Author: Ryan Bluestone

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, but it’s perhaps more accurate to call it a city of foodie neighborhoods.

The city’s 77 districts offer just about everything for every palate, from its well-known deep-dish pizzas, to Italian beef sandwiches, to traditional fare reflective of its diverse mix of residents.

Visitors can take a culinary cruise through town on one of Chicago’s many food tours, but another option to eat one’s way through these vibrant and unique neighborhood restaurants is to use Ryan Bluestone’s list of must-visit spots for foodies.

West Loop

The first Chicago stop on any foodie’s list should be the West Loop. It’s home to Randolph Street, also known as Restaurant Row, dotted with a large number of the city’s trendiest bars, restaurants, rooftop lounges, and sidewalk tables.

Some of the city’s best-reviewed restaurants are in West Loop, including Au Cheval and its world-famous burgers; Girl and the Goat, run by Stephanie Izard, a “Top Chef” champ; and top sushi spot Sushi Dokku and its underground cocktail bar, Booze Box. It’s upscale fare for sure, but it’s all worth it.

Chinatown

Despite its name, Chicago’s Chinatown isn’t just about Chinese food — though that’s certainly quite good here. There are also numerous options for ramen, Thai, Korean, and much more. Lao Sze Chuan is low-key but authentic and amazing, and the dim sum at Cai is worth writing home about.

While its name screams “probably substandard strip-mall fare,” Go 4 Food is considered one of the top Chinese restaurants in Chicago and in the U.S., earning raves from Michelin and Thrillist.

Lakeview and Lincoln Park

Tiny neighborhoods Lakeview and Lincoln Park are known for their cute shops, green spaces, and stunning Lake Michigan views. Both are also home to some Chicago culinary classics, a mix of acclaimed fine dining and charming brunch spots.

Locals love the tapas and sangria at Café Ba-ba-reeba! and the homebrew vibes of DryHop Brewers. One of the biggest stars is Alinea, consistently named one of the world’s best restaurants and recipient of three Michelin stars.

Lakeview has especially come a long way from its mediocre restaurant scene past, with solid spots such as Pastoral, which offers cheeses from local farms.

Logan Square

Eating in Logan Square is like getting the best of everything Chicago has to offer foodies. There are nods to its traditional past, like straightforward American fare at Longman and Eagle, but there are also inventive sweets at Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits and authentic Latin American dishes at 90 Miles Cuban Café, a longtime favorite.

Wrigleyville

Come for the Cubs, stay for the food. There’s more to Wrigleyville than baseball, including great options like Coalfire, with its thin-crust pizza baked in its 1,500-degree ovens and Byron’s Hot Dogs (it’s a baseball neighborhood after all).

But one of the biggest treasures is Mordecai inside the Hotel Zachary, which offers upscale versions of ballpark food, like wagyu beef tartare, and a long list of vintage spirits in its back bar.

Forget sweet home Alabama; sweet home Chicago is what it’s all about now. As a top city for foodies, this Illinois hotspot knows exactly how to satisfy any sugar craving in endlessly inspiring ways. From dessert tacos to lingonberry-almond cake to tricked out shakes, Chicago is filled to the brim with ingenious delicious treats.

Ryan Bluestone reports that locals and tourists alike in any part of the city can find sugary decadence that will help them realize Chicago’s sweet tooth revolution for themselves.

Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits

2051 N California Avenue

Perhaps the most unassuming of them all is this diamond in the rough, boasting many seasonal savory and sweet pies made entirely from scratch.

With creative flavors like sweet honey and chocolate pecan to the classic key lime treat, Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits is the place to be for pie lovers — and it has a full early morning queue to prove it, especially on the weekend.

While they may not have the most Instagram-worthy desserts, they’re certainly revolutionizing the city’s sweet scene with their unique tastes and textures.

Garrett Popcorn

Across the city and the two major airports

Known to Chicagoans simply as “Garrett’s,” Garrett Popcorn is the home of the iconic caramel corn and cheese popcorn.

However, the current owners aren’t actually the official creators — customers originally made this delicacy themselves by mixing separate caramel and cheese bags together. It’s safe to say Garrett’s certainly made the right executive decision when they included it on their own menu. There’s no telling where the city’s sugary (and salty) landscape would be today without it.

The Commons Club

203 N Wabash Avenue

The Commons Club is home to Juan Gutierrez himself, a pastry chef who made a splash after overhauling Longman & Eagle’s sweet menu by showing diners the magic of cashew cheesecake and peppermint ice cream bars.

Gutierrez brought his revolutionary talents to The Commons Club, where he utilizes his Colombian heritage to inspire ethereal desserts by taking advantage of corn-flavored ice cream, plantains, and smoked vanilla.

