The Bear starring Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edibiri has made a splash in pop culture and has quickly become a cult TV show. High energy, intense, fast-paced, and unexpectedly tender in places, the show focuses on a group of restaurateurs trying to revive a beloved sandwich shop and turn it into a Michelin star establishment.
But what you may not have known about The Bear is that it’s a show made by restaurateurs featuring restaurateurs and paying homage to Chicago’s electric foodie culture and setting. Many of the eateries featured in the show are real places, and many of the extras are real chefs and cooks in the industry – namely Matty Matheson who plays Neil Fak.
So, if you’re a fan of the show and are planning a trip to the Windy City, here is a list of the best restaurants in Chicago that you 100% owe a visit to.
1. Mr. Beef
If the name of this restaurant rings a bell it’s because The Bear’s fictional The Beef, owned by Carmy’s late brother, takes direct inspiration from this place. Started in 1979, Mr. Beef is a sandwich shop serving up the best of American deli meats and subs. If you’ve never had a sub and are craving one on your adventures, this is the place to get one.
Two fun facts for you: the owner of Mr. Beef’s son has made a few cameo appearances on the show, and show creator Christopher Storer actually used to work here! The inspiration, it turns out, is a true labour of love, and certain shots were actually filmed on location (though most of it was a studio set).
2. The Green Door Tavern
Name-dropped by Richie in Season 1, The Green Door Tavern neighbours The Beef and can be seen in a few background shots. In the show, Richie says that this bar and tavern is closing, but in reality it is alive and well, and is actually quite an iconic spot in Chicago because of the speakeasy it houses in the basement… If you’re after an evening of mystery, this is one of the best restaurants in Chicago to visit.
3. Kasama
I don’t know about you, but one of my favourite moments of Season 2 was Sydney’s great Chicago food tour where she got to try many, many different dishes in search of creativity and innovation. One of the joints she hit up was Kasama, the only Michelin star awarded Filipino restaurant in the US, owned by a husband and wife.
With all the elegance of fine dining and decadence of Filipino food, you cannot go wrong with a meal (or two) here. In the show, we see Sydney order a breakfast sandwich and matcha latte, which is available during the daytime service for you to try yourself! But come dinner time, Kasama becomes a refined fine dining experience, serving the best of both worlds.
4. Lao Peng You
Located in Chicago’s Ukrainian village is Lao Peng You, a Chinese restaurant that’ll make your mouth water just by walking past it. Also featured in Sydney’s foodie tour, this joint is known in the city for their homemade noodles and dumplings that come drenched in flavourful sauces, fresh herbs, sesame seeds, and chilli crisp for some kick. The owners, brothers Daniel and Eric Wat, also make a cameo in the show during this episode, giving them some well deserved time in the spotlight.
5. Potash Markets
Not a ‘best restaurant in Chicago’ as such, but it is one of the best places in the city to get some locally grown and sourced produce, meat, wine, and beer. Potash Markets isn’t named in the show, but it makes it into this list because, if you look really closely, you’ll find a receipt from this place in Carmy’s apartment… It’s also where Carmy and Claire run into each other again.
If you’re visiting Chicago and staying in self-catering accommodation or are simply in the mood for some home cooking, then Potash Market is a great place to practise some sustainable eating by supporting local suppliers!
Image source:The Bear, FX
6. Ever
If you, like me, cried during Season 2’s Richie special, then you’ll want to visit Ever. This episode, which sees Richie undergo a ‘stage’ at a two Michelin star restaurant (and also passionately sing to Taylor Swift’s Love Story), is set in a fictional version of the real life Ever – which has also been awarded two Michelin stars!
It’s safe to say that Ever is a place for people wanting to experience tasting menus and some really classy dishes – you’ll also be splashing a good amount of cash. There’s no doubt that what you’re paying for will be absolutely out of this world delicious. What’s really cool is that the restaurant’s real chef, Curtis Duffy, can be seen plating the real dishes the restaurant serves, and many of the front of house staff feature in the show as well! So, if you do manage to get a table here, you may recognise a face or two.
7. Pequod’s Pizza
Also in the aforementioned episode, during a service shift at Ever (or the fictional version of it anyway), Richie heads out to buy a deep dish pizza after a customer requested one. The deep dish pizza is synonymous with Chicago, and Pequod’s Pizza is synonymous with the steaming dish! This is one of the city’s most famed pizza joints, and quite frankly one of the best restaurants in Chicago, so if you want to dine like a local this is where you should head.
