PGH → CHI

For this post, I’m taking yinz to Chicago! I had the pleasure of eating my way through Chi-town this past weekend and it was amazing! Here’s a couple of places to check out if you’re planning your next trip:

If you give a Burgher a Hot Dog

The first stop on our journey was a famous hot dog/ Italian meat shop called Portillo’s. This place was awesome because of the wide variety of choices on the menu and the no-wait seating! Forget what you heard about Chicago being pricey because you can fill up here for under $10 a meal. I tried my very first Chicago-style dog and my first thought was “where’s the Heinz?”. Over all, the dog was amazing and I was happy because my meal of the jumbo hot-dog and a size of cheese fries was only 7 bucks! Portillo’s is a must stop according to any Chicago foodie.

Chi-Town Latte’s

I couldn’t leave Chicago without stopping in a local coffee shop. Luckily my group was with a well-traveled friend who knew exactly the spot to go for a great latte (thanks Kavi!). Goddess and the Baker isn’t your typical coffee shop. Their full breakfast and lunch menu looked amazing and even featured the oh so trendy avo-toast! I had a great latte and enjoyed the artsy setting of this local favorite!

SIDENOTE ON COFFEE: I have yet to find another coffee shop that features homemade almond milk like 21st Street here in Pittsburgh. So for milk options: PGH-1 CHI-0

Sweets and Sprinkles

Have you ever heard of a CUPCAKE ATM??? No? Me either until I visited Sprinkles in Chicago. This cute little bakery specializes in cupcakes and oh are they good. They are so good that the ATM is accessible after hours for the cupcake junkies that we know we are deep down inside. I had their marshmallow chocolate ganache flavor and of course it was as yummy as it sounds.

Brunchin

Tip number 1: wake up at 7:00AM

Tip number 2: fast walk up to Wildberry Pancakes

There is never a time in the brunching hours that you won’t wait to be seated at Wildberry, but it is so worth it! This spot is an obvious fave in the area according to the crowds of people waiting 2 hours to be seated. The no reservations and no call ahead can be frustrating so plan to wake up early! I ordered a skillet which was huge and came with a side of their delicious pancakes. Although this spot does not offer alcoholic brunchy-drinks, it is a great choice if you love pancakes and breakfast food! They also serve one of my favorite coffees: Intelligentsia.

Top-Secret Bar

So the Chicago night life is not sparse. There are plenty of bars, night clubs, late night pubs and activities to choose from but in my opinion the coolest one was a secret bar called The Drifter. Okay so it’s not actually a secret but this place is a genuine speakeasy! Located in the basement of The Green Door Tavern, The Drifter is hidden behind a secret door and holds true to its speakeasy history. The drinks are pricey but that seemed to be the theme through all the bars in Chicago. The “menu” was my favorite part because their unique cocktails were actually printed on tarot cards and they have different concoctions every week! When we went there were 12 different specialty drink options to choose from.

After hanging out at the speakeasy for a while we headed upstairs to The Green Door Tavern (Chicago’s oldest tavern) and I had one of their famous burgers and fries.

ZZA!

Toto, we’re not in Pittsburgh anymore. The pizza in Chicago looks weird, but tastes great. If the cheese on the pizza is your favorite part look no further and check out these apartment listings right near one of the famous deep dish joints called Giordano’s! This was our last stop before we headed back to the steel city and it was a great Chicago sendoff.

Chicago is a huge city and I was only able to visit a couple places so I can’t wait to go back and eat more! If any of you are from Chicago, or are as much of a food-lover as I am please help a girl out and share with me your favorite spots!