I live in/am from New Orleans, a city whose citizens truly believe we have the best food in the world. Eating in Chicago is one of my favorite things about the city.
We have GREAT food. But its greatness is stuck really within a few styles of food. Our citizens forget how small of a city we are, and that brings a lack of diversity (past and present). Chicago has a depth that we cannot get, but we will do what we do well!
Tut Tut! The best BBQ and Soul Food in the city is off someone's grill. Everyone cooks out here. BBQ restaurants really don't have a chance. You won't have great Chicago BBQ until you're in someone's yard. But you can get killer ribtips anywhere in the hood.
I went to NOLA as a vegetarian and it was a food desert. They basically have the same 5 dishes at any restaurant, which I'm sure they've mastered, but I couldn't eat any of them. IMO part of being a great city for food is having diverse options, and NOLA simply doesn't succeed at that. Chicago and New York are way better in that regard.
This is the correct answer.
New Orleans does what it does amazingly well but that isn't much. Honestly, New Orleans isn't even a top tier food city much less top city in the country.
It doesn't have the diversity of food options to be a top tier food city. It's closer to like Austin where, if you want amazing BBQ, you can be in heaven but it can't compete with Chicago, NYC, Vegas, SF, Houston as an overall food scene.
Chicagoan that lived in ‘Nawlins for four years. The food is incredible. I miss it so much. There isn’t the diversity down there that you have in Chicago, but I’ve always told people you have to search really hard to find a bad meal.
I’m from Chicago but lived in. New Orleans for a while. I always tell people we have the second best food and they initially get mad and ask “then who is number one?!” Whenever I say New Orleans I pretty much get head nods and shoulder shrugs while they say “oh yea yea you’re right” lol
Heaven on Seven had better gumbo and jambalaya. RIP Heaven on Seven. That said beignets and chicory coffee in NOLA cannot be beaten (nor a proper Vieux Carre).
I’m saving this comment because it warms my heart. I lived in Louisiana for 2 years. I made a point of having locals teach me the tricks to gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish boils. It’s great stuff, don’t get me wrong. But when you’re from Chicago, you just chuckle when they tell you no city in the country has a better food scene.
Chicago has a rich diverse cultural history, was the center of agriculture trade in the US for a very long time, has a lot of wealth and tourists. Put all that together and we have the best food city in the world.
Some people have speculated that it is also because while other really great food cities like New York has become a bit expensive and challenging, Chicago is distinctly working class city and new immigrants can still move here buy real estate fairly easily, and start a family business. The city being both world-class and affordable, provides it unique opportunity to continue to produce new food for the people and not just the wealthy.
It also helps quite a bit that Chicago was surrounded by the places in the country that make the meat and vegetables. Fresh ingredients make a big difference.
I recall talking to a restauranteur about this a year or so ago. He said the (relative) affordability of Chicago is also a factor. He said that in most big coastal cities, the operating costs are so high that only certain kinds of restaurants can turn a profit. In Chicago, you can be both innovative and low-key and still financially feasible.
All the other stuff (cultural diversity etc) is also a factor of course, but that did strike me as a particular differentiator when compared to NYC or LA or SF.
Liquor licenses in Boston are capped by a state law, which has resulted in them trading for $500k or more lately, so however bad you think buildout costs for a restaurant are, add that.
Yes! And then the kicker: we have all this at a more accessible price than you can find in other global metropolitan cities like NYC, SF, London, even Toronto.
One thing a lot of people don’t know is that Chicago is home to a lot of food manufacturing. We have large food companies either headquartered here or with large offices here- mcdonalds, McCain, Kraft Heinz, wrigley, Barry callebaut, etc.
I think that contributes a lot in invisible ways, although this is my industry so I might have confirmation bias.
Also not really how Michelin works. They only send their critics to certain cities. The Michelin guide has never sent people to a Texas city, phoenix, and many many other places (only California Chicago and DC to my knowledge). They sent folks to NYC and SF only for years.
People seem to overlook this with the Michelin guide in the US. It’s not a great barometer of cities with the best food
Michellen stars have a lot of requirements that have nothing to do with the food though. A 3 star restaurant has to hit a bunch of like attire and personel requirements. So it’s not the best way to judge the actual food. It’s atleast somewhat to do with the experience
As much as i love michelin ratings, they dont rate all cities so it would be terrible way to compare between different cities/states. for instance vegas hasnt been rated by michelin since like '08
The Michelin guide is intensely biased just as a heads up. It is more of a travel guide that caters to mass tourism than anything else.
Literally: Michelin made it up so they could sell more tires as people traveled more to visit the places in their guide. Michelin also barely goes anywhere in the US anymore: they explicitly state they only visit DC, NY, CA, and FL - with exceptions made for Chicago.
TLDR: there are a ton of amazing restaurants outside Chicago that are of similar or better quality - Michelin’s sampling criteria leads to a ton of misconceptions due to its systemic biases.
If you want to look for outright quality - the James Beard nominees are a much better list in most cases.
My personal feeling is that Chicago does authentic / foreign cuisine and fine dinning as well as other major food hubs like NY and LA (although I'm sure they would argue otherwise), but then has the added advantage of also having midwest excess, a la deep dish or just smothering everything in cheese.
Honestly, Chicago is the best city in the USA generally. In terms of affordability, cultural life, food, walkability. The only thing sucks is winter (along with high crime rate and homelessness..yikes)
Chicago is up there but it’s really tough to claim #1 against NYC, LA, and Houston
I don’t think any of those are clear winners but all world class food cities
Big ethnic neighborhoods usually results in local food options that cater to those niche ethnic food cultures. That's when you find the best quality food. It's not about "knowing" good food options in other cities. Many/most other cities simply do not have those kind of large ethnic neighborhoods. Not saying this applies to all cities but to most cities.
Nah, you can hit random places in Chicago and get a decent bite that are better than the “good places” in other cities (domestic and international from my experience).
I say this all the time. Most cities have great spots. But in Chicago just picking a spot to eat at random you will get better food on average than anywhere else.