8. Elske
Returning once more to Sydney’s exquisite edible excursion, Elske is yet another real life Michelin-starred establishment that the sous-chef visits. Greeted by the actual executive chef David Posey, Sydney borrows the kitchen to whip up a pasta dish she had been ideating all day.
As is customary for many high-end eateries, Elske only uses the freshest locally sourced ingredients to create its menu of Scandi-inspired dishes. A real treat for all the senses, you should book a table at Elske if you and your Contiki crew are feeling a little fancy.
9. Margie’s Candies
No, The Bear doesn’t only feature and pay homage to savoury restaurants. There are also a few establishments serving up desserts, and Margie’s Candies is one of them! You can’t eat as much savoury food as Sydney has without ending it with dessert – that’s just the rules of any meal. So, of course, she treats herself to an enormous ice cream sundae.
Margie’s Candies is a quintessential dessert shop in the Windy City, and a childhood staple for many Chicagoans. Family-owned since 1933 you can satisfy any sweet tooth craving here, whether you’re after cakes, hard candy, milkshakes, or a classic banana split.
10. Giant
Giant is without a doubt one of the best restaurants in Chicago if for no other reason than the fact their name reminds one of the city’s excellent baseball team. In all seriousness, though, Giant is an iconic name in the city, especially if you’re looking for a warm and cheesy plate of pasta.
Giant appears in the show under the guise of a fictional French restaurant called Verdana French Bistro and while it’s a little sad not to have a French spot on this list, you really can’t go wrong with Italian food. For a taste of the Amalfi coast, head to Giant’s and you will not be disappointed.
11. Roeser’s Bakery
Were you also drooling all over yourself while watching Marcus concoct those things (glazed donuts) of perfection? Well, the good news is you can go and drool over donuts out in the Chicago streets by standing outside of Roeser’s Bakery. Locally known as the spot to get custom cakes and pillowy bakes of goodness, it’s outside this bakery that Marcus gets inspired for his baking experiments. If you need to fuel your exploration with a sweet treat this is where to get it.
12. Pizza Lobo
Deep dish or not, pizza is a well-known export of Chicago around the US, and another iconic local spot is Pizza Lobo. Sydney can be seen swiping a slice here during her food tour, as well as trying to poach some kitchen staff (which is a big industry no no!). A casual sit-down restaurant, Pizza Lobo offers a huge selection of flavours, sold as 16’’ pies or by the slice. And if nothing on the menu is tingling your taste-buds, you can build your own! Crack open a cold one at the end of a long summer day at one of the best restaurants in Chicago.
13. Gene & Jude’s
We’ve had quite a bit of fine dining on this list so far, but let’s get back to the simpler meals: hot dogs. Dress ‘em up or dress ‘em down, a classic hot dog can do no wrong. The best place to get them in Chicago? It’s undoubtedly Gene & Jude’s. This establishment has truly stood the test of time, opening in 1946 and managing to remain a fan favourite today.
Gene & Jude’s is no frills, no fuss, and their self-proclaimed motto: “No seats, no ketchup, no pretence, no nonsense” tells you everything you need to know. A simple 4-item menu and even simpler ingredients, this is the lowkey food stop that everyone needs once in a while.
14. Michael Jordan’s Steak House
The temptation of mentioning the basketball star’s restaurant in a Chicago-based show is just too hard to resist. Michael Jordan’s Steak House is mentioned in passing by Marcus who describes his pure and unadulterated love of the establishment’s double-smoked maple-glazed bacon burger to Will Poulter’s Luca – and to be honest it does sound banging.
The restaurant is a classy place that serves up only the best of the best cuts of fillet mignon and New York strip, as well as some bougie lobster tails and decadent slices of chocolate cake (which Marcus was perhaps also inspired by?). This is the best restaurant in Chicago for those that want to feel like a famous person for the night.
15. Avec
And now we end where we began. “What do you mean?” you ask. Well, wait! Avec is a gorgeous Mediterranean-style eatery that serves some dishes that are both beautiful to the eye and the taste-buds. You’ll get the freshest of seafood, paired with some colourful and refreshing cocktails. If there’s one place you have to dine in in Chicago, it’s this.
But back to what I was on about. Donnie Madia, famous restaurateur and owner of Avec, appears in this episode with Sydney, and you may think “okay but there have been a lot of cameos, so what’s one more”, and to that I say: Donnie Madia used to work at Mr. Beef which inspired The Beef which basically created the whole show! It’s a reveal within a reveal within a reveal – who said Chicago couldn’t be mind-blowing?
