Superdawg founders Maurie and Flaurie Berman stand guard over this venerable Chicago drive-in; customers can spot those giant hot dog statues bearing the Bermans’ likenesses from miles away at the intersection of Devon, Nagle, and Milwaukee. Superdawg is a throwback dining experience where customers park their cars and talk to staff through crackling drive-in speakers and carhops bring out trays of food. Superdawg’s offering isn’t a traditional Chicago-style dog. Rather than a Vienna Beef frank, Superdawg uses a proprietary, thick, all-beef sausage that comes with mustard, pickled green tomato, and chopped Spanish onions. This is all cradled in a box of crinkle fries.

When Lost Larson debuted in Andersonville, beloved neighborhood institution Swedish Bakery had just closed. There were bound to be comparisons between the defunct bakery and the ambitious upstart. Since then, chef and owner Bobby Schaffer has shattered all expectations, keeping true to his fine dining roots at Grace and others. Though the breads and pastries have Scandinavian influences, Lost Larson isn’t locked on a singular theme. Instead, the bakery and cafe doles out whole wheat ham-and-cheese croissants, the fabled cardamom bun, scones, and quiche. Be sure to order early because stock sells out online, but the Andersonville and the new Wicker Park locations both have inventory for walk-in customers.

With two smokers to prep meaty St. Louis-style and baby-back ribs, tender brisket, apple-and-oak-smoked pulled pork, and more, this destination on the Northwest Side neighborhood of Irving Park delivers barbecue in the style of Kansas City and Memphis. Last summer, owner Barry Sorkin converted his parking lot into a patio covered with a tent.

A perennial North Side favorite, Honey Butter Fried Chicken comes from a pair of talented chefs who threw underground dinner parties. These crisp and skinless pieces of meat come with the restaurant’s signature honey butter. But beyond the food, Christine Cikowksi and Josh Kulp are committed to improving restaurant working conditions and have championed a business model where employees receive health care benefits. That explains prices that are higher than the average counter service joint, but HBFC reports strong worker retention, which is a rarity in the industry.

Chicago thin-crust pizza is having a moment, with the city rebelling over the notion that this is only a deep-dish town. (Settle down deep-dish fans, the thick slices are still awesome.) Pat’s Pizza in Lakeview has a storied history in popularizing tavern-style pies. This family-owned spot sports some of the crispiest, thinnest pizzas around. Pat’s uses its own sausage blend for their pizza, which also helps set this place apart. Available for carryout, delivery, patio, and indoor dining.

Chef and owner Jason Hammel continue to keep community at the forefront of their operations, as Lula Cafe has endeared itself to many in Logan Square as a welcoming space for New American cuisine. This is an all-day cafe with fresh-baked pastries and stellar breakfast burrito. At night, the wine list is deep to accompany dishes like roast chicken, beet bruschetta, and summer squash with Santa Rosa plums, tropea onions, and basil. Find a seat at the bar and enjoy oysterds and snacks like chicken liver mousse.

It’s all about the hearth at Galit, where chef Zach Engel fires up his signature pitas that serve as ideal vehicles for a plethora of spreads at this upscale and relaxed Middle Eastern restaurant. The James Beard Rising Chef winner and general manager Andres Clavero have used the  Lincoln Park location to dole out Engel’s world-class hummus that’s topped with small chunks of juicy brisket; it’s a small and welcoming add with big results. The natural wine selections are a vibrant complement to the succinct menu.

Chicago’s Puerto Rican community begot the jibarito: a sandwich made with shredded beef, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and served in between two slices of fried plantain. The sandwich is available in many places — including in Humboldt Park — but Jibaritos y Más isn’t a one-trick pony. The jibaritos are stellar, but the other items — like the shrimp soup with noodles — are flavorful and thoughtfully prepared. There’s also a Lincoln Park location.

It’s hard for hot dog stands to differentiate themselves from the pack in Chicago as all of them, for the most part, use the same product: dependable Vienna Beef. But Red Hot Ranch has managed to separate themselves. First, the stand uses sausage with natural casings. This provides the dogs with a unique bite, snappier than the Oscar Mayer’s that Americans grew up eating. The stand also serves Depression Dogs, the Chicago variant wrapped with french fries. The griddle burgers are also of note. There are few meals that as satisfying late at night. Red Hot Ranch has locations in Lakeview and Bucktown. Additionally, 35th Street Red Hots, near Sox Park in Bridgeport, is from the same owners with an identical menu.