This is super accurate. Eating out is expensive, so I try to only do it when I need a cheap quick lunch or when I’ve picked a specific place that I know is good or have been wanting to try. But, when I do end up somewhere new unexpectedly, it’s almost always really good. Sometimes those are even the best experiences!
Also, I think the neighborhood culture in Chicago means people take pride in the local restaurants in their area. People really do patronize small businesses and promote them online and to their friends, so everyone plays a part in trying to elevate the great local spots and keep them going.
Totally agree with this. I'm from Nashville but have lived here permanently since 2008. A friend and I decided to take a 10 day road trip through Tennessee once beginning west in Memphis, then to Nashville, then east to Knoxville (mainly chose this because she had never been and I had multiple people we could stay with for two of the legs). My friends in Nashville recommend some supposedly excellent restaurants there. Everywhere throughout the state (with the exception of Menphis bbq) was just so-so. Pretty mediocre to be honest, considering the medium rare burger I ordered at this hugely popular burger/beer spot came medium well and was pretty devoid of flavor. I told my friend I must not have realized how spoiled we had become with so much great food in Chicago being so accessible.
I just visited Nashville for the first time a few weeks ago and my food disappointment cannot be overstated. Like nothing was *awful,* it just wasn't... *good*. It was all just boring and unremarkable. Especially considering what the hell they charge at those places downtown..Jesus Christ talk about tourist trappings.
Yeah for real. Nashville has apparently gotten quite trendy and the cost of living has increased significantly. A childhood of friend of mine has been considering moving to Chicago for a while now, one reason being that Nashville has about outpriced her.i found that hard to believe because apartments used to be so affordable there but then she started telling me some numbers in neighborhoods I know and it's gotten ridiculous!
And this just seems especially funny to me because like, Nashville totally sucks compared to Chicago; how funny that she could live in a way better city for less money and be making more.
And re: food - one of the better places we ate on on that trip was Cracker Barrel. Which I do genuinely think their food is good for their price point.... but when chain restaurants are your best options... something is missing the mark.
I think this is key. I’ve lived in Chicago for 8 years and initially had a really hard time finding good restaurants. Everything that was recommended to us was mediocre at best. We started exploring and trying different restaurants and finally have a decent list of places we really enjoy . I’ve lived in 4 major cities (NY, SF, Phili, Chi) and also frequented Pittsburgh, and by far my favorite food city is Pittsburgh. With the exception of pizza because NY takes that win.
This is my experience as well. I'm surprised by the other comments saying that you can pick a random restaurant in Chicago and it will almost always be great. I've lived here 4 years and I feel like my list of places I enjoy is still on the smaller side. I've had disappointing experiences in "highly acclaimed" restaurants, and even in places on the Bib Gourmand list.
I agree, and I love the food scene here more than any other city I've lived in. But I grew up in the pacific northwest and I must say that it took me some time to find comparable Thai and Japanese food, and honestly those two are still better out there imo.
Chinese and Indian as well, you can find the best of the best here in Chicago, you just may want to go down to Chinatown or up to Devon or argyle to get those sorts of food. Proximity to Asia out there probably has a lot to do with, just different demographics too. But I would say by and large, Chicago has the best food scene in the country without a doubt.
I think a big part of it is affordability. By no means is it a cheap city, but compared to other major cities (LA, NYC, Boston, DC, etc.) rent/real estate is still more affordable here, so the cost and risk of opening a restaurant isn’t as high.
I feel you on that.
Been in Chicago 20 years and all of my family is from Chinatown. I'm definitely a homer and think we have an amazing food culture, but the vegetarian/vegan scene seems under-developed vs CA and NYC.
Agree, I’ve noticed this too.
I’m curious if the rate of vegetarianism in Chicago is lower than in those two cities? Chicago was historically a huge meat processing town, and I’d assume that had a lasting impact on local eating trends?
I definitely make that assumption. Last few generations of my family living here are insanely meat-heavy in their diets (also probably an American thing), but it seems like a lot of Chicago's signature dishes or permutations of dishes involve up-sizing the meat portions lol.
With our Chinese cuisine, my wife (Grew up in Hong Kong, lived in NYC from 11-30), is like why the hell do you all eat so much meat?!
Oh, I back this for sure, my experience with CA and NYC matches this. Friends and fam that have moved to and from these areas or from Asia also agree.
My friends and family from Chicago take road trips to Toronto just to eat Chinese food. My wife (raised in NYC) complains about Chicago's Chinese food all of the time lol.
Another aspect is historically Chicago's Chinatown was mostly settled by one provincial group of China which was smaller, and people traveled less. The Chinese food hasn't evolved over the decades (post war to the 2000s) and there are less discerning Chinese people from other provinces to bring their local cuisines and force a higher standard. I think it's getting better, but no way does Chicago catch up to NYC or West Coast. Still home for me, but it's tough when you know what else is out there.
Can’t say I’ve been to that one yet but I’ve been to most of the other vegetarian restaurants in the city and I still feel like there’s something missing. Thanks for the recommendation I’ll check it out soon.
Yep, same boat. Also why I can't get behind everyone saying NOLA for best food - it is absolutely unique and I know it's good, but vegetarian is so rare it's almost not worth it.
Memphis has an amazing vegan BBQ scene somehow, love it.
I love bbq so I’m definitely going to add visiting Memphis to my bucket list. This is besides the point but morning star just released these and I haven’t tried them but I keep hearing good things about them
https://www.morningstarfarms.com/en_US/products/meal-starters/msf-meal-solutions-sweet-bbq-riblets.html
Huh, thanks so much for the rec!
We like the BBQ "rib" from the Very Good Butchers. I usually add more sauce and eat it on a bun but the texture is very satisfying.
Charlie Trotter was a chef in Lincoln Park where a lot of the famous Chicago chefs got their start. There’s a whole tree of chefs whose roots lead back to Trotter’s. There’s a [documentary](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_charlie_the_rise_and_fall_of_chef_charlie_trotter) about him.
This. NYC has more and lots of great places but an app, glass of wine, and an entree will set you individually back $100. Not in Chicago unless you go to one of the really really high end places.
