No clue… Portillos maybe 15-20 years ago would’ve been God tier… but it fell off so hard. They’re making bank now, but the quality isn’t what I remember from my childhood.
Lord, I’m truly wondering what Portillos you went to. I’ve never had a greasy Portillos anything. What I was used to back when I was a teen was a perfectly presented bacon cheeseburger with perfect fries and cup of cheese. Now-a-days the burgers are edible, but I feel like they stopped caring about presentation and overall quality.
Whatever one is closest to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
I had grilled onions once and peppers the other time and it seems like they just scooped the veggies with a laddle and all the cooking liquid included.
Probably just bad luck, but getting bad luck twice in a row makes me not want to try a third time.
Yeah, that seems location specific. Feel like restaurants that are near convention centers tend to be low quality compared to their sister locations. The workers are probably used to an influx of folks, so they developed bad habits that are “efficient”
One of the most overrated things you can do in Seattle is go to the first Starbucks at the market. Endless options of food and drinks within walking distance, and people go to Starbucks.
Felt bad for him yeah. Even our local Sbarro's is as Woolie said, edible *nothing*.
Their Zitis are fine though, but the Pizza's like 90% chance of bleh.
Saying *Panda Express* is better is possibly the worst insult you can give to a restaurant.
No seriously ,with most fast food joints I am fine with them in a “I’m getting fast food, I know what to expect” kind of deal but both times I’ve tried Panda Express it was just *fucking disgusting* tasting even by the standards of a fast food meal.
Panda Express is right up there with Arby’s in the “how are these places still in business, who chooses to eat here?” tier of fast food.
Lmfao I just had a slushee from 7/11… I feel like the ones in the city vs the ones in the burbs are polar opposite. I got my slushee for free just cause the cashier was in a good mood… downtown probably would’ve “accidentally” double charged me
I didnt grow up in chicago but in a major us city and theres something just reassuring and US city grime and dankiness that just feels loke home that i lowkey miss.
I moved out from my parent's house where they have a long-ass driveway in a quiet neighborhood to renting a one-bedroom house on the busiest street in a medium-sized town and the constant noise backwash of cars helps me sleep better now.
Rosati's is decent chicago-style deep dish in a ton of locations. According to their website they're in AZ, CO, FL, IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, NV, NC, TN, TX, and WI, but I know for a fact that there's at least one in southeast Missouri so the list is out-of-date, there might be more.
Yeah rosati's is a solid chain that makes "chicago" style pizza. Not chicago deep dish, but chicago tavern. Theres also a mom and pop pizza place like on every street corner in chicago and the suburbs. Love me some rosati's
Jet’s id recommend to Woolie if he wanted something better than a Lil Caesars hot and ready without breaking the bank. Best part about it is we could blame Michigan if Woolie ended up hating it 😂
Hopefully he frequents Combo Breaker enough he goes to the not tourist spots. Does anyone know if Woolie has made the pilgrimage to Galloping Ghost, though?
I’m pretty sure he did, feel like I def remember him speaking about it on a pod… or maybe I’m thinking of Maximilian 🤔 swear I remember hearing Woolie mention GG
Portillos is such a basic bitch recommendation that I'm not even from Chicago and I got mad y'all sent him there.
It's like telling someone "You ***have*** to go to time square" except Woolie would have found a better hotdog there.
So, as someone who does want to go to Chicago one day, what are some legitimately good food stops? Like, which is a must must that I wouldn’t find in a typical Chicago brochure. I mean like the back alley taco stalls I frequent in call. I mean the hidden ramen shops in Japan. The random ass super Saiyin goku tacos in Mexico.
This gona be a nice list, it all honestly depends on where you’re willing to drive to in/around the city. I’d assume if you’re on vacation here, you’re most likely gona be in a hotel/airbnb that’s near downtown/west loop/south loop… so I’ll start my list thinking of a starting point from one of those 3 spots.
