BEST FOOD SPOTS IN CHICAGO
Wondering where to eat in Chicago? We’ve put together our personal Chicago food guide with the best food spots we tried ourselves. Chicago felt big in every way — the buildings, the streets, the food. Everyone talks about deep dish pizza, but is it really that good? The city is full of culture and flavor. You’ll find Polish sausages, rainbow-colored ice cream, and the best dumplings we ever had in Chinatown. We didn’t plan to eat that much, but there was something exciting around every corner. At the end of this guide, we’ll also share how to save money while eating until you feel like exploding.
The Classics You Just Have to Try in Chicago
1. Deep Dish Pizza at Giordano’s
Pizza is different everywhere. There is the soft and chewy Neapolitan pizza, the thin and crispy Roman style, and then Chicago’s deep dish pizza that looks and is served like a cake. At Giordanos, one of the city’s most popular spots, the restaurant was still packed even at 10 pm, so we had to wait quite a while. Since the pizza takes longer to make, ordering while waiting was possible.
The waitress suggested sharing one, and even that was more than enough. For 26.45 USD, we chose the small Chicago Classic. It was definitely special. Compared to pizzas we usually know, deep dish Pizza is very different. Although tasty, it was not the best pizza we have ever eaten.
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Address
730 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
There are six locations in Chicago. This is the one we visited.
Opening hours
Sunday – Thursday
11 am – 11 pm
Friday – Saturday
11 am – 12 am
Website
https://giordanos.com/
Menu
https://giordanos.com/content/uploads/menus/tr-restaurant-2022.pdf
2. Italian Beef at Al’s
“The beef stand that launched the national sandwich of Chicago — Chicago’s number one Italian Beef since 1938.” That’s how you are welcomed on their website. We chose the “Regular Beef” sandwich. While ordering, you can decide between wet and dipped. If you take it dipped, they will dip the whole sandwich in gravy! We went for the wet one, which was still super juicy because the beef is soaked in gravy anyway. This is definitely a food spot in Chicago we can recommend. The sandwich cost us 9.78 USD and was worth every cent.
Of the food spots in Chicago we visited, this one was definitely one of our favorites. Ordering was super easy, and the price was very fair.
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Address
548 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
There are three locations in Chicago. This is the one we visited.
Opening hours
Monday – Saturday
10:30 am – 12 am
Sunday
10:30 am – 8 pm
Website
https://www.alsbeef.com/
3. Portillo’s Hot Dogs
Just a five-minute walk from Al’s, you’ll find Portillo’s Hot Dogs. If you’re looking for that classic American vibe, this is the place to go. The way they serve the food feels more like a cafeteria, but the line moves fast and the hot dogs are amazing.
We liked it so much that we went there twice. We tried both the jumbo Portillo’s beef hot dog for 5.00 USD and the Maxwell Street Polish hot dog for 6.50 USD. We do not have a favorite. You really have to try both.
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Address
100 W Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60610, United States
Opening hours
Monday – Sunday
10 am – 1 am
Places That Totally Surprised Us
4. Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings in Chinatown
Let us say it right away. Chinatown is always worth a visit, no matter where in the world you are. We also visited Chinatown in Lima and wrote all about it in our Lima food guide. But now back to Chicago. Chicago’s Chinatown is easy to reach by metro or by ferry, which is how we got there. We were really craving dumplings and came across Qing Xiang Yuan.
The dumplings were definitely not the cheapest but good quality comes at a price and there was no lack of quality or flavor here. On the table we found wasabi, soy sauce and chili and we mixed them into a delicious dipping sauce. The moment we took a bite the flavor exploded. We had never tasted anything like it. It is hard to describe but they were so juicy and full of flavor that we were honestly impressed. We ordered the dumplings with shrimp, pork and leek in the steamed version for 18.00 USD.
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Address
http://qxydumpling.com/
Opening hours
Monday – Sunday
11:30 am – 9 pm
Website
https://qxydumpling.com/
5. Happy Hour and Wings at Reunion
This was a stop we found by chance while checking out Navy Pier. There was a long line in front of the restaurant, and that always gets our attention. It quickly became clear why. You probably will not find cheaper drinks and chicken wings during happy hour anywhere else in Chicago.
Chef Art Smith’s Reunion is a big restaurant right at the beginning of the pier with a nice outdoor bar. It is also a great place to chat with locals. Chicken wings were just 1.00 USD each, domestic beer 3.00 USD, and cocktails 6.00 USD. What more can we say? The quality was great and the service super friendly, even though the place was of course full.
Just a note, we noticed that the prices have gone up a bit, but even 2.00 USD per chicken wing, 4.00 USD for a domestic beer and 8.00 USD for a cocktail is still a very good deal in Chicago.
