There are many culinary delights to enjoy in Chicago during convention week (and beyond)
When we first arrived in Chicago some 20 years ago after a cross-country trip that began in Seattle, my then-girlfriend and I ducked into the nearest pizza joint and ordered two slices of something called the "Garbage" pizza.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was the single best slice of pizza I'd ever tasted. We could only imagine what culinary delights awaited us if we put even a little thought into our next dining excursion.
Two decades later, much has changed in Chicago: The Sears Tower is now named after some guy named Willis; the Cubs finally won another World Series; and a super shiny (recently restored) object nicknamed "The Bean" has, almost overnight, become Chicago's most famous feature.
What hasn't changed is the food. In fact, it's probably even better now. So if you'll overlook this writer's culinary roots — I grew up in a country famous for jellied eels, cold pork pies and "mushy" peas — here are some recommendations — some familiar spots, perhaps some not so, for what to eat while you're in Chicago (hot dogs, beef sandwiches and deep dish pizza aside):
Twin Anchors Restaurant & Tavern, 1655 N. Sedgwick St., twinanchorsribs.com
Twin Anchors feels like one of those oh-so-Chicago neighborhood diners or taverns that only the locals should know about. It does have a charming, homey feel, but it’s one that’s been appreciated through the decades by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Goldie Hawn. What do they come for? Perch or walleye? The restaurant’s name is misleading. You can order a grilled fish sandwich or a fish fry, but the restaurant is best known for its slow-cooked ribs. Open daily. Check the web site for hours. Price: $31 (for a full slab of ribs); $22 (half slab)
Little Goat Diner 3325 N. Southport Ave., littlegoatchicago.com
In a city with as many and varied food offerings as Chicago, it's ridiculous to talk about the "very best sandwich." Worse still to push to the pinnacle a place that isn't strictly a sandwich joint. Do I care? No. And you won't either after you've tasted the Little Goat Diner's Tonkatsu, an obscenely large, perfectly breaded pork cutlet, caressed with tonkatsu sauce, kewpie and pickled veggie slaw, all enclosed in pillowy white bread. Open every day, starting at 8 a.m. Price: $19
Lou Mitchell’s, 565 W. Jackson Blvd., loumitchells.com
If you’re downtown and you ask a local for a good breakfast spot, they will surely throw this Chicago institution into the mix because, chances are, it’s close to your hotel and if you’re a political junkie, you’ll appreciate the fact that almost every wannabe president, Illinois governor, mayor, etc., makes a stop here to press the flesh. Is it, as billed, the “best breakfast on the planet”? They’ve been here for 101 years — so they must be doing something right. Not ordering one of their “fluffy jumbo” omelettes is like visiting the Louvre for the first time and choosing to pass on the Mona Lisa. There are two dozen or so offerings. I’m partial to the smoked salmon and onion. Open Wednesday through Sunday. Check the web site for hours. Price: $18.25 for the smoked salmon and onion; prices start at $13.95 for a plain omelette.
Smoque BBQ, 3800 N. Pulaski, smoquebbq.com
I cannot offer an objective opinion about Smoque, one of the city's most popular BBQ spots. My thoughts are still clouded by a recent trip, toward the tail end of the pandemic, when I was finally freed from the stale odors of my own kitchen to savor someone else's cooking. I ate with the unashamed gusto of the Cookie Monster. And I kept on eating — eating so much, I thought I was going to ... . But don't let that stop you. The food is rich and delicious, but for the sake of your long-term health, probably best to be sampled only once every couple of weeks or so. Everything is good, but I'm partial to the sliced brisket sandwich, which comes with slaw and one side. Open Tuesday through Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. Price: $20
Piccolo Sogno, 464 N. Halsted, piccolosognorestaurant.com
If I owned Chef Tony Priolo’s restaurant, I might rename it, “Piccolo Segreto,” (Little Secret) because it has one of the loveliest hidden gardens in the city. Its sun-dappled patio almost makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a restaurant in the Tuscan countryside. Priolo takes his cooking seriously. He grew up on the Northwest Side. His Sicilian-American grandmother — with little Tony in tow — would take three buses to get to all the places she needed for her grocery shopping. He’s spent time studying cooking in the Tuscan town of Artimino, Italy.
