Chicago Food Guide
Came for a podcast. Stayed for the food. It was me and John’s first time in Chicago and we were fully prepared to devour everything this city had to offer. We literally ate our way through the city! We ate so much food over the trip, that it requires two-parts…but here is proof that we did do one touristy thing and didn't JUST eat the entire time:
1. Portillo’s: I’m not lying when I say that this fast food chain was 50% of the reason we flew to Chicago. So naturally, it was our first stop! This fast-food chain had such a cool interior, with old-school 1940 decorations.
John ordered a hot dog and beef sandwich which he had all to himself. We also ordered the chocolate cake shake, which literally had a slice of chocolate inside + vanilla ice-cream. It was soooo good! We also got cheese fries, which was my main entrée since they didn’t have any vegetarian options.
2. Al’s Beef: Right after eating a Portillo’s hot dog and beef sandwich, John was feeling really stuffed…so the only natural thing to do was to go across the street and get another hot dog and beef sandwich. Have I mentioned John is a madman? John says that Al’s Beef sandwich was exponentially better than Portillo’s! This is definitely saying something since he was already full.
3. Lou Malnati’s: DEEP DISH PIZZA. This was my first time having deep dish, and it did not disappoint! I ordered The Lou: which is spinach, mushrooms, three cheese and sliced tomatoes on top! For dessert we ordered the pizza cookie skillet—which was the best dessert I’ve ever had!
4. Ramen San: John and I are big ramen guys. So naturally we had to visit at least one ramen shop in Chicago, we ordered Okonomoyaki as an appetizer. To be honest, it was the highlight of the meal! We agreed that the ramen we ordered was just okay. 3/5 stars.
5. Emporium Arcade: Located in Logan Square area, this bar was filled with arcade games, pool and air hockey. John and I bought a bunch of tokens and made our rounds playing different pin-ball machines, Galaga and ending the night in a nail-biting game of air hockey. We had so much fun and it was a great last night in Chicago!
6. Homeslice: I met one of my good friends Rachael here with her friend Carolyn. The atmosphere was really chill, with string lights covering the ceiling and a bright red neon sign on the wall. We didn’t order any food because we just came from lunch, but ordered Chicago’s Goose Island Green Line pale ale and it is now a new favorite. We caught up over some beers and talked about our love of Chicago!
Pic below is from the Dough Boys Podcast:
