Foodie walking tour in the loop - where should they stop?

Hi,

A retired friend who volunteers as a Chicago Greeter is taking visitors who describe themselves as foodies on a two to three hour walking tour on Friday. Wherever they may go, it has to be open without making reservations.

He asked for suggestions on where to take them, my first random thoughts:
- Chicago Board of Trade
- French Market at the Ogilvie Transportation Center
- French Pastry School (not sure what one would see walking in)

Old picturesque restaurants to look at:
- Italian Village
- Berghoff
- Macy's Seventh Floor (I have a feeling no more food is openly prepared like it was during the Marshall Field's era, though is it enough to see the Walnut Room?)

Tourist:
Garretts Popcorn

Off the beaten path:
Market Creations - due to Ann Fisher's enthusiasm

Food trucks
Where would any be seen?

Separately, I will give him some highlights of Maxwell St, Pilsen, Chinatown, Devon Ave and Argyle area, which they can do on their own.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Pastoral, the Gage, Purple Pig off the top of my head.

If they are unlikely to visit such places in other neighborhoods, I would suggest, in addition:

Cafecito

Bal Le

Garrett's (not for me, but people love that stuff)

UB Dogs, Off the Tracks, or Westminster Hot Dog

Heaven on Seven (the original)

A donut place (Do-Rite or Vault)

A falafel place (why this is a Loop thing, I haven't figured out), Benjyehuda maybe

Miller's Pub

Prime truck stop is probably the east side of Chase Tower

I trained as a Chicago Greeter, though dropped out of the program due to a lack of time. Your friend doesn't have to stick to the Loop unless the visitors explicitly said they couldn't leave. They will be given CTA cards (day passes, I think) so they don't have to walk for the entire period.

If I were leading such a visit, I'd probably take the guests into the West Loop so they could see where a lot of the city (and region's) food first came from, all while noshing their way through the area.

Bombacigno's J&C Inn for one of the few "neighborhood" joints that calls the (west) Loop its neighborhood. Have them order cottage fries, pasta fagiole, and whatever else looks good that day.

Ronny's Steak House for the local flavor, heart-attack on a plate fare (and the lemonade with a watermelon slice if they're feeling fancy).

How strict is the limitation on stops being in the Loop (i.e. south and west of the river)?

I'll add the often overlooked - http://www.perrysdeli.com/
If they're willing to expand the boundaries a bit - http://www.mannysdeli.com/ - in place of Perry's.

JimInLoganSquare, I've never heard of Bombacigno's J&C Inn, though I work just blocks away to the north. Having done a bit of online research on the place, I suspect I'm going to owe you a huge debt of gratitude.

I'm with Luckyguy. For some reason I read this post, and I thought it would have absolutely no relevance to me, but picked up this little gem. Thanks JimInLoganSquare. I too will be taking the blue line right on over. I've passed by this place for years.

Hi,

Great ideas, thanks!

These are four people who hoped for a tour near their accommodations, which is the Hostel at Congress and Michigan Ave roughly.

My friend usually does architecture tours in the loop. He's pitching in due to someone else's lack of availability.

Regards,

If they're looking for another tour, the Chicago History Museum runs L tours (my wife is one of the guides, she does the Blue/Pink line). They cover each line, and on each tour you get off and do a brief walking tour of a neighborhood. Some will actually end in the neighborhoods which provides a good opportunity to explore on one's own as well.

http://chicagohistory.org/planavisit/upcomingevents/tours/l-tours

Cathy2 wrote:These are four people who hoped for a tour near their accommodations, which is the Hostel at Congress and Michigan Ave roughly.

Which is the farthest corner of the Loop from the river. Not that they couldn't cross the river, of course, but the further away, well, the further away. I'd still cross the river for the French Market - it offers so many choices that it's worth the walk - but for some of the other choices mentioned, I'd try to keep it in the Loop (for example, Do-Rite Donuts rather than the Doughnut Vault, etc). And I'd try to arrange a stop at one of our places for a classic deep-dish, although I'm not sure how you would do that without forcing them to wait a while for their pizza to be baked. Lou Malnati's at 8th and State is close to Congress and Michigan but possibly in the wrong direction; Pizano's on Madison is probably along the way to other stops. Oh, and I'd also include a stop at Toni Patisserie.

If the intent is more interesting Loop restaurant experience with good food (rather than simply good food by itself), my eastern loop recs would be:

1) original Heaven on 7 - hard to beat that for lunch experience
2) Oasis - back of a jewelry mall
3) 7th floor food court at Field's

I'd like to put in a word for Max's on Adams. Classic Chicago dog and no frills vibe.

http://www.maxstakeoutchicago.com/

I have no idea where that food pic came from on their website, I'm pretty sure it's not on the menu.

Since the hostel is immediately adjacent to Cafecito, that's a no-brainer. Also, if I were in that part of the Loop, I'd consider the options due south as well. Mercat and Gage are relevant for fancier stops. And still Miller's Pub. Rooftop at Plymouth nee' Binyon's is a pleasant place for a beer, and while most food is bad, chilaquiles are surprisingly good.

turkob wrote:I'd like to put in a word for Max's on Adams. Classic Chicago dog and no frills vibe.

http://www.maxstakeoutchicago.com/

I have no idea where that food pic came from on their website, I'm pretty sure it's not on the menu.

Probably from the same place that these people did: http://horoscope.sanook.com/930738/

More on-topic: I would add JP Grazianos to the list of suggestions. Also maybe somewhere in the pedway--not that there's tremendous food options but it's neat to see. There is an entrance to Macy's, should they want to try the 7th floor food court suggested above.

Chicago Hokie wrote:If the intent is more interesting Loop restaurant experience with good food (rather than simply good food by itself), my eastern loop recs would be:

1) original Heaven on 7 - hard to beat that for lunch experience
2) Oasis - back of a jewelry mall
3) 7th floor food court at Field's

When I was looking initially at loop food options yesterday, I wondered if the Oasis still existed. It has long been on my list of things to try, though I had this feeling it was long gone. Glad it still is around, thanks!

You might want to look in on Harold's Chicken Shack on Wabash a couple of blocks south of the hostel, for a take on an independent Chicago chain (and perhaps an order of fried gizzards), which, incidentally, withstood an invasion from a nearby KFC, now closed after a couple of years of direct competition.

Miller's Pub
134 S Wabash Ave
(312) 263-4988
www.millerspub.com‎

A classic!

Hi,

I called my friend Friday evening to learn the outcome. Unfortunately these people cancelled the night before.

However this list will be useful to anyone planning a similar tour.

Thanks!

Regards,