“She taught me that it’s really important to get the right ingredients, no matter what it takes,” Priolo said of his grandmother. “Because Italian food is simple. So if you start with getting the best ingredients, then it’s not going to be wrong.”
Every time I go to Piccolo Sogno, I order the same thing — the pappardelle con cinghiale (wild boar ragu) because it reminds of me why I fell in love with Bella Toscana so many years ago. Open daily. Check the web site for times. Price: $30
Crisp, 2940 N. Broadway, crisponline.com
I rarely eat fried chicken because I’m a father deep into middle age with two smallish children. But if the world was about to end and I couldn’t find a French pastry shop, I’d probably rush into this tiny Broadway storefront with the tangerine awning and cram as many pieces of chicken into my mouth as I could before the lights went out. My friends tell me the chicken wings are the best — served with the “sassy” sauce that is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, a sauce that never overwhelms the taste buds. Open Tuesday through Sunday, starting at 11:30 a.m. Price: $12.95 (for five wings)
Frasca Pizzeria & Wine Bar, 3358 N. Paulina St., frascapizzeria.com
Parents of small children living on or near the North Side of the city all know about this place. The Frasca folks — part of the 4 Star Restaurant Group — are smart. They provide a relaxed, cozy atmosphere with quality Italian food — and here’s the clever bit — a kids’ meal is free, as long as you order before 6 p.m. So come later, if you don’t like seeing munchkins with one finger jammed up a nostril a moment before it goes into their vanilla ice cream. A lot of people come here for the bruschetta, cured meats and cheese platters. I’m Italian — fussy about my pasta. Is it like Nonna used to make in Capri? No, but it’s very good. Serve me the rigatoni with Italian sausage, tomato cream, peas and ricotta, and I’ll go home a happy man. Open daily. Check web site for hours. Price: $21
Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen, 1141 S. Jefferson St., mannysdeli.com
I grew up in England in the 1970s and early ‘80s, when a sandwich came on white or “brown” bread with a stingy smear of butter and a single slice of either ham or cheese (rarely both). To behold the wedge of meat that is Manny’s reuben sandwich is to better understand why the colonists left England in the first place and to wonder if Americans have since developed a more flexible jaw hinge to accommodate so colossal a sandwich. So yes, conventioneer, you come to Manny’s for the MEAT! A Reuben comes with your choice of corned beef, pastrami, turkey pastrami or roasted turkey, grilled with Swiss cheese and kraut, served with homemade 1000 dressing, pickles, and mustard. Open daily, beginning at 8 a.m. Price: $21.95
XOCO, 449 N. Clark, xocochicago.com
OK, I lied, there is another sandwich that rivals the Little Goat Diner’s tonkatsu. I’m actually thinking about it now, having just eaten a heap of lettuce garnished with six flavorless tomatoes and some stale croutons. The sandwich, made at one of celebrity chef Rick Bayless’ restaurants clustered on Clark, is everything my salad wasn’t: crispy, juicy, just the right combination of sweet and savory, decadent — I need to stop. Try the Milanesa torta (a Mexican sandwich made on the griddle): crispy chicken, artisan Jack cheese, pickled jalapeños, cilantro crema, red onions, Napa cabbage, tomatillo avocado salsa, black bean spread. Open Tuesday through Saturday. Check web site for hours. Price: $15
Greek Islands, 200 S. Halsted, greekislands.net
Looking for a romantic spot tucked into a quiet side street, offering an experience that transports you back to that long-ago summer fling on Mykonos? You’ve come to the wrong place. Keep a firm grip on your glass of ouzo because at any moment, a waiter will dash over, pull out a lighter and yell, “Opa!” as the saganaki (Greek cheese) briefly bursts into flame. But that’s why you’ve come here — for the fun (and the food). Even the locals enjoy the spectacle. My Polish-Greek colleague, Tina Sfondeles, tells me that saganaki (originally a Chicago dish) can even be found in the Old Country these days. That’s like me visiting Papa in Florence and finding an Italian beef stand next to the Duomo! Tina recommends the chicken shishkabob — two juicy, lemony skewers of marinated chicken breast, and, of course, the Flaming Saganaki. Open Tuesday through Sunday. Check web site for hours. Price: $19.95 (shishkabob); $9.50 (Saganaki)
