Chef Ping might seem unassuming, as it sits in a typical suburban strip mall, repurposed from its former life as an outpost of Chicago-area chain Bakers Square. Don’t make the mistake of judging this book by its cover. The giant menu features Chinese-American classics mingled with Korean-American fare. From noodles to dumplings, the suburbs are lucky to have such a quality restaurant. Order online.

While not as well known as the city’s pizzas and hot dogs, the Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich is part of the town’s fabric. Johnnie’s makes among the area’s best example of the sandwich, with two locations inside no-frills spaces perfect for a quick bite. Enjoy thinly sliced rib-eye topped with spicy or sweet pickled peppers; the spicy mix is known as giardiniera in Chicago. A combo won’t come with fries — instead, it’s an Italian sausage topped with shaved beef for a real delight. Order at the restaurant.

The Chicago-area location of Mitsuwa, the all-in-one spot for Japanese groceries and products, includes a food court where customers will find ramen, udon, and yakitori. The grab-and-go sushi also makes for a fast, high-quality meal.

Fresh seafood is the name of the game at Boston Fish Market. Chef Louis “Louie” Psihogios has two locations, but the Des Plaines one is closest to the airport. Find lobster rolls, New England clam chowder, crabcakes, and hefty fish platters. Worried you won’t be getting the best seafood? Don’t be. Chicago’s status as an air transportation hub makes up for its lack of proximity to an ocean.

Harry Caray was a beloved baseball announcer who worked on the North and South sides of town, but he’s most remembered for his work with the North Side Chicago Cubs. His original namesake restaurant is an Italian steakhouse in River North known for mammoth pork chops. This suburban location allows visitors to take a look through all the sports memorabilia inside without straying too far from the airport. Don’t sleep on the tender fried calamari.

Gibsons is a legendary name for steaks in Chicago, with its flagship location downtown, a gorgeous location overlooking the Chicago River, and a massive three-level restaurant project with the great José Andrés. While travelers with corporate accounts can find several steakhouses around ORD (Morton’s, another old-school favorite, is also in suburban Rosemont), this is an ideal spot for dinner on the company’s dime. Gibsons offers takeout and dine-in service. Customers can order or make reservations online.

Indian Garden is a venerable chain of restaurants with a location in Downtown Chicago before that was housed on Devon Avenue, the traditional center of South Asian-owned businesses in the city. This suburban location, Mantra, opened with the intention of refreshing the brand and attracting younger customers. Find the traditional Punjabi favorites, plus a few wrinkles on classics. Order online.

Chicago has plenty of hot dog stands, and sometimes it’s hard for them to distinguish themselves from one another. Gene & Jude’s does not have this problem. This place serves freshly cut fries and offers yet another variant of the Chicago-style hot dog: the Depression Dog, which gets more or less topped with those fries, yellow mustard, onions, hot sport (pickled) peppers, and relish. Don’t be surprised to find a little wait.

Chicago is a pizza town, and it extends beyond deep-dish pizza. That type of pizza is still revered, but the city’s thin-cut pizza, known as tavern-style and cut up into squares and triangles, may be the most popular in town. Dino’s, which is off the Harlem Avenue exit on I-90 (also a short walk from the Harlem Blue Line), delivers a picture-perfect, tavern-style pizza. Chicago-style sausage (this city likes its fennel) is the signature topping, but customers can’t go wrong other options.

Superdawg is Chicago’s only true drive-in restaurant, with carhop service and ordering via an intercom. It’s a dose of nostalgia that allows customers to safely order from their cars; traditional takeout is also available inside. Customers can order grilled cheeses or burgers, but the signature item is a special version of the Chicago-style hot dog. It’s not dragged through the garden, but comes with relish, mustard, and a pickled tomato. Enjoy the retro cardboard packaging filled with crinkle-cut fries.

Chicago-style barbecue exists in a few forms. For true smoke, head toward the South Side during an extended trip for rib tips cooked in an aquarium smoker. Since O’Hare is nowhere close to the South Side, try nearby Jefferson Park, home to one of the city’s best neighborhood restaurants. Gale Street Inn serves baby-back ribs, which were popularized in the ’80s in North Side communities. They aren’t fall-off-the-bone tender, but they are a highlight of this popular family restaurant that’s endured more than five decades. The restaurant is off the CTA Blue Line Jefferson Park stop.