Specializing in gluten-free and vegan treats, he ensures that there’s something for everybody on his exquisite menu.

Dessert Dealer

Across the city

There’s nothing new about savory tacos, but making them sweet is Dessert Dealer’s specialty.
With servings of loaded sugary tacos, topped brownies, and sublime carrot cake slices, those with perpetual sweet teeth will find it hard to stay away.

Lost Larson

5318 N Clark Street

While Bobby Schaffer at Lost Larson didn’t initially aim to create a bakery dedicated to Scandinavian desserts, it seems that fate intervened.

Whether it’s his glorious chocolate croissants with cardamom hints or his flawlessly layered lingonberry and almond cake, both regulars and tourists are awestruck by his creations.

Rainbow Cone

9233 S Western Avenue

Rainbow Cone may have unofficially (and perhaps inadvertently) boosted Chicago to number one on the sugary map since it began serving cones back in 1926. Amazingly, its iconic rainbow ice cream cone still boasts the same five flavors — Palmer House cherry, orange sherbet, pistachio, chocolate, and strawberry.

Each slice is stacked on top of the others on a cone with a dip tray attached to provide the ultimate enjoyment. Although, locals note that there’s a neat trick to eating these delicacies: lick from the bottom and follow a swirl pattern up to the top.

The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Restaurant is flipping pizza upside down with its unique and creative “Pizza Pot Pie” creation. Ryan Bluestone describes this signature dish as something like a typical pizza, except that it is served in a chicken-pot-pie-style-crock and flipped upside down at the table so that the crust is on the bottom. The crust bowl is filled with cheese, sauce, and toppings of your choice. This establishment only features their classics, with each of the few sauce options featuring different pizza toppings like bolognese or mushroom. This unique creation with delicious flavors has captured the hearts of Chicago pizza lovers since 1972.

Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, this pizza destination has become a local favorite over the past 50 years. Ryan Bluestone notes The Pizza Pot Pie is a unique take on the classic Chicago pizza and is a must-try for pizza lovers craving something out of the ordinary. Ryan Bluestone also raves about the Mediterranean bread, a large crispy flatbread that is seasoned with Mediterranean spices and olive oil before being baked in the pizza oven.

To Wrap Things Up

The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company has set a new standard for pizza with its creative and delicious Pizza Pot Pie dish. Ryan Hunter Bluestone highly recommends you plan an outing to this restaurant for a different, yet delicious, pizza experience while in Chicago.

The Embarcadero is much more than just a street to a San Francisco local. The Embarcadero road runs along the water on the northeast side of San Francisco, starting with the Giants’ ballpark and continuing to the top of Fisherman’s Wharf. The Embarcadero hosts some of San Francisco’s most celebrated cultural attractions. From the classic wharves and piers to the incredible restaurants and shopping, Ryan Hunter Bluestone recommends that every tourist and SF local spend a day walking this concrete boardwalk.

With such prime real estate and unmatched views, the Embarcadero is home to some of the most highly-acclaimed fine dining restaurants in San Francisco (and for that matter, all of the United States). Right across from the Bay Bridge, you will find one of Ryan Bluestone’s favorite fine dining restaurants, Angler. Angler is a sea-life-focused restaurant that is the brainchild of world-acclaimed head-chef Joshua Skenes. Angler has earned a Michelin Star, so make sure to make a reservation well in advance as reservations are a hot commodity. Come for the beautiful views of the Bay Bridge and crackling wood hearth, but stay for the life-changing seafood dishes. In this post, Ryan Hunter Bluestone will walk you through all the must-have dishes at Angler San Francisco.

Walking into the restaurant, you are greeted by the smell of a blazing hot wood hearth and fresh warm bread. If you are seated in the first room you will have a direct view of the kitchen and hearth, watching the chefs cook your meal in real time! The first room is decorated with impressively large fish and unique animal skulls hanging above the kitchen. In the second room, there is a small bar as well as approximately ten more tables. This second room features taxidermied animals from the land, including a life-size bear. If you happen to be seated in the first room, Ryan Hunter Bluestone would highly recommend that you take a stroll to see the interesting decor in the back room as well.

The Angler features a menu exclusively from their live tanks, as well as a main menu with meat and seafood from around the globe. While at Angler, Ryan Bluestone would recommend ordering one to two items per menu per person. While the portions are small, this allows you to try multiple small dishes and experience more of the chef’s brilliance. Here are some of Ryan Hunter Bluestone’s favorite menu items from Angler San Francisco.

