A few months ago I visited Chicago with my good friend. It was a spontaneous weekend and being that we didn’t have much planned we just saw the sights as we wandered the city. Here are a few places we ate at, some were recommendations and some we just wandered into. These are the places that you have to try when you visit the windy city.
Portillo’s
What started as a hot dog trailer 1963 is one of Chicago’s landmarks. They’re all over the midwest now and even have location in Buena Park, CA. At Portillo’s they have all of the Chicago style dogs and sandwiches. My favorite is the Italian Sausage/Italian Beef combo with hot peppers, you can’t go wrong there. For desert, try a chocolate cake shake. A delightful shake that really has a piece of cake blended in.
Gino’s East
I’m not sure who in Chicago makes the best deep dish, everyone seems to have their favorites. We hit up Gino’s because not only had we heard good things, it was really close to our hotel. It was awesome! Chicago style deep dish is like no other, you’ll have to try it for yourself!
Gino’s East – Deep Dish Pie
Meli Cafe
Again, down the street from our hotel we found Meli Cafe in search of a nice sit down breakfast on a relaxing Sunday morning. Fresh squeezed orange juice and traditional corned beef was my choice. It took me twice as long to decide what to order off of their impressive menu as it did for me to finish my meal.
Corned Beef Breakfast
Taste of Peru
I’m a huge fan of Peruvian food. Salt Lake has a few pretty decent places, but I’m always searching for new Peruvian restaurants. I never even thought of looking in Chicago, but saw once I saw Taste of Peru on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (yes I am a sucker for that show) I knew that I would make it a point to eat there. The tamales were amazing, papa a la huancaina tasty and the lomo saltado was so tender.
Taste of Peru – Papa A La Huancaina