Affordable Chicago Food Tour
Alright Serious Eaters, I need your help!
I'm heading to Chicago the week before Easter and I have a ton of free time. So my first thought was: food tour! Unfortunately, as a college student, my dining budget is smallish. I've set aside enough money that I won't have to eat off the Dollar Menu, but I can't swing any gourmet prices. So I'm looking for some dining ideas in the Chicago area that fall between those two extremes.
I don't have any hard and fast preferences as far as food styles. I'll try pretty much any ethnic/style once (or twice) so don't let an out there idea stop you!
I'm planning on being around the Michigan Mile at least one day of my trip and the rest is open for movement. The only other thing I need to make sure of is the safety of the places I go to eat. I'm a girl traveling alone, so I don't want to get into any serious trouble if I can avoid it.
Thanks so much for any suggestions!!
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18 Comments:
I may not have the cheapest ideas that you'll have posted, I had to put my two cents in about eating in Chi-town. I love, love, love the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company, not high class food but deeelicious. You have to get the pizza pot pie, it's ridiculous. http://www.chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com/menu.htm
For gourmet on a budget, try out the Kendall College Culinary Institute Dining Room. I haven't tried it but friends have and said it was excellent and their lunch menu is pretty affordable. http://culinary.kendall.edu/news-and-events/the-dining-room/ Hope you have fun in the windy city!
coltsfanchris at 1:22PM on 03/25/09
For the best sandwich in the city, and damn good coffee and desserts to go with it, swing by Lincoln Park and check out The Bourgeois Pig http://www.bpigcafe.com/
I almost always order the Veggie Panini (incredibly delicious, despite the somewhat banal name), although I have branched out once or twice into Pepper Panini and Secret Garden territory.
If you want to splurge a bit on dinner, Avec is really, really good.
ChristineB at 1:54PM on 03/25/09
No foodie's trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to Hot Doug's, my friend. Order off the specials menu. Bring cash. (also bring cash if you go to Oven Grinders - no plastic accepted there either last time i checked)
Also, taquerias are super cheap and super good in Chicago. Here are a couple often recommended ones: Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente @ 1400 N Ashland and Taqueria el Asadero @ 2213 W. Montrose Ave,
or Arturo's at Western and Armitage, which is across the street from the legendary Margie's Candies.
For a downtown option, there's Quartino, which is delicious and reasonable if you order off the small plates menu. Lots of affordable wines by the glass there too.
Where are you staying?
andshewas at 2:00PM on 03/25/09
I second Chicago Pizza And Oven Grinders; it's really unique. I also really like Cafe Iberico for tapas (although maybe that's not the best idea for solo dining).
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 2:05PM on 03/25/09
Have you searched Serious Eats for past Chicago threads? I feel as if the topic comes up every few months and I repost a lot of the same suggestions. I'm not sure where you're coming from, but Chicago is a much more affordable eating city (in my experience) than Manhattan, LA or Miami. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the gourmet fare you can get at very reasonable prices. I'm also a single woman, and would feel safe eating alone at any of the places I've recommended in previous threads.
chgoeditor at 2:21PM on 03/25/09
@chgoeditor: I'm posting this in additions to some of the other threads I've seen. Mostly due to the affordable option. A lot of the threads I've seen give preference to good food at a pricey price and I want to stay away from that if I can. Although, if you know of a thread that already covered this then show me the way and I'll declare this one unnecessary.
I've been to Chicago a couple times and have always managed to find good food at a reasonable price; this is the first time I really have the time to explore what the neighborhoods have to offer so I want to make sure I take advantage of that.
@andshewas: I'm staying in a few different places actually. With a colleague's sister in Lincoln Park, a friend's apartment who goes to De Paul, and a cousin's house who lives in a 'burb, but don't ask me which because I can't remember and haven't gotten directions yet. I'm planning on getting a metra/train pass for the week and just cruising around town (so any addresses or links with addresses are awesome so I can actually get to them).
