Chicago Food
Chicago regularly tops polls as the gourmet's destination of choice due to the quality of dining available and amount of top-name chefs on offer. Yet prices are available at all levels, meaning that everyone should be able to find a restaurant to suit their palette and wallet.
The city is known for a variety of cuisines, from "soul food" to the famous Chicago-style pizza with its thick, gooey base. Chicago also has its own way of making hotdogs, with thick Vienna beef, but visitors are warned that putting anything other than mustard, particularly ketchup, is a mortal sin in the Windy City.
Another popular hotdog is the Maxwell Street Polish which is made with Polish sausage, highlighting the dishes from different parts of the world. Italian and Polish restaurants coexist along with Greektown on South Halsted, Little Italy on Taylor Street, Chinatown on the near south side, and Indo-Pak on Devon Avenue.
It may seem hard to choose a start, but those in know recommend Army & Lou's for the genuine Chicago soul food experience, with good food and prices.
Huey's Hotdogs is for those who want to get a genuine piece of Chicago culture inside them, while anyone in a rush but wishing to mingle with the locals would choose Mr Beef, famous for its quality "no frills" options.
For those wishing to eat at the home of the Chicago-style pizza there is Pizzeria Uno in East Ohio Street. But for the more adventurous, the stuffed pizza is also a Chicago tradition and the most popular can be found at Giordano's.
While much of Chicago's cuisine is described with pride as working-class, that is not to say that upmarket eateries have been excluded. If anything, they abound in the Great Lakes metropolis.
Charlie Trotter's Restaurant in Lincoln Park is home to Trotter and pastry chef Della Gossett with quality cooking which draws punters in from far away. However, it is so popular that bookings usually have to be made months in advance.
But anyone feeling a bit flash and wishes to hang around with the big-money makers, the city's stock exchange has just opened Everest on the 40th floor, offering French cuisine and spectacular views.
Frontera Grill, a gourmet Mexican restaurant owned by Food Network star Rick Bayless, is also a popular hotspot for those looking to eat well in a venue run by a top-name chef.
As a city famous for its music and poetry, Chicago also hosts diners for patrons to sit and enjoy the atmosphere as well as a good meal, mainly to be found in the Uptown neighbourhood.
With such a selection, it is little surprise that the city was named as the best in the USA for its restaurants by this June's GQ magazine.
Good cheap air connections to Chicago are available all year round, but many would suggest going between January to March. Although the weather is cold and windy, it will encourage visitors to stay in and enjoy the food, while also having a better chance of getting a place at a top eatery.
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Eating & Drinking
