22 Iconic Chicago Foods to Try in the Windy City

Looking for the most iconic Chicago foods to try in the Windy City? Chicago is, without a doubt, one of the nation’s best cities for food, and with more than 7,300 restaurants, according to the City of Chicago, it’s in a league of its own when it comes to signature dishes. Here, we believe the question isn’t “What food is Chicago known for?” — it’s “What foods is Chicago known for?”

Ask a local about the best pizza in Chicago, and you'll find the house divided between deep-dish and tavern-style. When you start talking handhelds, you'll get a history lesson in Chicago hot dogs, the Italian beef, the jibarito and something called a gym shoe.

From world-famous dishes to furtive fares on the city’s best-kept secret menus, we’re firm believers that the ever-popular Chicago has it all. If, at this stage, you're eager to answer the question: "What food is Chicago known for?", read on to discover 22 of the most iconic Chicago foods and where to find them.

 Jump to Section

• How We Choose the Best Chicago Foods
• The 22 Best Foods in Chicago, IL
• Get a Taste of Famous Chicago Foods

How We Choose the Best Chicago Foods

At Cozymeal, our mission has always been to connect food lovers with memorable culinary experiences that are as fascinating as they are enlightening. That promise has led us down a path of documenting and sharing compelling information that educates people about cuisines from around the world. In this particular instance, our goal was to provide you, the (hungry) reader, with useful information on the most iconic Chicago foods.

As such, our editorial team undertook a meticulous research process to ensure that we highlighted dishes that embody the rich culinary heritage the Second City is so well known and loved for. This exercise included drawing from a wide array of sources, including Chicago food blogs, restaurant reviews, insights from chefs and historical records.

We also ensure the following requirements are met before finalizing our list:

• The foods have a documented history tied to the city, either by way of originating in it or gaining prominence over time.
• Meals and/or ingredients are widely recognized by locals, experts and culinary lore as being iconic Chicago foods.
• The dishes are consistently sold at popular eateries and festivals, making them widely available to locals and tourists.
• The foods cater to various diets and taste preferences, inviting as many people as possible to dig in.

The result is a detailed, authoritative guide that highlights only the most popular and flavorful Chicago foods, each worth trying more than once.

The 22 Best Foods in Chicago, IL

1. Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza at Lou Malnati’s

If there’s one Chicago food that’s the best known, our vote goes to deep-dish pizza. Composed of a thick crust, zesty tomato sauce, personalized toppings and a behemoth layer of cheese, the Chicago deep-dish dares to be different. 

There's a lot of local competition claiming that they have the best deep-dish pizza in Chicago, but we’re sure that Lou Malnati’s holds the crown. The heavy blend of cheese and vine-ripened tomato sauce inside a unique, oh-so-good butter crust holds a special place in Chicagoans’ hearts.

Lou Malnati’s | Multiple Locations | $$

2. Chicago Style Hot Dog at Portillo’s

You’d probably agree with us in saying that a true Chicago hot dog follows a very specific list of ingredients: a Vienna beef hot dog that’s water-bathed (not boiled), placed inside a steamed poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, fluorescent green relish and chopped white onions. It doesn’t end there, though, as spicy sport peppers, tomato slices, a dill pickle spear and a dash of celery salt are also crucial parts of this popular meal. 

Ketchup is strictly forbidden, of course. Wondering where to find the best hot dogs in Chicago? At Portillo’s, you’ll get the quintessential example of this famous Chicago food, and we know that few places (if any) master this iconic meal better.

Portillo’s | Multiple Locations | $

3. Chicago Style Popcorn at Garrett Popcorn

Ask any of the city’s most fervent foodies and they’ll tell you that Chicago popcorn is synonymous with the Garrett Mix at Garrett Popcorn. This famous must-try food in Chicago is a blend of Garrett’s CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn popcorn flavors, both made in old-fashioned copper kettles using secret family recipes. 

The mix has been a favorite Chicago food since the shop first opened in 1949. You’ll find multiple Garrett’s locations throughout Chicago (as well as several cities around the world), each offering tons of different popcorn flavors in their signature blue and black-striped tins. If you ever aren’t sure, you’ll realize you’re near one of Chicago’s Garrett Popcorn shops when you see the out-the-door line of countless hungry visitors.

Garrett Popcorn | Multiple Locations | $$

4. Italian Beef Sandwich at Al’s Italian Beef

The Italian beef Chicago sandwich is one of the city’s most famous creations, and that’s not just our opinion. The sandwich consists of a crusty Italian roll piled high with thinly sliced and seasoned roast beef, plus your choice of peppers and au jus sauce. 

There’s a fierce debate among locals as to who has the city’s best Italian beef Chicago sandwich. Based on our knowledge, Al’s claims to be the inventor of this iconic Chicago food, and has won countless awards since it opened in 1938. 