Spacca Napoli, 1769 W. Sunnyside, spaccanapolipizzeria.com
There are dozens and dozens of place to eat great pizza in Chicago. But Spacca Napoli has it all: a constantly evolving menu that's as authentically Italian as you'll find anywhere in the city. The wine is shipped in from the southern Italian island of Ischia, the mozzarella di bufala comes from the Caserta province just north of Naples. And the location, at the neighborhoody corner of Ravenswood and Sunnyside, is charming. A must-try — the Bufalina, which is simple but delicious: a base of blended San Marzano tomatoes, creamy (and perfectly sour) mozzarella di bufala, fresh basil and pecorino gran cru. Open Tuesday thru Sunday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Price: $20
Big Star, 1531 N. Damen, bigstarchicago.com
Tell someone living in Chicago that you're a fan of Big Star, and they'll instantly reel off a half dozen taco joints that make better, "more authentic" tacos — and with a less-irritating hipster crowd (at least in the Wicker Park location). Sure, but few other lunch places have me dreaming of perfectly seasoned pork belly and grilled pineapple as soon as I'm within a two-mile radius of the kitchen. All of the tacos are delicious, but especially the al pastor, which comes with marinated pork shoulder, grilled pineapple, grilled onion and cilantro. Open daily. Check the web site for times and other locations. Price: $6 per taco
Jibaritos Y Mas, 3400 W. Fullerton, jibaritoschicago.com
A couple of years ago, I was strolling through the city’s Pilsen neighborhood, having just watched a re-enactment of the last days of Christ pageant wind its way through the streets. It was a long day and I'd built up quite an appetite. I put my reporter’s notebook away and ducked into this Puerto Rican restaurant. There, I ate my very first Jibarito, a giant sandwich with fried green plantains instead of bread, and more mayonnaise than should be legal. My colleague, Sun-Times photographer Pat Nabong, is a big jibarito fan, too. She recommends the lechon asado with rice (roast pork). Open daily. Check web site for hours. Sandwich price: $13.79
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar, 2700 W. Chicago, heritage-chicago.com
Full disclosure, I have never been here. My co-worker David MacKay offered one and only one dining suggestion. So it’s got to be good, right? Which glistening, tongue-tickling variety of caviar does David recommend? David works in public radio. So on a budget. David recommends something I’ve never heard of: a Chicago-Style Italian shaved-lamb sandwich, with peppers, provolone, jus and house fermented giardiniera.
“The lamb is cooked to perfection and is balanced with the tangy house-made giardiniera,” David says. “The roll was perfectly soft and chewy, able to hold a hefty amount of jus. So you'll need to grab that knife and fork.” Open daily. Check web site for hours. Price: $16
Valois Restaurant 1518 E. 53rd St., valoisrestaurant.com
If you're one of those people who agonizes over whether to have bacon or turkey sausage, rye toast or biscuit, you might not love this Hyde Park institution. Things move conveyor-belt fast at Valois (pronounced Valoyz). You order at one end of the counter and, miraculously, your food is ready when you reach the other end. And bring cash, or be prepared to use the cash machine. But it's hard to beat the no-frills atmosphere in a place that packs in locals, tourists and, from time to time, favorite son Barack Obama. My colleague Ellery Jones recommends the Everything Omelette. Open daily, 6 a.m to 3 p.m. Price: $10.95
(Prices are subject to change)