavern

No need to visit The Billy Goat but you do need to watch this insanely funny video from John Belushi, Dan Aykrod and Bill Murray on Saturday Night Live.

Paradise Pup - Delicious roadside burger near the airport

Jeffrey Merrihue

Two brothers serve one of Chicagoland’s best flame seared burgers out by the airport. The quality of the ingredients shines through as the Merkt’s cheddar and sauteed sweet onions are piled on to a Fresh Challah bun. This cute roadside hut is the perfect place to grab a burger going to or from the airport or to enjoy a backyard style burger on an outdoor picnic table on a sunny day. One of America´s best burgers.

Funny video from Eat Local

Au Cheval - An over the top masterpiece

Jeffrey Merrihue

Au Cheval is home to Chicago's most famous burger. Au Cheval is a dimly lit diner with a speakeasy vibe and a menu full of rich foods. A prime example: The fries drown in Mornay sauce topped with a fried egg. Expect a long wait (up to four hours) before you get to eat, but you can pass the time in the bar next door. If you want to skip the long line, try arriving 15 minutes before they open for brunch, and yes, the burger is on the brunch menu.See Kit´s Blog Post and remember that the single is really a double Order the single) and that the double is really a triple, and always add the bacon.

Follow Kit on Instagram

Gene & Jude´s - Old school red hots at the most beloved spot

Gene & Jude’s is a Chicago institution since 1946, this neon-lit neighborhood stand-up-counter-only spot is famous for its Depression-style hot dogs and hand-cut fries. G&J´s went viral n 2012 when Rachel Ray and three judges from Serious Eats named it the No. 1 hot dog in America. Hot dog purists rave about the steamed, natural casing all-beef Vienna dogs, which are served simply with yellow mustard, sweet relish, onions, hot sport peppers and fries. Don’t ask for ketchup. There isn’t any. The fries are crank-cut from potatoes, sunk into the fry oil, then piled sizzling over the dogs to keep them hot before they are wrapped in paper and served. Grab plenty of napkins.

Great video about Gene & Judes

For a classic Chicago dog ¨dragged through the Garden¨ The original Pofrtillos at Villa Park is the place to go,

Here is a comprehensive retrospective of Chicago Dogs

Jim´s Original - Maxwell St style polish sausages

For sausage lovers and historians Jim’s is Mecca. Started in 1941, the Maxwell Street sausages became a cornerstone of bustling Chicago. These sausages are juicy and tangy with just the right amount of kick. They are served with grilled onions and a smear of mustard in a beautifully soft bun. The standing only format and eating on small metal ledges is hardly inspiring, but for sausage lovers this cannot be missed.

Al´s Italian Beef - Maybe the first, surely the oldest (1938), still the best

Al´s

Al's beef sandwich is made with thin sliced beef marinated in a secret recipe (only at the original Little Italy location), topped with hot fresh giardiniera and sweet peppers piled onto fluffy bread. The entire sandwich is then dunked in the beef "jus" fto create this beloved, messy creation.

A spread eagle stance was invented just to eat it. Here is Alan Richman teaching you how to eat the sandwich

Comprehensive history of Italian beef sandwiches by Red Sauce America

Pizzeria Uno - The original deep dish pizza at Ohio and Wabash

Some say Pizzeria Uno founder Ike Sewell invented the style in 1943. Others say Uno's first pizza chef, Rudy Malnati, developed the recipe. Regardless, the invention became an instant classic. The pizza is baked in an oiled round, steel pan, giving the pie its characteristically high edge, fried effect on the outside of the crust and a deep surface for large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. A thin to medium-thick crust is pressed up the sides of the pan, forming a bowl for a thick layer of toppings. Assembled upside-down to avoid burning the toppings, the crust is covered with sliced mozzarella, followed by pepperoni or sausage, and fresh ingredients such as onions, mushrooms and bell peppers. An uncooked sauce, typically made from crushed canned tomatoes, and a flourish of Parmesan finish the pie.

Here is an excellent retrospective of this fabulous pizza

Pequod´s - Chicago´s best deep dish

Burt Katz made history with this deep dish pizza featuring a super crispy parmesan crust reaching skyward from the rim. Pizza fanatics from around the world consider this the best version of deep dish out there.

Here is a comprehensive history of the man, the myth and the legend: Burt Katz.

Lems - Chicago style BBQ - The amazing aquarium smokers!

