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This is where Chicago’s men come to eat steak. Reservations are tough – regulars have first right to their favourite tables – but it’s worth the effort for no-nonsense steaks, chops and pastas served in a dim, clubby atmosphere. There’s also a good chance you’ll pick up some choice gossip – this is where many politicos and business leaders hang out, and celebrities often stop by when passing through.
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What’s a trip to Chicago without partaking in the legendary Maxwell St. Dog? (A thick sausage on a steamed bun dressed with mustard, grilled onions, a pickle spear and peppers.) This two-storey monument to all things street food serves up some of the best dogs, Italian beef and Polish sausage, along with an impressive collection of Chicago memorabilia from the 1920s through the 1940s, including a 1928 Thompson submachine gun, a replica of an old barber shop and a 1930 Chevrolet.
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This cavernous German-American restaurant will never win any culinary awards, but it’s been a Chicago institution for more than 100 years thanks to its hearty fare, it’s Dortmunder-style signature beer and its own private stock single-barreled Kentucky bourbon. There’s also quite a history here, and it’s on display throughout the restaurant. Look out for its 1933 liquor license: after Prohibition The Berghoff managed to get Chicago liquor license #1.
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Award-winning chef Grant Achatz, fresh from his sous-chef position at the famous French Laundry in Napa Valley, Calif., is shaking up the Chicago culinary scene from this elegant restaurant just outside the city. Achatz is best described as a 'deconstructionalist’, breaking down French cuisine to its component parts and then reinventing it in surprising, often whimsical ways. His approach is not for the faint of heart or wallet: a 20 course tour-de-force runs to $175 without wine.
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