The Ultimate Food Guide to Chicago
Chicago does not mess around when it comes to food. This is a city that invented entire categories of eating, argued about them for decades, and somehow made every single one of them worth the trip. Whether you are visiting for the first time or the fifteenth, there are dishes here that deserve your full, undivided attention.
Here is where to start.
Deep Dish Pizza
It is not really pizza in the traditional sense, and Chicagoans will be the first to tell you that. Deep dish is a buttery, inch-thick crust loaded with cheese on the bottom, toppings in the middle, and chunky tomato sauce poured over the top. It is eaten with a fork and knife, and a single slice is a full meal.
The debate over who makes it best has been raging since Pizzeria Uno first served it in 1943. Most locals point to Lou Malnati’s for its signature Buttercrust, while Pequod’s was named the best pizza in the entire country by Yelp’s Elite Squad.
On Reddit, fans of Lou Malnati’s call it the gold standard of Chicago deep dish, with one reviewer writing they had tried 30 spots and Lou’s came out on top. Giordano’s is the third pillar of the argument, beloved for its stuffed deep dish with walls of stretchy cheese.
Italian Beef Sandwich
This is the sandwich that put Chicago on the culinary map long before ‘The Bear’ made it famous. Thin-sliced roast beef is soaked in herbed jus, piled onto a soft Italian roll, and topped with either spicy giardiniera or sweet peppers. You order it dry, wet, or fully dipped, which means the whole sandwich goes into the gravy.
Al’s Beef in Little Italy is the original, and reviewers on Wanderlog call it divine, with one visitor writing they liked it so much they came back the very next morning when the doors opened.
Portillo’s is the more accessible chain option, and TasteAtlas reviewers describe the sandwich as having no flaws, with perfectly soft bread and giardiniera that delivers just enough heat.
For a slightly off-the-beaten-path option, Johnnie’s Beef in Elmwood Park is considered by many to be the platonic ideal of the form.
Chicago-Style Hot Dog
There is a strict code here, and ketchup is not part of it. A proper Chicago dog is an all-beef frank in a steamed poppy seed bun, loaded with yellow mustard, chopped onions, neon green relish, tomato wedges, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt. It is called being dragged through the garden, and every element matters.
Portillo’s on Ontario Street has over 7,000 photos and thousands of Yelp reviews from visitors calling it the definitive Chicago dog experience.
TripAdvisor reviewers consistently praise it for authenticity and fast service.
For something more local and nostalgic, Superdawg Drive-In on the Northwest Side is a retro drive-in institution that Roadfood calls one of the greatest hot dog joints in the city.
Tavern-Style Pizza
Locals will tell you this is the pizza Chicago actually grew up eating. Tavern style is cracker-thin, cut into squares rather than triangles, and built to be eaten by the handful with a cold beer. Legend has it saloon owners invented the style deliberately, making it salty and light so customers would keep drinking.
Vito & Nick’s on the South Side has been serving it since the 1940s and is consistently considered the gold standard.
The Infatuation also raves about Candlelite Chicago in Rogers Park, which has been earning best-in-city nods for decades. On Facebook, one fan described the crust as the thinnest they had ever seen, writing it was so light the pizza box felt nearly empty.
The Jibarito
This one belongs to Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, and it is completely unlike any other sandwich you will find anywhere else in the country. Instead of bread, the jibarito uses two flattened, fried green plantains pressed around thinly sliced steak, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a slick of garlic aioli. The result is crunchy, savory, and a little sweet all at once.
Borinquen Lounge in Humboldt Park is where the sandwich was adapted by Juan C. Figueroa in 1996 and remains the original destination.
Jibaritos y Mas draws raves on TripAdvisor, with reviewers calling the steak and pork versions amazing and the beans alone worth the visit.
For a modern twist, Smash Jibarito in Humboldt Park fuses the concept with a smash burger, pressing beef patties between plantain pucks for something wildly creative.
Garrett Popcorn
The line outside a Garrett Popcorn shop on Michigan Avenue is one of Chicago’s most reliable sights, at any time of year. Garrett has been making gourmet popcorn since 1949, popping small batches fresh throughout the day in old-fashioned copper kettles using a secret family recipe.
The must-order is the Garrett Mix, which blends their CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn in one bag. Customers began mixing the two flavors themselves in the 1970s, and the combination became so popular the company made it official.
Wanderlog reviewers describe it as addictive, with one writing the cheese is so cheesy and the caramel so sweet that a tummy ache afterward is completely worth it.
There are over a dozen Garrett locations across Chicago, with the Michigan Avenue shops being the most visited.
The Original Rainbow Cone
No Chicago food guide ends without dessert, and this one is as photogenic as it gets. The Original Rainbow Cone has been serving its signature creation since 1926, and the recipe has not changed since.
Five flavors are sliced and stacked onto a single cone in this exact order: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House vanilla with cherries and walnuts, pistachio, and orange sherbet.
Joseph and Katherine Sapp opened the original stand on the South Side when the area was still mostly countryside. That original Beverly location is still open today, along with 16 spots across Chicagoland.
Cozymeal calls it a summertime staple and an Instagram-worthy dessert that has remained virtually unchanged for nearly a century. The pink Rainbow Cone truck near the Shedd Aquarium is one of the easiest places to grab one without making the trek to the South Side.
Chicago rewards the curious eater. Beyond the famous names and the long lines, every neighborhood holds something worth finding, and the best meals here rarely come with a reservation. Show up hungry, skip the ketchup, and order everything dipped.