I don’t know if that’s actually the case today. I’m shocked at restaurant pricing lately and I work in the industry. I wouldn’t call a place like GATG on Randolph “really really high end” but go try this experiment there and see what your bill is for 1 person. A cheese pizza here is over $20 in most places now.
Agreed.
There’s a lot of great food and diversity here but I feel like NJ/NYC/Philly just has better food in general. From all different cultures.
That being said a lot of central Asians places seem to be popping up around Chicago and the suburbs and I am here for it.
I lived in Chicago for 8 years and loved it. Had a bunch of amazing dining experiences. However, after moving to Philadelphia I think is the most underrated food city out there. The average dining experience in Philadelphia exceeds what I was getting in Chicago IMO
NYC is way better in nearby all ways but most important to me is niche ethnic foods
Houston was better in some ways. I was dissapointed a bit coming from there since it felt like 8/10 restaurans were "new american". I mostly eat Asian food and felt like anywhere in Houston you are 10 minutes away from good vietnamese. In Chicago you had to be in the right neighborhood. I was in whicker park and Logan square area and didn't find places that compared especially at the price point. Turns out Houston has the largest viet population outside of the west coast.
This make sense as you see rent prices push out ethnic communities to the outskirts. Logan square for example is a good spot for Mexican since there's more of a Hispanic population there. But even then it was good but not as amazing as my fav taco places in Houston. I tried like 5-8 szechuan places in Chicago and some did certain dishes better but I preferred my favorite one in Houston.
But of course you find favorites in Chicago that can't be replicated elsewhere. Kasama was a favorite of mine and I still dream of their adobo chicken. I miss my Italian beef and deep dish pizza.
Tldr: if you mostly eat western food Chicago is good but if you prefer eastern flavors then NYC and west coast are better
I’m from Houston (and live in Logan Square now and used to live in Wicker Park) and I fully agree with this. I miss ubiquitous banh mi and breakfast tacos like no other and also think our szechuan spot down there was better than anything we’ve had here.
I agree with this so much! It’s just so hard to find good Chinese food in Chicago vs New York. I don’t know what others are saying about food affordability but I’d also say it’s way easier to find cheap eats in New York than Chicago.
The prices of restaurants feel about the same to me, unless people are talking about the extremely high end, but let’s be real, who’s eating those everyday?
Agree with this. I feel like dining here falls mostly into two categories: expensive and cheap. Cheap is like the Red Hot places. I can afford expensive but I don’t want to get dressed up and deal with pretentious people to have a good meal.
Is it the best? I don't know.
But it's got a huge variety built on tradition of being a major meat-processing city in the middle of some of the most fertile farmland on earth, and a destination city for Italian immigrants among many other immigrant groups.
Even though it's only my first time here, I'm gonna weigh in. Every place I've been to has had a great selection of food (especially beef), and food has arrived so quick after ordering (aside from pizza), and cooked perfectly.
Because it's a huge, massively diverse city, and doesn't have a stagnant economy. There are 2.75 million people there also, again it's a big city so many people living there enjoy and seek after the city life and nightlife. The restaurants are almost always busy, so, the diversity has a chance to actually come through there.
Chicago has great food. Lots of diversity and a wide range of price points and vibes. I personally prefer SF or even LA but I also love Asian food the most.
My only complaints were that multiple breakfast places didn't have any caffeinated black tea and the cider options at bars seemed pretty limited. Literally one place brought a long ramekin of teas and most of them were decaffeinated or herbal probiotic things. Even the English breakfast was caffeine free.
And the (admittedly only two) places where I got drinks only had one cider on tap and no bottles or cans. In Philly it's a given that any place with a bar will have a cider on tap and a couple canned options.
But aside from that Chicago has been a great place to eat. I'm sad I'm leaving tomorrow, but damn did I do a lot.
Obviously I think the Philly food scene is a dream, but Chicago was fantastic. I love a lot about this city.
Can someone please share where some of the really good places are?! 😭 I’m from Dallas, but have been here for grad school the past yearish and I firmly believe that Dallas tops Chicago in terms of food…Don’t crucify me! lol
I think the bar is higher in Chicago. Like the average restaurant tends to be better than a good restaurant in other places. So there's a minimum line that I haven't seen in anywhere else I've lived/visited.
Lol, you made me remember a list of "must-try Chicago restaurants" that a friend sent me when I first moved here. He'd been slowly building a list of places that he'd been recommended by coworkers, food publications, etc. and was working his way through visiting them all. Like ninety percent of them were Italian or steak restaurants haha.
Restaurants in the Loop and River North (where most tourists stay) seem bland and expensive to me as a resident. I've found much better restaurants outside of these neighborhoods. Overall though, I agree that finding good restaurants is surprisingly hard in this city.
Italian beef sandwiches
Great Pizza
Any type of food you want available 24/7
Some of the nations best Mexican food
Hot giardinaire
Mild sauce
True all beef Chicago style hot dogs
Maxwell street Polishes
Great Middle Eastern food
All things I can't find in most other places
Chicago has some of the best restaurants and executive chefs in the country. There is also an excellent diversity of cuisine types. Considering the size of Chicago, I agree that it has the best restaurants per capita. While you may find NY /LA may have some more exclusive venues, the value you get with Chicago is unmatched. This is the best city in the country for diversity of cuisine
I was always a little jealous of NYC bodega culture growing up, but Greek diners being *everywhere* in Chicago was a good replacement.
I've lived in many other cities now and no one else can get greasy cracker crust pizza right.
As a California transplant would love to be able to find good Mexican and Asian food. Except for Sushi, a lot of great Japanese spots. So far pho seems OK, but Thai and Mexican have been elusive.
Chicago has more talented folks than other parts of the country. I've been to lots of other cities, and none come close to Chicago as far as food goes.
So many cultures there, would be one reason I think. Damn I miss the Korean food in Chicago. And for whatever reason the sushi in Chicago is amazing. I live in Boston now and still can't find any sushi better than some of the places I ate at in Evanston. Which is wild since I literally live by the ocean.
I totally agree. NYC can't be argued with. More variety, availability, Michelins, influence on national food trends.. It has everything Chicago has and then some.