At Al’s, you can order your sandwich dry (just a splash of gravy), wet (with extra gravy) or dipped (loaded with gravy). What further adds to this being one of the best Chicago foods is that you can top it off with a variety of different cheeses and sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera for some heat.

Al’s Italian Beef | Multiple Locations | $

5. Rainbow Cone at The Original Rainbow Cone

This classic Chicago food is a cake cone piled high with chocolate, strawberry and Palmer House (vanilla with cherries and walnuts), along with pistachio and orange sherbet ice cream (in that order). In our books, it’s a summertime staple and Instagram-worthy dessert that has remained virtually unchanged since it was first scooped in 1926. 

You can find this Chicago food at The Original Rainbow Cone, which has locations across the city and in the greater Chicago area. Besides the brick-and-mortar stores, we’ve got the inside scoop on the brand’s bright pink truck, usually parked outside the John G. Shedd Aquarium, where you can also grab a cone filled with your favorite flavors.

The Original Rainbow Cone | Multiple Locations | $

6. Tamales From The Tamale Guy

Tamales may not have been invented in Chi-Town, but The Tamale Guy’s varieties are certainly some of the most iconic Chicago foods. Claudio Velez, otherwise known as the "Tamale Guy" himself, is known to stroll through the doors toting his famous red coolers packed to the brim with hand-rolled tamales, eliciting a cheer from the locals. 

If you’re a hungry foodie eager to taste Claudio’s delectable creations, we’d recommend the chicken tamale for the most succulent flavors. Other flavors include pork and queso con rajas, all of which are made with corn husk tamales that are gluten-free.

The Tamale Guy | 2934 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, IL 60647 | $

7. Cinnamon Rolls at Ann Sather

Layers and layers of cinnamon rolled into a satisfyingly chewy, buttery dough, dripping with a sweet vanilla glaze — this is Ann Sather. Its cinnamon rolls are one of those famous Chicago foods that have kept customers coming through its doors for almost 80 years. 

Ann Sather sells a bevy of breakfast items (which won’t disappoint if you feel the need to order some “real” food), but people in Chicago have been coming here for the oven-fresh, made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls since 1945. In our opinion, it’s one of the best Chicago foods when paired with the eatery’s white or chocolate milks.

Ann Sather | Multiple Locations | $$

8. Rib Tips at Lem’s Bar-B-Q

North Carolina bleeds pulled pork, Kansas City knows burnt ends and Texas has brisket on lock. But when it comes to Chicago cuisine, you’d likely agree with us that it’s all about rib tips. 

Rib tips are an oft-overlooked barbecue specialty, but they’re the main attraction at old-school Chicago smoke shacks like Lem’s Bar-B-Q. This iconic Chicago food is cooked in a customized aquarium smoker, 64 square feet in size — the largest in the city — and slathered in a sweet sauce with a unique flavor that keeps people coming back for more.

Lem’s Bar-B-Q | 311 E. 75th St., Chicago, IL 60619 | $$

9. Chorizo-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates at Avec Restaurant

This famous restaurant opened back in 2003 and quickly made a name for itself as one of the most famous food places in Chicago. Thanks to its elegant yet approachable atmosphere and the invention of one of the best Chicago foods the Midwest had ever encountered, it’s constantly buzzing with crowds of famished customers, both regular visitors and first-timers.

You’ll understand what all the hype is about when you try the plump Medjool dates at Avec Restaurant, which undergo the full hog treatment to become the iconic Chicago food they are. Filled with spiced chorizo before being swaddled in a thick slab of bacon, that’s already enough to make it one of the best Chicago foods in our eyes. To make them even more delectable, they’re fired until crisp and doused in a warm piquillo pepper-tomato sauce.

Avec Restaurant | Multiple Locations | $$$

10. Jibarito at Jibaritos y Más

The jibarito holds a tried-and-true spot on our list of iconic Chicago foods. A work of culinary genius, the Puerto Rican-inspired jibarito, which translates to “little hillbilly” in Spanish, is a sandwich made from shredded beef or ultra-thin cut steak, topped with tomatoes, lettuce and garlic mayonnaise, all fixed between two fried and flattened green plantains. 

Does it sound as enticing to you as it does to us? If so, pop into Jibaritos y Más, one of many Puerto Rican restaurants that serve this legendary Chicago food in its most traditional form. You can also tick this off your Chicago foodie bucket list by trying the chicken, pork and octopus variants at this popular eatery.

Jibaritos y Más | Multiple Locations | $$

11. Tavern-Style Pizza at Vito and Nick’s Pizzeria

Once you've indulged in the deep dish variant, it's time to try Chicago's other favorite pizza: tavern-style. Where does the name come from? When pizza first came on the scene, taverns served this Chicago food as an inexpensive bar snack to encourage more drinking. They cut them into squares to allow for better snacking and to get more mileage on their pies. 

