RESTAURANTS BY CUISINE

Forward

A Taste of Time and Place

Before Yelp, before Zagat, before the word “foodie” was ever uttered in polite company, Chicagoans knew where to eat. They followed the scent of sizzling pierogi down Milwaukee Avenue, chased tamales wrapped in wax paper through Maxwell Street, and whispered about the best chop suey joints tucked behind neon-lit facades. This section is a tribute to that legacy.

“Restaurants by Cuisine” isn’t just a list—it’s a cultural map of Chicago’s edible past. From the hearty stews of Bohemian kitchens to the delicate pastries of Viennese cafés, each entry reveals how immigrant communities shaped the city’s palate. You’ll find stories of family-run diners, long-lost supper clubs, and the rise of regional specialties that turned humble storefronts into culinary landmarks.

Whether you’re tracing your heritage through Hungarian goulash or simply craving a slice of old-world pizza, this guide offers more than menus—it offers memory. So dig in, and let your taste buds time-travel through the neighborhoods that fed a city and flavored its soul.

American

Blackhawk Restaurant on Wabash Avenue is famous for its "spinning salad" bowl.

Chicago Claim Company Restaurant, Chicago, Illinois.

Choo-Choo Diner in Des Plaines, Illinois. The Whole Story.

Circle Restaurant: Charles A. Stevens & Co., State Street  Department Store, Chgo

Cock Robin Ice Cream Restaurant, History (1954-2008).

Eli's The Place for Steak (1966-2005) / Eli's Famous Cheesecake Bakery in Chicago.

Fireside Restaurant (Ravenswood Outpost) across from Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago.

Great Escape Restaurant, Shiller Park, IL.

Harlo Grill in Melrose Park, Illinois. Another lost 1950s diner structure. 

Harold's Chicken Shack is a local favorite in the Chicago area.

Homer's Ice Cream, in Wilmette, Illinois, Fabricated a "Legend" about Al Capone.

Ike Sander's Restaurants in Bloomington, Illinois 

Iron Horse Saloon, 1889-1958, pre-Great Escape Restaurant, Shiller Park, IL.

Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises; Rich Melman's Chicagoland Restaurants.

Lincoln Restaurant, 4008 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago. (1970-2013)
Lockwood Castle Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor, Chicago, Illinois.
Loree's Snack Shop and Ice Cream Parlor in Chicago.

Lums Restaurants in Illinois.

Mickelberry Log Cabin Restaurant, 2300 W. 95th Street in Chicago, a Brief History.

Milk Pail Restaurant and Country Stores in Dundee, Illinois. 

Municipal Restaurant & Luncheonette, 63rd Street and Cicero Avenue, Chicago.

Myron & Phil Restaurant, 3900 West Devon Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL

Peacock Ice Cream Company in Evanston, Illinois.

Pickle Barrel Restaurant's Brief History.

Pullman Building's Tip Top Inn & Black Cat Inn Restaurants, Chicago. 

Ravenswood Outpost (Fireside Restaurant) across from Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago.

Roos' Restaurant, Home of the $1 Eight Course Dinner, beginning in 1923.

Seven Continents Restaurant by Carson Pirie Scott & Co., at Chicago O'Hare Airport.

Sky-Hi Drive-In and Restaurant, Chicago; Eat in a Real DC-7 Airplane.

Sparky's Snack Shop at Oakton Street and Monticello Avenue in Skokie, Illinois.

Tartan Tray Coffee Shop: Seven Continents Rotunda, Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

Town and Country Restaurants in Chicago. (1955-1987)

Uncle Andy's Cow Palace in Palatine, Illinois (1964-1978)

Victoria Station Restaurants in Illinois.

What's Cooking Restaurant, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago. (1978-2012)

White Fence Farm Restaurant on Route 66 in Romeoville, Illinois.

Barbecue

Sally's Bar-B-Q Restaurants of Chicago, Complete History.

Breakfast

Aunt Jemima and the Illinois Aunt Jemima's Kitchen Restaurants. 

Eddie Doucette's Pancake Plantation Restaurants in Chicago, Illinois. 

British

Abson's English Chop House, 22 E. Jackson. Former Pickwick Stable and Farm.

Cafeterias

Forum Cafeteria at 64 W. Madison, the Biggest Restaurant in Chicago. (1911-1973) 

Ontra Cafeteria of Chicago, Illinois. 

Thompson's Cafeteria Restaurants of Chicago, Illinois.

