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Suggest Chicago food places
I have a work trip to Chicago coming up soon and I was hoping any locals or people who have visited Chicago could suggest some food places I should be checking out.
I'll be staying at a hotel near the Woodfield mall, so ideally places closer to the mall would be best, which I know is not close to downtown Chicago. I'll be primarily working, so I won't have a ton of time to wander around or check out the city.
I will literally try anything so just looking for good or interesting food.
Mitsuwa is an Asian mall just down the road. Has a good food court with Asian cuisine. If you have any interest in Asian cuisine, groceries, goods, or culture, it’s a place.
Just noticed on the map that Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is the same distance away, the opposite direction. I’ve never done it, I know very little about it, but it’s also a thing.
Mitsuwa is a great suggestion and super close. I will definitely go check that out. Thank you!
I have a Medieval Times near me. It's a blast. If you're remotely interested it's worth checking out.
Mitsuwa is definitely the right answer to this question, you can't go wrong with anything from their food court and you can grab some snacks to bring back to the hotel.
If you need another rec for something nearby, I haven't been to the Arlington Heights location, but if it is as good as the Elmwood Park one, you've gotta get an italian beef and lemon ice over at Johnnie's, just down the street from Mitsuwa.
If you want something more upscale and experimental, I really enjoyed https://www.girlandthegoat.com/. You order small plates, they're very unique and generally pretty fantastic.
ROOP is a pretty good indian place.
Portos exists. It's like mid, but if you're very drunk it's more palatable. The shakes are a crime against humanity, but some people like them.
Girl & The Goat looking amazing. When I come back with my wife, we will definitely go there. Probably not happening for this trip, but love the suggestion. Thank you!
ROOP also looks great. Appreciate the suggestions!
If you are into cocktails even slightly, go to the aviary. They do presentation focused cocktails. It's quite pricy, but it is absolutely worth it. I've only been to Chicago once, but the aviary is a must go for me in the future.
Although it did take us a bit to get there from the city center.
Very cool looking place. I probably won't get the chance this time but definitely on the list for when I come back with my wife. Thank you!
Webster Wine Bar. Best burger, imo.
Barbaro Taqueria for the best carne asada tacos I've ever had.
Piece Pizza.
High Five Ramen.
Momotaro.
Green Street Smoked Meats.
Fantastic, thank you!
You’ll be staying in Schaumburg which has its own collection of restaurants. There are a lot of chains in that area.
You’ll be west of the city, it’ll be a trek to get there. If you want good restaurants you want to be in the neighborhoods and not the loop (downtown downtown).
Bella Napoli in Schaumburg for pizza is quite good. Portillo’s is a suburban staple, Italian Beef is a must experience item.
r/chicagofood has a lot of recommendations if you’re willing to search through post histories. I usually save recommended places to Yelp then look at a map view to get an idea as to where to go.
Perfect, Bella Napoli looks like a great option. I will try and get that one night. And Italian beef sandwich? Yes please. Both pretty close. I'm running out of days, but I'll do my best. Thank you!
It's probably not what you're looking for, but my friends absolutely swear by the cheddar popcorn sold in the airport. They've been bringing the stuff back for 15+ years and I have to admit it's pretty damn good.
I think the brand is Garrett.
I'll be stuck at the airport for hours on my way out, so definitely something worth checking out. I do love cheddar popcorn. Thanks for sharing!
If you want to do it right, you have to get the mix of cheddar and caramel. Some how it works.
Lou Malnati's for pizza
Fudge Pot for sweets
Worth the trip into town for either.
Why would you go into the city for Lou's when there are locations all over?
You're right, any Lou's location is worth the trip
There is a Lou's 14 minutes from where I am staying, so still works! Thank you.
Fudge Pot is not, however, so that will have to wait for when I come back with my wife.
When we visited, a friend, who travels extensively, had told us about that Gibson's steaks were the best he every had in the states. So we went there. It was indeed fantastic and we plan to go back for it again when we can make it there again.
I love a good steak. I will definitely try to make it there but that might have to wait for when I come back with my wife.
This is not a restaurant suggestion but The Field Museum has a Pokemon Fossil Museum that I went to a month ago! It was super cute and pretty unique, I'd highly suggest getting tickets early if you're remotely interested.
Yes, they absolutely sell out and you can't even go into the exhibit shop without a ticket, which seems like a big loss of revenue.
it does create a little bit of fomo and i feel like it probably combats scalpers a bit well looks at my paleontologist Pikachu on my shelf
Not my jam, but very cool idea.
Unfortunately I'm not familiar with the area there but if you head northward I could help out a lot more!
Until next time. Chicagoland is a fun place to be, as long as you have money.
I'm also north in lake county. Any suggestions?
Hey there fellow Lake County resident! I'm not sure what your tastes are but I can send some places I've come to really enjoy. I've lived all over the area and have wide ranging tastes.
Waukegan:
Gurnee:
Grayslake/Third Lake:
Libertyville:
Lake Bluff:
Vernon Hills:
Mundelein:
There's plenty I'm forgetting but this is what I've got so far!
Thanks! I thinks I've had most of these and they are definitely good options.
Here are some is recommend. They maybe on the pricier side, not sure your budget.
Vernon Hills
Libertyville
Hawthorn Woods
Lake Bluff
Lake Forest
On a teacher's salary, I'm quite limited! I've seen your name around a lot, I didn't realize you were so local to me.
It's a small and large world 😃
I hope you've not been too impacted by the recent power outages. I have friends who only just got it back last night.
Thanks for checking in! Luckily no. I think we only lost power for a couple of minutes. Hopefully you weren't impacted too bad. Couple is people at work I know had lost it for the whole night after the storms.
Cozy Noodles & Rice is a great Thai place and the owner's collection of random doodads all over the walls gives it a fun vibe, but checking the map it might be too far out of the way from where you're staying.
Yeah probably more of a trek then I want to take but will definitely try to check it out when I come back. Looks like a great place!