We’re on the fence here, but most urbanites will tell you that they actually prefer these cracker-thin, square-cut pies. One of the best places to try this iconic meal is Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria — a South Side institution that’s been perfecting this iconic Chicago food since 1923. 

Vito and Nick’s Pizzeria | 8433 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL 60652 | $$

12. Fried Chicken With Mild Sauce at Harold’s Chicken Shack

A favorite among locals and celebrities, Harold’s Chicken Shack dishes out what many consider to be the best fried chicken in the city and, on top of that, one of the best Chicago foods overall. The popular chain has dozens of locations in the area, with a majority on the South Side. 

The chicken’s distinctive flavor is a result of being cooked to order in vegetable oil and beef tallow. We believe that the eatery’s mild sauce — a tomato-tinged, tartly sweet, smoky and ever-so-slightly spicy potion — is also a Chicago food that’s taken on mythic importance.

Harold’s Chicken Shack | Multiple Locations | $

13. Mapo Tofu at Lao Sze Chuan

The opening of Lao Sze Chuan marked the emergence of chef and restaurateur Tony Hu, Chicago’s standard-bearer for Sichuan food. To eat here is to raise your body temperature, to break into a soft sweat and to know no way out of it; take it from us, though, you’ll love every part of it. 

Patrons zero in on Lao Sze Chuan like heat-seeking missiles for the mapo tofu — molten, silky cubes swimming in a tingling, Sichuan pepper-charged broth. This must-try Chicago food helped launch the eatery from a small Chinatown joint in 1998 to a Midwestern mapo tofu empire.

Lao Sze Chuan | Multiple Locations | $$

14. Smoked Shrimp at Calumet Fisheries 

This humble Far South Side fish shack has been marinating and smoking award-winning seafood over specially selected oak logs since 1948. Fast forward 62 years, and in 2010, Calumet Fisheries was recognized in the America’s Classics category by the James Beard Foundation. 

Never heard of this prestigious honor? Given to just five restaurants nationwide each year, the award acknowledges places “with timeless appeal, beloved for quality food that reflects the character of their community” — qualities that Calumet Fisheries embodies and then some. The menu runs deep, but the smoked shrimp, tender and bursting with briny, meaty succulence, remains one of the best Chicago foods.

Calumet Fisheries | 3259 E. 95th St., Chicago, IL 60617 | $$

15. Off-Menu Beijing Duck Dinner at Sun Wah BBQ

The Beijing duck dinner is Sun Wah BBQ’s not-so-secret, off-menu signature dish and one of the best Chicago foods, especially for fans of Chinese cuisine. This multi-course feast starts with an entire duck, freshly roasted and carved tableside by the family-run spot’s expert staff. You’ll also enjoy steamed bao with garnishes and house-blended hoisin sauce. 

Then, just when you’re questioning whether it can get any better, what remains of the duck is returned to the kitchen, where lingering morsels are made into the second course: duck fried rice. Finally, the duck bones are rendered into a duck broth soup as the finishing course, confirming that this meal is not only one of the best Chicago foods but also an entire culinary experience.

Sun Wah BBQ | 5039 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640 | $$

16. Pierogi at Kasia’s Deli

If you're looking for the best pierogi in Chicago, we have no doubt you'll find what you're looking for at the bustling Kasia's Deli. This popular spot has been famous for its regular rotation of delicious Eastern European dumplings since 1982.

Flavor-packed fillings cover both classic and contemporary options, including beef, sauerkraut, and potato and cheese. There are sweet options too, such as strawberry, plum and wild blueberry. 

Like tamales, pierogi certainly weren’t invented in Chicago, but Kasia’s take on them has certainly cemented itself as an iconic Chicago food, making this spot one of the best diners in Chicago for something unique.

Kasia’s Deli | 2101 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622 | $

17. Buttermilk Old-Fashioned Doughnut at Do-Rite Donuts

When the doughnut craze hit the city, there was one ring that ruled them all: Do-Rite Donuts’ Buttermilk Old-Fashioned flavor. Craggy on the outside, pillowy-soft and delicate on the inside, and coated in a vanilla bean glaze, this doughnut is one of those classic Chicago foods that shines precisely because of its simplicity. 

If you’re getting a dozen, it wouldn’t hurt to order the vanilla birthday cake and pistachio-Meyer lemon doughnuts, too. If you’re in the mood for something more savory, Do-Rite Donuts is also known for another popular food in Chicago, IL: chicken. From tenders to sandwiches, and even meals that combine doughnuts and chicken, this spot has all the best fast food in Chicago you could ever dream up.