From the Live Tanks:

1. Fresh Cold Oysters – With pickled radishes and homemade cocktail sauce.

2. Pacific Sea Snails – Broiled in the shell with a lemon, butter, and balsamic sauce.

3. Mt. Lassen Trout – Grilled in a chili crisp seasoning over the wood hearth.

From Chef Joshua’s Menu:

1. Bluefin Tuna with Tomato-Water Jelly and Shiso – Immaculately fresh bluefin tuna covered in diced tomato-water jelly, served with a miraculous shiso puff that is bigger than a softball.

2. Angler Potato with Peppercorn Cheese Sauce from Sonoma Cheeses – Dozens of equally-thin layers of potato sliced to perfection on a bed of sauce from Sonoma Cheeses.

3. Grilled Hand-Dried Scallop – Out of this world. A must-try served in the shell with a butter-based sauce.

From the Dessert Menu:

1. Vanilla Soft Serve Sundae – This sundae is to die for. Fresh vanilla soft-serve ice cream covered in cacao nibs is brought to the table, and the waiter returns with a hot golden pot of dulce de leche and coats the sundae using their golden ladle.

In addition to those mouth-watering dishes, Ryan Hunter Bluestone has heard resounding positive reviews about the Parkerhouse Rolls with Cultured Seaweed Butter, the Antelope Tartare, and the Radicchio Salad with Radicchio XO Dressing. Ryan Bluestone guarantees that Angler’s Chef Joshua will take your tastebuds on a culinary adventure that you can not get enough of. Everything on the menu is well-balanced, flavorful, and as fresh as it gets. Next time you are in San Francisco, make sure to stop by Angler on the Embarcadero for a meal that won’t disappoint.

San Francisco is known for its diverse culture and special scenic views. One place to get it all at once is the San Francisco Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, at the Foodwise Farmers market. Ryan Hunter Bluestone says, here you’ll enjoy a variety of foods and cuisines, views of the Bay and the Bay Bridge while seeing bits of San Francisco’s history, and music and arts.

1. Roli Roti: Ryan Hunter Bluestone says this is THE place to be. When first approaching the Ferry building you’ll be greeted with a huge line, fun music, and delectable smells of rotisserie porchetta and chicken. These exquisite meats are flame-grilled over a bed of Yukon gold potatoes. Customers wait in lines of 50+ people- rain or shine – for their gourmet sandwiches served on ciabatta and covered with fresh arugula. Ryan Bluestone believes this is a place everyone has to try at least once, and challenges you not to find yourself going back to time and time again.

2. Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen: Known for their pastrami and bagel sandwiches – this is one of Ryan Hunter Bluestone’s Saturday morning staples. There is usually a crowd of people waiting but it goes by quickly. With a large variety of bagels, schmears, and meats this place will bring you joy and a full belly. Wise Sons has gluten-free bagels at their brick-and-mortar locations. Most Saturdays, a sandwich from Wise Sons is the first item to make it into in Ryan Hunter Bluestone’s reusable canvas grocery bag.

3. The Farmer’s Wife: Sonoma county’s finest handmade grilled cheeses. Ryan Hunter Bluestone is continuously amazed by the variety of gourmet grilled cheeses found at the Farmer’s Wife. These sandwiches are innovative, yet have the classic and cozy taste you expect from one of the best comfort foods ever. It makes these sandwiches all the more enticing. Ryan Bluestone insists that this stop should be at the top of your list.

4. Mango Say Mango: When looking for something refreshing on a sunny day, or looking for some sunshine when it’s a rainy one, Ryan Hunter Bluestone shares you can always count on Sierra from Mango Say Mango. Her motto is “everything mango” and at her stand, you’ll get exactly that. Though the selections are slim, it makes picking what you want that much easier- and never fails. Ryan Hunter Bluestone says that the friendly faces at Mango Say Mango are always eager to help you customize your order and will even sell you just the delicious mangos alone. While Ryan Hunter Bluestone usually leaves with a mango or two in hand for the week, he also likes to enjoy Mango Say Mango’s mango smoothie with their famous Tajin rim. Ryan Bluestone says he’s the mango sticky buns are next on his list. You can check talso hem out on Instagram @mangosaymango

5. Proyecto Diaz Coffee: Ryan Hunter Bluestone might not be the biggest coffee drinker, but he is always down to stand in the line at Proyecto Diaz Coffee. They are known for their bizarre yet delicious Lemonade Cold Brew. Ryan Hunter Bluestone had to try it when he heard about this unusual combination and it did not disappoint. Ryan Hunter Bluestone describes it as a close cousin to an Arnold Palmer and enjoys how the sweet and sour of the lemonade perfectly pairs and offsets the bitterness of the coffee. Ryan Hunter Bluestone visits regularly for the unique seasonal drinks and all the dairy replacements one could ask for. On top of all this, Ryan Bluestone shares that the staff is really kind and super cool. Just watching the Proyecto team work together is entertaining – the culture is like that of a family as they all are working together to satisfy the busy lines.

