Food · Chicago · United States
What to eat in Chicago
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Chicago, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: File:Chicago River ferry.jpg : John Picken derivative work: Georgfotoart, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Start with Deep-dish pizza, Tavern-style thin-crust pizza and Chicago-style hot dog. The West Loop's Randolph Street and Fulton Market are lined with chef-driven restaurants in former warehouses. Sales tax on restaurant bills downtown is above 10%, so the final bill will be noticeably higher than menu prices before you add a tip.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Deep-dish pizza
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- Tip 18–20% of the bill at sit-down restaurants, $1–$2 per drink at bars, 15–20% for…
- Food experiences
- 5
10 foods to try
Dish · Vegetarian
1.Deep-dish pizza
A tall, buttery crust baked in a pan and filled with mozzarella, toppings and a layer of chunky tomato sauce on top. It takes 30–45 minutes to bake, and two slices are a full meal. Cheese-and-spinach versions are as traditional as sausage.
Where: Pizzeria Uno in River North, where the style is said to have started in 1943, plus Lou Malnati's, Giordano's and Pequod's, known for its caramelised cheese crust.
Dish · Vegetarian
2.Tavern-style thin-crust pizza
The pizza most Chicagoans actually eat at home: a cracker-thin crust cut into squares rather than wedges (the 'party cut'), often topped with fennel sausage.
Where: Neighbourhood taverns and pizzerias across the city; Vito & Nick's on the South Side is one of the long-established names.
Street food
3.Chicago-style hot dog
An all-beef frankfurter in a poppy-seed bun 'dragged through the garden': yellow mustard, neon-green relish, chopped onion, tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt. Ketchup is famously frowned upon.
Where: Portillo's branches including River North, Superdawg on the Northwest Side and hot-dog stands across the city.
Dish
4.Italian beef
Thin-sliced, seasoned roast beef soaked in its own juices on a French roll, topped with sweet peppers or hot giardiniera. Order it 'dipped' or 'wet' if you want the whole sandwich dunked in the jus.
Where: Al's #1 Italian Beef on Taylor Street in Little Italy, Mr. Beef on Orleans Street in River North and Portillo's.
Street food
5.Maxwell Street Polish
A grilled Polish sausage in a bun piled with grilled onions, yellow mustard and sport peppers, born at the old Maxwell Street market and still a late-night staple.
Where: Jim's Original near the University of Illinois Chicago campus, and grill stands across the South and West sides.
Dish
6.Jibarito
A Puerto Rican-style sandwich invented in Chicago in the 1990s, using flattened, fried green plantains in place of bread around steak, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayonnaise.
Where: Puerto Rican restaurants in Humboldt Park, especially along Division Street near the Paseo Boricua flags.
Snack · Vegetarian
7.Garrett Popcorn Chicago Mix
Caramel corn and cheddar-cheese popcorn mixed together in one bag; the sweet-and-salty combination has been sold by Garrett since the 1940s.
Where: Garrett Popcorn shops on and around the Magnificent Mile and in the Loop; queues form on weekends.
Dessert · Vegetarian
8.Rainbow Cone
Five flavours sliced, not scooped, onto one cone: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (vanilla with cherries and walnuts), pistachio and orange sherbet. A summer tradition since 1926.
Where: The Original Rainbow Cone in Beverly on the far South Side, plus a handful of other outlets in the city and suburbs.
Dish
9.Carnitas and Mexican food in Pilsen
Chicago has one of the largest Mexican communities in the US, and Pilsen and Little Village are the places for slow-cooked pork carnitas by the pound, tamales and Mexican bakeries.
Where: Carnitas Uruapan on 18th Street in Pilsen, and taquerías along 26th Street in Little Village.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Malört (Jeppson's Malört)
A wormwood liqueur so bitter that a shot of it has become a local rite of passage; Chicagoans buy rounds for newcomers to watch their faces.
Where: Most neighbourhood bars stock it; ask the bartender for a shot, often paired with a cheap local beer.
Food experiences
Randolph Street restaurant row
The West Loop's Randolph Street and Fulton Market are lined with chef-driven restaurants in former warehouses. Book a few weeks ahead for weekend dinners, or try the bar seats that many places keep for walk-ins.
Devon Avenue
On the far North Side, Devon Avenue is one of the largest South Asian commercial streets in the US, with Indian and Pakistani restaurants, sweet shops and sari stores, reached by bus from the Red Line.
Green City Market
Chicago's best-known farmers' market sets up in Lincoln Park near the zoo in the warmer months and moves indoors in winter, with chef demonstrations and stalls selling Midwestern produce and cheese.
Chinatown
Around Wentworth Avenue and Cermak Road, Chinatown has dim sum halls, Sichuan and Cantonese restaurants and bakeries, reached by the Red Line or by water taxi from downtown in the warmer months.
Pizza comparison
Try deep-dish one day and tavern-style thin crust the next; locals argue the thin crust is the real Chicago pizza.
Quick bites and street food
- Chicago-style hot dog — Portillo's branches including River North, Superdawg on the Northwest Side and hot-dog stands across the city.
- Maxwell Street Polish — Jim's Original near the University of Illinois Chicago campus, and grill stands across the South and West sides.
- Garrett Popcorn Chicago Mix — Garrett Popcorn shops on and around the Magnificent Mile and in the Loop; queues form on weekends.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: Deep-dish pizza, Tavern-style thin-crust pizza, Garrett Popcorn Chicago Mix, Rainbow Cone and Malört. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Sales tax on restaurant bills downtown is above 10%, so the final bill will be noticeably higher than menu prices before you add a tip.
- Tip 18–20% at sit-down restaurants; many card terminals suggest percentages based on the total including tax.
- Deep-dish pizzas take 30–45 minutes to bake; some places let you pre-order while you wait for a table.
- Book West Loop and River North restaurants ahead for Friday and Saturday nights; weekday walk-ins are much easier.
- Many casual places such as hot-dog and beef stands are counter-service; you order, pay and collect at the counter.
Tipping
Tip 18–20% of the bill at sit-down restaurants, $1–$2 per drink at bars, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars per bag for hotel porters. Counter-service tip jars are optional.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The L | The CTA's elevated and subway train network |
| The Bean | Cloud Gate, the mirrored sculpture in Millennium Park |
| Pop | A soft drink |
| Gym shoes | Trainers or sneakers |
| Dragged through the garden | A hot dog with all the classic toppings |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Chicago famous for?
Deep-dish pizza, Tavern-style thin-crust pizza, Chicago-style hot dog and Italian beef. A tall, buttery crust baked in a pan and filled with mozzarella, toppings and a layer of chunky tomato sauce on top.
+Is Chicago good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Deep-dish pizza, Tavern-style thin-crust pizza and Garrett Popcorn Chicago Mix.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Chicago?
Tip 18–20% of the bill at sit-down restaurants, $1–$2 per drink at bars, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars per bag for hotel porters. Counter-service tip jars are optional.