The Best Local Restaurants, Experiences and Gifts in Chicago

Chicago has one of America’s great food cultures because there isn’t just one Chicago food culture. There are dozens of them. 

Chicago is a city you can taste one neighborhood at a time.

• Deep-dish pizza.
• Italian beef.
• Tavern-style pizza cut into squares.
• Hot dogs dragged through the garden.
• Multiple Michelin-starred tasting menus.
• Handmade pasta.

Polish, Mexican, Chinese, Greek, Filipino, Indian, Middle Eastern, and countless other cuisines shaped by generations of Chicagoans. And they’re often connected to the neighborhoods where they were created, perfected, shared and passed down.

That’s what makes Chicago such a perfect city for local discovery—and such an interesting place to give a local gift.

Whether you’re exploring your own city, visiting Chicago for the first time, or trying to send something memorable to someone who lives there, here’s how to experience more of Chicago like a local.

Start With the Foods That Made Chicago Famous

Chicago has plenty of sophisticated dining. But sometimes you need to start with pizza.

Deep-Dish Pizza

Few foods are more immediately associated with Chicago than deep-dish pizza. Thick crust. Cheese. Toppings. Tomato sauce.

And an ongoing debate over who does it best.

Lou Malnati’s is one of the city’s best-known names, with roots stretching back generations in Chicago pizza.

Giordano’s offers its own famous stuffed-pizza variation.

Pequod’s has developed a devoted following for pizza surrounded by its signature caramelized crust.

Ask three Chicagoans where to get pizza, and you may get five answers. That’s part of the experience.

Don’t Forget Tavern-Style Pizza

Here’s where a little LOCAL IQ™ comes in handy.

Deep dish may get most of the national attention, but Chicagoans also have a longstanding relationship with thin-crust, tavern-style pizza.

It’s crispy. It’s typically cut into squares. And for many locals, it’s the kind of pizza that actually shows up on the table more often.

Restaurants throughout the city and suburbs serve their own versions, making the deep-dish-versus-tavern-style conversation another delicious excuse to explore.

The correct answer? Try both!

Italian Beef: A Sandwich That Belongs to Chicago

Then there’s Italian beef. Thinly sliced beef piled onto an Italian-style roll, topped with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera and served somewhere on the spectrum between dry and completely dipped in jus.

Italian beef has been part of Chicago’s food culture for nearly a century.

And thanks in part to The Bear, people far beyond Chicago have become more familiar with one of the city’s most beloved sandwiches.

Mr. Beef in River North has become particularly famous, while Al’s #1 Italian Beef remains another longtime Chicago institution.

But as with pizza, asking Chicagoans where to find the best Italian beef can quickly become a very serious conversation.

That’s what happens when food becomes part of a city’s identity.

Chicago Dining Doesn’t Stop With the Classics

Pizza and Italian beef may be famous. But Chicago’s contemporary restaurant scene is world-class.

The city is home to Michelin-starred restaurants, James Beard Award-winning chefs, boundary-pushing tasting menus, and neighborhood restaurants that have become nationally recognized destinations.

Alinea

Few restaurants have done more to establish Chicago as a destination for innovative fine dining than Alinea.

Chef Grant Achatz’s restaurant has earned international recognition for turning dinner into something closer to culinary theater.

Courses surprise. Presentations that challenge expectations. Food becomes part science, part art, and part experience.

For someone who loves restaurants as much for creativity as for flavor, Alinea represents a very different side of Chicago dining.

Smyth

In the West Loop, Smyth sits at the highest level of Chicago’s fine-dining landscape.

Led by chefs John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, Smyth has earned three Michelin stars, placing it among an exceptionally small group of restaurants in the United States.

It’s a reminder of just how far Chicago’s culinary reputation extends beyond the foods that first made the city famous.

Kasama

Kasama has become one of Chicago’s most nationally recognized restaurants.

Located in Ukrainian Village, the Filipino restaurant and bakery from chefs Genie Kwon and Tim Flores moves between daytime pastries and Filipino-inspired dishes and an ambitious evening tasting menu.