6. Maison Mico: One of the best French pastry stands in the market. Ryan Hunter Bluestone likes to go early to the farmers market for this stand-alone; the reason being they sell out quickly. You’ll find different and fresh offerings each week. While it may seem simple, it is anything but, Ryan’s favorite is their classic croissant.

7. Flying Disc Ranch: Boasts one of the most diverse selections of Dates you will find at the Foodwise Farmers Market. Ryan Hunter Bluestone shares that you will be able to find types of dates you never knew existed and textures and flavors you never knew were possible. Ryan Hunter Bluestone says exploring the different options is an experience all its own. You can try the dates and buy them in half or full pounds and they are worth every penny.

8. All the traditional farmers market stands: At the Foodwise Farmers Market you’ll get an impressive selection of the most diverse fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, dairy, non-dairy, flowers, juices, nuts, wines, and more. Ryan Hunter Bluestone says he’s been introduced to the most interesting vegetables he’s ever seen and had the best meat from this market. Don’t forget to peruse the front side of the market which is filled with fruit samples for you to try.

All in all, the Foodwise farmers market is a must. As you shop you’ll get a beautiful view of the Bay and the bridge. Ryan Hunter Bluestone loves that there are always people playing instruments in the back corner that bring so much life to the weekly occurrence. With history sewn into the ferry building, seeing ships coming and going- it’s a true SF experience. Ryan Hunter Bluestone loves to walk inside the building to see the shops open daily as well. The whole interior of the building was alive with the excitement of new things for people to see. Ryan Hunter Bluestone explains as you walk in the front of the building you’ll see more musicians and artists selling their jewelry and artwork, singing, and people with smiles on their faces. A Saturday morning spent at the Foodwise Farmers Market is a Saturday morning well spent in Ryan Hunter Bluestone’s book.

San Francisco is a sushi hotspot on the Pacific Coast with a thriving Japanese community. Ryan Hunter Bluestone says that the city has something for everyone, and for every budget.

From smaller, cozy nigiri spots to Michelin-starred establishments that are changing the sushi scene, there is plenty worth discovering and experiencing. With fresh fish coming straight from the Tokyo fish markets daily, San Francisco’s sushi is as authentic as it gets, without traveling across the world to try the authentic flavors in Japan itself. 

Traditional Sushi Spots

For those looking to experience a sushi restaurant with a traditional feel, there are many places in the area that fit these criteria. Sit grouped together with other patrons on long benches or on tightly packed tables separated by gorgeous screens, or be close to the action at first come first serve countertops. 

Many of these places are long-running family affairs, with the likes of Ebisu in Inner Sunset featuring not only the owners, Steve and Koio Fujii, but also their two sons! The long wait time is a testament to the quality of the food here, as well as the service. Enjoy their daily specials or even place a special order with the chef!

Casual Dining

Sometimes sushi makes for a perfect casual meal or lunch while out on the town, and the busy San Francisco streets offer countless places to suit a wide range of budgets and interests. 

Sake Bomb, located in the Mission, combines a casual and low-key atmosphere with beautifully presented and high-quality sushi rolls and nigiri. Try their Snow White specialty sushi roll, with snow crab, shrimp tempura, and cucumber.

Okane, unlike its next-door sister location Omakase, focuses on casual dining, with a great sushi roll selection alongside Japanese comfort food for sharing with friends. 

Fine Dining

For people wishing to experience the very best of San Francisco’s sushi scene, their Michelin-starred sushi restaurants certainly do not disappoint!

Hashiri focuses on using in-season ingredients, and their menu changes as frequently as the animated screens on the ceiling! They provide monthly tasting menus consisting of multiple courses of the finest edamame sushi. 

For a more intimate and exclusive sushi experience, foodies should make their way to Ju-Ni. Tables aren’t easy to acquire though: not only did they pick up a Michelin Star in 2017, but there are also only 12 tables in the restaurant! With an 18 course omakase menu, and one chef per four diners, it’s a diehard sushi fan’s dream. 

Vegetarian and Vegan Sushi

Those who are unable to partake in fish or seafood due to dietary preferences or requirements don’t have to miss out on the city’s sushi scene. 

Cha-Ya in the Mission offers a unique take on sushi, with a menu that is entirely vegan-friendly! They take their inspiration from Japanese Buddhist cuisine, which involves no meat. This leads to some truly uniquely flavorful experiences, such as sushi rolls made with pickled daikon or sour plum cucumber. 

Other Sushi Hotspots

Of course, with such thriving Japanese cuisine locations, there are many restaurants in San Francisco to discover. The best foodies know that local recommendations can often lead to some amazing gastronomic experiences!