Chicago (Non High End) Dining

Save your appetite for the food at the Sox game. Worst team but best food in baseball.

Diagostino’s is good pizza near Wrigley and Robert’s Pizza is good spot near mag mile.

Eleven City Diner

Just a block from the Roosevelt stop on the red line.

I've told this board many times, but Chicago is a city with 77 community areas (over 200 neighborhoods). There's a lot more than just River North, Streeterville, The Loop and West Loop, which are the four interchangeable community areas that tourists visit. Plus, you look at those four and 'cheap eats' isn't exactly what comes to mind. I can't even make a dent in what I'll recommend, and I'm not sure what doesn't count as "high-end dining" for you, but I'll rattle off some spots for all meals / affordable price points in different community areas. All are all accessible by train and there is absolutely zero concern about showing up in a t-shirt.

Logan - one of the two best restaurant areas in the city, but plenty of casual spots
- Jibaritos y Más
- Lardon
- Bang Bang Pie
- Sugar Moon
- Bungalow by Middle Brow
- Redhot Ranch
- NoodleBird
- Akahoshi Ramen
- Ramen Wasabi
- Union
- Marcela's Cafeteria
- Taqueria Moran
- Cafe Con Leche
- Offset
- The StopAlong (another location ~20 minutes walking in Bucktown)
- Pizza Lobo (another location in Andersonville)
- Lonesome Rose (another location in Andersonville)
- Parsons (locations in Andersonville and Lincoln Park)
- Smoque Steak (Avondale, but I put it in here as an affordable, unpretentious steak option)
- Small Bar (Avondale, technically, but close enough)

Bucktown
- Leavitt Street Inn & Tavern
- Allez Cafe
- Taqueria Chingon
- Chef's Special
- My Pi Pizza
- Manchamanteles
- Jr's Red Hots
- The Royal Grocer

Wicker Park
- Small Cheval
- Lottie's (most-underrated tavern cut in the city)
- Piece Brewery
- Dove's Luncheonette
- Phodega
- Big Star
- Bangers & Lace
- Oiistar
- Cumin
- Desert Hawk (cocktail bar, but Smash Jibarito has residence)
- Parlor Pizza (locations in River North and West Loop)
- Lawn (West Town, technically, but directly on border of Wicker)
- Chengdu Impression (locations in Lincoln Park and Edgewater)

Pilsen - Undergone heavy gentrification in the last decade, for better or worse. Still plenty of good Mexican spots, and you can wash the tacos down at a brewery (Monochrome) or cocktail bar (The Alderman) afterwards.
- 5 Rabanitos
- Pleasant House Pub (incredible pot pie)
- Carniceria Maribel
- Taqueria El Milagro
- Jibarito Stop
- Pilsen Yards
- La Vaca (one of the more visited spots in Pilsen)
- Carnitas Don Pedro
- La Casa Del Pueblo

Chinatown
- MingHin, Phoenix and Triple Crown are three of the most-popular dim sum restaurants in the community area.
- Nine Bar (cocktail bar with an incredible smash burger)
- Go 4 Food
- Qing Xiang Yuan (commonly known as QXY)
- MCCB
- Hing Kee
- Legend Tasty (ice cream)

Lake View and Lincoln Park - Going to bunch these two together since you'll be at Wrigley twice
- Little Goat Diner (moved from West Loop awhile back)
- Coalfire (another location in West Town)
- Corridor Brewery and Provisions
- Toons (great wings)
- Crisp (some of the best wings in Chicago)
- Zazas Pizzeria
- Bird's Nest (also among the best wings in Chicago)
- Twin Anchors
- Marge's Still
- Rica Arepa
- Los 3 Panchos
- Farm Bar
- Milt's
- Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
- DryHop Brewers (sister of Corridor)
- Armitage Alehouse (very old world / elegant interior, but I promise people wear basically anything)
- Galit (I've strayed away from anything fancy, like you asked, but this is the most-affordable and least pretentious Michelin-starred restaurant in the city)
- Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder (bit of a tourist trap, but I'm a sucker for their pizza pot pie every once in awhile)

Plenty more in the above neighborhoods + I am happy to rattle off way more in other community areas, too. Let me know, but this should be a good start.

*Also, bit of a bonus but arguably the best tavern pizza in Chicago is Phil's Pizza, which is walking distance from Guaranteed Rate when you're at the Sox game.

quote:

---

Going to the Pearl Jam shows,

---

I'll be at the Thursday show.

Saturday on the first major college football weekend of hte year should be a blast. Tons of team bars around Wrigley and town that should be jumping. We used to hit multiple team bars over the course of one day and a few games. It's awesome.

Anyone looking for a good time with Badger fans, check out Will's Northwoods Inn just south of Wrigley for our game Friday night. It's a cool neighborhood bar, indoor/outdoor, cheap drinks and good food, and there should be about 800 badger fans in there (might be a line).

Lots of great restaurants listed...want to give a shout out to the old school Twin Anchors...where Sinatra used to go...but love their Prohibition Sauce

Offset and Lem's are pretty easily my two favorite BBQ spots in Chicago. Don't think I've ever recommended Lem's on here, though, because I know for a fact no one on this board will go down there Place is an absolute gem, though. Offset, too... Those smoked wings are something else. Little easier to get someone there, since it's right on the border of Logan and Humboldt.

quote:

---

Then we usually get food on the patio of Spilt Milk.

---

Do you get Umamicue or do their Family Meal Monday during the summer? Between that and Sportsman's Club backyard BBQ on Sunday, some good options to start the week

quote:

---

New burger is legit.

---

Very solid, for sure. Remember a lot of people were bummed when Small Bar first closed during COVID, but new owners really did a nice job.

quote:

---

You been to tango sur? Like the candlelight ambiance and the empanadas are really good.

---

Couple times, yeah. Wasn't sure if OP was looking for that, so I left it off.

Will say, I love that Chicago isn't so uptight with dress code for restaurants. True Midwestern city, for sure. Present yourself as clean and you can pretty much run in anywhere with a crisp tee, etc. Mano a Mano (same owner as Andros Taverna next door) just opened in Logan Square, for example, and it's a stunning space, but I was happy to see it wasn't too stuffy.