We ate so much in Chicago – we cook dinner ourselves, but we ate out every lunch and dinner. Very fortunate for us, we didn’t have to go online once to find famous places to eat because our friends gave us all the food recommendations!
Quartino Ristorante ($$)
Italian.
Must try: Soprano pizza (our most favorite dish) and Tagliata Di Manzo (I love the tender beef – side vegetables are very healthy as well).
Lou Malnati’s ($$)
Chicago Deep-dish pizza.
OK service. Everything was kinda huge. If you order the tiniest size, they wouldn’t come with a skillet. Must try: Deep Dish the Lou (butter crust, my fav part is the mushroom in this vegetarian deep-dish).
Nutella Cafe ($$)
Cafe, Dessert
They let you do a personalized nutella jar. Always have a line. Must try: CYO Crepe (we added strawberry and blueberry and Nutella whipped creme for toppings, which was soooo good!).
Wow Bao ($)
Asian Fast Food.
We tried: a set of 6 baos, soup dumplings, and ginger tea. They were okay, but the potstickers were heaven. Must try: Chicken potstickers.
Stan’s Donuts ($$)
Cafe, Donuts.
No must-try, but I had White Chocolate and Chai Tea with Peanut Butter Banana Packet Donut. I think this place is overrated and too sweet.
Magnolia Bakery ($$$)
Bakery.
Originally from New York, but it’s still famous here. Must try: World’s Famous Banana Pudding (best pudding I’ve ever had).
The Purple Pig ($$)
Mediterranean.
We had Crispy Pig Ears (I still prefer the Vietnamese way of cooking pig ears though ), Bone Marrow, and Raviolleto (pasta. sweet and savory, and looked like a crepe), and Milk Braised Berkshire Shoulder. Must try: Roasted Bone Marrow (super fatty and would melt in your mouth, so good).
Nori Sushi ($$)
Japanese.
Good service, but I didn’t like the vibe here. We had California Roll to share and I had yummy Tom Yum Ramen (great mix between Thai and Japanese food). Must try: Tom Yum Koong Ramen.
Seoul Taco ($)
Korean, Mexican, Asian Fusion.
Warning this is a lot of food and can be a little spicy. But overall really really good flavors! Must try: Nachos, tofu tacos, and gogi & waffle.
Acanto ($$$)
Italian.
Kathryn’s family is Italian, so I suggested that we tried a great Italian place in her town. Kathryn treated me Meatballs, Sicilian Arancini, Cappelletti, Chicken Piccata. The place was dim lit, classy, and served decent food. Kathryn and I had a fun time tgt! Must try: Sicilian Arancini.
Yolk ($$)
Breakfast, brunch
All-egg menu. The review said that they are known for their egg benedicts so both Viet and I ordered that. I had the vegetarian version and I really liked it, even though I usually go for meat for protein.
Trang "Tee" Nguyen 