Chinese food: MCCB (China Town)
Pizza Place 1: Phil’s Pizza (Bridgeport)
Pizza Place 2: Art of Pizza (Lakeview)
Pizza Place 3: My Pi (Bucktown)
Italian: Bacchanalia
Taco Place 1: Huaraches (far north lol)
Taco Place 2: Antotonilco (go to the one in Pilsen that’s on Blue Island, GET THE AL PASTOR TACO)
Taco Place 3: L’Patron
Polish Sausage: Jim’s (UIC Campus - get it deep fried and add cheese)
Hotdog: Devil Dawgs (Downtown basically)
This is my list for now lol… there’s a lot of good friend chicken spots, but I’m from the Hood, so I can’t say “go to Harold’s on 87th” and ensure your safety 😂
Haha you're all around my high school spots. I was thinking the other day, I honestly wouldnt try n push a Chicago dog on a tourist. Its comfort food pure and simple to me. But Devil Dogs is a solid spot to get one
Well, there’s a Harold’s Chicken tier list lol… the one off of 87th & State is what I grew up on. Harold’s on 21st & Michigan I hear is good but I’ve never personally went to that one.
pst whats near schamburg tho for those of us combo breaker attendees
i ended up getting portillos doordash'd and ramen and korean fried chicken from a place across my hotel
edit: and kuma's corner doordash'd i actually rly liked that burg
Yeah, Portillo’s isn’t as bad as Woolie made it seem in all honesty. It’s def not as great as it was years ago, but if you’re not from the area, it’ll taste really good if it’s your first time. Get the chocolate cake shake if you order again, that’s one of the few things that’s still cracked out 😂
Kuma’s also isn’t bad, I think some people had a bad experience, but I never have
I was one of those guys that had a bad experience from Kuma. I got their Slayer (which they say won an award on their menu at the time) it was flavorless and they over cooked my patty. Also Raman Misoya is pretty good but their char siu has good and bad days {bad as in dry}.
Gotcha, sorry you had that experience. The one thing that gets me when a place becomes super popular, requires way more staff/chefs… this leads to inconsistency in quality. You could’ve gone 364 other days and probably would’ve gotten quality, but you got a shit roll on that day. If you ever get a chance, checkout the spots on this site… I’ve gone to a few, 100% legit
[Burgers worth the drive for](https://chicago.eater.com/maps/chicago-best-burgers-restaurants)
You’re good then lol, you want some good food, seek out the places that have bullet proof glass and 4-5 people willing to wait for their order. When the food is good enough to potentially get shot for, then it speaks for itself 😂
Well you’ll probably see a liquor store/corner store, but surprisingly most of the gun stores are in the suburbs. You need a FOID card to even buy a gun in Illinois… so you may be wondering, where do the gangs get their guns? Indiana basically lol
There aint gun stores cuz guns were illegal in chicago for a while. You can tell by the illustrious reputation. But that liquor store, liquor store, fried chicken, gas station, liquor store are some actual legit blocks in chicago lol. Chicago viewed prohibition as a challenge and fucking won
Last time I had one, it was pretty damn good, and I always got a shake because I’m a manchild lol maybe they fell off a bit too. My real hotdog rec is to go to the Vienna beef factory store on 38th & Morgan, at that point you’re getting a hot dog straight from the source.
I like Morettis for pizza, but that might be personal nostalgia.
Superdawg is always solid for hot dogs, Gene and Judes is also good, same with Devil Dawgs.
At least if he's gonna do Deep Dish they did Pequods instead of like, Giordanos.
Food recommendations on the internet are crazy. I still think it's insane that people come to the UK and are recommended Nandos or a Tesco meal deal.
The phrase 'Cheeky Nandos' was a joke and it generally considered mediocre at best. The meal deal is just a sandwich you can get from any store, anywhere in the world. The deal part isn't even that good, we have plenty of non-chain sandwich shops which are cheaper and better.
Portillos has great comfort food but if you want just great Chicago food in general just go to any place that has a sign that is scratched to hell and looks super small, delicious stuff
Al’s > Johnnie’s imho… every Chicagoan has there spot. I do recognize Johnnie’s as a top 3 beef spot, but if he had gone to Al’s, he could’ve also gotten Mario’s Italian Ice right across the street.
