When you think of Chicago, maybe you think of our unmistakable skyline or our incredible cultural centers. But whether you are a lifelong Chicagoan or have only been one time, it’s very likely that when you think of Chicago, you think of our food. Chicago is routinely ranked among the best food cities in the U.S.– and with good reason. With over 7,300 restaurants 26 of which have Michelin stars, Chicago has earned its reputation as a mecca for foodies. Upscale dining aside, the city is crawling with iconic eats and mouth-watering dishes that will remind you that great food can be found across our 77 unique neighborhoods.
Chicago’s Food Scene
Chicago is a foodie haven thanks to a vibrant contemporary culinary scene and small business owners constantly innovating with new flavor combinations and creating new dining experiences for guests. The city’s history has led to the creation of iconic foods like deep dish pizza, Italian beef, jibaritos, saganaki, and of course the iconic Chicago hot dog. In their own ways, each of these dishes tells the story of the city’s cultural heritage and agricultural influences.
Chicago’s diverse food scene has earned praise from renowned publications like Conde Nast Traveler and Bon Appetit. Chicago hosts the James Beard Awards every year, bringing together the greatest chefs and restaurateurs from around the country to celebrate excellence in the culinary world. With huge events like Taste of Chicago, Chicago Gourmet, Mole de Mayo, Lincoln Park Greek Fest, Oktoberfest, and the Chinatown Summer Fair hosted every year, there are plenty of ways to eat the city’s best food.
Deep-Dish Pizza
If you tell people you are from or have visited Chicago, you will no doubt be asked about your opinions on deep-dish pizza. Some people love it, others love other kinds of pizza a little bit more, but we can all agree this unique creation is something no other city can stake its claim to. Deep-dish pizza is synonymous with Chicago, and just about any pizza shop you visit in the city is sure to have their take on the deep-dish on the menu.
History of deep-dish pizza in Chicago
This history of deep-dish pizza goes back to the 1940’s when restaurateurs Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo dabbled with the idea of opening a Mexican restaurant. After a bout of food poisoning turned Riccardo off, the duo pivoted to opening a pizzeria, called Pizzeria Uno. A Texan through and through, Sewell thought the classic pizza needed a little more proverbial meat on its bones. He challenged two of the pizzeria’s chefs Adolpho “Rudy” Malnati Sr. and Alice May Redmond to make pizza heartier. Their creation used a standard pizza dough to reach up around the edge of a cast-iron skillet.
Popular deep-dish pizza restaurants in the city
Some of the most popular spots in the city to grab a deep-dish pizza have ties directly to the origins of the dish. Gino’s East and Lou Malnati’s are kind of like the second generation of deep-dish as chefs from Pizzeria Uno and its sibling Pizzeria Due worked at new establishments. Other popular deep-dish pizza restaurants include Giordano’s, The Art of Pizza, Burt’s Place, Bartoli’s and Pequod’s.
Ingredients used in traditional deep-dish pizza
The recipe for deep-dish has evolved over the years. Redmond perfected the biscuit-like dough that defines the dish today, and the diversity of toppings has grown a great deal. The layering of a deep-dish is still the same: crust, cheese, meat toppings, sauce. The layering of ingredients is essential for keeping the dough soft during the baking process. Since the key to a deep dish is to have a thick layer of crust like a bowl for the toppings and sauce, the pie takes longer to cook to ensure that it is cooked all the way through.
Italian Beef Sandwich
Another well-known Chicago dish is the Italian Beef Sandwich. This now beloved-institution of Chicago is a testament to the idea that necessity is the mother of invention. Originally designed to maximize how many people could be fed with as little meat as possible, the Italian Beef Sandwich has become a mainstay of Chicagoans lunches, despite the guarantee of greasy hands and gravy stains.
Origin of the Italian beef sandwich
Penned by Carl Sandburg as the “Hog Butcher for the World”, Chicago has long been known for its bustling meat production industry. The Union Stockyards bolstered meat production in the city in the late 19th and early 20th century, and many Italian immigrants who came to the city tended to work there. One of the perks of working in the abysmal conditions of the stockyards was being able to take home discarded cuts of beef at the end of the day.
In the 1930’s the economic downturn during the Great Depression meant many immigrants had to pinch pennies just to get by. All the while, however, life went on– people still held weddings, albeit on a budget. Known as “peanut weddings” these events would take place in small churches and people’s homes. The food was sometimes quite literally peanuts, and other times it was thick-cut Italian beef sandwiches.
