Chicago · United States
The Chicago food cheat sheet
One page from Chef Amazing · November 2026
The dish to eat
Thin-sliced roast beef soaked in garlicky, herby jus, piled in a long roll with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera.
Best at Al's #1 Italian Beef, Taylor Street, Little Italy. Get: Italian beef, dipped, hot and sweet
Five places, and what to order
- Tony's Italian Beeffamily-run · West LawnGet: Beef with sweet peppers
- Carm'sclassic · University VillageGet: Dipped or dry beef, jus on the side
- Roma's Italian Beeffamily-run · Portage ParkGet: Beef with hot peppers
- Pizzeria Unofor deep-dish pizza · River NorthGet: Sausage deep dish
- Giordano'sfor stuffed pizza · Magnificent MileGet: Stuffed deep dish
The market
Food hall. Includes Egg Bunni, a breakfast-style Italian beef sandwich
The line worth it
KasamaUkrainian Village
Get: Morning pastries: the truffle croissant, a breakfast sandwich and an ube latte
Expect: Around 2 hours on weekends. Beat it: Pre-order online, or go on a weekday at opening.
How it works here
Tip: Tip 18-22% at sit-down restaurants, a dollar or two a drink at the bar.
Book: Book the hot places on Resy or OpenTable, often the day tables drop (2-4 weeks out); counters and slices are walk-in.
When locals eat: Lunch noon-2pm, dinner 6-9pm; it gets late only in the big cities.