Nah been ages since I've been up that way since I moved more west. Hell I haven't even been to those pop's in forever. The palos one I think went to the original owners daughter so quality is prolly still good there. Kedzie went to the head managers from palos so same I'd assume on quality.
I never understand why people recommend chain restaurants in places like Chicago.
No clue… Portillos maybe 15-20 years ago would’ve been God tier… but it fell off so hard. They’re making bank now, but the quality isn’t what I remember from my childhood.
It's because the owner sold it and quality has gone down as pennies started getting pinched
Went there twice about 4 and 5 years ago. Both times my food was more grease and liquid than bun and meat. The shakes were good though.
Lord, I’m truly wondering what Portillos you went to. I’ve never had a greasy Portillos anything. What I was used to back when I was a teen was a perfectly presented bacon cheeseburger with perfect fries and cup of cheese. Now-a-days the burgers are edible, but I feel like they stopped caring about presentation and overall quality.
Whatever one is closest to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. I had grilled onions once and peppers the other time and it seems like they just scooped the veggies with a laddle and all the cooking liquid included. Probably just bad luck, but getting bad luck twice in a row makes me not want to try a third time.
Yeah, that seems location specific. Feel like restaurants that are near convention centers tend to be low quality compared to their sister locations. The workers are probably used to an influx of folks, so they developed bad habits that are “efficient”
It’s like Woolie if went to Seattle and someone recommended he try a local spot called Starbucks.
One of the most overrated things you can do in Seattle is go to the first Starbucks at the market. Endless options of food and drinks within walking distance, and people go to Starbucks.
I just about cried when I heard Woolie went to a Sbarro’s by choice. It’s practically cardboard cosplaying as food
Felt bad for him yeah. Even our local Sbarro's is as Woolie said, edible *nothing*. Their Zitis are fine though, but the Pizza's like 90% chance of bleh.
If you're anywhere near a Sbarro you're equally close to some panda express and you're better off just getting panda
Saying *Panda Express* is better is possibly the worst insult you can give to a restaurant. No seriously ,with most fast food joints I am fine with them in a “I’m getting fast food, I know what to expect” kind of deal but both times I’ve tried Panda Express it was just *fucking disgusting* tasting even by the standards of a fast food meal. Panda Express is right up there with Arby’s in the “how are these places still in business, who chooses to eat here?” tier of fast food.
*God* yes.
At least with Panda Express you know it's actually food.
I wasn't aware that they existed outside of malls and rest areas on the highway.
I DMed Woolie and told him to go to Art of Pizza, I did my part. If I had known some lunatic rec'ed Johnnies I'd have included Al's too
Art of Pizza would’ve been a super solid spot for sure.
It's by far the thing I miss most from living in the south loop. Things I miss less: the building 7/11 getting robbed every weekend
Lmfao I just had a slushee from 7/11… I feel like the ones in the city vs the ones in the burbs are polar opposite. I got my slushee for free just cause the cashier was in a good mood… downtown probably would’ve “accidentally” double charged me
To be fair, south loop of Chicago is not exactly a super idyllic place, but I'm a city boy at heart so the grime calls to me
I didnt grow up in chicago but in a major us city and theres something just reassuring and US city grime and dankiness that just feels loke home that i lowkey miss.
I moved out from my parent's house where they have a long-ass driveway in a quiet neighborhood to renting a one-bedroom house on the busiest street in a medium-sized town and the constant noise backwash of cars helps me sleep better now.
It's a chain but I doubt they have it in Canada, jets pizza is a good pan pizza that reminds me of pizza hut 30 years ago
Rosati's is decent chicago-style deep dish in a ton of locations. According to their website they're in AZ, CO, FL, IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, NV, NC, TN, TX, and WI, but I know for a fact that there's at least one in southeast Missouri so the list is out-of-date, there might be more.
Yeah rosati's is a solid chain that makes "chicago" style pizza. Not chicago deep dish, but chicago tavern. Theres also a mom and pop pizza place like on every street corner in chicago and the suburbs. Love me some rosati's
Yeah I live in Missouri now and every couple weeks Rosati's is a god-send.
