How to Eat Traditional Foods in Chicago
Chicago is known for its traditional foods. There are plenty of them and they are mostly excellent. So grab your plate, and let's see how to eat traditional foods while in Chicago. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Grab a slice. The city is probably best-known for its famous Chicago-style pizza. It's not for the faint of heart—or the appetite-challenged. Chicago pizza is deep dish, meaning it's about 2 to 4 inches thick with the "toppings" cooked into the dough and cheese and the sauce baked on the top. It is very filling and delicious. Chicago pizza is famous all over the world, but the best is right in the city. Top places include Uno's, Due's and Giordano's Pizza. They are all located near downtown and serve a real monster pie. Call ahead and plan your visit, because these small, historical pizza joints can easily have a wait of over an hour on a weekend afternoon. So plan accordingly!
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Go get yourself a hot dog. Whether you're at a ball game or just walking around one of the city's neighborhoods, you won't be too far away from a Chi-town hot dog. They are scrumptious and almost form their own food group, depending on who you ask. But a Chicago-style dog is different, so you've been warned. A Chicago hot dog comes charred, with mustard, onions, bright-green relish (excellent), tomato, pickle, celery salt and hot peppers (on request). For some reason, other cities claim that a Chicago hot dog comes with cucumbers, but that's: (a) ridiculous, and (b) disgusting. So forget that theory. But a Chicago hot dog does not—I repeat, does not—come with ketchup, even if you say "everything." Enjoy a good Chicago dog. It is the way to go.
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Enjoy an Italian beef sandwich. Chicagoans love their Italian beef sandwiches, and so should you. It comes drenched in sauce (like an "au jus") and usually with chopped green peppers and sometimes mushrooms. These sandwiches are messy, not too healthy, and completely delicious. There are a number of places that locals go for their beef fix, but some of the best are Mr. Beef and Al's. They have been staples of the Chicago-food scene for a number of years, and you will see the same people in there day after day. Get a bunch of napkins, order up and enjoy yourself some Italian beef.
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Eat everything at once. If trying to navigate from hot dog stand to pizza place to beef joint is too difficult, then why not make them come to you? That's right, make your way to the Taste of Chicago. Celebrated annually during Fourth of July week, the Taste of Chicago is a huge event where hundreds of vendors come and set up food stands and offer samplings of their signature dishes. Don't let the term "sampling" throw you off—it's not free. You pay for the food with tickets. And, in fact, the tickets are not cheap. The event is fun, crowded and usually extremely hot. But if you really want to try some of the best traditional Chicago foods, the Taste is the way to go. Everyone who is anyone in the Chicago food scene will have a booth there, and you will have the chance to try a little bit of everything that is Chicago traditional food.
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Tips & Warnings
As if you couldn't figure it out, traditional Chicago foods are not the healthiest grub you can grab. So follow the rules of moderation and enjoy yourself.
- Photo Credit roadfood.com
