1. Grand Lux Cafe
2. The Doughnut Vault
If you love doughnuts, then you will absolutely love The Doughnut Vault. It is a little shop that is actually located in an old bank vault. They only sell a limited amount of doughnuts and they sell out quick, and I do not blame them. They make some of the best doughnuts I have ever had, and I've had many. Their doughnuts are not only out of this world huge, but have so much love and care put into them that it just simply blows your mind. You can see the vanilla bean within their glaze and the first bite is perfect. It's something that you must try if you get the chance.
3. Gene's and Jude's
Everyone knows about Chicago's famous style hotdogs, but Gene's and Jude's takes it out of the water. When you step into this little place, you get a punch of the experience. They do one thing, and one thing right. Their hotdogs are topped with hand cut fries and then wrapped with the hotdog. Once you get your hotdog though and pick off the fries, you can see the old fashion favorite hotdog. A juicy hotdog covered in all the fix, mustard, peppers, and diced onions. If you are feeling extra hungry, ask for one of their unique "doubles".
4. Johnnie's Beef
Chicago is also known for its Italian beef. What is Italian beef? Italian beef is basically thinly sliced beef that has been marinated and cooked in a seasoning and then placed on top of a bun. But what makes Italian beef so special is that the beef sits in its marinated sauce until you order it. Then that extremely flavorful sauce is drizzled on top of your beef sandwich. Along side the beef, either sweet peppers or hot peppers are placed on top. Many say that an Italian beef closely reminds them of a french dip, but trust me and them when we say it's so much better.
5. Garrett's Popcorn
Garrett makes some of the fluffiest and well coated popcorn you may ever taste. They make the perfect blend of cheese and caramel corn, known as Chicago Style Popcorn. It's rich and light all at the same time. Along side, they make some other great caramel corn flavors like caramel pecan, which is just as good. Garrett's is so good that they have various locations all around Illinois. From train stations, to the airport, everyone wants their hands on a bag of this delicious popcorn.
6. Gino's East
The infamous deep dish Chicago pizza. Well, Gino does it, and they do it like no body else. Their style of the deep dish starts with a nice thick crust, much like a pie crust, but even thicker to hold up against the mass amount of cheesy goodness and thick tomato sauce. Their toppings are also amazing because they are baked into the pie, and are huge and thick. So every bite comes with an explosive amount of cheese, sauce, and whatever you choose to put in your pie. Gino's also has a wonderful family friendly environment, and they even allow you to leave your mark on their walls if you choose.
