Lynette Smith 
While the Graziano family’s deli and grocery may feel incongruous with its flashy West Loop surroundings, the shop, which has been in operation since 1937, has held its own as a lunchtime destination. That’s thanks in part to its signature offering, an intricately layered sub named after the owner’s father. Provolone, soppressata, prosciutto, and Genoa … Read more
Butchered and ground in house, this Beverly favorite’s surpassingly juicy griddled beef is much too good for the limp bun that encloses the burgers here. The superior choice is the patty melt, which pairs that delicious meat with jammy grilled onions, sharp American cheese, and crisp buttered rye for an excellent texture and pleasant notes … Read more
Eugene S. Qahhaar’s Calumet Heights restaurant, which he opened in 1973, mostly offered hot dogs and burgers until he decided to add a breaded whitefish sandwich to the menu to shake things up. A fitting addition to a spot called Dock’s (the name is actually an homage to Qahhaar’s father, Dock Meadows), the dish took … Read more
There are 20 kinds of bánh mì on the menu here, and while you won’t go wrong with any of them, there’s an exalted place in the Chicago sandwich pantheon for the Nhu Lan Special (it’s No. 1 on the menu). An airy, crackly baguette, baked on the premises, is smeared with pork pâté and … Read more
Defenders of subtlety, look away: This sandwich — a Bridgeport classic since it was introduced in 1946 — is a two-fister with zero nuance. It’s a big ol’ heap of thinly pounded, breaded skirt steak dunked in a red gravy that quickly eliminates the meat’s crispness and softens the roll, fusing the whole thing into a sloppy flavor bomb. … Read more
The city’s top tortilla manufacturer, El Milagro, which was started in 1950, also happens to run one of Little Village’s best Mexican restaurants. The location on 26th Street is a cafeteria attached to the tortilleria, and diners wait in line for homey dishes like the one-of-a-kind steak tacos. Unlike in other versions around the city, … Read more
How could the city’s oldest hot dog stand not serve up an iconic offering? Dave’s Red Hots opened near 12th and Homan in 1938 and lives on just down the block from its original location, old furniture and all. Like all the great hot dog stands of Chicago’s past, this one offers just a few … Read more
In 1996, Juan “Peter” Figueroa, the owner of a Puerto Rican restaurant in Humboldt Park, came up with a curious invention inspired by a sandwich from his home island: a pile of thinly sliced marinated pork, beef, or chicken topped with cheese, onion, tomato, shredded lettuce, and garlic aïoli and pressed between two flattened pieces … Read more
Chicago’s oldest Italian beef stand, now part of a citywide chain, opened in 1938 and remains a Little Italy mainstay. Al’s still makes the beef the way it always has, and it’s a little different from the offerings of all the other gravy-slingers around town, as the beef is more finely shredded and the giardiniera … Read more
It was Garrett’s customers — yes, Chicagoans ourselves — who invented the immensely popular sweet-savory Garrett Mix. For years, patrons frequently requested extra paper bags to mix what were then Garrett’s two signature flavors, the tangy cheddar-coated CheeseCorn and the crunchy CaramelCrisp. So, in 1977, the shop started selling the flavors premixed. That mix is available in bags at … Read more