Coffee House

Jack Spratt Coffee House, Civil Rights Sit-In, in 1943 Chicago.

No Exit Café History, Chicago, Illinois.

Noose Coffee Shop fed, gratis, Cook County Jail's death row inmates their last meal.

Dinner Theater

Chez Paree Theater Restaurant and Key Club, 610 North Fairbanks Court, Chicago. 

Chez Paul French Restaurant at 660 North Rush Street in Chicago. (1945-1995)

Sally's Stage, 6335 North Western Chicago

East Asia: Chinese, Japanese, Korean

Kow Kow Chinese Restaurant, Chicago, then Lincolnwood, Illinois. (1949-2015).

Jewish

Ashkenaz Restaurant and Deli were local favorites. (1910-2012)

Bagel Nosh Deli was in Chicago's Gold Coast's Rush Street area (1978-1984)

Bagel Restaurant and Deli of Chicago & Skokie, Illinois. 

D.B. Kaplan's, a legendary Chicago Restaurant and Delicatessen (1976-1995). 

Leavitt's Delicatessen, Halsted and Maxwell Street, Chicago. (1920s-1960s)

Exotic

Cafe Bohemia was a wild game restaurant that served Lions, Tigers, and Bears in Chicago.

Fine Dining

Lake House, Chicago's First Luxury Hotel and Fine Dining Restaurant.

Pump Room Restaurant was famous for catering to Mid-20th-century celebrities.

French

Chez Paree Theater Restaurant and Key Club, 610 North Fairbanks Court, Chicago. 

Chez Paul French Restaurant at 660 North Rush Street in Chicago. (1945-1995)

Fast Food

Bill's Drive-In, Evanston, Illinois. 

Big-T Burger, Devon and Milwaukee Avenues, Chicago.

Burger Chef Restaurant History. Many stores in Illinois. 

Fluky's Hot Dog Stands, Chicago; "5¢ Depression Dog" & "2¢ Garden on a Bun."

Janda's Drive-In, 8030 Ogden Avenue and Barrypoint Road, Lyons, Illinois

Mr. Submarine Chicago-Style Sub-Sandwiches for Over 45 Years. 

Naugles 24-Hour Mexican Fast Food Restaurants of Illinois.

Riggen's Frostop Root Beer Stand, Chrisman, Illinois.

Sandy's Drive-In of Illinois.

Wimpy Grills in the Chicago, Illinois, area. (1934-1978)

German

Berghoff Restaurant in Chicago's Loop since 1898.

Lutz Café and Pastry Shop of Chicago, Illinois.

Greek

Hot Dog Joints

Bill's Drive-In, Evanston, Illinois. 

Big-T Burger, Devon and Milwaukee, Chicago

Herm's Palace vs. Big Herm's, Hot Dog Joints in Skokie.

Red Hot Ranch at 3114 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. (1952-1985) 

Superdawg at Devon, Milwaukee, and Nagle Avenues, Chicago. A 1950s Drive-In.

Hotel Dining

Camellia House Restaurant, Drake Hotel, Chicago. (1940-1977)

Cape Cod Room; Drake Hotel; the Nation's 1st Themed Restaurant. (1932-2016) 

Italian

Mexican

Middle Eastern

Pizza

Bartoli's Pizzeria in Chicago's West Town and Roscoe Village Communities.

Burt Katz, Restaurateur; The Inferno, Gullivers, Pequod's, and Burt's Place.

Edwardo's Pizza Restaurants. A Failing Chicago Institution.

Giordano's Restaurant and Pizzeria. A Taste of Chicago History.

Home Run Inn, The Original Chicago Thin Crust Pizza. 

Il Forno Pizzeria & Restaurant in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. 

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria History. (1971—Present)

Pequod's Pizzeria and the History of Owner Burt Katz (2024 World's Best Pizza)

Polish

Busy Bee Restaurant, 1550 North Damen Avenue in Chicago, Illinois (1913-1998).

Seafood

Boston Oyster House is at the First Morrison Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.

Mathon's Fish and Seafood Restaurant, Waukegan, Illinois.

Specialty

Ann Sather's (Swedish) Restaurants of Chicago, Illinois.
Zephyr Café & Ice Cream Parlor, Chicago, Illinois. (1976-2006)

Soul Food

South Asian: India, Pakistan

Spanish

Steakhouse

Elliott's Pine Log Restaurant & Lounge, Skokie; The Real Story." 

Morton House Restaurant in Morton Grove, Illinois.