Chicago 🍂 Thanksgiving Food Diary · The Good & The Bad

▪️ The Hampton Social ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Octopus was tender and slightly sweet. Short ribs with polenta were also great — I’m newly obsessed with corn mash! ▪️ Cai Die Xuan ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Usually go to MingHin but tried this instead. Food was tasty, but steamed dishes took 20+ minutes. We had chicken feet, chive pockets, lava buns, steamed ribs, and tofu skin rolls — ribs and chicken feet were the best! ▪️ Giordano’s ⚠️🚫 AVOID!!! Why is this place famous?? Soooo salty — felt like I ate a year’s worth of salt in one meal. Ordered Chicago Classic & Meat & More — both inedible without salad. All deep-dish pizzas take 45 minutes no matter the size — NOT worth the wait! ▪️ Qiao Lin Hot Pot ⭐⭐⭐ Went at 12 PM — no wait! Ingredients were fresh. Loved the fresh-cut short rib slices, sticky rice cakes, and the tripe/throat combo. Taste-wise — after visiting Chongqing, nothing compares 😂 But for the U.S., it’s solid. Still prefer The Dolar Shop in Seattle (though pricier). ▪️ Tuk Tuk Thai Street Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Staff are Thai — feels authentic! Tom Yum soup was spicy, tangy, and warming — perfect for windy Chicago.👍🙌 Signature Pad Thai was heavy on flavor, but shrimp tasted a bit fishy and noodles were too firm. Mango sticky rice was delicious! Iced tea tasted like cough syrup though 😅 ▪️ Kai Fan – Didn’t go this time. Overall take: Chicago is great if you’ve been stuck in a small town craving a food binge — but if you’ve recently eaten in bigger food cities, you might not be wowed. Most spots are above average but not outstanding (just my opinion!). #StudyInUSA #ChicagoEats #ChicagoLife #FoodReview #ThanksgivingFeast #ThaiFood #DimSum