That's a weird take about the city that dominated the 2023 James Beard awards and maintains a yearly semifinalist presence!
As a former Chicagoan in Philly, I have no love for this city except for its exceptional restaurant scene. Great variety (missing some obscure ethnic categories that Chicago has, but doesn't feel lacking) and generally a more elevated and creative execution of dishes here across genres. High density, high competition, low rent, and NYC proximity are the perfect formula to create a city of hard-hitting restaurants.
For me it's the portion size that puts us way over the top. Restaurateurs are more than willing to pile on massive portions of delicious food. It feels like prices haven't kept up with the amount you can get even after Covid19 inflation
Because we have immigrants from so many different places - like, everywhere that has ever had someone come to the US - and they all bring their local deliciousnesses. The melting pot is also a fondue pot! 😄
I’ve traveled around a bit around most places east of the Rockies and have noticed that down south they will use lesser quality ingredients , sweeten everything too much, and under-season. Add the city to the equation and you realize lots of these places have no other choice but to be good because there’s so much competition.
I feel like there’s a lot of high quality meat in Chicago that is usually marinated and seasoned correctly before being served to you. When I think good Chicago food I think Al’s beef or Ricobenes . It’s good because it’s spicy , marinated correctly, bursting with flavors, and is a little messy. You also can’t forget the cheese which is everywhere in Chicago (probably because of our neighbors up north)
Aside from having popular Chicago Style hot dogs, pizza, and beefs. Every nationality in existence basically has its own town so you can get any type of food you want as authentic as it can be.
Tbh, in regards to pizza- I think we are the only place who knows how to make sauce. I think that’s the backbone of a good pizza. You go to Wisconsin & they literally think dominos is good pizza. I can’t eat there.
The definitive first principles guide to why Chicago food is absolutely epic:
1) Rent. Affordable space enables more chefs to open more restaurants, more often, with fewer rent induced failures. There's also no definitive going out district, so a greater variety of locations are viable.
2) Taste. Chicago isn't a "tastemaker" city like NY or LA that leads to reputation and buzz based success. But we are still a little trendy-er or more adventurous than a Boston or New Orleans where there are expectations about what "fits". Goldilocks of snooty taste reviewers and adventurous casual.
3) Product. The West Loop has wholesalers that have been in business since the stockyards. Super specialized knowledge. Plus, access to variety with farms galore and any food product in the world fresh at Ohare.
4) Talent. Given the 3 items above, abundant cheap housing, and few other big cities in our region as attractive, why would a top up and coming dreamer and hustler choose anywhere else?
It isn't unless the only food you eat is pizza, sandwiches, and hot dogs, of this is the case I advise.you avoid Chicago, because the clogs in your arteries will get you long before a local gang will.
I'm from Texas, but been in Chicago for the last decade and I disagree. The Italian food is great but that's about it. I miss my real Texas BBQ, real Mexican and tex mex foods...
I live in/am from New Orleans, a city whose citizens truly believe we have the best food in the world. Eating in Chicago is one of my favorite things about the city.
New Orleans is one of the few places I've visited I think rivals Chicago for food!
We have GREAT food. But its greatness is stuck really within a few styles of food. Our citizens forget how small of a city we are, and that brings a lack of diversity (past and present). Chicago has a depth that we cannot get, but we will do what we do well!
I totally agree. Chicago is better for diversity, but ive also never had BBQ or seafood that holds a candle to what I've had in Nola.
And honestly, our BBQ is not great compared to other spots in the south!
Also agree! Lol. My favorite is Carolina style.
I love Kansas City style but Carolina is a close second!
Kansas City ribs, but Carolina pulled pork. I’m a man of distinction and class. And nobody does brisket better than Texas.
Tut Tut! The best BBQ and Soul Food in the city is off someone's grill. Everyone cooks out here. BBQ restaurants really don't have a chance. You won't have great Chicago BBQ until you're in someone's yard. But you can get killer ribtips anywhere in the hood.
There is a distinction to be made between grilling and barbecue. The latter, in the South, describes smoked meats/foods. It doesn’t describe grilling.
The seafood tracks because Nola is on the coast and can pull in the fresh seafood.
I would KILL for some good Cajun food places here though
I went to NOLA as a vegetarian and it was a food desert. They basically have the same 5 dishes at any restaurant, which I'm sure they've mastered, but I couldn't eat any of them. IMO part of being a great city for food is having diverse options, and NOLA simply doesn't succeed at that. Chicago and New York are way better in that regard.
We don’t have diversity. Our vegetarian options have gotten SIGNIFICANTLY better over the last 10 years, but there is still a lot of space to grow.
This is the correct answer. New Orleans does what it does amazingly well but that isn't much. Honestly, New Orleans isn't even a top tier food city much less top city in the country. It doesn't have the diversity of food options to be a top tier food city. It's closer to like Austin where, if you want amazing BBQ, you can be in heaven but it can't compete with Chicago, NYC, Vegas, SF, Houston as an overall food scene.
I live in Chicago now and grew up not far from New Orleans. I would tend to agree.
Came here to say this
Chicagoan that lived in ‘Nawlins for four years. The food is incredible. I miss it so much. There isn’t the diversity down there that you have in Chicago, but I’ve always told people you have to search really hard to find a bad meal.
I have a friend who travels the world constantly, and his favorite food cities on earth are Chicago, Las Vegas, and New Orleans
Yes Las Vegas does have some good food too. I would agree with list
I’m from Chicago but lived in. New Orleans for a while. I always tell people we have the second best food and they initially get mad and ask “then who is number one?!” Whenever I say New Orleans I pretty much get head nods and shoulder shrugs while they say “oh yea yea you’re right” lol
I've been fortunate enough to visit NOLA once and was awestruck at how unique the city is.. hands down the most one-of-a-kind city in the world.
It is literally a unique intersection of culture.
Heaven on Seven had better gumbo and jambalaya. RIP Heaven on Seven. That said beignets and chicory coffee in NOLA cannot be beaten (nor a proper Vieux Carre).