Its recognition has extended far beyond Chicago, including Michelin and James Beard honors. It’s also exactly the kind of restaurant that demonstrates why exploring a city’s neighborhoods can be so rewarding.

You never know where you’ll find one of the country’s most celebrated meals.

Monteverde

In the West Loop, chef Sarah Grueneberg’s Monteverde has become a destination for Italian cooking and handmade pasta.

The restaurant combines Italian tradition with influences from Grueneberg’s experiences and Midwestern surroundings.

Watching pasta being made is part of the experience. Eating it is even better.

Girl & the Goat

Chef Stephanie Izard helped put another spotlight on Chicago’s West Loop when Girl & the Goat opened on Randolph Street.

Its bold, shareable dishes and lively atmosphere helped make it one of the neighborhood’s defining restaurants. Years later, it remains a destination for both Chicagoans and visitors.

Virtue

In Hyde Park, Virtue celebrates Southern American cuisine through the cooking of chef Erick Williams.

The restaurant has received national acclaim while also becoming deeply connected to its South Side neighborhood.

It’s another important note about the Windy City––some of Chicago’s best dining experiences happen well beyond the traditional downtown visitor map.

Eat Chicago One Neighborhood at a Time

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. That’s not just geography. It’s part of the city’s personality.

And one of the best ways to understand Chicago is to pick a neighborhood and start exploring.

West Loop and Fulton Market: Chicago’s Dining Powerhouse

If your primary objective is eating, the West Loop is difficult to beat.

What was once a meatpacking and industrial district has evolved into one of America’s most concentrated dining destinations.

Randolph Street’s Restaurant Row and nearby Fulton Market are home to restaurants ranging from casual favorites to some of the country’s most acclaimed dining rooms.

Monteverde.

Girl & the Goat.

Au Cheval.

Rose Mary.

The Publican.

Aba.

Smyth.

Oriole.

And that’s only scratching the surface. The neighborhood works especially well for a full evening out.

Dinner -> Cocktails -> Live music -> A rooftop -> Dessert somewhere else.

Sometimes the best gift isn’t one experience. It’s the beginning of an entire night.

Logan Square: Creative, Independent and Always Evolving

Logan Square feels different. Independent restaurants, cocktail bars, coffee shops, music venues and locally owned businesses give the neighborhood a creative energy that rewards wandering.

Lula Cafe has been a neighborhood institution for decades and helped pioneer Chicago’s farm-to-table movement.

Daisies has earned acclaim for pasta and vegetable-driven cooking.

Table, Donkey and Stick offers Alpine-inspired food in a neighborhood setting.

And there’s always another coffee shop, bar, pizza spot or restaurant waiting a few blocks away.

Logan Square is a great neighborhood for the person who enjoys finding their next favorite place before everyone else does.

Pilsen: Mexican Culture, Art and Food

Head southwest of downtown and Chicago changes again. Pilsen is known for colorful murals, galleries, independent businesses and a deeply rooted Mexican-American community.

The food reflects that heritage.

This is a neighborhood where tacos, carnitas, pan dulce and regional Mexican cooking can be part of an afternoon spent exploring public art and locally owned businesses.

The National Museum of Mexican Art gives visitors another reason to make a day of it. 

Pilsen demonstrates something that applies across Chicago: Food makes more sense when you experience the neighborhood around it.

Chinatown: A Destination Built Around Food and Culture

Chicago’s Chinatown has been a center of Chinese culture in the city for more than a century. Restaurants offer everything from dim sum and noodles to hot pot, barbecue and regional Chinese cuisines.

But don’t make the mistake of choosing one restaurant, eating, and immediately leaving.

Explore Chinatown Square. Browse local shops. Pick up something sweet. Try something you haven’t ordered before. Come back with friends and choose somewhere different.

Local discovery is rarely about finding the one “best” place. It’s about knowing how much there is to explore.

Wicker Park and Bucktown: Food, Music and Independent Chicago

Wicker Park and Bucktown combine restaurants with vintage shops, boutiques, record stores, coffee houses, bars, galleries and live music.