Jet’s id recommend to Woolie if he wanted something better than a Lil Caesars hot and ready without breaking the bank. Best part about it is we could blame Michigan if Woolie ended up hating it 😂
Hopefully he frequents Combo Breaker enough he goes to the not tourist spots. Does anyone know if Woolie has made the pilgrimage to Galloping Ghost, though?
Yes he has. Talked about it on a podcast a looong ass time ago.
Ah, I was wondering if he did. Thanks for the reply! I owe you a shot of Malort
I’m pretty sure he did, feel like I def remember him speaking about it on a pod… or maybe I’m thinking of Maximilian 🤔 swear I remember hearing Woolie mention GG
Literally Al's and Johnnies beef fighting for who is best. Wonder if he went to the right one though. The correct one has the beef nazi
Probably went to the Arlington heights one cuz he was in Schaumburg
Who the tf told him to get it dipped?
Someone who didn’t understand the assignment
Portillos is such a basic bitch recommendation that I'm not even from Chicago and I got mad y'all sent him there. It's like telling someone "You ***have*** to go to time square" except Woolie would have found a better hotdog there.
So, as someone who does want to go to Chicago one day, what are some legitimately good food stops? Like, which is a must must that I wouldn’t find in a typical Chicago brochure. I mean like the back alley taco stalls I frequent in call. I mean the hidden ramen shops in Japan. The random ass super Saiyin goku tacos in Mexico.
This gona be a nice list, it all honestly depends on where you’re willing to drive to in/around the city. I’d assume if you’re on vacation here, you’re most likely gona be in a hotel/airbnb that’s near downtown/west loop/south loop… so I’ll start my list thinking of a starting point from one of those 3 spots. Chinese food: MCCB (China Town) Pizza Place 1: Phil’s Pizza (Bridgeport) Pizza Place 2: Art of Pizza (Lakeview) Pizza Place 3: My Pi (Bucktown) Italian: Bacchanalia Taco Place 1: Huaraches (far north lol) Taco Place 2: Antotonilco (go to the one in Pilsen that’s on Blue Island, GET THE AL PASTOR TACO) Taco Place 3: L’Patron Polish Sausage: Jim’s (UIC Campus - get it deep fried and add cheese) Hotdog: Devil Dawgs (Downtown basically) This is my list for now lol… there’s a lot of good friend chicken spots, but I’m from the Hood, so I can’t say “go to Harold’s on 87th” and ensure your safety 😂
Haha you're all around my high school spots. I was thinking the other day, I honestly wouldnt try n push a Chicago dog on a tourist. Its comfort food pure and simple to me. But Devil Dogs is a solid spot to get one
>so I can’t say “go to Harold’s on 87th” and ensure your safety I'd walk through ww2 no man's land for good enough chicken.
Well, there’s a Harold’s Chicken tier list lol… the one off of 87th & State is what I grew up on. Harold’s on 21st & Michigan I hear is good but I’ve never personally went to that one.
Thank you, I'll absolutely give it a shot if I'm ever in Chicago!
What about Gene & Jude’s for Hot Dogs?
That’s an automatic, I was just thinking distance from south loop/west loop/downtown. The drive would definitely be worth it. Legendary hot dogs 🙏
pst whats near schamburg tho for those of us combo breaker attendees i ended up getting portillos doordash'd and ramen and korean fried chicken from a place across my hotel edit: and kuma's corner doordash'd i actually rly liked that burg
Yeah, Portillo’s isn’t as bad as Woolie made it seem in all honesty. It’s def not as great as it was years ago, but if you’re not from the area, it’ll taste really good if it’s your first time. Get the chocolate cake shake if you order again, that’s one of the few things that’s still cracked out 😂 Kuma’s also isn’t bad, I think some people had a bad experience, but I never have
I was one of those guys that had a bad experience from Kuma. I got their Slayer (which they say won an award on their menu at the time) it was flavorless and they over cooked my patty. Also Raman Misoya is pretty good but their char siu has good and bad days {bad as in dry}.