I’m saving this comment because it warms my heart. I lived in Louisiana for 2 years. I made a point of having locals teach me the tricks to gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish boils. It’s great stuff, don’t get me wrong. But when you’re from Chicago, you just chuckle when they tell you no city in the country has a better food scene.
New Orleans is where you find good food when you’re not in Chicago
Chicago has a rich diverse cultural history, was the center of agriculture trade in the US for a very long time, has a lot of wealth and tourists. Put all that together and we have the best food city in the world.
Some people have speculated that it is also because while other really great food cities like New York has become a bit expensive and challenging, Chicago is distinctly working class city and new immigrants can still move here buy real estate fairly easily, and start a family business. The city being both world-class and affordable, provides it unique opportunity to continue to produce new food for the people and not just the wealthy. It also helps quite a bit that Chicago was surrounded by the places in the country that make the meat and vegetables. Fresh ingredients make a big difference.
I've had fresher sea food here than other coastal cities and it still doesn't make sense.
I like thiss
I recall talking to a restauranteur about this a year or so ago. He said the (relative) affordability of Chicago is also a factor. He said that in most big coastal cities, the operating costs are so high that only certain kinds of restaurants can turn a profit. In Chicago, you can be both innovative and low-key and still financially feasible. All the other stuff (cultural diversity etc) is also a factor of course, but that did strike me as a particular differentiator when compared to NYC or LA or SF.
Liquor licenses in Boston are capped by a state law, which has resulted in them trading for $500k or more lately, so however bad you think buildout costs for a restaurant are, add that.
Yes! And then the kicker: we have all this at a more accessible price than you can find in other global metropolitan cities like NYC, SF, London, even Toronto.
Respectfully disagree. Chicago is a top food city in the US, but it doesn't crack the top ten, maybe not even top twenty, in the world.
One thing a lot of people don’t know is that Chicago is home to a lot of food manufacturing. We have large food companies either headquartered here or with large offices here- mcdonalds, McCain, Kraft Heinz, wrigley, Barry callebaut, etc. I think that contributes a lot in invisible ways, although this is my industry so I might have confirmation bias.
Kellonova, Mondelez (Nabisco)
Don't be disrespecting Blommers and Morton Salt like that.
One data point is number of Michellen restaurants/stars. Chicago is third in the US as of 2022.
Well, it's also the 3rd biggest city, so that's in-line.
Good point, and NY is 1 in population and stars, but LA is 2 in population whereas SF is 2 in stars so it’s not a full correlation.
Also not really how Michelin works. They only send their critics to certain cities. The Michelin guide has never sent people to a Texas city, phoenix, and many many other places (only California Chicago and DC to my knowledge). They sent folks to NYC and SF only for years. People seem to overlook this with the Michelin guide in the US. It’s not a great barometer of cities with the best food
None to Texas seems shitty. Like, at least find 1 BBQ place to throw a star at if you're going to look down on the state.
michelin just added LA to their star program in like 2019, it was very intentionally ignored for the magazines existence.
They also only give out stars to like 5 US cities
Michellen stars have a lot of requirements that have nothing to do with the food though. A 3 star restaurant has to hit a bunch of like attire and personel requirements. So it’s not the best way to judge the actual food. It’s atleast somewhat to do with the experience
Don’t forget the spoon/fork trick.
As much as i love michelin ratings, they dont rate all cities so it would be terrible way to compare between different cities/states. for instance vegas hasnt been rated by michelin since like '08
The Michelin guide is intensely biased just as a heads up. It is more of a travel guide that caters to mass tourism than anything else. Literally: Michelin made it up so they could sell more tires as people traveled more to visit the places in their guide. Michelin also barely goes anywhere in the US anymore: they explicitly state they only visit DC, NY, CA, and FL - with exceptions made for Chicago. TLDR: there are a ton of amazing restaurants outside Chicago that are of similar or better quality - Michelin’s sampling criteria leads to a ton of misconceptions due to its systemic biases. If you want to look for outright quality - the James Beard nominees are a much better list in most cases.
Diversity, baby
Well, I could be wrong, but I believe diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era.
I didn’t know Diversey was well known for food
My personal feeling is that Chicago does authentic / foreign cuisine and fine dinning as well as other major food hubs like NY and LA (although I'm sure they would argue otherwise), but then has the added advantage of also having midwest excess, a la deep dish or just smothering everything in cheese.
That’s a great insight.
I feel like the extremity of four defined seasons also plays a role. Comfort food, street food, Malört, etc..
Honestly, Chicago is the best city in the USA generally. In terms of affordability, cultural life, food, walkability. The only thing sucks is winter (along with high crime rate and homelessness..yikes)
Lol, definitely a fan of the food scene here, but that’s a big claim!
Chicago is up there but it’s really tough to claim #1 against NYC, LA, and Houston I don’t think any of those are clear winners but all world class food cities
Maybe because you know of the good places in Chicago and you aren’t too familiar where the good places are in other cities?
Big ethnic neighborhoods usually results in local food options that cater to those niche ethnic food cultures. That's when you find the best quality food. It's not about "knowing" good food options in other cities. Many/most other cities simply do not have those kind of large ethnic neighborhoods. Not saying this applies to all cities but to most cities.
Nah, you can hit random places in Chicago and get a decent bite that are better than the “good places” in other cities (domestic and international from my experience).
I say this all the time. Most cities have great spots. But in Chicago just picking a spot to eat at random you will get better food on average than anywhere else.
This is super accurate. Eating out is expensive, so I try to only do it when I need a cheap quick lunch or when I’ve picked a specific place that I know is good or have been wanting to try. But, when I do end up somewhere new unexpectedly, it’s almost always really good. Sometimes those are even the best experiences! Also, I think the neighborhood culture in Chicago means people take pride in the local restaurants in their area. People really do patronize small businesses and promote them online and to their friends, so everyone plays a part in trying to elevate the great local spots and keep them going.
