I’ve been on a mission to try all the “Iconic” Chicago foods this year and just finished off the 15 item list I arbitrarily created based off of random lists I found on the internet! Wanted to share my thoughts on the last 5 items on my list that I feasted upon last week.
Johnnie’s Beef – Italian Combo – To me there’s not much more Chicago than the Italian Combo. It takes a special person to look at an Italian beef and think to yourself, what if we added more meat. Chicagoan’s are psychopaths and I love us for it. This truly is one of gods great foods. Everything about it, from it’s over indulgence of meat, to that soggy delicious bread is just perfect in my eyes. And Johnnie’s is and will always be my Number 1 spot.
Paradise Pup – Merkt’s Cheddar Burger – I mean I’ve already had this burger a bunch of times but I’m always excited to go back. Merkt’s cheddar burgers are one of my favorite things on the planet. I don’t know what it is but I’m absolutely obsessed with Merkt’s Cheddar and Paradise Pup really knows how to sling it right. I consider Paradise Pup one of the handful of perfect burgers in the city. It’s so simple but so freakishly delicious. Also an underrated move before or after O’Hare.
(Bonus Merkt’s Cheddar knowledge — The Weiner’s Circle has a great Cheddar Burger although they don’t use Merkt’s but it's the same style of cheese though — and Kirkwood’s has a KILLER burger with Merkt’s Cheddar called the Hoosier Burger. I truly think it’s the most underrated burger in the city)
Fat Johnnie’s – Mother-In-Law – Lord have mercy on my soul for taking down this insanity. By far the most wild food I think I’ve ever had the honor to bite into. A tamale in a poppy seed bun covered in chili and cheese and topped with relish, a tomato slice, and for some reason, a massive slice of cucumber. I truly don’t know what to think of this thing. I wouldn’t say I loved it but it was so out of this world weird that I’m still overall excited to say I’ve had one. And to have one at a legendary spot like Fat Johnnie’s just makes it even more worth it. Hell it’s worth it to come out to Fat Johnnie’s just to take in their signage. Truly my type of place.
Borinquen – Jibarito – I love these things. Fried plantains are so damn good and of course they make an amazing vehicle for steak. I’m also a garlic nut and Jibarito’s are a garlic lovers dream. I wanted to go to Borinquen because they’re the OG for bringing these to the US but that being said they don’t make my favorite Jibarito in the city (that would be papa's cache Sabroso) but I also don’t think there really are bad Jibarito’s so I wasn’t mad about this one.
Dave’s Red Hots – Pizza Puff – I’m a lover of Pizza Puffs and just recently spent 20 minutes arguing with a friend on why he’s wrong for not liking them. Yes it’s just a better version of a hot pocket and yes hot pockets are trashy. But I’m trashy and I love Hot Pockets and therefore love Pizza Puffs even more. Of course you can only go deep fried, never microwaved but there’s plenty of places doing these well and Dave’s honestly might be at the top of that list. There’s was perfectly fried, perfectly crispy, and a perfectly delicious snack. And I was driving around for this adventure so I wasn’t drinking but we all know that Pizza Puffs are best whilst hammered at a bar. So there’s that. And just real quick on Dave’s, if you haven’t been there it’s the oldest Hot Dog stand in Chicago and the last time I went there I met lady who told me she’d been going for 60 years. Amazing place.
Super fun day of feasting. Glad I finally got the list fully knocked out. Also if you want more history and info on the food and restaurants I made a youtube video that’s focuses a lot on the history of these places.
And in case anyone is curious what the full list of places is here are the other 10 (I already made some posts about these spots so if you want to see pictures of these foods they’re in this community somewhere): Maxwell St. Polish (Jim’s Original) – Italian Beef (Al’s on Taylor) – Chicago Dog (The Weiner’s Circle) – Tavern Style (Vito & Nick’s) – Smashburger (The Region) – Breaded Steak Sandwich (Ricobenes) – Bone-In Porkchop Sandwich (Maxwell St. Depot) – Fried Chicken with Mild Sauce (Harold’s) – Gym Shoe (Stony Sub) – Deep Dish Pizza (Pequod’s).
by coreywagner
Dining and Cooking