Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Sure, this city has great architecture, museums, and sports venues. But at its heart, Chicago is really a food town. This is evident in the priority that good eating takes, no matter the occasion. Rain or shine, locals will wait in a line that snakes around the corner for dolled-up doughnuts at Doughnut Vault. They’ll reserve part of their paychecks to dine at inventive Alinea. And they love to talk about their most recent meal—just ask.
It's no wonder that outdoor festivals are often centered on food, from Taste of Chicago in summer, which packs the grounds at Grant Park, to smaller celebrations, like the German-American fest in Lincoln Square, a mini-Oktoberfest in fall.
Although the city has always had options on the extreme ends of the spectrum—from the hole-in-the wall Italian beef sandwich shops to the special-occasion spots—it's now easier to find eateries in the middle that serve seasonal menus with a farm-to-table mantra. For the budget conscious, it's also a great time to dine: some talented chefs aren't bothering to wait for a liquor license, opening BYOB spots turning out polished fare (just try Ruxbin in West Town).
Expect to see more Chicago chefs open casual concepts—Rick Bayless, Paul Kahan, and Michael Kornick have a head start with their respective sandwich, taco, and burger spots. Yet the goal remains the same: to feed a populace that knows good food and isn't willing to accept anything less than the best. In the following pages, you'll find our top picks, from quick bites to multicourse meals, in the city's best dining neighborhoods.
Be prepared to stand in line for the mouthwatering apple cinnamon pancakes, a massive disk loaded with apples, or the German pancake, a puffy oven-baked circle topped with powdered sugar. There are several branches, but the original Wilmette restaurant is where scenes from the 1980 movie Ordinary People were shot.
The C&TE dates back to 1974, when cappuccino was still exotic and Starbucks was just a small coffee upstart. Today the Exchange retains the bohemian vibe of 70's Lakeview with dozens of flavored syrup bottles and jars of tea and spices lining the walls while shelves are full of filters, French presses, pour-over coffeemakers, and coffee-themed gifts. Huge barrels of coffee beans form the queue to get to the register, where you can grab lattes, cold brews, and bulk coffee to go in house-roasted blends like Java Blue Batavia and Tasmanian Peaberry.
This place was named to invoke the pre-chain days when coffeehouses were forums for discussion, but the long, broad farmer's tables and handsome couches are usually occupied by students and other serious types who treat the café like their office. Intelligentsia does all of its own coffee roasting and sells its house blends to local restaurants. The North Broadway branch is the original location that spawned two additional Chicago spaces as well as cafés in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond.
Morning or afternoon, there's a buzz in the air at the first U.S. outpost of a Ukraine-based third-wave roaster—and it's not just all the caffeine. Since debuting in 2024, the petite corner café has fast become a neighborhood favorite for its cool, minimalist vibe, an excellent selection of baked goodies like chocolate-dipped croissants, and potent brews made from beans roasted in the motherland.
The largest Starbucks in the world offers a 35,000-square-foot coffee wonderland across five floors. Smell coffee brewing in a Chemex or siphon while beans whoosh in overhead tubes in the multi-sensory experience. Watch live coffee roasting on the ground level, snag one of many sleek seats along floor-to-ceiling windows, or admire Michigan Avenue views from the roof terrace. Reserve ahead for tours or hands-on experiences like Art of the Espresso Martini or Coffee Lab: A Journey of the Senses to skip the line when it gets busy (especially on the weekends).
The original location of Uncommon Ground is roomy and inviting, with a hand-carved bar and large street-facing windows offering views of passersby; patrons brave the wait for bowls of coffee and hot chocolate. There's also a full bar, a hearty menu with plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free items, and even an organic brewery (Greenstar Brewing) on-site. Perks include two fireplaces, sidewalk tables, and a steady lineup of acoustic musical acts. A second location in the Edgewater neighborhood ( 1401 West Devon Avenue) gets bonus points for eco-friendliness, with a garden on the roof, solar panels, and tables made from reclaimed wood.