Do-Rite Donuts | Multiple Locations | $

18. Bing Bread at Parachute HiFi

Featuring a DJ booth, a mix of colorful and yellow lighting, and comfortable bar seating, the trendy Parachute HiFi is celebrated for its modern approach to Korean food. No matter what you order there, we’ve heard numerous people sing the praises of the most celebrated item at this famous Chicago restaurant: Bing bread. 

A menu mainstay since the day Parachute, the predecessor to Parachute HiFi, opened in 2014, it’s the most-ordered dish at this bustling eatery by a wide margin. This inviting appetizer is made of potato, bacon, cheese and scallions and ranks high on the list of must-try Chicago foods.

Parachute HiFi | 3500 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL 60618 | $$$

19. Single Cheeseburger at Au Cheval

The legendary cheeseburger at Au Cheval has repeatedly been dubbed not only an iconic Chicago food but also one of the best burgers in America. Thanks to this mouth-watering meal and many others, Au Cheval has earned its stripes as one of the best restaurants in Chicago.

The multi-award-winning cheeseburger at this West Loop restaurant is a scrumptiously sloppy masterpiece that features prime W.W. Johnson Farms beef griddled to greasy perfection at its center. The list of toppings is almost endless — starting with melty Kraft American cheese, housemade pickles and onions, together with a runny fried egg, thick-cut bacon and a dollop of tangy Dijonnaise spread, all stuffed into a buttery double-toasted bun. 

When ordering this iconic Chicago food, here’s a little tip from us: the "single" is actually a double, and the "double" is a triple. When you’re finished here, swing by Au Cheval’s offshoot eatery, Small Cheval, one of the best Wicker Park restaurants.

Au Cheval | 800 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607 | $$

20. Steak at Gene and Georgetti

Chicago is historically a meat-and-potatoes kind of town, and as a result, many of the country's top steakhouses reside here. When it comes to the classics, we maintain that you can’t do better than a steak at Gene and Georgetti, which opened back in 1941. 

This iconic Italian eatery sources only the highest quality American beef, graded in the top 2% for marbling and texture. What follows is a transformation process that turns the meat into one of the best Chicago foods — a combination of wet-aging the steaks, then broiling them to seal in flavor.

Gene and Georgetti | 500 N. Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60654 | $$$

21. Chicken Vesuvio at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse

Chicken Vesuvio is a true standout Chicago food, even on our list of so many favorites. No one really knows who invented this roast chicken dish featuring potato wedges and peas sautéed in white wine sauce, but many believe this iconic Chicago food first appeared on the menu at Vesuvio, a well-known restaurant, in the 1930s. 

Whatever its origins, Chicagoans claim it as their own, and who are we to argue? You can find it at almost every Italian restaurant in Chicago, but the real question is, who serves it best? Ask us and we’ll tell you that Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse version has been rated the best in town on more than one occasion and is a solid introduction to this Chicago food for both locals and tourists alike.

Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse | 33 W. Kinzie St., Chicago, IL 60654 | $$

22. Gym Shoe at Stony Sub

A culinary phenomenon is one of many ways we could describe the gym shoe — a towering sandwich piled with roast beef, corned beef and gyro meat. Everything gets shredded over a hot skillet, then mixed with sweet peppers, onions and giardiniera before receiving a healthy topping of tzatziki and tomatoes. 

The whole shebang is served atop a grilled Italian roll, complete with melty Swiss cheese and mayonnaise. When you start searching for this elusive Chicago food, one name comes up over and over again: Stony Sub. There’s no doubt in our minds that the Avalon Park restaurant has mastered the overstuffed feast of a sandwich.

Stony Sub | 8440 S. Stony Island Ave., Chicago, IL 60617 | $

Get a Taste of Famous Chicago Foods 

Whether you’re a local or visiting the Windy City for the first time, discovering some of the most iconic Chicago food is made easy with food tours in Chicago. These guided culinary tours will lead you on an exploration of Chicago foods found at famed eateries, warm and cozy restaurants, hole-in-the-wall joints and more. 

Led by some of the best tour guides in town, you’ll have the opportunity to taste and see Chicago like a local as you dive into some of the most picturesque and palate-pleasing experiences the city has to offer. From Chicago pizza tours to hot dog hot spots and burger joints, there's something for everyone.

Another great idea is trying a cooking class in Chicago. These chef-led sessions can teach you the tricks behind making many Chicago foods, from deep-dish pizza to hot dogs with all the fixings and so much more.

With thousands of restaurants across 77 neighborhoods, the Windy City has invented and perfected many dishes, but these are the 22 Chicago foods that really stand out. By using our list as a reference, you can see where locals go to satisfy their cravings for these iconic dishes and head home having eaten some of the city’s most storied meals.

For even more insight into the best Chicago foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.