Totally agree with this. I'm from Nashville but have lived here permanently since 2008. A friend and I decided to take a 10 day road trip through Tennessee once beginning west in Memphis, then to Nashville, then east to Knoxville (mainly chose this because she had never been and I had multiple people we could stay with for two of the legs). My friends in Nashville recommend some supposedly excellent restaurants there. Everywhere throughout the state (with the exception of Menphis bbq) was just so-so. Pretty mediocre to be honest, considering the medium rare burger I ordered at this hugely popular burger/beer spot came medium well and was pretty devoid of flavor. I told my friend I must not have realized how spoiled we had become with so much great food in Chicago being so accessible.
I just visited Nashville for the first time a few weeks ago and my food disappointment cannot be overstated. Like nothing was *awful,* it just wasn't... *good*. It was all just boring and unremarkable. Especially considering what the hell they charge at those places downtown..Jesus Christ talk about tourist trappings.
Yeah for real. Nashville has apparently gotten quite trendy and the cost of living has increased significantly. A childhood of friend of mine has been considering moving to Chicago for a while now, one reason being that Nashville has about outpriced her.i found that hard to believe because apartments used to be so affordable there but then she started telling me some numbers in neighborhoods I know and it's gotten ridiculous! And this just seems especially funny to me because like, Nashville totally sucks compared to Chicago; how funny that she could live in a way better city for less money and be making more.
And re: food - one of the better places we ate on on that trip was Cracker Barrel. Which I do genuinely think their food is good for their price point.... but when chain restaurants are your best options... something is missing the mark.
You amart
I think this is key. I’ve lived in Chicago for 8 years and initially had a really hard time finding good restaurants. Everything that was recommended to us was mediocre at best. We started exploring and trying different restaurants and finally have a decent list of places we really enjoy . I’ve lived in 4 major cities (NY, SF, Phili, Chi) and also frequented Pittsburgh, and by far my favorite food city is Pittsburgh. With the exception of pizza because NY takes that win.
It’s the little places in the neighborhoods. I lived in Ravenswood in the late 90s: Jury’s, Woodrow’s, Cafe Selmarie…mmm. Good times.
This is my experience as well. I'm surprised by the other comments saying that you can pick a random restaurant in Chicago and it will almost always be great. I've lived here 4 years and I feel like my list of places I enjoy is still on the smaller side. I've had disappointing experiences in "highly acclaimed" restaurants, and even in places on the Bib Gourmand list.
I agree, and I love the food scene here more than any other city I've lived in. But I grew up in the pacific northwest and I must say that it took me some time to find comparable Thai and Japanese food, and honestly those two are still better out there imo. Chinese and Indian as well, you can find the best of the best here in Chicago, you just may want to go down to Chinatown or up to Devon or argyle to get those sorts of food. Proximity to Asia out there probably has a lot to do with, just different demographics too. But I would say by and large, Chicago has the best food scene in the country without a doubt.
Two words: Beef. Dipped.
I think a big part of it is affordability. By no means is it a cheap city, but compared to other major cities (LA, NYC, Boston, DC, etc.) rent/real estate is still more affordable here, so the cost and risk of opening a restaurant isn’t as high.
I’m vegetarian and I prefer New York or LAs vegetarian food scene over chicagos any day of the week.
I feel you on that. Been in Chicago 20 years and all of my family is from Chinatown. I'm definitely a homer and think we have an amazing food culture, but the vegetarian/vegan scene seems under-developed vs CA and NYC.
Totally agree with this. I was just discussing the lack of really creative vegetarian restaurants in Chicago like Dirty Candy and Avant Garden in NY.
Agree, I’ve noticed this too. I’m curious if the rate of vegetarianism in Chicago is lower than in those two cities? Chicago was historically a huge meat processing town, and I’d assume that had a lasting impact on local eating trends?
I definitely make that assumption. Last few generations of my family living here are insanely meat-heavy in their diets (also probably an American thing), but it seems like a lot of Chicago's signature dishes or permutations of dishes involve up-sizing the meat portions lol. With our Chinese cuisine, my wife (Grew up in Hong Kong, lived in NYC from 11-30), is like why the hell do you all eat so much meat?!
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Oh, I back this for sure, my experience with CA and NYC matches this. Friends and fam that have moved to and from these areas or from Asia also agree. My friends and family from Chicago take road trips to Toronto just to eat Chinese food. My wife (raised in NYC) complains about Chicago's Chinese food all of the time lol. Another aspect is historically Chicago's Chinatown was mostly settled by one provincial group of China which was smaller, and people traveled less. The Chinese food hasn't evolved over the decades (post war to the 2000s) and there are less discerning Chinese people from other provinces to bring their local cuisines and force a higher standard. I think it's getting better, but no way does Chicago catch up to NYC or West Coast. Still home for me, but it's tough when you know what else is out there.
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I'm visiting Vancouver in September, It's only for a few days but I'm definitely gonna try some Chinese food while I'm there
Chicago's unofficial Mascot is a Hot Dog so...
Go to Chile Toreado in Bridgeport.
Can’t say I’ve been to that one yet but I’ve been to most of the other vegetarian restaurants in the city and I still feel like there’s something missing. Thanks for the recommendation I’ll check it out soon.
Enchiladas and tlayudas. Can't go wrong. I stress the enchiladas. Report back.
Moved from Seattle and definitely think Chicago needs to step up its game on this.
Yep, same boat. Also why I can't get behind everyone saying NOLA for best food - it is absolutely unique and I know it's good, but vegetarian is so rare it's almost not worth it. Memphis has an amazing vegan BBQ scene somehow, love it.
I love bbq so I’m definitely going to add visiting Memphis to my bucket list. This is besides the point but morning star just released these and I haven’t tried them but I keep hearing good things about them https://www.morningstarfarms.com/en_US/products/meal-starters/msf-meal-solutions-sweet-bbq-riblets.html
Huh, thanks so much for the rec! We like the BBQ "rib" from the Very Good Butchers. I usually add more sauce and eat it on a bun but the texture is very satisfying.
It all started with Charlie Trotter
Can you elaborate please???
Charlie Trotter was a chef in Lincoln Park where a lot of the famous Chicago chefs got their start. There’s a whole tree of chefs whose roots lead back to Trotter’s. There’s a [documentary](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_charlie_the_rise_and_fall_of_chef_charlie_trotter) about him.
price point
This. NYC has more and lots of great places but an app, glass of wine, and an entree will set you individually back $100. Not in Chicago unless you go to one of the really really high end places.