Keep 'em coming
erysheep at 2:33PM on 03/25/09
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders.....their gigantic salads are amazing---I always bring home bottle of their store made sour cream garlic dressing and their poppy dressing...They have a great Mediteranean bread and we also enjoyed the sausage grinder with melted cheese....also .....
Garrett Popcorn.... G.P.has many different locations & at each location, the lines go out the door but it moves really fast...you will never view popcorn the same way again...their cheese popcorn is the bomb! I honestly don't know how you can melt cheese on popcorn and the popcorn is somewhat juicy and still retains crunch...same for the caramel corn-buttery toffee and gooey but yet crunchy...bags come in many sizes..Brought home a few bags of the stuff...they disappeared an hour after the flight--Family ate the popcorn like frenzied sharks!!!
Italiancupcake at 2:37PM on 03/25/09
You might also want to check out the restaurant reviews on SE's Michael Nagrant's other blog, Hungry Magazine. I've followed it for awhile, and I know he's reviewed a lot of cheaper, but still amazingly good, sandwich shops and ethnic places.
msmla at 2:38PM on 03/25/09
seconding Hot Doug's. go on Friday for lunch when they have the duck fat fries. get one of the specials, though I would steer clear of the chicken sausages (less flavorful than the beef/pork/venison/etc. ones)
saying no to Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder... it's good, but it's just not that great. go to Pequod's instead. or Coalfire.
Kuma's Corner for a burger and some beers.
Mr. Beef or Al's on Taylor Street for an Italian beef sandwich.
Lula Cafe for brunch or dinner.
I know there are lots that I'm missing but those are my must-haves.
anysuchname at 4:30PM on 03/25/09
I concur with the Hot Doug's recommendations. You go on Friday or Saturday when there are duck fat fries. Try the special game dog of the day (whether it is elk or snake or whatever). Go early, or bring a folding chair and book for the wait. Be prepared to share a table if you are alone.
I am partial to Foodlife in the Water Tower for an amusing and reasonable dining experience. You get a scan card when you enter and can use it to obtain food from one of a number of stations (Cajun, Mexican, Mongolian Wok, homestyle food (very good meatloat), Italian, smoothies, desserts, burgers and so on). At the end, the cashier scans your card and you pay. Very fun and great if you are by yourself because there is no period of time when you have to sit bored waiting for your order.
I also would recommend looking at the Lettuce Entertain You website for a listing of their current restaurant products and specials. They have a number of reasonably priced establishments and you can peruse menus on line before you go to see if they are in your price range. While their restaurants are somewhat mainstream, in my view the mid-range spots offer good value for a fair price (and if you want to blow your budget out of the water, you can go to L2O).
I would try some of the spots down in Chicago's small Chinatown, which is well south of the Loop. I am partial to Spring Garden in the minimall at Archer and Cermak, which is Yunnan cuisine, for the tea-smoked duck with brown salt. My husband and I also like Double Li, which is Szechuan at located at 228 W. Cermak in the heart of Chinatown. I recommend the spicy and delicious so-called "chicken crack" aka Dry Chili Chicken, followed by the cooling pocket tofu, with two order of spicy Szechuan dumplings to go. They make great snacks and warm up in a microwave great (but watch out for spillage on the sauce!).
Finally, you must go to Lou Mitchell's on West Jackson in the South Loop for the authentic Greek diner experience. I would start with the Milk Duds (passed out for free as you wait) and follow with a Greek Cheese special omelette with feta cheese, tomatoes, peppers and onions and some fine home fries.
For getting around, note that the Chicago MTA website does point-to-point itineraries that can get you around town on train and bus, including walking instructions to the next train stop and projected travel times. Have a great trip!
