The Best Chicago Eats for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Everything in Between

Chicago cuisine is quite unlike anything else. Outsiders might find it hard to believe that in this beloved Midwestern metropolis, we have our own distinct taste. Somehow we manage to be one of the top culinary cities in the US, standing firmly beside the likes of New Orleans, San Francisco and New York. 

 

These cities are loved by “foodies” everywhere. If you don’t know what a foodie is, the Merriam Webster dictionary (yes that’s right, it’s an actual word) defines it as “a person who enjoys and cares about food very much.”

 

Well folks, it seems to me like that should pretty much encapsulate the entirety of the global population. So foodies, friends, family, let me take you on a little tour through the trendiest, most scrumptious, affordable eats Chicago has to offer. 

 

 

 

 

You wake up on a Sunday morning, semi-functionally hung over, ready to treat your undeserved self to a nice brunch. Your stomach takes you to Lincoln Park, home of the contemporary Chicago brunch mecca, Orange. Your body is screaming for carbohydrates to refuel, so naturally it’s my duty to recommend the Chai tea French toast. Orange is just what you need to feel like a star when you’re really not. A bright beacon of hope on a Sunday morning, Orange is just the right amount of refreshing and nourishing. 

 

Price: Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch brings us to the West Loop. You want to swank it up a bit, but don’t want to unload your pockets. Take a seat at Little Goat Diner (restaurant baby child of Girl and a Goat), a happy little place serving meals from sun up to sun down. It’s a Chicago diner without the grease and with all the groovyness Randolph Street has to offer. While you’re there, make sure to taste their famous freshly baked bread.

 

Price: Average

 

 

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Get a bang for your buck at Big & Little’s, a classic Chicago taco haven featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. This joint prides itself on its fresh quality food for bargain prices – get a fish taco for 3 bucks! Also, I would fire myself if I didn’t recommend the truffle fries. 

 

Price: Bargain

 

 

 

 

 

At the corner of Randolph and Halsted is a little place I like to call the mouth-orgasm inducer, but most people know it by Au Cheval. Locals line up outside this place for up to 2 hours to get the heavenly soul nourishment of this casual, but trendy diner. Relax your bones in its old, leathery barstool or booth seating while your taste buds explode on a steak burger topped with a fried egg. The wait is definitely worth it. 

 

Price: Average

 

 

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You’re stumbling out of the bars in Wrigleyville and your stomach pulls you to Pick Me Up Cafe. It’s more of an underground food paradise than a café, somewhere I would imagine Jeff Tweedy goes to decompress. You might be more of a savory food lover, but ordering anything besides the massive French toast is a lie.

 

Local Chicago student, Carolyn McKee, loves the French toast calling it, “(a) masterpiece for only the hungriest kitten with the most ferocious appetite.” Served on a large platter, they basically bring you a whole loaf of bread. They also have a list of vegan and vegetarian options if you’re into that scene or like animals. 

 

Price: Bargain

 

 

 

 

Molly’s Cupcakes

 

If you’re like me, a day isn’t complete without dessert. I have a duty, as a civilian and a soul-bearing human person, to recommend, no, tell you to go to Molly’s Cupcakes. These cupcakes are crafted by the meticulous, slender, probably harp-playing hands of Chicago’s finest bakers. Filled with all sorts of sugar goodness, these little cakes are the things of gods. Try the Cookie Monster if you think you are worthy enough.

 

Price: Doesn’t matter

 

 

 

Next time you’re looking to get your eat on in Chicago, make sure to check out one of these places for breakfast, lunch and dinner or anything in between. Did we miss your favorite spot? Let us know your most-loved city food joints in the comments below.