We ate out quite a few times while visiting Chicago on our 50 state road trip and enjoyed all of the meals.
If you’re planning a trip to the Windy City, here are 7 great places to eat that we can recommend.
1) Breakfast – Meli Cafe
Just before checking out of the Kimpton Gray Hotel, we went to breakfast at Meli Cafe. They have a few locations in Chicago – we ate at the one on Dearborn St.
I ordered the lox and bagel that came with dill cream cheese which was a first for me.
Shae ordered the Symphony – chocolate infused crepes with banana, strawberries and Nutella – and also had a side of scrambled eggs.
Shae’s mom went for the pancake breakfast that came with potatoes, bacon and eggs.
Address: Meli Cafe, 500 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605
2) Chicken – Nando’s
Shae and I love us some Nando’s. I’m from the UK and we lived there for the first five years of our marriage. Nando’s is very popular there, so it’s great that they’re opening up more restaurants in the US.
Their specialty is peri-peri chicken and it’s absolutely delicious. You can choose how spicy you want it and how you want the chicken served.
I went for the boneless chicken breast with a side of corn on the cob. Shae and I shared our sides, hence why the corn was sliced off in the photo below.
Shae got the chicken breast sandwich with a side of peri fries.
There are a few dessert options at Nando’s, so we went for the unlimited self-serve Dole Whip – a pineapple non-dairy dessert. I know, ‘pineapple non-dairy dessert’ sounds kinda lame, but it’s actually delicious and is a perfect dessert having had spicy chicken.
Address: Nando’s, 117 E Lake St, Chicago, IL 60601
3) Dessert – Nutella Cafe
Yes, the Nutella Cafe is a thing. Even better, it’s right below Nando’s which is another good reason to only have the Dole Whip for dessert as it leaves room for something from the Nutella Cafe.
We’ve usually stuck to banana & Nutella crepes when making them at home, so that’s what Shae ordered.
Rather than having the same thing, I ordered the strawberry & Nutella crepe and we shared our crepes.
The strawberry & Nutella crepe was even better than expected and might be my new favorite.
Address: Nutella Cafe, 189 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60601
4) Pasta – Italian Village
For our 14th anniversary, Shae and I went to dinner at Italian Village which was just a few doors down from our hotel. Having opened in 1927, Italian Village has been open for more than 90 years and is the oldest Italian restaurant in Chicago.
Since eating there, I’ve realized that the meat ravioli I ordered might be the first non-school dinner and non-Chef Boyardee version of ravioli I’ve eaten. Needless to say, it’s the best ravioli I’ve ever had.
Shae ordered the spaghetti and meatballs; they gave a huge serving of spaghetti and the two meatballs were very large (the photo below doesn’t do the portion size justice). We both asked for arrabiata sauce which was deliciously spicy.
For dessert, we each ordered chocolate mousse which was both excellent and a larger portion size than we’d be expecting.
Our server Alkan had been fantastic the entire meal, so we thanked him just as we were about to leave for making our anniversary meal so special. He wouldn’t let us leave until he’d gotten us a complimentary slice of the Italian rum cake which was very generous.
Address: Italian Village, 71 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603
5) Burgers – Chicago Burger Company
While on a Chicago Canine Cruise (more on that to come in the next few days), the boat went past the Sheraton hotel. The tour guide mentioned that the hotel had a dog-friendly restaurant looking out over the Chicago River, so we went there for lunch afterwards.
I ordered the CBC Signature Burger as it came with bacon, onions, fried pickles and garlic-herb aioli.
Shae went for their cheeseburger and we shared a side of fries…
…while her mom had the Red Hot Chicago Dog with everything on it.
Address: Chicago Burger Company, 301 E North Water St, Chicago, IL 60611
6) Pizza – Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
We’d had a couple of people recommend Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria for pizza, so Shae wanted to go there for her birthday lunch. They serve Chicago deep dish pizza, so it was fun getting to have authentic deep dish rather than a microwave version which is the only time I’ve ever tried it.
All of us went for personal-sized pizzas. I ordered mine with pepperoni and sausage and had them go easy on the cheese (I know, I’m a Philistine).
Shae had a straight-up cheese and tomato pizza…
…while her mom ordered The Lou. This had a spinach mix with garlic, basil and onion, mushrooms, sliced roma tomatoes and three cheeses.
Address: Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, 1120 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610
7) Ice Cream – Margie’s Candies
After having birthday lunch at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, we went for ice cream at Margie’s Candies. And not just any ice cream – we got what was billed on their menu as the World’s Largest Sundae.
We’re not certain what we ordered is officially the World’s Largest Sundae though. They had an even larger sundae on the menu that cost $70, but we weren’t quite that gluttonous.
Containing half a gallon of ice cream, it was a good job there were five of us to share it. With the ice cream came chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and some chopped nuts, as well as some wafers.
It took a little while, but we managed to clear the plate.
Not wanting to let anything to go to waste, I worked on the rest of the caramel…
…while Shae focused on the chocolate.
Address: Margie’s Candies, 1960 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Question
Those are our 7 suggestions of great places to eat in Chicago, but I’m certain there are tons of places we missed out on. So what are your favorite places to eat in Chicago? Let us know in the comments below.
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