Chicago EATS

We had a long list of restaurants we'd hoped to get to try and barely made a dent in it during our visit.  I guess we'll have to head back to keep crossing things off of our list!

mEAT Chicago
Kevin bought a Groupon for mEAT Chicago and it was amazing!  They weren't crowded and were so sweet to Olive.  We all loved the food.  You order appetizers/sides family style to share and then skewers of meat to share.  It's pricey and was definitely our nicest meal.  I'd recommend it especially if you can get a groupon to try it.

The cheese fondue was so good.
Olive loved the dippers and it reminded us of The Melting Pot

We picked sirloin tips, lemon chicken & shrimp.
Kevin said the shrimp was amazing and we all loved the other two.

The Original Pancake House
We didn't realize that brunch was such a big deal in Chicago, but apparently everyone does brunch.  Restaurants were super crowded and we had to wait in long lines.  Our friends Love The Original Pancake House so we headed there.  It was a tiny restaurant, but the food was delicious!  We all got something different and shared a bit.  The pancakes, sausage, eggs, dutch baby and coffee were all delicious.

Our friends stayed at the W hotel and it was fun to visit it.  They had great views and it was right on the lake.  Olive loved their big windows and watching the cars/people below.

Gino's East
We headed out for dinner after the parade and most restaurants were packed.  We tried to eat at Giordano's but didn't want to wait that long.  We headed a few blocks over to Gino's East because we were craving pizza.  There was a line, but it seemed to move quickly.  We only waited about 20 minutes and got a cozy booth.  The Notre Dame game was on and we had front row seats by a big screen so Kevin was thrilled.

What do you mean it takes ONE HOUR to cook our deep dish pizza???

We were starving so we ordered some cheese bread and left our Irish mark on the place.

The pizza was crazy thick!
The best way to describe Chicago style pizza is upside down pizza... the cheese is on the bottom, then the meat toppings and the whole thing is covered in tomato sauce.  Not what we are used to, but it was tasty.  The waitstaff was so nice, the place was loud so Olive blended right in and we didn't feel rushed at all.  The restaurant is HUGE so they pack in a ton of people upstairs and down.

Yolk
Our friend David picked out our next brunch spot - Yolk and it was delicious.  We walked there from our hotel and got seated immediately.  The food was super fresh and delicious.  We got omelets, eggs benedict and pancakes.  Everyone loved their meal and it was a really cheery place.

We had hoped to try Sprinkles cupcakes, Garrett's Popcorn, Giordano's, and so many more places.  Next time Chicago. 

What are you favorite spots to eat at in Chicago?
I'm making a list for our next visit.