Chicago
Chicago for food lovers: guided food tours in the Loop, River North and Pilsen, 79.99 to 99 dollars per adult, with the city’s classic dishes.
- 1food festival
- 1culinary experience
Food festivals in Chicago
BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA
Culinary experiences in Chicago
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SAMap of Chicago
Chicago sits on the south-western shore of Lake Michigan, with the Chicago River running through its downtown. The Loop, the business district inside the ring of elevated train tracks, and River North, just across the river, are where the food tours in this guide walk.
The city is known for a few dishes of its own: deep-dish pizza, baked in a tall pan. The Chicago-style hot dog, piled with mustard, onion, relish, tomato, pickle and sport peppers on a poppy seed bun. And the Italian beef sandwich, thin-sliced beef soaked in its juices.
A guided food tour costs from 79.99 dollars per person with Secret Food Tours, 85 dollars per adult with Chicago Food & City Tours, and 99 dollars per adult with Sidewalk Food Tours, for about three hours. Chicago Food & City Tours also runs a tour in Pilsen, a neighbourhood south-west of downtown. In summer, the city’s free food festival, Taste of Chicago, fills Grant Park: from 8 to 12 July in 2026.
Practical notes
- The CTA “L” trains link both airports, O’Hare (Blue Line) and Midway (Orange Line), to the Loop.
- Downtown is flat and walkable. Winters on the lake are cold and windy, so dress for a three-hour walk.