Lem’s BBQ started in 1954 by two brothers Bruce and the late Myles Lemons helped define Chicago's barbeque style which is a combination of hickory wood and charcoal used in a glass aquarium smoker. This institution serves juicy BBQ ribs out of a retro roadside takeout stand as they have no seating. It still tops its meats- from hot links and rib tips to chickeand shrimp with Lem’s original Bar-B-Q sauce and spices. They offer some really large portions for small prices.

An essential video about Chicago BBQ with Pit Master Daniel Hammond and here is a read/podcast from Southern Foodways Alliance

Topolobompo - Rick Bayless desrves honorable mention

With Rick in Tijuana

Rick Bayless is the pioneer of contemporary Mexican cooking in the USA. This Chicago institution is a beautiful and unique venue for his carefully prepared regional dishes. Unusual combinations such as foie gras, tongue and sweetbreads may appear in a single dish. And there are less over-the-top choices as well like black cod in banana leaf. He made a major contribution to the establishment of Mexican Fine Dining in America and stirred a (pointless?) controversy about cultural appropriation. Go to Topolobompo.

A Rick Bayless retrospective

Gene & Gerogetti´s - Chicago´s Oldest Steakhouse

Taste Atlas

But wait! Jeffrey. That photo is a plate of shrimp? Well…not just any shrimp. This is Shrimp de Jonge with garlic, butter, sherry, and breadcrumbs - It´s Chicago´s oldest and most beloved contribution to fine dining. Order the appetizer here at G&G´s and read about the history at Taste with the Eyes

Thanks. What else should we order at Chicago´s oldest steak house? This:

But wait! Jeffrey. That is a picture of chicken? Well…not just any chicken. That is Chicken Vesuvio, Chicago´s other favorite dish also from the 1930´s: bone-in chicken pieces and pan-fried potatoes, often cooked in a white wine and garlic sauce, with peas.

If you are a table of 4 you . order a steak to share with your shrimp and chicken 🤣.

As to the rest of the Chicago steakhouses…most are dedicated to bland USDA Prime beef and tasteless, overpriced wagyu.

Avec - Chicago´s most loveable restaurant

Avec is a West Loop eatery with communal tables, a casual atmosphere and serious food. Ordering is easy at Avec. You simply cannot go wrong because the food is that good. Everything on the small menu is meant to be shared. Chorizo-Stuffed Medjool Dates is one of Avec’s most popular dishes. The small plate consists of large dates filled with spicy chorizo, wrapped with bacon and served with a tomato sauce. The chorizo has just the right amount of spice to boost the flavor without being overwhelming. The Shrimp Paella is huge with flavorful rice and a generous amount of cheese topped with large, whole, wood-fired shrimp. The crust on the burrata pizza with kale is chewy on the edges and thin in the middle. For dessert don’t miss the house-made Nutterbutters, Avec’s gourmet recreation of the classic cookie. Dining at Avec is exhilirating.

A more complete review of Avec

Schwa - And now for something completely different

If you don´t mind the really loud music - you will love Schwa - A true original. Here is what Michelin had to say:

Schwa is like a punky teenager who refuses to grow up. Year after year, the restaurant sticks to its guns with no servers, rap music booming overhead, and wildly imaginative, over-the-top cooking. Its divisiveness and fiercely independent spirit are memorable. As for what might come out of this kitchen, it’s anybody’s guess. How about gumbo but serve it chilled, aerated, and with a blue crab chip dotted with hoja santa aioli? A flaky, buttery cinnamon tart shell could arrive filled with foie gras ice cream and apples. Medallions of quail might be dusted in jerk seasoning and plated with onion rings and candied guava. Ever had a milk bun dusted in powdered mustard? At the meal’s end, the chefs may offer you a shot of whiskey. Have at it.

And here is what Infatuation had to say about this restaurant which is unique in Chicago (America? The World?)

Girl & the Goat - My favorite restaurant in Chicago

This is the way the world wants to eat now. No chandeliers or white tablecloths just amazing food. Here you will try some of the best vegetables anywhere including the shishito peppers with parmesan, sesame and miso, exceptional cauliflower and blue cheese broccoli. But wait! For carnivores there are duck tongues and pig face to the rescue. Creative, delicious and unmissable. To jump the reservation cue, just show up early and snag the bar seats which are 1st come 1st serve by the big window.

And Chef Stephanie Izard is so charming! Here is a very good interview with Stephanie

So as you have seen, my list is dedicated to the classics and most of them are cheap eats. Luckily, my friend Kit Graham is a Chicago uber-foodie and has put together a more modern and hip list of great places to get dinner beyond the pay wall. ☮️ ❤️🍷