Off the beaten foodie track in Chicago
The Bear made its Italian beef sandwiches famous, but cutting-edge cuisine and diverse neighborhoods are the city’s real chef’s specials
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“I always tell people no matter what you’re looking for, especially food-wise, you’ll find a good version of it in Chicago,” says Damarr Brown, the James Beard Award-winning chef de cuisine of upscale Southern restaurant Virtue.
Buzzy dining hubs like Fulton Market and Logan Square usually top most food-focused visitors’ itineraries. The annual Taste of Chicago event, happening in September in 2023 but usually held in July, brings huge crowds.
And every local has an opinion on the city’s best Italian beef, granted worldwide fame by hit series, FX’s The Bear (both seasons are now streaming on Hulu).
But to savor the city’s culinary richness, leave room to explore more. That’s the top recommendation of Brown, who grew up cooking alongside his mom and grandmother in the Near South suburb of Harvey and came up through celebrated Chicago kitchens like Roister and the now-shuttered mk. “At Virtue, I hear people say, ‘The South Side is beautiful. I never come down here.’ And they’re shocked.” To him, they’re missing out.
“Hyde Park is a great neighborhood for dining,” he says, pointing to Daisy’s Po-Boy, owned by Virtue executive chef (and Brown’s longtime mentor) Erick Williams, and New Orleans-inspired diner Roux.
“Also you’ve got Bronzeville nearby, where you’ll find Peach’s, an amazing breakfast spot. We have places like Retreat at the Currency Exchange Café, this café/coffee shop situation that rotates chefs with different ethnic backgrounds.”
Beyond dining, there’s plenty to do and see around Virtue’s home base, the leafy, multicultural Hyde Park neighborhood, which the Obamas called home pre-presidency.
“I like to suggest Promontory Point,” says Brown. A park-like peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan, “It’s so peaceful, especially in the early mornings,” he says. “The DuSable African American History Museum is special,” he adds. At The Silver Room, a boutique that also hosts cultural events, “there’s always cool T-shirts and hoodies and things made by locals.
“I encourage people to come down here to try the food and see all these spaces that are kind of hiding from the rest of the city,” he adds. Scroll down for his guide to what to do, see and where to stay.
Cate Huguelet
Writer
Cate Huguelet’s writing has appeared in Chicago, the New York Times, Saveur, and Fodor’s. After exploring Europe while living in Ireland, she now lives on Chicago’s South Side with her family. She recently finished pastry school, and has a habit of planning trips around bakeries she’d like to visit.
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Where to eat and drink
Overview
Among Brown’s top Chicago restaurant recommendations is Kasama—the world’s first Filipino restaurant to earn a Michelin star—in the Ukrainian Village. “On a Sunday morning, there’s a line down the block with people happily waiting to get pastries and brunch,” he says. “At night, the food is refined but simply presented, and everything has a culture-filled story to it.”
Lincoln Park’s Michelin-starred Esmé is known for art-inspired tasting menus. “Chef Jenner [Tomaska] is a creative leader,” says Brown, who suggests you snag a stool at the bar, where an à la carte menu is peppered with imaginative touches: “They make Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in-house. Not only is it delicious, but it’s really cool.”
For Italian beef, made famous by The Bear, “Al’s is my favorite,” says Brown of the Little Italy mainstay, which occupies an outsized spot in Chicago food history.
When he catches a night off, the chef appreciates a well-made drink at The Violet Hour in Wicker Park. “They make excellent cocktails, and they’re open seven days a week, which is awesome as a cook.” The Matchbox in River West is a favorite for post-work drinks. “It’s this really narrow bar”—Chicago’s smallest, by its own account—“that serves really classic cocktails.”
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Where to stay
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“For folks coming from out of town who want to be right in the action, The Hoxton is cool. Not only do they have good restaurants inside the building [like Stephanie Izard’s Cabra], but you’re in Fulton Market, so you’re right in the middle of all that,” Brown says of the former meat-packing district turned buzzing restaurant row.
For boutique accommodation a stone’s throw from Virtue, he likes SOPHY. “It’s won awards for being one of the best hotels in the city,” he says.
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Where to go
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Hyde Park is a great starting point for other adventures. “I like biking the Lakefront Trail, which you can start on the South Side in Hyde Park and end up all the way in Uptown on the Far North Side,” says Brown. “It’s a beautiful way to see the city.” Not to mention an excellent way to work up an appetite.
In Uptown, known for revered music venues like the Green Mill and Aragon Ballroom, Brown appreciates the plentiful casual restaurants that reflect the neighborhood’s vibrant immigrant population. “I really like Uptown. Demera is an Ethiopian restaurant I enjoy. And Argyle is a little street with all these Vietnamese restaurants. I’ve never been disappointed.”
Meanwhile, the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the Near North Side claims Brown’s favorite farmers’ market. “There are always chefs there, great music, and just a lot of energy,” he says. “I have good memories of going to Green City Market when I used to work at mk. One time we took the whole team of cooks on bikes and came back with baskets of stuff.”
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