You can get a Maxwell Street–style Polish anywhere in this city, but there’s really only one worth traveling for. Express Grill, hard by the Dan Ryan Expressway just north of the street the sausage is named after, serves up a charred, smoky link on a squishy hot dog bun that’s been slathered with yellow mustard. … Read more
The beloved menu staple at Eddie Lakin’s counter-service spot is everything you want a griddled burger to be. An amply seasoned, smashed-flat quarter-pound patty of freshly ground chuck is seared on a just-greasy-enough flattop until the meat is crisped around the edges before getting topped with your choice of cheeses, like American or Merkt’s cheddar … Read more
The namesake item at this iconic drive-in, which Maurie and Flaurie Berman opened in 1948 (that’s them, in hot dog form, on the restaurant’s roof), is a Chicago-style hot dog — just a bit bigger and better. The oversize all-beef wiener is served on a poppy seed bun and comes topped with mustard, onions, a dill pickle, … Read more
Chicago’s most famous 24-hour eatery has been a part of Little Italy for more than 80 years, and you know you’re close when you can smell grilled onions in the air. Tourists might be quick to order a Polish sausage, but picky locals go down the street for one of those (see Polish Sausage at … Read more
Visiting this Mexico City–style taqueria, which is attached to a corner grocery store, is a joy, from the colorful papel picado decorations to the housemade pineapple tepache. But all that is just a preamble to the food, and while it’s hard to argue against any of the tacos on the menu, the lengua is justifiably … Read more
For the past four decades, this butcher shop and restaurant has been turning out Chicago’s best gorditas — griddled disks of masa stuffed with meaty fillings. The gorditas here come filled with cheese and beans along with your choice of al pastor, nopalitos (cactus), arrachera (skirt steak), carnitas, or chicken, but the Doña Cuca is what locals … Read more
One has to wonder if this beloved Jewish deli’s popularity with Chicago pols has something to do with the heft of its trademark sandwich. After all, there’s no better way to disarm a rival than to corner them while they’re trying to get their mouth around a nine-ounce pile of shaved corned beef. There’s not … Read more
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
Among the classic American diner fare at Uncle Mike’s Place, you’ll find a second menu featuring silog, or Filipino breakfast combos. In 2008, co-owner Lucy Serrano made herself one, catching the attention of nearby Filipino customers. Her husband, co-owner Mike Grajewski, added a few components, and the rest was history. Their silog comes with a … Read more