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Address
Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
Opening hours
Sunday – Thursday
11 am – 8 pm
Friday – Saturday
11 am – 9 pm
Sweet Treats You Shouldn’t Skip
6. Popcorn at Garrett
Vicky loves popcorn and I usually get the leftovers, so leaving Chicago without trying popcorn was not an option. Our friend Javed, who grew up in Chicago, recommended this popcorn store to us, and it is definitely one of the better food spots in Chicago. You can try unusual flavors like cheese or caramel. Depending on the size and flavor you choose, prices start at 5.00 USD and can go up to an unbelievable 52.00 USD. If you want to try a bit of everything, go with the Garrett Mix.
By the way, their newest flavors are Buffalo Ranch and Strawberry Pink Lemonade. Let us know in the comments if you would try them and, even more important, do you prefer sweet or salty popcorn? What’s your go-to?
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Address
173 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
There are seven locations in Chicago. This is the one we visited.
Opening hours
Sunday – Thursday
10 am – 8 pm
Friday – Saturday
10 am – 9 pm
Website
https://www.garrettpopcorn.com/
7. The Original Rainbow Cone - Ice Cream
A Chicago food guide wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream. The first store opened in 1926, and since then, the original mix of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (New York vanilla with cherries and walnuts), pistachio, and orange sherbet-like frozen treat, all piled high on a crispy cake cone, has stayed the same.
A little tip: Find a spot out of the sun and eat quickly because otherwise the ice cream will melt and make a big mess.
The ice cream was really tasty and since it cost 9.00 USD in a waffle cone, we decided to share one. Especially in the summer, it is definitely a great way to cool down. The location right by Navy Pier is also great.
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Address
600 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
There are four locations in Chicago. This is the one we visited.
Opening hours
Sunday – Tuesday
11 am – 9 pm
Wednesday
11 am – 10 pm
Thursday
11 am – 9 pm
Friday
11 am – 10 pm
Saturday
11 am – 11 pm
Website
https://rainbowcone.com/
8. Mochinut – Not Your Usual Donuts
Mochinut was honestly a random find while we were exploring Chinatown. Their slogan, “More than just a donut,” fits perfectly. The colorful donuts caught our eye and we just could not resist. Although the Chinatown location has since closed, there are still three other stores in the city. To be fair, it never really felt like a typical Chinatown spot anyway.
These donuts look quite different from regular ones and come in a variety of fun flavors. What makes them special is that they are made without regular flour. Instead, they use brown rice flour, which gives them a unique chewy texture. One Mochinut costs 4.00 USD. So if you feel like trying a different kind of donut, Mochinut is the right place for you.
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A Quick Shout-Out to the Hard Rock Cafe Chicago
If you have looked around our blog, you have probably noticed how much we love visiting Hard Rock Cafes around the world. So of course we had to check out the one in Chicago as well. Sadly, the Hard Rock Cafe Chicago closed on March 29, 2025. It was a beautiful building with friendly staff and tasty food. By the way, it was right on the same corner as the Portillo’s we already mentioned.
If you ever plan to visit a Hard Rock Cafe, make sure to check out our dedicated Hard Rock Cafe page. There you will find all open locations, upcoming openings, and a list of the ones I have already visited.
How We Kept It Budget-Friendly
We planned well by visiting places close to each other so we could walk instead of taking taxis or rideshares. When we needed to go farther, like to Chinatown, we used public transport. Sharing one portion helped us avoid leftovers and gave us more room to try different foods while also splitting the cost. We avoided eating at regular restaurants because the quality often did not seem worth the high prices in the States. Also, we always made sure to use free refills for drinks whenever possible to save some extra money.
Final Thoughts on the Best Food Spots in Chicago
Of course, we couldn’t cover everything Chicago has to offer food-wise, but we think we found a good mix that won’t break your budget. The much-hyped deep dish pizza didn’t really meet our expectations, but that made it even more fun to discover other spots. We tried everything from hot dogs and dumplings to popcorn, enjoying foods you don’t always find in the usual tourist spots. Thanks for joining us on this tasty journey through Chicago. If you try any of these spots, we’d love to hear what you think!
Our USA Roadtrip
We flew into Chicago after spending three amazing weeks in Guatemala. From there, we continued our trip with a one day stop in Detroit, then visited Niagara Falls and spent another day in Pittsburgh. Especially Detroit and Pittsburgh surprised us because they are not on most travel lists, but they should be. In our blog articles, we share why these cities are absolutely worth a visit.
Thanks For Reading
We truly hope this guide to the best food spots in Chicago has inspired you to explore this amazing city for yourself. If you are planning a trip and wondering what to eat in Chicago and where to eat in Chicago, we hope we have been helpful.
If you have still any questions, feel free to reach out. We are always happy to help. We would also love to hear about your own experiences or recommendations in the comments below.
If you found this article helpful, please consider sharing it to support our travel blog.
Vicky & Malte
