I hump a undecomposed challenge , but my stomach was in truth not quick for this .
If you’ve ever seen an episode ofThe Bear, you probably know it’s full of screaming, swearing, delicious food, andJeremy Allen White.
The show is based in Chicago and shows the inner workings of the restaurant industry for people who eat, sleep, and breathe food. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy who takes over his brother’s Italian beef shop after his death and ultimately turns it into a fine dining establishment.
Recently, I was invited to Chicago to take aBear-inspired food tour. Since I’ve never been to Chi-town before, I was excited for the opportunity to not only E-A-T but also take in the sights and sounds of Chicago.
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First things first, we met up withChicago Food Tourswho organizes “Yes, Chef! Chicago: ABear-Inspired Food Tour.” The tour highlights some of the restaurants featured in the show and of course includes some delicious eats as part of it. The tour is $129 and lasts about 3.5 hours. You’re bussed around the city in a luxurious party bus and guided by a Chicago expert. Our host was Casey and not only does he love Chicago – but he’s also an actor who has even auditioned for the show.
The first stop on our tour had to of course beMr. Beef– arguably the main character inThe Bear. Located in the River North neighbourhood of the city (666 N Orleans St), it looks exactly the same IRL as it does on the show. They haven’t let success go to their head either — the only real mention of the show is a newspaper clipping found in the main seating area.
Enough talking — let’s eat! We started with the classic Italian Beef Sandwich ($9.50) that’s absolutely smothered in aus jus and served on French bread. I am an absolute sucker for beef sandwiches and I was not expecting it to be so… (pardon my French)moist. They say it’s covered in aus jus, but it definitely had a greasy feeling to it as well. That being said, the sandwich was delicious. It’s exactly what you expect from a greasy spoon establishment – it was nothing fancy, frilly or out of the ordinary but a good, solid, classic sandwich.
We hopped on the bus and headed over to our second location:Urban BellyatTime Out Market Chicago(916 W Fulton Market). Now this one was a bit of a fake-out because in Season 2, Episode 3 ofThe Bear,Sydney actually visitsLao Peng Youfor dumplings. There were about 30 of us on this tour and because Lao Peng You is on the small side, some sacrifices had to be made. A little disappointed, but still hungry — we grabbed our chopsticks and dug into these Caramelized Chicken Dumplings ($12).
Next on the docket wasPizza Lobo(3000 W Fullerton Ave). You might remember this location from Season 2, Episode 3 as well, where Sydney grabs a slice from the take-out window. The difference is we were able to sit down on the patio and enjoy our pizza with a ice cold glass of beer. Sorry Syd! And shocker — it’s not Chicago-style!
Pizza Lobo’sNew Yorkstyle by the slice ($5) is truly my favourite style of pizza. Thinner crust, not too saucy, not too cheesy, and tiny pepperoni that curls when cooking and filled with delicious oil. I hope you put “loves curled pepperoni” on my tombstone.
The downside is that this location is a little bit of a hike if you’re staying in more touristy areas of the city. From the Bean, its about a 30 minute drive. But worth it if you’re on a food tour and someone else is driving.
Next up on the food tour was a stop atRoeser’s Bakery(3216 W North Ave) which was featured in Season 1, Episode 4 ofThe Bear. At the beginning of this episode, Marcus watches from outside as delicious donuts are being made — eventually using them as as inspiration for his donuts back at the restaurant.
Roeser’s has been in business since 1911 so you know you’re getting a quality product when you visit. This location was teeny-tiny, so we got our donuts to go. Let me tell you, this was a messy endeavor. I decided to split mine as I was already getting full, and we still had a another sweet stop on the food tour left. Our donut looked exactly like the one Marcus eyes onThe Bear. She was hefty with a sugary glaze and sweet strawberries on top. On a normal day I would devour this whole thing, but I’m glad I showed a bit of restraint. Delicious!
The final stop on this officially unofficial food tour was a visit toMargie’s Candies(1960 N Western Ave) for a sundae! In Season 2, Episode 3, Sydney visits Margies as the last stop of her very own food tour, so it was only fitting that it was the same for us! Margie’s was built in 1921 and it felt like stepping back in time.
Our Hot Fudge Sundae ($8.95) came in the iconic wavy dish, the same one from the episode. It came complete with whip cream, chocolate fudge, a wafer cookie, and of course a cherry on top. When you think of sundaes, this is what you expect. The chocolate and whipped cream is what really elevated this treat for me — the chocolate was creamy and not overly sweet, while the whipped cream really made the whole dish feel a little bit lighter. I loved it.
