This is by no means a comprehensive list but here are some of the things I did eat or wanted to eat in Chicago {and I even got a real-life Midwesterner foodie to weigh in on his favorites}. I recapped all the things we did on our Chicago trip here: Chicago City Guide. But if you're a foodie like me and just want to know all about the food {um, probably one of the best things about Chicago} then read on.
So if you read my other post, you know I went to the Goose Island Beer Garden. Their variety of beer was amazing and their seasonal selections were super tasty. We also got poutine {which we didn't picture because there's no way you can make poutine look good, sorry it usually looks like bark, but it tastes amazing}. And their poutine had Wisconsin cheese curds on top and those were so delicious!! I think I need to go to Wisconsin and eat more cheese!
For dinner on the first day, we went to Boeufhaus, a relatively new steakhouse away from the touristy Chicago spots {don't ask me the neighborhood, but it was a short uber ride away}. I found this restaurant and others on Chicago Eater, a great site to find amazing and new places to eat. Their recommendations were on point, no false advertising here. At Boeufhaus we had their 60-day aged steak and it was quite possibly the best steak I've had in the last 5 years.
We also found the Chicago Athletic Association on Chicago Eater. I talked about the view on my Chicago City Guide post, but the drinks from the Game Room or Cindy's was equally impressive.
We couldn't resist stopping by Dylan's Candy Bar located near the Magnificent Mile. We were literally, yes literally, {big} kids in a candy store.
On Sunday we headed to the West Loop for brunch at The Publican. Do you see that maple bacon on the pic above. Yes, it was as amazing as it looks. I also had some melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder under those eggs. The West Loop has a large cluster of a amazing restaurants so definitely head out there if you're visiting Chicago.
We went to Giordano's for deep dish pizza because it's "famous" for it, but here's a tip from me to you, you can definitely skip this spot. It's a {tourist} trap! For some of the best deep dish pizza go to Lou Malnati's or Pequod's {this is a recommendation from a midwesterner}. Well there's always next time for me.
And we capped our visit with some pizza from Eataly. If you are staying near the Magnificent Mile, you can't miss this place. It was 2 floors of impressive Italian goodies.
It's a restaurant+produce section+cheese sections+bakery+meat counter+seafood counter+wine store all in one. Their first US location was in NYC, but if you can't make it out there the Chicago one is just as amazing.
So here's the short list of recommendations, of places I've tried or places on my list for next time:
{EAT}
Goose Island Beer Garden
Boeufhaus
The Publican
{other West Loop restaurants: Girl & The Goat, Au Cheval, Avec, and Nellcote}
Lou Malnati's and Pequod's for deep dish pizza
Eataly
And don't forget to check Chicago Eater before your next Chicago trip for the best new restaurants.
Do you have a favorite Chicago restaurant I haven't listed? If so, please do share!