A Little Chicago Food Diary | Cozy Winter Escape Moments 🏙️

Escaped from Madison over Thanksgiving and spent a few days in Chicago! 🍕 Giordano's Headed straight for the famous deep-dish pizza as our first meal! The wait wasn’t long on Thanksgiving, but the pizza took a while to arrive. 🥘 Sampler Platter – Started with an appetizer platter. The fried chicken bites and garlic bread were good, but the fried mozzarella sticks with cheesy bread were the highlight! The cheese here is amazing—creamy with a light milky flavor. 🍖 Meat and More Meat Deep Dish – Went for this ultra-meaty option. The seasoning leaned salty, but it was incredibly satisfying! The crust was crispy, loaded with cheese… hard to go wrong, though one slice is pretty filling! 😋 🥞 WildBerry Pancakes & Cafe A brunch spot near the hotel—what a pleasant surprise! 🍳 Los Altos Benedict – A creative take on Eggs Benedict. The seasoned ground meat had a nice spicy kick, and the soft-yet-chewy English muffin paired perfectly with the runny eggs. 🥪 Brisket Grilled Cheese – Slow-cooked beef sandwich with mushrooms and cheese—so tender and flavorful! A definite win. ☕ Caramel Macchiato & Americano – Their hash browns stood out more than the fries, and the coffee was solid too! 🍲 Phoenix Restaurant (Marriott) 🥘 Braised Beef Brisket & Tendon with Radish – Loved the tender, melt-in-your-mouth brisket and tendon. Generous portions! 🥓 Stir-Fried Pork Neck with XO Sauce & Chives – Savory and well-balanced. 🍗 Empress Chicken, BBQ Pork, Crispy Pork Belly – The chicken was decent, but the BBQ pork was flavorful without being greasy. 🍤 Phoenix Claws, Steamed Pork Ribs, Tofu Skin Rolls, Custard Rolls – The tofu skin shrimp rolls were juicy and delicious—highly recommend! The custard rolls weren’t too sweet either. 🥟 MingHin Cuisine Another Cantonese dim sum spot, but I personally preferred this one! 🦐 Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) & Beef Tripe in Satay Sauce & Salted Egg Yolk Buns – Loved the tripe—soft and well-seasoned. The shrimp dumplings had thin, delicate wrappers and big, fresh shrimp (no frozen vibes!). The salted egg yolk buns with a pineapple bun top were a unique twist—so good! 🍮 Red Bean Milk Pudding – A favorite dessert of mine—always order it wherever I go! 🍜 Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef – A bit oily but well-seasoned, with smooth yet chewy noodles. #Chicago #ChicagoEats #ChicagoFoodie #ChicagoTravel #ChicagoFoodSpots #ChinatownChicago