24 Chicago Dishes to Try in 2024

1 | Rigatoni Alla Vodka at Elina’s

We like to consider ourselves vodka rigatoni aficionados, and we can confidently say that Elina’s is currently our favorite in the city!

2 | Any Chilaquiles at La Catedral Cafe & Restaurant

This cathedral themed restaurant serves up some heavenly breakfast. They are famous for their chilaquiles. There are lots of options, and you can’t really go wrong, but the traditional chilaquiles verdes are the most popular.

3 | Pizza Pie at Craft Pizza

Looking for good New York style pizza in Chicago? This is a great place to start. We like to keep it simple with the Plain Jane. Pizza by the slice is available during select times, otherwise get a full pie!

4 | Momo Royale at The Izakaya

It may feel wrong to order a burger from a Japanese restaurant, but not when it’s this one. This burger is incredible. We went back to have it again, and it still lived up to the hype from our first visit. Go try it!

5 | Lobster Thermidor Bites at Taureaux Tavern

This dish is dreamy. Butter poached baby lobster, sherry wine cheese sauce, spinach and lemon. It’s even better than it sounds.

6 | Dulce De Leche French Toast at Savanna Restaurant

We cannot even begin to describe how good this brioche french toast tastes. Certainly a top three french toast we have ever had.

7 | Blueberry Pancake Doughnut at Beacon Doughnuts

Beacon Doughnuts has our favorite doughnuts in the city. They are vegan, but you wouldn’t guess it. We take pride in having the first viral video showcasing Beacon’s unique location, within an alley!

8 | Fish Taco at Don Pez Fish Tacos

Don Pez is known for its fish tacos for a reason. Be sure to try the “Signature Pez-cado” if you can handle the heat of the pickled habanero.

9 | Chicken Parmesan at Ciccio Mio

Frankly, everything at this restaurant is exceptional. We’re calling out the Chicken Parmesan as we believe it is the best we’ve had in Chicago.

11 | Classic Profiteroles at Mon Ami Gabi

This dessert appears to be so simple: vanilla ice cream sandwiched between a cream puff and topped with hot fudge. In this case, simple = delicious.

12 | Cinnamon Roll Pancakes at The Brunchery

These indulgent pancakes are made with a cinnamon swirl within the pancake itself. The cream cheese glazed icing give these a chef’s kiss.

13 | Chicago Secret Burger at various locations

This is easily a Top 5 burger in Chicago! Unfortunately, it is only available for limited “drops” at varying locations. The drops sell out extremely quickly, but the burger is so good, we definitely recommend trying your luck at getting your hands on this exclusive burger.

14 | Cubano Sandwich at Beatnik

How do you make a cuban sandwich a brunch item? Add an egg (note: you may need to request this from the server)! We really like this hearty cuban sandwich, especially paired with Beatnik’s stylish bohemian atmosphere.

15 | French Toast Flight at Batter & Berries

With Batter & Berries’ Super Flight, you get to try 5 different french toast flavors! You’ll try blueberry, strawberry, lemon, caramel and a special offering.

16 | Gnocchi alla Vodka at Volare

Volare is known for their gnocchi, which is made with ricotta. Once you’ve had these ricotta dumplings, it is tough to go back to normal gnocchi. It’s incredible!

17 | Blueberry Fritters at Yardbird Table & Bar

The Blueberry Fritters at Yardbird taste more like a blueberry muffin than a blueberry french toast. They are so unexpectedly soft on the inside. We fell in love at first bite!

18 | Steak Taco at Taqueria El Asadero

When a classic steak taco is done right, there’s nothing better. Yes, we prefer flour tortillas over corn. Sorry.

19 | Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich at GG’s Chicken Shop

A straight forward fried chicken sandwich just done right. Don’t skip dessert as they offer tasty oatmeal cream pies and nostaligic dirt cup pudding.

20 | Sushi at 312 Fish Market

88 Marketplace is an Asian supermarket located in Chinatown. The market is huge (one of the largest in the US) and includes several restaurants beyond the grocery shopping. Stop by 312 Fish Market for some sushi!

21 | Ricotta Dumplings at Alla Vita

Because Cacio e Pepe is better when the noodles are instead cloud-like ricotta dumplings. This dish is rich, so plan to share with others at the table.

22 | Pizza Napoletana at Coda di Volpe

This is some of the best, most authentic pizza we have had outside of Italy. We were very impressed. The pasta is great too!

24 | Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows at Vanille

This decadent hot chocolate helps us get through the Chicago winter. It is hard to pick what is better in this cup between the hot chocolate and the homemade marshmallows. Both are incredible!