Gotcha, sorry you had that experience. The one thing that gets me when a place becomes super popular, requires way more staff/chefs… this leads to inconsistency in quality. You could’ve gone 364 other days and probably would’ve gotten quality, but you got a shit roll on that day. If you ever get a chance, checkout the spots on this site… I’ve gone to a few, 100% legit [Burgers worth the drive for](https://chicago.eater.com/maps/chicago-best-burgers-restaurants)
Ive gotten it before, this time i kinda got it to try that shake specifically lol
Bonefish grill, Kitakata, and chef pings are a couple of spots
I’m from Sinaloa, aka cartel city, like actually. I’m down. Appreciate it. Gonna save this
You’re good then lol, you want some good food, seek out the places that have bullet proof glass and 4-5 people willing to wait for their order. When the food is good enough to potentially get shot for, then it speaks for itself 😂
If I don’t see liquor store gun store liquor store liquor store gun store FRIED CHICKEN, it ain’t worth it
Well you’ll probably see a liquor store/corner store, but surprisingly most of the gun stores are in the suburbs. You need a FOID card to even buy a gun in Illinois… so you may be wondering, where do the gangs get their guns? Indiana basically lol
There aint gun stores cuz guns were illegal in chicago for a while. You can tell by the illustrious reputation. But that liquor store, liquor store, fried chicken, gas station, liquor store are some actual legit blocks in chicago lol. Chicago viewed prohibition as a challenge and fucking won
Honestly I don’t see the appeal of devil dawgs, like it was *fine* but it was just a regular ass hotdog, maybe I’m missing something
Last time I had one, it was pretty damn good, and I always got a shake because I’m a manchild lol maybe they fell off a bit too. My real hotdog rec is to go to the Vienna beef factory store on 38th & Morgan, at that point you’re getting a hot dog straight from the source.
There’s a really good Thai place called Silver Spoon Thai, right next to the Embassy on N Rush street.
Ehh portillos is still comfort food for me so im good
Yep, my fiance and I went to the one in Madison after he got his drains removed from surgery. It was a nice reward for a 3hr drive.
I like Morettis for pizza, but that might be personal nostalgia. Superdawg is always solid for hot dogs, Gene and Judes is also good, same with Devil Dawgs. At least if he's gonna do Deep Dish they did Pequods instead of like, Giordanos.
Fuck now I want pizza
Food recommendations on the internet are crazy. I still think it's insane that people come to the UK and are recommended Nandos or a Tesco meal deal. The phrase 'Cheeky Nandos' was a joke and it generally considered mediocre at best. The meal deal is just a sandwich you can get from any store, anywhere in the world. The deal part isn't even that good, we have plenty of non-chain sandwich shops which are cheaper and better.
Let’s not put ALL the blame on Chicago when those two seem SUPER sensitive to vinegar in general.
I thought Woolie said Sheena gave him the recommendations.
I'm more pissed y'all are pushing Malort propaganda
Ima just be straight up, no one from the Black Delegation recommended Malort
Portillos has great comfort food but if you want just great Chicago food in general just go to any place that has a sign that is scratched to hell and looks super small, delicious stuff
You misspelled Johnnie's beef, OP.
Al’s > Johnnie’s imho… every Chicagoan has there spot. I do recognize Johnnie’s as a top 3 beef spot, but if he had gone to Al’s, he could’ve also gotten Mario’s Italian Ice right across the street.
They still putting a shit ton of nutmeg into Al's beef? I don't hate it, just really weird flavor combo
It’s been nutmeg this entire time, I thought they were sprinkling crack lmfao
Honestly I worked at pops for a decade so I'm partial to them. At least the palos and the kedzie ones.
Damn… Pop’s I haven’t been to in a hot minute. Random question, you ever been to Pappy’s in Evergreen Park? That’s my sleeper spot
Nah been ages since I've been up that way since I moved more west. Hell I haven't even been to those pop's in forever. The palos one I think went to the original owners daughter so quality is prolly still good there. Kedzie went to the head managers from palos so same I'd assume on quality.
Good to know, will check both out in the near future.
No, he typed in the objectively correct choice, Johnnies is the liquid inside the bottom of the trash can that seeps out from the actual trash
Do you guys really think these guys are your friends? They have thousands of followers. It's starting to get really weird.
Are you trying to get them to let you suck em off or something?