Ask an outsider to name Chicago food and you'll likely hear "deep-dish pizza." But locals know the city's signature table runs wider — a plantain-based sandwich born in Humboldt Park, a seven-topping hot dog with Depression-era roots, thin-crust tavern-style squares that many Chicagoans actually prefer, and an ice cream shop that has scooped since 1926. Here's what defines each classic, and how to tell them apart before you order.
The Jibarito: A Plantain-Powered Sandwich
If you want the dish that most surprises first-time visitors, start here. The jibarito is a sandwich served between two fried and flattened green plantains instead of bread. That swap defines everything about how it eats: crisp on the outside, tender inside, and sturdy enough to hold a full sandwich's worth of filling.
Steak is the most well-known filling, but the range runs wide — from ham and cheese to octopus and shrimp, plus blood sausage and even a vegetarian option, according to Eater Chicago's guide to sampling the dish in the city. To try it where it lives, head to Humboldt Park, the heart of Chicago's Puerto Rican community, where the sandwich originated. Spots such as Jibaritos y Mas offer both sit-down and carryout service, so the experience fits whatever pace your day allows.
The Chicago-Style Hot Dog: Dragged Through the Garden
The standard Chicago dog begins with an all-beef frank nestled inside a poppy seed bun. From there, seven toppings stack up: yellow mustard, chopped white onions, neon green sweet pickle relish, tomato wedges, a dill pickle spear, pickled sport peppers, and a dash or two of celery salt. Because of all those vegetables, the complete assembly is said to be "dragged through the garden."
Cooking method varies by vendor. Most hot dogs are steamed or water-simmered; less often, they're grilled over charcoal, in which case they're called "char-dogs."
Those seven toppings weren't arbitrary. During the Great Depression, vendors added fresh vegetables to create a filling, affordable meal for a nickel. Fluky's "Depression Sandwich" famously epitomized the approach, resulting in the all-beef dog on a poppy seed bun with its now-standard seven toppings. As the Chicago Tribune's Eva Remijan-Toba puts it, the dog became a rite of passage for tourists and a source of hometown pride for locals — shaped by the neighborhoods and traditions that built the city.