The area around Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenues makes it easy to move from one local experience to another without much of a plan.

Start with brunch. Shop.

Grab coffee. Walk the 606.

Have dinner. Find some music.

It’s a particularly good neighborhood for someone who would rather receive something to do than something else to own.

Hyde Park: Culture, History and Destination Dining

Hyde Park gives visitors and locals an entirely different Chicago experience. The neighborhood is home to the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, historic architecture, bookstores, cafés and restaurants.

Virtue has helped draw national culinary attention to the neighborhood, but the broader appeal is how easily food can become part of a day spent exploring the South Side.

For someone interested in culture, history and food, Hyde Park offers all three.

The Loop: Iconic Chicago in One Place

Sometimes being a tourist in your own city is exactly the point.

The Loop puts some of Chicago’s most recognizable experiences within reach.

Millennium Park. The Art Institute of Chicago. The Chicago Riverwalk.

Architecture. Theatre. Restaurants. Shopping.

A local gift doesn’t always have to introduce someone to a hidden gem. Sometimes it can give them an excuse to enjoy the iconic places sitting right in front of them.

Go Beyond Restaurants: Give a Chicago Experience

Chicago is a phenomenal restaurant city. But dinner isn’t the only way to gift local. Sometimes the best gift is simply a reason to go experience more of the city.

Give Them a Spa Day

A city with Chicago’s pace occasionally requires an escape from it.

Chicago offers everything from neighborhood massage and wellness businesses to destination spa experiences.

AIRE Ancient Baths offers a distinctive thermal-bath experience in River West.

Luxury hotels including the Peninsula and Waldorf Astoria offer full-service spa experiences near the Magnificent Mile and Gold Coast.

And independent spas throughout Chicago make it possible to find something closer to the recipient’s own neighborhood.

Spa gifts work especially well when what you’re really giving is:

Take some time for yourself.

Give Them a Salon Experience

Chicago’s neighborhoods are filled with independent salons, barbershops, nail studios and beauty businesses.

And personal-care gifts have one significant advantage: People actually use them.

If you know someone’s regular salon, that familiarity can make the gift more personal. If you don’t, discovering a well-regarded business near their neighborhood can turn the gift into something new to try.

Either way, you’re directing the experience toward a business in their community.

Give Them Art, Music or Theatre

Few cities make it easier to give someone a cultural experience.

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the country’s great art museums.

The Chicago Theatre is an icon in its own right. Broadway in Chicago brings major productions downtown. Chicago’s comedy tradition includes institutions such as The Second City.

Live blues and jazz remain essential pieces of the city’s identity.

And neighborhood music venues offer everything from indie rock to experimental performances. A great Chicago gift can simply be “Go have a night out.”

Give Them Chicago Sports

Then there are the teams.

• Cubs.
• White Sox.
• Bears.
• Bulls.
• Blackhawks.
• Sky.
• Fire.
• Chicago Stars.

Sports fandom runs deep here. And the experience doesn’t have to stop when the game ends.

Dinner near Wrigleyville. Drinks after a Bulls game. Lunch before heading to the ballpark. A sports gift can become an entire neighborhood experience.

What Makes a Great Chicago Gift?

With a city this large, narrowing the options is the challenge. Start with the person.

For the Pizza Person

Give them an excuse to settle—or continue—the deep-dish versus tavern-style debate.

For the Serious Foodie

Think West Loop, a nationally recognized chef, or a restaurant they’ve been trying to get to.

For the Explorer

Choose a neighborhood rather than a single cuisine.

Send them toward Chinatown, Pilsen, Logan Square or somewhere they haven’t spent enough time.

For Someone Who Needs a Break

• Spa.
• Massage.
• Salon.
• Wellness.

Chicago will still be there when they’re finished relaxing.

For a Couple

Think beyond dinner. Choose a neighborhood where they can build an evening around the meal.

For Someone New to Chicago

Give them an introduction to their new city. A restaurant or local experience gives someone a reason to leave their routine and start discovering what’s around them.

