I love food and when I recently had the opportunity to go on a Chicago food tour, I jumped at the chance. I chose ‘Chicago Food Planet Food Tours’ because out of a total of 851 reviews on Trip Advisor, they only had 4 negative reviews and were ranked #5 of all tours in Chicago. The tour visits 6 different locations and tastes 6 different types of food while walking through the neighborhood, learning and eating as you go.

I took a train to the Bucktown/Wicker Park suburb since the tour was not in downtown Chicago. It didn’t take long and it wasn’t expensive. They told me to meet at “George’s Hot Dogs.” Our guide introduced herself and then the 8 of us who joined the tour gave a little introduction to say where we came from. I was the only foreigner, everyone else was from America. We were given a simple 4 page ‘Tour Guide’ giving details of all the places we needed to visit with their websites, contact details and opening hours, as well as a map of the tour. He had coupons for each location in case we visited again after the tour and also included a list of other recommended restaurants.

The first stop on our tour was a traditional hot dog from “George’s Hot Dogs”. Chicago is known for its hot dogs, but not the “traditional” hot dogs you think of when you think of America. You can’t see ketchup on this dog. After learning about how George and his family moved to the United States from Greece, we hear how their little hot dog restaurant became something of an institution in the area. So here we were schooled in the ways of the Chicago Hot Dog. One hot dog roll, one sausage, yellow mustard, green relish, hot peppers, sliced ​​tomato, a pickle spear, and celery salt. My word, it was delicious and no less than a full size serving, no samples here. This hot dog won “2008 Chicago’s Best Hot Dog.” Not sure who has won since – these dogs are definitely the best!

When we were all done, we headed up the street to the next place called “Hot Chocolate” created and run by Mindy Segal, a pastry chef with over 20 years of experience. The website says: “Urban Cafe is a combination of contemporary food and desserts inspired by local and seasonal ingredients.” Mindy has won several awards, including two years in a row of Time Out Chicago’s Eat Out Awards for “Best Pastry Chef.” This lady knows what she does…

We were served a creamy cold chocolate milk with a homemade marshmallow. It was so delicious that I finished mine too quickly. Others in the groups fought saying it was too rich or sweet. I hadn’t realized… We found out that you could buy packets of the mix and the first 2 ingredients to add to the chocolate powder were cream and whole milk – shot. My waistline isn’t going to be happy… but it was worth it!

When we’re done feasting on our chocolate drink and hearing about all the decadent things one can eat at this restaurant, we head a little further into “Goddess & Grocer,” a gourmet deli and catering business that has catered to the likes of the Rolling Stones and Madonna.

Upon entering, my eyes twinkled at the variety of delicacies available and as their websites state: “prepared salads, a fresh salad bar, sliced ​​meats and cheeses, artisan cheeses, rotisserie chicken and a selection of groceries including handmade chocolates hand”. , cookies and desserts, pasta and sauces, mustards, dressings and condiments, crackers, snacks, wine and beer”, they kid you not. This is NOT the place to come when you are hungry! (or maybe it is!)

Here we were presented with a sampler portion of roasted vegetable salad with goat cheese which was very tasty. The vegetables were perfectly cooked (slightly soft without being musky) and the goat cheese provided a savory dressing that complemented the salad wonderfully. After looking (and drooling) at the other things on offer, we headed back out.

With always full stomachs, we headed to Piece, a pizzeria and brewery. In a secluded part of the rather large and airy restaurant, we were fed a slice of pizza and a small glass of beer. Could this improve?

Piece opened in July 2001 after converting a roofing company’s garage into a pizzeria with a skylight roof and sunken lounge. The atmosphere is chatty, relaxed and friendly. Beer and pizza will do that for you. The brewer, Jonathan Cutler, has won 21 major awards since 2002, so if he stops by, be sure to try some of his beers.

They offer karaoke a few nights a week, and from the looks of some of the photos on their website, it’s an evening full of fun and laughter.

Heading back outside, we now explore the surrounding neighborhood and our guide tells us all sorts of interesting facts about the buildings, people, parks, and history.

It is a glorious day and we enjoy both the sun and the cool shade. In no time, we reached the “Sultan’s Market”. This Middle Eastern food restaurant was opened 12 years ago by May Ramli. She grew up in Jordan and didn’t visit a restaurant until she was 18 years old. When she opened ‘Sultan’s Market’, she was successful from the start with her homemade hummus. She still oversees the restaurant’s food preparation and cash register.

The food at the buffet bar that we all passed by looked fresh, tasty and very tempting. The place is immaculately clean, the atmosphere distinctly oriental with mosaic lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Walking past an impressive number of trays of baklava, our group was seated at a few corner tables, and after hearing how the restaurant came to be, we were served pita stuffed with falafel, hummus, and a cucumber salad. I was so full at this stage, I’m ashamed to say, I fished for the hummus and cucumber salad and took a few pieces of the pita bread but couldn’t take it anymore.

We are just around the corner from our last stop and with heavy steps and bulging bellies, we arrive in front of iCream, an ice cream parlor. What an unusual place. Is that how it works…

You walk in and decide… Hmm, I really fancy a peanut butter mango sorbet sundae. You walk up to the counter and order it and they make it, easy! Yes, they have equipment that is capable of making your favorite flavors on the spot. With their quick freezing liquid nitrogen machines (which look like something from outer space) they are able to produce their peanut butter and mango sorbet in a matter of seconds. Nothing here is prepared in advance.

So we enjoy a small tub of ice cream (TOO small actually!) and think back to the last 3 hours.

What a wonderful time we have had. We’ve seen and learned about the neighborhood (a bit different from downtown Chicago which was nice), walked about 1.5 miles which I claimed as my workout for the day and tried not 1 but 6 different meals all of which came with a bit of history We felt like we were really experiencing the city and seeing ‘behind the scenes’ rather than just being a tourist.

I loved the way the food tour was run. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable and made the 3 hours just fly by. Try their tours if you are in the Chicago area.

Advance purchase required – tickets sell out FAST!

Eating happy.