While that was the end of the scheduled food tour with Chicago Food Tours, there waswaymore to see and eat. So the next day, we ventured out to try some more restaurants and dishes… all in the name of science.
First things first, brunch. In Season 2, Episode 3, Sydney visitsKasama(1001 N Winchester Ave) and enjoys some delicious Filipino dishes for breakfast — this is actually where she gets the text that Carmy won’t be joining her. One thing we didn’t see in the episode? Sydney lining up to get in. We had been tipped off to arrive at least 30 minutes before opening to secure a seat – and I’m glad we did. We were about 20th or so in line and still had to wait about another 15-20 minutes once the restaurant opened to get in.
And I’m not exaggerating when I say this has to be some of the best breakfast food I’ve ever had. Not only has Kasama won a James Beard Award, but they also have a Michelin Star which I’m finding out in this very moment. Their bakery case is STOCKED with some incredible pastries like almond croissants, cardamom buns and even a salmon danish.
We started with the Breakfast Sandwich ($11) which included longganisa (a Filipino sweet sausage), egg, cheese, and the side hash brown ($3) added to the sandwich just like Syd eats it. This sandwich? 10/10. No, 20/10. It was so good. Everything worked together in perfect harmony. Nothing was overpowering, just very cohesive. And then with the addition of the golden, crispy hash brown in the middle? Truly nothing better. Might be the best thing I ate all weekend.
Next up was the Chicken Adobo ($17) made with chicken thigh, coconut, palapa and garlic rice. On the show Syd eats the mushroom adobo which I’m sure is delicious, but I’m sadly not a mushroom guy. But the adobo I ordered was right up my alley. The chicken was slightly crispy and charred, the garlic rice had just the right amount of garlic, and all of it together was a nice tasty dish. I basically eat chicken and rice on a daily basis, so I knew I was gonna love this.
Then I devoured the Mango Tart ($13) because I’m a sucker for mango. This tasty little number has an oat frangipane base, coconut pastry cream, and of course beautifully sliced and placed mango topped with zingy lime zest. Now I know I already said the breakfast sandwich was my top pick, but maybe I need to change things? Writing this is making me wanna plan a trip back to Chicago ASAP. It was just so light, bright and tasty. I loved it.
Finally — you can’t come to Chicago without checking out a more fine-dining establishment – and boy did I have a doozy of a location to check out. The next and last step on ourBearfood tour had to be Ever (1340 W. Fulton St.)Everis a two-Michelin starred restaurant by Chef Curtis Duffy. It was featured in Season 2, Episode 7 ofThe Bearcalled “Forks”. In this episode, Richie staged at Ever and eventually found his love for fine dining. You might remember when he began his shifts by just polishing forks. I’m happy to report I didn’t have to polish any forks.
Now I’m not going to go through every single dish that I had on the menu, because it was a lot and the dishes are constantly changing. The menu consisted of 10 dishes from their tasting menu and it was $325. $325!!!!! Now I’m trying to play it cool here, because I’m a cool, hip food writer, but that’s a lot of dinero.
I’m not usually a fine dining connoisseur, but there were some standout dishes on this menu. First up was the Scallop with coconut, squash and nasturtiums. Apparently nasturtium is apeppery flowerwhich I really enjoyed. I also loved the stuffed agnolotti pasta, and not to sound super basic and unrefined, but the bread and butter was incredible.
The dessert course was also incredible. There was a rice pudding with different flavoured jells on top, a jasmine tea orb that had a brownie inside, and of course, a big delicious donut with flavoured dips to go alongside it.
Ever was an experience, to say the least. They even took us back to the kitchen to see how it all goes down. I didn’t see Richie polishing any forks, however I saw a kitchen that was run with military precision all while remaining eeeerily quiet. If you ever seen a restaurant kitchen, or even walked by one, you’ll know they are a hotbed for noise (Exhibit A: any kitchen scene onThe Bear), but in Ever there was just complete silence.
And while these aren’tBear-specific restaurants, I also had great meals atIndienne(217 W Huron St.) which is a Michelin-star Indian restaurant, andLou Malnati’s(multiple locations) where I had to have a classic Chicago deep-dish. I also visitedAvecfor another delicious brunch; however, this wasn’t the location featured on the show.
And that completes my world record of eating in Chicago (someone at Guinness gimme a call). If you’re ever in Chi-town please give any of these establishments a try! Even if you don’t end up on the “Yes Chef!” food tour you can still visit each of these places and live like Carmy, Syd or Richie any day of the week.
And if you didn’t know already,The Bearseason 3 premieres June 27 on FX andDisney+ in Canada. And follow BuzzFeed Canada onInstagramandTikTokfor even more food content!