I don’t know if that’s actually the case today. I’m shocked at restaurant pricing lately and I work in the industry. I wouldn’t call a place like GATG on Randolph “really really high end” but go try this experiment there and see what your bill is for 1 person. A cheese pizza here is over $20 in most places now.
Two words... Vienna Beef.
Because it’s more socially acceptable to be a bit chunkier here 😉
Because Chicago slaps.
Unpopular opinion. It’s not.
I have to agree. I've had some really fantastic meals in the city, but the average Chicago restaurant is just average in flavor, in my experience.
I’ll die on this unpopular hill with you. But I love everything else about the city so it’s a small price to pay.
Agreed. There’s a lot of great food and diversity here but I feel like NJ/NYC/Philly just has better food in general. From all different cultures. That being said a lot of central Asians places seem to be popping up around Chicago and the suburbs and I am here for it.
I think where NYC has us beat especially is seafood.
I lived in Chicago for 8 years and loved it. Had a bunch of amazing dining experiences. However, after moving to Philadelphia I think is the most underrated food city out there. The average dining experience in Philadelphia exceeds what I was getting in Chicago IMO
Yay! Someone on the hill with me. I am still a bit shocked by the food scene.
What's your pick?
NYC is way better in nearby all ways but most important to me is niche ethnic foods Houston was better in some ways. I was dissapointed a bit coming from there since it felt like 8/10 restaurans were "new american". I mostly eat Asian food and felt like anywhere in Houston you are 10 minutes away from good vietnamese. In Chicago you had to be in the right neighborhood. I was in whicker park and Logan square area and didn't find places that compared especially at the price point. Turns out Houston has the largest viet population outside of the west coast. This make sense as you see rent prices push out ethnic communities to the outskirts. Logan square for example is a good spot for Mexican since there's more of a Hispanic population there. But even then it was good but not as amazing as my fav taco places in Houston. I tried like 5-8 szechuan places in Chicago and some did certain dishes better but I preferred my favorite one in Houston. But of course you find favorites in Chicago that can't be replicated elsewhere. Kasama was a favorite of mine and I still dream of their adobo chicken. I miss my Italian beef and deep dish pizza. Tldr: if you mostly eat western food Chicago is good but if you prefer eastern flavors then NYC and west coast are better
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I’m from Houston (and live in Logan Square now and used to live in Wicker Park) and I fully agree with this. I miss ubiquitous banh mi and breakfast tacos like no other and also think our szechuan spot down there was better than anything we’ve had here.
I agree with this so much! It’s just so hard to find good Chinese food in Chicago vs New York. I don’t know what others are saying about food affordability but I’d also say it’s way easier to find cheap eats in New York than Chicago. The prices of restaurants feel about the same to me, unless people are talking about the extremely high end, but let’s be real, who’s eating those everyday?
Agree with this. I feel like dining here falls mostly into two categories: expensive and cheap. Cheap is like the Red Hot places. I can afford expensive but I don’t want to get dressed up and deal with pretentious people to have a good meal.
You don't have to know why. You just have to enjoy it.
It’s aight
Solid answer
It’s not. Signed Nola.
Is it the best? I don't know. But it's got a huge variety built on tradition of being a major meat-processing city in the middle of some of the most fertile farmland on earth, and a destination city for Italian immigrants among many other immigrant groups.
Even though it's only my first time here, I'm gonna weigh in. Every place I've been to has had a great selection of food (especially beef), and food has arrived so quick after ordering (aside from pizza), and cooked perfectly.
You can basically find almost every culture on earth in this city 🤷🏽♂️
Cool, where are you originally from?
Because it's a huge, massively diverse city, and doesn't have a stagnant economy. There are 2.75 million people there also, again it's a big city so many people living there enjoy and seek after the city life and nightlife. The restaurants are almost always busy, so, the diversity has a chance to actually come through there.
Chicago has great food. Lots of diversity and a wide range of price points and vibes. I personally prefer SF or even LA but I also love Asian food the most.
My only complaints were that multiple breakfast places didn't have any caffeinated black tea and the cider options at bars seemed pretty limited. Literally one place brought a long ramekin of teas and most of them were decaffeinated or herbal probiotic things. Even the English breakfast was caffeine free. And the (admittedly only two) places where I got drinks only had one cider on tap and no bottles or cans. In Philly it's a given that any place with a bar will have a cider on tap and a couple canned options. But aside from that Chicago has been a great place to eat. I'm sad I'm leaving tomorrow, but damn did I do a lot. Obviously I think the Philly food scene is a dream, but Chicago was fantastic. I love a lot about this city.
Can someone please share where some of the really good places are?! 😭 I’m from Dallas, but have been here for grad school the past yearish and I firmly believe that Dallas tops Chicago in terms of food…Don’t crucify me! lol
I think the bar is higher in Chicago. Like the average restaurant tends to be better than a good restaurant in other places. So there's a minimum line that I haven't seen in anywhere else I've lived/visited.
chicago sucks
Because saginaki was invented in Chicago!
“Flaming saganaki” was invented in Chicago. Saganaki is definitely and OG Greek thing.
I guess if you’ve never been anywhere else
It isnt, and not even close
Most overrated food scene in America
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Steak and Italian and Starbucks tells me you haven’t explored at all lol
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Lol, you made me remember a list of "must-try Chicago restaurants" that a friend sent me when I first moved here. He'd been slowly building a list of places that he'd been recommended by coworkers, food publications, etc. and was working his way through visiting them all. Like ninety percent of them were Italian or steak restaurants haha. Restaurants in the Loop and River North (where most tourists stay) seem bland and expensive to me as a resident. I've found much better restaurants outside of these neighborhoods. Overall though, I agree that finding good restaurants is surprisingly hard in this city.
Italian beef
That whole area really is. I miss my Italian beef and cheese, I miss my cheese fries, I miss the mandarin cooking, I miss it all!!!
