Sightseeing is grand, but one of the best parts of visiting a new place like Chicago is tasting its iconic eats. Chicago restaurants can be Michelin-starred or down-home, but they’re some of the best restaurants in the world! Chicagoans also love to debate whether their favorite foods are served best on the North Side, South Side or West Side. (There is no real East Side — that’s Lake Michigan!)
If you’re traveling to Oak Park, a village at far West Side side of the Windy City, you can introduce your taste buds to some of the city’s most popular specialties without ever leaving these charming, Lloyd-Wright designed suburbs.
There are too many to count! We’ll skip over the snacks (like Garrett’s popcorn and its classic Garrett mix of cheddar and caramel corn) and desserts (like the original rainbow cone), and focus on main courses:
Italian Beef
Let’s start with Italian beef. A beloved sandwich of seasoned, thinly sliced roast beef piled on a long French roll and topped with giardiniera and/or roasted green or sweet peppers.
What makes Italian beef so special is that it’s served au jus, meaning in the juice that comes from roasting. When an Italian beef is prepared, the meat is roasted with herbs and spices, and a rich and flavorful juice accumulates during the cooking process. The beef is thinly sliced then submerged in that delicious liquid and cooked a bit longer, so the meat becomes even more mouthwatering.
Hot Dogs
Let’s be frank: Chicagoans are very particular about their hot dogs. It’s a cardinal sin to put ketchup on a frankfurter in the Chicago area. A Chicago-style dog has a unique set of ingredients that all work in concert to create a symphony of flavor. First, of course, there’s the hot dog itself, which should be all beef. The city’s most-beloved all-beef dogs usually come from Vienna Beef and have a natural casing. The local beef manufacturer has been around for more than 125 years.
To make a Chicago-style hot dog, the all-beef frank is encased in a steamed poppyseed bun and topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onion, relish, tomato slices, a crispy dill pickle spear, sport peppers and a dusting of celery salt.
Pizza Puff
Finally, did you know that the pizza puff got its start in Chicago? Born in 1976, the pizza puff was created by a Chicago company that originally specialized in tamales. The original pizza puff was stuffed with pork sausage, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, but as time went on, other flavors like beef and pepperoni became popular. You can of course find frozen puffs at grocery stores, but it’s a real treat to get a fresh, warm puff from a restaurant.
Deep Dish Pizza
Pizza that you fold? Not in Chicago! Thin crust may work in New York, but Chicago deep dish pizza is all about rich layerings of cheese, toppings and sauce that are almost deep enough to dive into.
Here are more than a dozen places near Oak Park where you can find stellar Italian beef sandwiches, to-die-for Chicago-style hot dogs, pleasing pizza puffs, and the legendary deep-dish pizza. Some of these best restaurants just specialize in one iconic food — others have all three.
You’ll find lines out the door of this eatery and a brilliantly executed Italian beef sandwich. There are two locations, one in Elmwood Park—just a short drive from Oak Park—and another in Arlington Heights.
You don’t often see cheese atop an Italian beef, but at Mr. Beef and Pizza, you can opt to add American, mozzarella or cheddar cheese. This casual spot also has hot dogs and pizza puffs.
Frannie’s has been dishing out flavorful Italian beef for more than 20 years. That experience shows — Online reviewers rave about the sandwiches here. Frannie’s also has hot dogs and pizza puffs.
The Buonavolanto family has been wowing diners with their Italian beef for more than 40 years. Buona Beef has several locations throughout Chicagoland, but the very first restaurant was in Berwyn, just south of Oak Park. You can also enjoy a flavorful Chicago-style dog at Buona.
In operation since 1946, this iconic hot dog stand has been hailed by diners and critics alike as a best Chicago destination for dogs . In fact, when celebrity chef Rachel Ray’s magazine teamed up with food and drink website Serious Eats, to find America’s best hot dog, Gene & Jude’s was named the best in the country.
This spot does the Chicago-style dog a little differently—they top their franks with mustard, relish, onions, and sport peppers. Expect a heaping of fresh fries your dog here; fries are tossed onto the wax paper and wrapped up with the frank.
This no-frills hot dog joint has been satisfying cravings since since 1947, dishing out tasty, classic Chicago-style dogs and fries. Parky’s also serves pizza puffs and Italian beef.
Mickey’s has a mom-and-pop feel and has been dishing out Chicago-style dogs for more than 60 years. Beyond dogs, Mickey’s also has Italian beef and pizza puffs.
Novi’s knows beef. This longtime Berwyn beef spot has around since 1966. In a 2016 USA Today poll, it was voted Illinois’s No. 1 beef sandwich. Novi’s also has Chicago-style dogs and pizza puffs.
This fast-food chain serves up a reliable, tremendously meaty Italian beef sandwich in addition to Chicago-style dogs. While there are multiple Portillo’s locations through the city and suburbs, the location nearest Oak Park is in Forest Park.
With a warm brick interior and large windows, Michael’s invites diners to eat their meal onsite and stay awhile, rather than grab and go. Juicy Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs and pizza puffs all await you here.
Nino’s is yet another spot where you can have it all—killer Italian beef, Chicago dogs and pizza puffs.
Pop’s has been around since 1980 and sells between 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of beef per location (there are 12), so they’re certainly doing something right. Find the trifecta at Pop’s: Italian beef, Chicago-style dogs and pizza puffs.
Two Italian immigrant brothers from Torino began offering their 200-year-old recipe for stuffed pizza (a variety of deep dish) in Chicago back in 1974.
The deep-dish varieties of this pizzeria have been legendary since 1971. This chain offers west suburban locations in downtown Oak Park and Western Springs.
Are you hungry yet? Set a time to try Chicago’s iconic foods near Oak Park. Your tastebuds will thank you.