Chicago

When I travel, my explorations are always guided by my quest to find the best food offerings of whatever city I happen to be wandering around aimlessly. Hours of endless internet searches, loads of blog reading, and countless emails to locals go into my hunt to find the best food each new destination has to dish up. The results are, of course, delicious. For example, in Buenos Aires I’ve chowed down on flavorful, perfectly spiced Bolivian empanadas, in New York I’ve discovered slightly sweet yet savory, 75¢ steamed buns, and in Boston I’ve dived into a plate of homemade fusilli with vodka sauce, scallops, and shrimp and the next day had the richest and creamiest ice cream I have ever eaten.

My food adventures in Chicago –my home– are a rarity though. I blame it on this faulty logic: I live in Chicago. I have all the time in the world to eat my way through the city. Plus, why pay for food when I can cook it at home? While my logic may have a touch of reason to it, it is high time, in my humble opinion, my Chicago food explorations begin with full force. This page is my forum to share with you my discoveries and perhaps more importantly, my motivation to step outside my front door and venture into the food lovers paradise that is the Windy City.

(I’ve tried to organize these restaurants by cuisine as best as possible. Keep in kind though, the type of “cuisine” a restaurant serves can sometimes be very vague. After each restaurant I’ve also listed the location, either a Chicago neighborhood or suburb. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and, of course, enjoy!)

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American

Bat 17 (Evanston, IL)

Birchwood Kitchens (Wicker Park)

Chicago Diner (Lakeview and Wicker Park)

The Cellar (Evanston, IL)

Found (Evanston, IL)

Girl & the Goat (West Loop)

Hot Chocolate (Wicker Park)

Longman & Eagle (Logan Square)

Nightwood (Pilsen)

The Publican and Publican Quality Meats (Fulton Market)

Reno (Logan Square)

Sable (River North)

Baked Goods & Other Desserts

Andy’s Frozen Custard (Evanston, IL/the Loop)

Bennison’s Bakery (Evanston, IL)

Glazed and Infused (multiple locations)

Homer’s Ice Cream (Wilmette, IL)

Scooter’s Frozen Custard (Lakeview)

Breakfast

M. Henry/M. Henrietta (Andersonville/Edgewater)

Over Easy (Lincoln Square)

Sweet Maple Cafe (Little Italy/University Village)

Cafe & Bakery

Floriole Cafe & Bakery (Lincoln Park)

Fraiche (Evanston, IL)

Pleasant House Bakery (Bridgeport)

Coffee Shops

Brothers K (Evanston, IL)

Metropolis Coffee (Edgewater)

Starlounge Coffee Bar (Humboldt Park)

Cuban

90 Miles (Logan Square)

La Unica (Edgewater)

Paladar (Bucktown)

Food Trucks

5411 Empanadas

French

La Boulangerie (Logan Square)

Italian

Anteprima (Andersonville)

Davanti Enoteca (Little Italy)

The Half-Italian Grocer (Logan Square)

The Rosebud (Little Italy/University Village)

Jewish

Manny’s (University Village)

Korean

San Soo Gab San (Lincoln Square)

Latin American

Maya del Sol (Oak Park, IL)

Mexican

The Jam House (Pilsen)

La Casa del Pueblo (Pilsen)

Tamales lo Mejor del Guerrero (Rogers Park)

Taqueria Moran (Logan Square)

Middle Eastern

Al Bawadi (Bridgeview, IL)

Middle Eastern Bakery (Andersonville)

Pita Inn (Skokie, IL)

Miscellaneous 

The Spice House (Old Town and Evanston, IL)

Seafood

GT Fish & Oyster (River North)

Suggestions for where I should eat next? Let me know!