A city of over 2.7 million people is bound to be rich in cultural values, and few things showcase different cultures like restaurants and eateries. As a result, Chicago is filled with unique tastes, and restaurants that can only be found in the city; indeed, the city is known to be home to some of the best restaurants in the world.
If you visit Chicago for one reason or the other, you will do well to visit one of these exclusive restaurants because you won’t find them in any other city.
Here is a list of the best restaurants that can only be found in Chicago:
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Big Jones
Big Jones is one of the most recognized Southern restaurants in Chicago. They serve dishes that take you back to past years with recipes of 100 years and older; along with a well-detailed menu that gives details about the food and the unique ingredients that were used to prepare it. So, when you eat at Big Jones, you do not only get great food, you also stand to learn one or two things. Their most popular dish is the crawfish etuofee, a delightful meal from the early 1930’s.
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Band of Bohemia
There are few restaurants like band of bohemia in the entire nation; they have a bar menu that caters to visitors on a tight budget, along with an affordable brunch service. When it is time for tasting menus, band of bohemia goes all out with a variety of 5-star dishes. They brew their beers on-site, and they get really creative with their selections. Band of bohemia combines all these with a beautiful layout and a setting that reminds one of Victorian times.
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Smoque BBQ
Some may disagree, but the fact is, you are unlikely to find barbeque anywhere else in America’s that beats that of Smoque’s; well, maybe you could find in Texas or Carolina. But outside of those two regions, Smoque restaurant in Irving Park, Chicago makes barbeque that stands up to barbeques all over the country. How do you beat a meaty St. Louis-style ribs, apple-and-oak-smoked pulled pork, tender brisket, etc.?
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Honey Butter Fried Chicken
Honey Butter Fried Chicken’s may not serve chicken the traditional way—with skin, bones etc.—but when the people of Chicago want to feel like kids, when they want to dip their chicken into the restaurant’s customized honey butter that is as delicious as it is addictive, they do not remember that. You are likely to find very long lines in front of the eatery during the height of lunch hours (and dinner hours too), but the lines move quickly. Furthermore, Honey Butter Fried Chicken has in-house iced teas, alcoholic beverages, and lots of other specials. There is lots of fun to be had when you visit this restaurant.
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Owen & Engine
When you eat fish and chips at Owen & Engine’s, it tastes as good as when you are at a fish and chips eatery in the UK. The restaurant is styled in a very British setting, and coupled with their meals, if you are not careful, you are likely to forget that you are in Logan Square, Chicago. Owen & Engine do not allow TVs in their eatery, and this lends to the general air of casualness mixed with a bit of sophistication, just like you will find across the pond.
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Mi Tocaya Antojería
With a Mexican population that is the second-largest in the United States, it is only right that there are a handful of Mexican restaurants in Chicago, and perhaps the best of them is Mi Tocaya Antojería. This Logan Square eatery is not averse to trying new things, and when you visit Mi Tocaya Antojería, be prepared to have your taste buds serenaded as well as surprised. If you are not one to take risks, they serve an absolutely delightful steak burrito. Sundays are for specials, but fear not, the usual quality is always retained if not exceeded.
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Pequod’s Pizza
It is not a crime to visit Chicago and miss out on the experience of eating a Chicago-style thick-crust pizza, but it should be. The pizza on sale at Pequod’s is of the deep dough variety, with a crispy cheese and caramel crust made specially to look burnt outside, but really isn’t. They also have thin-crust pizza, Chicago style, on sale. Even though pizza is not the kind of meal people get excited about, if you visit Pequod’s at Lincoln Park, you may surprise yourself.
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Pozoleria San Juan
The Pozoleria San Juan is designed with lots of neon lighting, giving it a very bright outlook. The sight is quite catchy, and it lends a bit of character to the Humboldt Park eatery. However, do not let the bright lights distract you from the fact that you are at a restaurant that serves some of the best pozole—a Mexican delicacy, a stew made from hominy—in the city, perhaps in the country.
