Like any big city, the streets of Chicago are overflowing with places to eat. Unlike the other big cities, the restaurants of the Windy City are blessed with culinary genius. You don’t have to go to a five star restaurant to get great food in Chicago. In fact, their two biggest delicacies are hot dogs and pizza. Chicago Style pizza is a must while visiting the city. For the best authentic Chicago pizza, try Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria or Gino’s East of Chicago.
Once you’ve tried the all-American classics, it’s safe to move on to some of the diverse dining options Chicago has to offer. Restaurants in Chicago’s 77 diverse neighborhoods range from African, Asian, Caribbean, Chinese, Mediterranean, Mexican, Moroccan, Thai, Vietnamese, and everything in between. The best Italian can be found in the Little Italy neighborhood, the west side is famous for its Greektown restaurants and cuisine, and Devon Avenue in the northwest is the place for Indian and Pakistani food.
In terms of fine dining, Chicago’s fancy restaurants are definitely chart toppers. We recommend heading to Everest Restaurant—an internationally recognized dining room located on the 40th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. If you’re a fan of French, try Les Nomades where you can experience new French tastes in a private club atmosphere. Charlie Trotter’s is another must-try while in Chicago. Chef Trotter has written 11 cookbooks, been the subject of two management books, and hosts the award winning PBS series ‘The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter’. Accordingly, the chefs at Charlie Trotter’s create excellent dishes with innovative styles and scrumptious taste.
With so many options available, the hardest part about dining in Chicago is choosing where to feast. When the time comes to decide, you can use this complete dining guide to help point you in the direction your mouth desires.