Gifting Chicago From Anywhere

You don’t need to understand every Chicago neighborhood to give someone a local Chicago gift. And you definitely don’t need to live there. 

• Maybe your child moved to Chicago after college.
• Your best friend relocated there.
• A client works downtown.
• Your sister lives in Logan Square.
• Your parents are in Lincoln Park.
• A remote employee calls Chicago home.

Traditional long-distance gifting often defaults to the same national brands available everywhere. But why send someone in Chicago something that could be from anywhere?

With Gift Card Market, you can explore gift cards from restaurants, salons, spas and other businesses around Chicago and send the gift digitally.

That means the sender can be in Florida. Or California. Or New York.

And the gift can still feel like Chicago.

That’s the opportunity behind gifting local to the recipient.

LOCAL IQ™: Chicago

Chicago rewards curiosity. Everyone knows about deep dish. 

• LOCAL IQ™ is knowing there’s also tavern-style.
• It’s knowing that dinner in Fulton Market feels different from dinner in Chinatown.
• It’s knowing why someone will travel across the city for a sandwich.
• It’s knowing the neighborhood restaurant your friend won’t stop talking about.
• The spa five minutes from their apartment.
• The salon they already love.
• The new place they haven’t tried yet.

That’s what local knowledge does. It turns an enormous city into a collection of places that mean something to individual people.

And it changes gifting from “I sent you something” to “I found something for you, right where you live.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Chicago Restaurants and Local Gifts

What food is Chicago most famous for?

Chicago is especially famous for deep-dish pizza, tavern-style pizza, Italian beef and Chicago-style hot dogs. But the city’s food culture extends far beyond its iconic dishes, with internationally recognized fine dining and cuisines reflecting communities from around the world.

What are some nationally recognized Chicago restaurants?

Chicago is home to acclaimed restaurants including Alinea, Smyth, Kasama, Oriole, Monteverde, Girl & the Goat and Virtue, among many others. The city has a long history of recognition from organizations such as the Michelin Guide and James Beard Foundation.

What are the best Chicago neighborhoods for restaurants?

The West Loop and Fulton Market are major destinations for acclaimed restaurants and nightlife. Logan Square is known for creative independent dining, Pilsen for Mexican cuisine and culture, Chinatown for Chinese cuisine, Wicker Park and Bucktown for an eclectic food and nightlife scene, and Hyde Park for a mix of culture and destination dining.

Where should a foodie go in Chicago?

A first-time food-focused visitor could start with one of Chicago’s iconic foods, then explore the West Loop and Fulton Market for nationally acclaimed restaurants. Neighborhoods such as Logan Square, Pilsen, Chinatown and Hyde Park offer additional opportunities to experience the city’s culinary diversity.

What are good Chicago experience gifts?

Restaurant gift cards, spa and salon experiences, theatre, comedy, live music, museums and other local activities can all make memorable Chicago gifts. Choosing something based on the recipient’s neighborhood and interests can make the experience more personal.

What is a good Chicago gift for someone who already has everything?

Consider giving an experience rather than another physical item. Dinner at a local restaurant, a spa treatment, salon service or another Chicago experience gives the recipient something to enjoy without adding more possessions.

Can I send a local Chicago gift if I live somewhere else?

Yes. Digital gifting makes it possible to choose an experience near the recipient and send the gift from another city or state. That means the gift can still be distinctly local to Chicago even when the sender isn’t.

Give Them More Chicago

Chicago is too big, too diverse, and too interesting to reduce to one gift. So don’t.

• Give them the pizza place they’ve been talking about.
• Dinner in the West Loop.
• A neighborhood restaurant they haven’t discovered.
• A spa afternoon.
• A night out.
• A reason to explore Chinatown.
• A date in Logan Square.
• A favorite place—or their next favorite place.

Because a great local gift doesn’t just say “I was thinking about you.”

It can also say “I know where you are. Go enjoy it.”

Explore local restaurants, salons, spas and experiences on Gift Card Market’s Chicago page and give someone a little more of the city they love.