Mizbee at 6:11PM on 03/25/09
Thanks a bunch for the recommendations! Everyone's information on restaurants and how to find and get to them has been extremely helpful. I'll definitely check out the restaurants you listed and the sites for the trains.
erysheep at 1:12PM on 03/26/09
Oh and the Chicago Reader has a helpful online restaurant search site that lets you search by price as well as a lot of other factors and they just released their best of chicago lists yesterday too.
andshewas at 4:12PM on 03/26/09
Look at my comments on these threads:
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/11/cheap-eats-chicago.html
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/07/where-to-eat-near-michigan-ave.html
chgoeditor at 4:34PM on 03/26/09
Superdawg () at 6363 N Milwaukee Ave for the chicago dogs.
Lou Malnati's () for the chicago pizza. Malnati's or Giordano's (http://www.giordanos.com/main.php) are both very good.
The Green Mill () at 4802 N Broadway for drinks and 1920's live swing music on Thursday's. Great group called "Swing Shift Orchestra" that is entirely worth the trip but the bar is cash only.
La Scarola () at 721 W Grand for the italian. Get the Bruschetta as well as the Pasta & Fagiole soup, best I have ever had.
Walker Bros () at 153 Green Bay Road for breakfast. The waffles are great, although it is in the suburbs.
A personal favorite for lunch is New York Deli () at 2921 N Clark St. Simple but real good, the guy working, Dave, is a class act and is always available for good conversation and I have heard, but not experienced that he will take you down in a good game of chess. He is from NYC and seems to enjoy his presence as a real new york deli in Chicago.
careyrd at 2:16AM on 03/31/09
Sorry, guess the links didn't show in that. Here they are again.
Superdawg (http://www.superdawg.com/) at 6363 N Milwaukee Ave
Lou Malnati's (http://www.loumalnatis.com/) or Giordano's (http://www.giordanos.com/main.php)
The Green Mill (http://www.greenmilljazz.com/) at 4802 N Broadway
La Scarola (http://www.lascarola.com/) at 721 W Grand
Walker Bros (http://www.walkerbrosoph.com/locations/wilmette.html) at 153 Green Bay Road
New York Deli (http://www.yelp.com/biz/new-york-deli-chicago) at 2921 N Clark St.
careyrd at 2:20AM on 03/31/09
Thanks so much chgoeditor. I tried to search your comments but they only went so far. Those are awesomely helpful.
All the links and addresses are great. Trip Planner and I are gonna be busy!
Any specific recommendations for Indian or Middle Eastern cuisine? I heard there is an Indian Neighborhood somewhere on the north part of town?
erysheep at 11:14PM on 03/31/09
I might be a bit late for this food tour of chicago and fun things to do in chicago thread. You mentioned three words of chicago food tour and nobody responded with Chicago Food Planet Food Tours! We had a great guide: knowledgeable, personable, fun, efficient and human! Some of the places we visited were truly exceptional. We loved the oil and balsamic vinegar, the spices, the teahouse. We went back three times to the Old town, ate at two of the recommended places, shopped for oil and vinegar (but forgot to use our discount voucher!!). We loved the fact that Jessie told us heaps about the houses and streets we were passing through. She was definitely better informed than the Chicago architecture tour guide we had a few days later in the city... We learned about areas of Chicago we probably would otherwise never have found (on our last visit we didnt go much further than Michigan Avenue) and we had life-changing experiences with oil, vinegar and cinnamon!! You said you're a college student; the whole experience last 3 hours on either the Bucktown/Wicker Park Food Tour or the Near North Food Tour and costs only $42; over the course of the tour you have lunch and eat at 7 places! Buy early, they always sell out. Find them at http://www.chicagofoodplanet.com. Good luck!
shkost at 10:44AM on 05/24/09
Forgot to send some important links for you:
Bucktown/Wicker Park Food Tours of Chicago
Near North Food Tours of Chicago
Chicago Tours of Food from Chicago Food Planet Food Tours
Good Luck!
shkost at 10:50AM on 05/24/09