The most widely believed story about the origins of the Italian Beef sandwich is linked with a man named Anthony Ferreri. Ferrari realized that thinner cuts of beef would make a party’s worth of meat go twice the distance. He started selling sandwiches out of his truck before his son Albert set up the world-famous Al’s #1 Beef on Taylor Street. This shop is often credited as being the home of the Italian Beef.
Best places to get an authentic Italian beef sandwich in Chicago
Naturally, one of the best places to get an authentic Italian beef sandwich in Chicago is at Al’s Italian Beef but also on the list of must-try spots are Mr. Beef on Orleans, Johnnie’s Beef and Portillo’s.
Recommended toppings for the sandwich
Your options when customizing an Italian Beef sandwich are sweet or hot, with sweet referring to roasted green peppers and hot meaning a mix of pickled Serrano and jalapeño peppers, carrots, onion, garlic, celery, and green olives. You can get a sandwich dry, dipped or wet– translating to a plain sandwich, a slippery sandwich dunked in au jus, or a very wet sandwich soaked in that gravy. You can’t go wrong with any of the flavor combinations, but for the most authentic Italian Beef, order a beef hot dipped.
Chicago-style Hot Dog
The Chicago-style hot dog, known as a Chicago dog, is arguably the most well-known of all of Chicago’s iconic foods. If you catch a Cubs or White Sox game, you are sure to see someone chowing down on a paper tray of hot dog and vegetables if you don’t do so yourself.
What makes a Chicago-style hot dog unique?
The origins of the Chicago-style hot dog go back, like the Italian Beef, to the Great Depression. At a now closed establishment called Fluky’s, a run-of-the-mill hot dog stand joined forces with a nearby vegetable stand that had too many leftovers at the end of the day. The “Depression Sandwich” served a hot dog topped with vegetables making what was once a snack into a filling and somewhat more nutritious meal.
Top places to grab a classic Chicago hot dog
Finding a chicago-style hot dog can be easier than you think, and some of the best ones in the city can be found simply by keeping your eye out for a yellow and blue “Vienna Beef Hot Dogs” sign. In many neighborhoods around the city you can stop by a Portillo’s or a Superdawg. Jimmy’s Red Hots, Mister J’s, and The Wiener’s Circle are worth stopping by for an unforgettable experience.
Traditional toppings for a Chicago-style hot dog
A Chicago-style hot dog is different from a classic hot dog for two key reasons: there are some extra colorful toppings on Chicago dogs and you absolutely cannot put ketchup on one. A classic Chicago hot dog has a poppy-seed bun, Vienna beef hot dog, chopped white onions, neon-green relish, sport peppers, dill pickle spears, tomatoes, yellow mustard, and celery salt. These unique toppings are the key ingredients that make our hot dogs distinctive.
The Original Brownie
Many people don’t know that the brownie was invented in Chicago. While sweet treats like cookies and cakes don’t often make us question where they were made, the story of the brownie interestingly tells of a pivotal moment in Chicago’s history.
Origins at the Palmer House
When the World’s Fair was hosted in Chicago in 1893, people from all over the world descended on Chicago. Eager to make a good impression, Bertha Palmer, known by many as the unofficial hostess of the city, wanted to be sure guests to the Palmer House Hotel understood that it was the social center of the city. After it burned in the Great Fire of Chicago, the Palmer House Hotel and the rest of the city had something to prove to the world by the time the Columbian Exposition rolled around.
How the brownie came to be
Knowing that guests would have to ride in a carriage or along a train, Palmer wanted to serve guests a confection that would be hardy enough to survive a bumpy ride. The brownies would be included in a boxed lunch for fair attendees who could marvel at the Palmer House Hotel’s hospitality even from miles away. Pastry Chef Joseph Sehl created a brownie that had walnuts and an apricot glaze to add a little extra flare. Today’s brownies taste much more chocolatey than they were in the 1890’s, but the essential principles still hold true.
How to Enjoy Chicago’s Favorites
The list of iconic dishes worth trying in Chicago is quite extensive, but it shouldn’t scare you away. Chicago food tours are the best way to explore the city’s history and culture through hotdogs, burgers, Chicago-style pizzas, brownies and beef sandwiches. Taking a tour with Bobby’s Bike Hike can help you navigate the seemingly endless number of restaurants worth trying in Chicago.
Traveling to several restaurants with a tour guide can help you pinpoint some of the city’s most famous food spots. You’ll get to learn about the history of those businesses and the foods you are eating. Signing up for a tour lets visitors taste and see the city like locals– the West Side Foodie, Chicago Favorites, Chinatown Food & Walking Tour, and Bikes, Bites & Brews Tours will feed you can’t-miss Chicago classics and show you some hidden gems you’ll want to tell everyone you know about.
