Chicago - Food & Drink

Gorge on a juicy hot dog, relish a deep-dish pizza, tuck into succulent prime steak or venture into more ethnic cuisines.

Upscale bistros, celebrity chef hotel dining rooms and haute cuisine huddle together in Chicago's busiest tourist area. Some tend to be noisy, but romantic restaurants are not hard to find. Neither is a big, fat, juicy steak.

Near the Kennedy Expressway, eateries run the gamut from sophisticated international cuisine to hot dog stands. Shout "Oopa!" before delving into Saganaki in Greektown, speak softly while savouring artful cuisine at a posh bistro or munch on fresh popcorn from Krispy Kist Co.

Some of the city's trendiest eateries cluster around Lincoln Park, from tapas at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! and freshly caught fish at North Pond to R. J. Grunts, the restaurant that "caters to the neurotic compensation of eating".

Lake View has it all – Ethiopian, Italian, Mexican and French. The area's most popular venue is a former funeral home with an air permeated by freshly baked goods. The speciality at Ann Sather is the giant, gooey, cinnamon rolls.

Travel south from the Loop to find sizzling Szechuan cuisine and dim sum in Chinatown, chicken in mole sauce (Mexican chilli and nut sauce) in Pilsen and Little Village. You'll get down-home southern fried catfish and collard greens in the South Side.

Foodlife in Water Tower Place is the best foodcourt on the Mag Mile. For late-night dining, head for Butch McGuire's on Division. A tip of 10-15% is acceptable at a medium-priced restaurant, but dig deeper and leave 20% at the more expensive.