Must Eat Places In Chicago – Before you head out to visit fantastic Chicago, Illinois, check out this list of the best places to eat! You will be in culinary heaven at these places.
About six months ago, I got on a plane with one of my besties, Yvonne, from Try and Taste, and we flew to Chicago to eat in the city. And for 2 1/2 days that’s exactly what we did! We flew into Chicago from Salt Lake City late Friday night and hung out until everything was planned for the weekend with food and activities. We polled our families and friends before we left and added some of our own perspectives to the mix. Places we’ve heard about through the Food Network and other sources. When planning Late Night, we thought of specific menu items that we wanted to save time at each location. The next morning we walked from our hotel, The Whitehall Hotel in Delver, and began our 2 1/2-day journey to find the best places to eat while in the Windy City. We walked almost the whole time and shared all kinds of delicious food. Not to mention tons of laughs! We had the best time together. I guarantee you will be seeing more of our travels in the future. With that said, I hope you enjoy my list of the best places to eat in Chicago!
Must Eat Places In Chicago
Our first stop took us to Wildberry Cafe and it was 100% worth the hour and a half wait! I ordered the spectacular “Signature Berry Bliss” Pancakes and a glass of their Wildberry Orange Juice. I wanted to order something Wildberry is known for, so pancakes were a no-brainer. It was breakfast heaven! These fluffy pancakes are stacked between layers of berry mascarpone and topped with vanilla anglaise and blackberry coulis. Easily the best pancakes I’ve ever had. You can order lunch at Wildberry too, but breakfast is what sets them apart from the rest.
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Toni Patisserie & Cafe was another must-try breakfast spot. While planning our late night Friday night, I decided I wanted to try a Toni Benedict and some pasta, as Toni Patisserie & Cafe is known for both. I love a good eggs benedict. It’s about perfectly poached eggs, homemade biscuits, Parisian-style ham, hollandaise sauce and breakfast potatoes. It was heavenly and definitely one of the best Eggs Benedict I’ve had.
After breakfast I went back to the counter and ordered an eclair and a box of French macarons for my husband to take home. Plus some extra pasta to enjoy! I’m totally drunk while walking. They had at least 10 pasta flavor options which made building a box very difficult! Other dessert options include fresh fruit tarts, scones, cream puffs, brownies and more! The entire list of cakes can be found on their website.
There is a well-known debate among Chicagoans and tourists over whether Giordano’s pizza or Lou Malnati’s is better. We decided to tackle both of them ourselves! Giordano’s clear favorite and definitely the best of the two. While I was enjoying the cheese bread at Lou Malnati’s, I wasn’t digging the stewed tomato flavor of the sauce. However, Giordano’s was fantastic. The crust, sauce and cheese were better in my opinion. Yvonne agreed that it was a better pizza. We ordered lunch pronto and each got a 6 inch pizza (cheese or pepperoni) and a caesar salad. And to top it all off, they have PEPSI PRODUCTS!! No doubt I’d order a Diet Pepsi with my lunch.
When I say it should be Magiano, I mean it. I can’t even adequately explain how much I loved our experience at Maggiano’s! We were immediately seated and enjoyed everything we ate, from appetizers to dessert. The service was excellent and we felt like part of the Magiano family. It was really something. We started dinner with home baked bread and calamari frites. Both were fantastic and I love that you have the option to order just the rings for the calamari. For dinner I ordered the Chicken Francese, chicken breast in parmesan with a side of arugula and tomato, crispy Vesuvio potatoes and a fabulous lemon butter. It was a dream! The arugula and tomatoes were my favorite part. This was one delicious dish. Yvonne ordered their famous Rigatoni “D”®, which included herb-roasted chicken, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and marsala cream sauce. It was a dream bowl of pasta. For dessert we had a mini dessert sampler on the house New York Cheesecake, Gigi’s Butter Cake, Tiramisu and Apple Crostada. The Apple Crostada was an apple pie dream! It almost tasted like apple ginger. It was perfectly crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. Gigi’s Butter Cake was my other favorite. It was like a warm doughnut. It’s so good!
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We felt like celebrities when Todd Houchin, managing partner, gave us a tour of the entire restaurant. This place is stunning to say the least! They can have a full restaurant and host large parties and receptions at the same time. We’re talking about multiple service histories. You wouldn’t think the place was that busy with how good the service was. Thank you so much Todd for a fantastic experience! It was nothing spectacular. We experienced the best Italian food I have ever eaten at Maggiano’s!
One of our other dinners was at Chicago Cut Steakhouse. If you’re looking for a good, quality steak, you need to go to Chicago Cut!
We started the dinner with a variety of bread that comes with the drink at the table. So delicious and a great way to start.
I ordered the marinated skirt steak for dinner and it was fantastic! One of the best steaks I’ve ever had. My dad cooks a traditional Japanese dish and my steak tasted just like what my dad cooks for this dish. It was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. Yvonne and I both ordered the Truffle Baked Fries and they were not only perfect for sharing, they were phenomenal. They were perfectly crisp and had just the right amount of truffle flavor. Amazing!
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One of the first things I noticed about the other diners when they got their food was that none of the steaks were cooked above medium rare. In fact, I saw a lot of rare and black and blue steaks. You know you’re in the presence of pro steak eaters when this is the case!
Oh my goodness, I found the perfect donut shop for you when you visit Chicago! There are no words when it comes to describing these donuts. We went to “Streeterville” across from Northwestern Memorial Hospital and it was such a hip and fun place. We ordered six donuts so we could get a decent variety of what Do-Rite has to offer. And boy were we happy! I almost had to take more to take home to my husband. I really wish I had! He would love these donuts. I guess we just have to go back!
Do-Rite Donuts Fun Fact: They’re famous for their chicken sandwiches! Yes, you read that right. Chicken sandwich on a donut. I didn’t get a chance to try the sandwich, but you better believe I’ll be back next time I’m in Chicago! A friend tried it a few months ago while in town and loved it.
This is the place to get your desserts! Talk about a fabulous variety of cupcakes and cakes. I loved ordering our dessert and then sitting by the window and enjoying the atmosphere of the bakery. It was so much fun watching these professionals frost and decorate the cakes. I mean, it was pretty spectacular. They also have a pretty adorable and quirky gift spot that I could totally skip. This is such a cute place!
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If you’re wondering if this is the same Magnolia Bakery in New York, the answer is yes. There are five New York locations and locations in Chicago and Los Angeles.
What was my favorite dessert, you ask? Banana pudding. You must try the world famous banana pudding! This item is famous for a reason. I wanted to please her forever. Back in the day they had Oreo Pudding and now they offer Peanut Butter Banana Pudding. That sounds amazing.
Did you know you can order banana pudding and have it shipped right to your home?! Gah! I didn’t know that until about 20 minutes ago and I’m dying just thinking about it. I know what I want for Christmas this year! Pudding and all kinds of favorites can be ordered here.
Aside from being accused of cutting the line, I enjoyed my experience at Molly’s
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