What a difference a week makes. This time seven days ago, Daniel Walker and I were off to Chicago for a weekend of eating. Now, I’m recapping the entire experience, including every single place we ate and/or drank at. Truthfully, there’s wasn’t one bad bite during the entire trip. Everything on the ranking below falls on the spectrum of “good to outstanding.” And please keep in mind, this list is based on one experience at each place. It’s light, fun reading and hopefully a nice reference for your next Chicago trip. Here we go…
13. Fannie May Chocolate, Dylan’s Candy Bar, Argo Tea Café, Leonidas Chocolate: I lumped all of these places into one because they were all quick hitters … just places I got a cup of coffee, a chocolate bar, or a small éclair. The real standout here was the French press at Leonidas Chocolate.
12. Firecakes Donuts: Firecakes is a cute little donut shop with a limited, yet varied selection of designer donuts. I opted for the peanut butter and jelly-filled donut, while Dan ordered one of everything (and this was after our second dinner and a previous donut shop). Neither of us were blown away by this place, but a little of our apathy was due to already full stomachs.
11. Jake Melinick’s: This sports bar proved to be a pleasant surprise, although with all of the wonderful sports bars throughout the Chicago area, I really shouldn’t be shocked that most of them are churning out quality food, as was the case with JM’s. My enormous Asian chicken salad and local draft beer both hit the spot.
10. Purple Pig: The damn place was located right across the street from our hotel, so it’s not like we weren’t going to check out Purple Pig. After a two hour wait (which we were able to spend in our hotel room), we sat down at 10 p.m. at a communal table. We shared a few small plates while eavesdropping on a miserable, yet entertaining first date. Sketchy service and a few less than stellar dishes (like a heavily sauced, petit chicken) left us a tad disappointed with our PP experience.
9. Publican Quality Meats: Low key was definitely the theme of this food trip, so rather than eat at The Publican, we opted to dine at its more casual sister restaurant, Publican Quality Meats. Think Hillcrest Artisan Meats, but with a bigger selection of cured meats. We split The Grinder, which I’d say was good, not great, and certainly not in the same ballpark as many of HAM’s sandwiches.
8. Portillo’s: I needed my Chicago hot dog fix and Portillo’s provided just that. It was no frills but damn good … just what I wanted. Props to Stalker Walker for suggesting Portillo’s.
7. Girl & the Goat: This is just a badass restaurant. It’s the place to be on a Friday night in Chicago, and unfortunately for us, we didn’t make reservations and had to wait nearly three hours for a table. Again, we split a few small plates … some were hits, others, like the Pig’s Face, seemed a little off. Don’t get me wrong, G&G is a great spot, but if we had to do it all over again, I think we would have ordered some lighter dishes.
6. Urbanbelly: Urbanbelly is where the shit starts to get real. Waygu dumplings, rice flour donuts, and a peanut butter and jelly sundae, all served up in a hip and inviting atmosphere, tends to make me happy. I’d go back to Urbanbelly in a heartbeat.
5. Little Goat Diner: Little Goat is Girl & the Goat’s less sexy, albeit still hot, sister. It’s more down-to-earth and a restaurant you could see yourself growing old with. Creeped out yet? Good, my work is done here. One more thing … order the Asian chicken sandwich. It will not disappoint.
4. Stan’s Donuts: I’ve eaten at A LOT of places with Daniel Walker, but never have I seen him as excited as when he approached the entrance of Stan’s Donuts. Imagine Christmas morning X 1000. But you know what? Stan’s lived up to the hype, especially that banana biscoff donut. Goodness!
3. Belly Shack: Yet another sister restaurant … and as much as I loved Urbanbelly, Belly Shack was even better. We split a plate of tater tots with an insanely addictive cheese sauce and pickled jalapenos, as well as a beef bowl (think bibimbap). Belly Shack is super casual with a hipster vibe, and I imagine it’s quite a popular spot with the locals.
2. Crisp: I’d pay $1000 right now to have Crisp in Little Rock. If you’ve never experienced Korean fried chicken, do the right thing and de-virginize yourself at Crisp. Super crispy (Captain Obvious), sweet and spicy, this fried chicken is unlike any other you’ve ever had.
1. 90 Miles Cuban Café: I have no earthly idea how Walker found this place, but he did, and for that I will be forever indebted to him. We ordered two of their signature dishes—Puerco Rostiszado and Fricase de Pollo—which were both featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The latter, which I consumed, was the most succulent stewed chicken I’ve ever eaten. 90 Miles was the last restaurant on our Eat Chicago tour, and it was also the best (at least for me).