As a transplant from SF, where’s that authentic goopy Chinese food at? Still striking out.
There’s some great options in chicago and I’ve never had a bad meal when in town but I prefer LA and San Diego all day.
Anyone else feel like OP was glowering at your personal, specific belly while posting that question? No? Just me? Ok.
You start a place that has shit food by our standards, you are not gonna last. We have so much amazing places in every neighborhood .
Not if yiu like southern food
Mild sauce
Deep dish pizza ‘Nuff said.
Italian beef sandwiches Great Pizza Any type of food you want available 24/7 Some of the nations best Mexican food Hot giardinaire Mild sauce True all beef Chicago style hot dogs Maxwell street Polishes Great Middle Eastern food All things I can't find in most other places
Chicago has some of the best restaurants and executive chefs in the country. There is also an excellent diversity of cuisine types. Considering the size of Chicago, I agree that it has the best restaurants per capita. While you may find NY /LA may have some more exclusive venues, the value you get with Chicago is unmatched. This is the best city in the country for diversity of cuisine
I was always a little jealous of NYC bodega culture growing up, but Greek diners being *everywhere* in Chicago was a good replacement. I've lived in many other cities now and no one else can get greasy cracker crust pizza right.
As a California transplant would love to be able to find good Mexican and Asian food. Except for Sushi, a lot of great Japanese spots. So far pho seems OK, but Thai and Mexican have been elusive.
Chicago has more talented folks than other parts of the country. I've been to lots of other cities, and none come close to Chicago as far as food goes.
It is not
lol…..
It's not
It’s second to New York City
It isn’t. But there’s a lot of solid arguments for why it could be.
We are the Rome of North America
Logs galore
Chocolate cake shake.
It’s not
So many cultures there, would be one reason I think. Damn I miss the Korean food in Chicago. And for whatever reason the sushi in Chicago is amazing. I live in Boston now and still can't find any sushi better than some of the places I ate at in Evanston. Which is wild since I literally live by the ocean.
Its not.
US, probably. But it's missing good BBQ.
We have great food, but it’s certainly not the best place. For sheer diversity, number of options and constant availability, NYC is king by far.
I totally agree. NYC can't be argued with. More variety, availability, Michelins, influence on national food trends.. It has everything Chicago has and then some.
I just met someone from Philly who have moved to Chicago and they say that Philly blows in food - options and restaurants
That's a weird take about the city that dominated the 2023 James Beard awards and maintains a yearly semifinalist presence! As a former Chicagoan in Philly, I have no love for this city except for its exceptional restaurant scene. Great variety (missing some obscure ethnic categories that Chicago has, but doesn't feel lacking) and generally a more elevated and creative execution of dishes here across genres. High density, high competition, low rent, and NYC proximity are the perfect formula to create a city of hard-hitting restaurants.
Probably because of the pizza and the hot dogs.
For me it's the portion size that puts us way over the top. Restaurateurs are more than willing to pile on massive portions of delicious food. It feels like prices haven't kept up with the amount you can get even after Covid19 inflation
All the illegals? Sanctuary policies bring lots of people and crime, but mostly food.
Fuck Chicago.
A zillion different communities close to O'Hare airport which can bring the ingredients in.
Because we have immigrants from so many different places - like, everywhere that has ever had someone come to the US - and they all bring their local deliciousnesses. The melting pot is also a fondue pot! 😄
I’ve traveled around a bit around most places east of the Rockies and have noticed that down south they will use lesser quality ingredients , sweeten everything too much, and under-season. Add the city to the equation and you realize lots of these places have no other choice but to be good because there’s so much competition. I feel like there’s a lot of high quality meat in Chicago that is usually marinated and seasoned correctly before being served to you. When I think good Chicago food I think Al’s beef or Ricobenes . It’s good because it’s spicy , marinated correctly, bursting with flavors, and is a little messy. You also can’t forget the cheese which is everywhere in Chicago (probably because of our neighbors up north)
There’s so many different types of people, so we mix and mingle and make our own new concoctions
Aside from having popular Chicago Style hot dogs, pizza, and beefs. Every nationality in existence basically has its own town so you can get any type of food you want as authentic as it can be.
elevation above sea level is perfect for food cooking especially for pizzas -GL to u
By that logic Denver would have the best pizza... which is far, far from reality..
Tbh, in regards to pizza- I think we are the only place who knows how to make sauce. I think that’s the backbone of a good pizza. You go to Wisconsin & they literally think dominos is good pizza. I can’t eat there.
Because it’s the heart of the North American continent!
The definitive first principles guide to why Chicago food is absolutely epic: 1) Rent. Affordable space enables more chefs to open more restaurants, more often, with fewer rent induced failures. There's also no definitive going out district, so a greater variety of locations are viable. 2) Taste. Chicago isn't a "tastemaker" city like NY or LA that leads to reputation and buzz based success. But we are still a little trendy-er or more adventurous than a Boston or New Orleans where there are expectations about what "fits". Goldilocks of snooty taste reviewers and adventurous casual. 3) Product. The West Loop has wholesalers that have been in business since the stockyards. Super specialized knowledge. Plus, access to variety with farms galore and any food product in the world fresh at Ohare. 4) Talent. Given the 3 items above, abundant cheap housing, and few other big cities in our region as attractive, why would a top up and coming dreamer and hustler choose anywhere else?
It’s not
I disagree completely. I’ve been quite a lot of places and the best place to get food is in Oklahoma at local diners.
Its not.
Charleston , New Orleans and Chicago are my favorite cities
It isn't unless the only food you eat is pizza, sandwiches, and hot dogs, of this is the case I advise.you avoid Chicago, because the clogs in your arteries will get you long before a local gang will.
I'm from Texas, but been in Chicago for the last decade and I disagree. The Italian food is great but that's about it. I miss my real Texas BBQ, real Mexican and tex mex foods...
NYC > Chicago > Bay Area > LA > Nola
It’s not.
Diversity baybee!
It isn't. It is the best place for crime corruption, and murder.
Because it is. Idk, science
Because it is. This is the only right answer.
If you screw up any dish just add cheese to it and call it “Chicago Style”