Hermosa’s Ethan Lim useds Asian flavors in sandwiches (like a Cambodian fried chicken sandwich and Italian beef banh mi) to give his tiny restaurant a distinct “Chicago feel.” It’s similar to how a neighborhood hot dog or beef stand made locals feel growing up. Lim takes that and uses his culinary talent to take the next evolutionary step (he had a stint at Alinea Group’s Next Restaurant and Aviary). But beyond fast-casual, for those who want a composed meal, Lim’s popular “Family Meals” essentially buys the room out with Lim acting as a one-man show loading the table up with delicious Pan Asian plates (noodles, Cambodian beef dishes) meant to be shared. 

Hermosa encompasses some of Chicago’s most overlooked restaurants, and Rica Arepa tops the list. This Venezuelan restaurant produces the finest arepas in the city: light, sweet, and satisfying. The restaurant’s namesake dish contains gouda, beef, and chicken. It’s a winner, as is the Caribbean with plantains, which is one of the many vegan options available. While the restaurant’s comfy patio provides safe outdoor dining, the arepas travel well for takeout.

The best example of Chicago’s iconic Italian beef sandwiches exists outside of the city at the two suburban locations of Johnnie’s Beef. The space is a relic; the original fast-food spot opened in 1961 in Elmwood Park and a second has since opened in Arlington Heights. The menu is simple: beefs (the monosyllabic term locals call Italian beef sandwiches), charcoal-grilled Italian sausages, and hot dogs. Pepper-and-egg sandwiches are also available daily; they’re mostly aimed at Catholic customers during Lent Fridays needing a “meat-free” option. Johnnie’s also serves stellar lemon Italian ice. The thin-cut beef is moist and perfectly seasoned with hints of oregano. The hot peppers deliver plenty of heat but don’t overwhelm the meat. Don’t sleep on the beef-sausage sandwich combines tender slices of Italian beef with a robust sausage. While the city has plenty of beef options, Johnnie’s is worth the drive to the ‘burbs.

2020 was a challenging time to open a restaurant, but the pandemic couldn’t stop the husband-and-wife team of Tim Flores and Genie Kwon. Kasama was one of the year’s true bright spots. Wake up to coffee and amazing pastries, including an eclair-shaped croissant topped with Serrano ham or salmon. The lunch and dinner menus belong to Filipino dishes — they’ve had success with spins on rice plates with pork like tocino (roasted char siu-like pork) and longoniza (charred sausage). The restaurant plans on eventually unfurling more composed Filipino dishes, so stay tuned for an update.

Soule amps up soul food classics with nourishing shrimp and grits, jerk chicken wings, and blackened catfish. The attention to small details in the food have made the restaurant both a favorite in the neighborhood and to many celebrities, particularly musicians and athletes, including former Chicago Bull Bobby Portis, NBA legend Scottie Pippen, and more.

Carlos Gaytan, the first Mexican chef to run a Michelin-starred restaurant (Mexique), has returned to Chicago. He brings the same affection for his heritage to River North with Tzuco, the next evolution in his fusion of Mexican food with classic Western kitchen methods.. The space is beautifully designed with glass boxes filled with trinkets from his hometown in Mexico, as well as shrubs and plants found back home. It’s a welcome reprieve from the cookie-cutter layouts that make many dining rooms forgettable around town. But Gaytan’s adventurous spin on upscale Mexican food with a dash of French technique, continues to be the headliner. The restaurant has a heated and covered patio. The spicy roasted octopus, cochinita pebil made with pork shank, and a Mexican-style steak tartare are highlights.

Rick Bayless’ restaurants remain landmarks in River North for inventive Mexican cuisine at this four restaurants (fast-casual Xoco, which has been spun into the Tortazo chain, also sits at the corner of Clark and Illinois). Bayless is the Oklahoma-born chef who obsessed over Mexican cuisine, appearing on TV and creating his own grocery food empire. Topolo presents Mexican food in a fine dining atmosphere in a way that wasn’t seen often stateside before Bayless opened in 1989. Frontera opened two years prior and provided a more casual dining experience. Bar Sotano is the baby of the group, a basement tavern that serves as kind of an experimental space with pop-ups and creative cocktails. Bayless’ name often prompts emotional responses when it comes to discussion about cultural appropriation, but there’s no question that he’s raised appreciation for Mexican food in America.

Mako was an expansion for chef B.K. Park who has served loyal customers for years at his Lincoln Park restaurant, Juno. Focusing on omakase, Park cuts loose inside his West Loop sushi den, providing a superb sushi experience that few Chicago restaurants have ever offered. Park’s execution inside a comfortable and modern dining room and the service are what set this sushi spots from others in Chicago.

Before the pandemic, the Smyth was poised to improve up on its two-Michelin-star status, a the husband-wife head chef and pastry chef team of John and Karen Shields successfully brought the farm to the big city. The tasting menu restaurant combined creativity, skill, and deliciousness. In the basement, the Loyalist is a bar for regulars with one of Chicago’s best burgers. This is the one of the hottest tables in Chicago.

Chicagoans have few choices for upscale Indian food downtown. Rooh’s 2019 arrival is noteworthy not only because it fills that void, but it also gives the West Loop sorely needed variety. Patrons will be more than impressed with familiar classics such as butter chicken, but jackfruit kofta, scallops dusted with gunpowder pepper, and achari monkfish give diners a sliver of modern Indian cooking. The restaurant has a heated and tented patio.

The torchbearer for a dying breed of Jewish delis and diners in Chicago, Manny’s has endured for more than a half-century in the South Loop thanks to massive and delicious pastrami sandwiches, an array of hot homestyle dishes on steam tables, and family-friendly cultivated over generations. The cafeteria-style setting is plastered with decades-old newspaper clippings and letters from Chicago luminaries. The space also now houses a new wing for bagels, sweets, coffee, and food to go. Manny’s was where Chicago politicians were often seen brokering power deals in the deli’s heyday.

HaiSous is a remarkable comeback story for Thai and Danielle Dang in Pilsen. The Dangs survived financial fraud at their previous restaurant, Embeya. Now, without worrying about working with a criminal, they’re free to focus on food and hospitality. Thai Dang, a native of Vietnam, uses a number of techniques from back home including claypot cooking creating a menu that’s as ambitious as it is unpretentious with dishes like grilled wild boar with lemongrass. Danielle Dang’s expertise with cocktails should be better recognized as she pairs drink to compliment her husband’s two tasting menus. Customers can also order a la carte.

Star chef Stephen Gillanders, after searching for years to open a new restaurant, discovered room in Pilsen to open S.K.Y. It’s fine dining with good value (a six-course meal is $49) and without pretension with a chef’s counter where diners can enjoy a tasting menu without being crushed by debt. Menu items include black truffle salmon, lobster dumplings, and more.

Chinatown Cantonese favorite Dolo specializes in made-to-order dim sum, so diners won’t find carts. The food is fresh and inventive with dishes like a beef shank appetizer and lamb chops that can be ordered in a few different styles for fried to spicy and served like lollipops. Seafood also stars with Cajun-style boils and a can’t-miss lobster. The restaurant is perfect for families, dates, and weekend hangs with friends. Paying with cash instead of credit will merit a 10-percent discount. Reservations are recommended, as the waiting area near the bar can get crowded. Dim sum dishes hover around $4, while pricier entrees  like the lobster are under $20.

Chicago doesn’t get enough love for its tacos, but this charming little grocery store in Little Village produces some of the finest in the city. From carne asada to crispy tripe, these tacos fit delicately in customer’s hands, and are best enjoyed with tiny bites to savor the mix of textures and flavors. This restaurant, on a quiet residential street, is a true Chicago original. Carryout only.

Feeling the quesabirria mania? Head to the Southwest Side near Midway International Airport for goat that isn’t labeled as the latest food trend. There’s a simple menu packed with deep flavors here. The handmade tortillas and accoutrements form the foundation of a signature Chicago meal at this family-run restaurant. It’s takeout-only.Get there early, as the restaurant often closes by early evening.

Chicago’s legendary aquarium-style smokers are on display at Lem’s, underneath a giant lighted sign off 75th Street. This small shack specializes in sauced baby-back ribs and giant hot links. This is also the place to introduce newbies to rib tips. Chicago is credited with creating the practice of serving tips and slathering them with sauce. Biting into the chunky cartilage smothered with a tomato-based sauce is a Chicago institution.

For many South Siders, Vito & Nick’s is the epitome of Chicago’s cuisine with its crispy thin-crust pizza (known as tavern-style or “party cut”). Frosty mugs of beer make the square-cut slices taste better in a dining room that looks like a classic ‘70s-style basement. The restaurant has been around for 100 years, and tit doesn’t skimp on the toppings. Keep toppings to a limit; no one wants to wreck the ratio and get a soggy crust.

Calumet Fisheries, a small seafood shack, is a relic of the past when shacks like this were found all over the banks of the Chicago River. This tiny restaurant specializes in smoked fish and gives customers a glimpse at a long-forgotten piece of Chicago history on the city’s South Side, just seven minutes from the Indiana border and east of the Chicago Skyway. Enjoy precious smoked salmon, trout, and shrimp — the small smokehouse is right outside the restaurant. Each morsel is delicate and sweet. The fish is best enjoyed while sitting parked nearby in your car.