If you’ve ever seen the Hulu’s hit award-winning series The Bear, you’ve probably drooled at the screen, watching as unbelievable Chicago eats come across the table. But, did you know you don’t have to travel to their tele-universe to get many of the dishes shown? In fact, with a tour around Chicago, you can hit up all the deliciously crave-able eats like the famous Italian Beef Sandwich or Kasama Breakfast Sandwich. The best part? You don’t have to opt to pay for the expensive bite-sized samples advertised in “the official” Yes, Chef! Chicago: A Bear-Inspired Food Tour. Instead, it’s all reachable with the help of Google Maps and an empty stomach. So, join me for a journey inside the culinary world of The Bear that you and your wallet won’t regret.
Exploring The Bear Through Restaurants in Chicago
If you’ve watched all three (so far!) seasons of The Bear, you’ll probably notice there is A LOT of food shown. I do admit, it’s impossible to eat the entirety of The Bear in one day, but the selection below is completely do-able in one day’s time. In fact, my family and I spent just 36 hours in Chicago and hit up all the establishments you see below, plus plenty of other touristy attractions like The Bean and Navy Pier.
However, for some of these places, I recommend ordering food for pick-up or calling ahead for a reservation since the popularity of The Bear makes them a hot spot. But, for most the most part, you can walk right into the restaurant and expect to have your food within just 30 minutes. Plus, with locations in the outer suburbs, you won’t have to stray too far into downtown to get your fill.
Kasama
1001 N Winchester Ave
The first stop of my morning was the world’s first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant. Each day there’s a long line of people that heads down the sidewalk, waiting to indulge in their culinary excellence. Kasama earned its name on The Bear’s list when Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) visits the cafe to meet up with Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) for new menu ideas. When Carmy stands her up, she digs into a longanisa sausage sandwich with hashbrowns and eggs plus Mushroom Adobo and a Mango Tart. The Mango Tart was sadly unavailable but the longanisa sausage sandwich packs a savory blend of textures that’s heavenly on the tongue. I’m not sure why I never thought to put a hashbrown patty on a breakfast sandwich, but it changed my life.
To make up for the missing Mango Tart, I ordered a Cardamom Bun (much like a cinnamon bun) that pulled into flaky layers with each bite. It’s herbaceous yet sweet and the crumbles on top are the best finishing touch. So while the breakfast sandwich is a must for The Bear experience, feel free to explore their pastry menu for decadent surprises.
Loaf Lounge
2934 N Milwaukee Ave Suite E
I’m choosing to display this list in the order i which I ate through the city, but since you might not want dessert after breakfast, you can always circle back to this option later. My cousin’s birthday trip was the reason we were in Chicago, and all he wanted was to try Loaf Lounge’s recreation of The Bear Chocolate Cake. Who am I to say no to a layer cake of chocolatey-goodness?
The famous Chocolate Cake came about when aspiring pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) in The Bear bakes his first cake. Since he’s a perfectionist, this dessert earns a “whoa” from Sydney’s hard-to-please character and proceeds to amaze the rest of the staff. Needless to say, I could see why they were speechless. The moist chocolate sponge tastes of true cocoa with layers of creamy chocolate mousse in between. It’s delicate and light which seems impossible for a chocolate cake recipe but rings true. I would even go as far to say it’s one of the few chocolate cakes that I could stomach more than one piece of without getting a sweetness overload.
Pizza Lobo
3000 W Fullerton Ave
When you think of Chicago you probably picture a round and cheesy Chicago deep-dish pizza. But, on The Bear, they like to showcase food specialties around the city that you wouldn’t think to order. Hence the next restaurant on the list, Pizza Lobo. This corner pizza shop serves thin crust, New-York style pizza right in the center of Chicago. You can choose to make your experience just like Sydney’s when she’s exploring Chicago’s food scene in season 2 and order your slice at the pick-up window on the sidewalk outside. I even got the same pizza that Sydney did, a thin-crust Roni Pizza featuring small pepperonis cooked to a crisp.
While it isn’t a deep-dish, many think of this as the “correct” form of pizza. In any case, it surely satisfies the pizza craving and gives you a little insight in to what’s available beyond the usual choices.
Margie’s Candies
1960 N Western Ave
I have to admit, this might have been my favorite stop on the list, but not for the reason you’d think. From the outside, Margie’s Candies looks like a childhood dream of a shop with a giant ice cream cone at the entrance. Inside, you’re transported to a 50’s style diner and about 50 different ice cream sundae options. I’m not exagerrating: look on their website and you’ll see there are literally 50 different options of how to have your ice cream.
This is another restaurant that helps Sydney get the true Chicago experience. She sat down to three scoops of pistachio and vanilla ice cream, caramel drizzle, whipped cream, nuts, hot fudge and a wafer cookie on the side, plus a cherry on top. So of course I had to get the same and let me tell you, this sundae is GIGANTIC. You underestimate how much ice cream three scoops is whenever it’s underneath all those delicious toppings.
But, the reason it was quite possibly my favorite stop was for the hot fudge. I am an avid fan of hot fudge, and Margie’s Candies serves up the best I have ever had. It’s rich, fudgey, thick, and just the right temperature to warm the ice cream but not melt every scoop at once. Also, the ability to pour your own fudge, dousing the sundae wherever and whenever you like is such a nice, personalized touch.
Roeser’s Bakery
3216 W North Ave
Doubling down on the desserts sounds like a lot, but I promise one bite of a donut from Roeser’s Bakery will have you ready for more! If you live around Roeser’s, you’ve probably ordered a birthday cake from this town-famous bakery. But, since Marcus gets inspiration from looking down at plump donuts in the bakery during episode 4 of season 1, that was the obvious choice.
While my box of donuts contained a Maple Bacon Long John, an Oreo Long John, a Red Velvet Donut, and a Bear Claw, the rest of my family chose to order essentials like the Strawberry Donut. There’s something admirable about simplicity, but, trust me, there’s something to be said about a donut that melds a few flavors in each but. For instance, the moist cake of my Red Velvet Donut perfectly complemented the sugary-sweet cream cheese icing on top. You can tell the bakers put care into each donut rather than just throwing them on the shelf like other larger manufacturers.
Needless to say, next time I’m in Chicago, I’m ordering one of their cakes. I want to also mention that even though this is towards the bottom of the list, you’ll want to get to the bakery early to shop the full selection of donuts fresh out of the oven.
Mr. Beef
666 N Orleans St
Finally, we come to the sandwich shop that inspired the core setting of The Original Beef of Chicagoland in The Bear. Mr. Beef is one of the original Italian Beef Sandwich makers that’s located among the streets near downtown Chicago. Besides being the direct inspiration for Carmy and Richie’s shop, it’s also where 90% of the pilot episode was filmed. It gives that downtown metropolis vibe with one counter where you walk-up to place an order at and a side dining area featuring one long table for everyone to sit at.
When ordering your original Italian Beef Sandwich you have a few choices. First, you need to choose if you want your sandwich dry, wet, or dipped in the au jus. Then, pick your toppings of either sweet peppers or hot giardiniera and cheese. I got my sandwich dipped (trust me the little extra messiness is worth it) with sweet peppers and slices of mozzarella cheese.
As I took my first bite, I turned to my mom and said, “Thank god I don’t live in this city or else I’d be eating this for lunch every single day.” It’s that good. And, as someone who is from Pittsburgh, I was amazed that a regular sandwich costs only $9 instead of the usual $15 I see around the city back home.
The show’s starting dish, a savory, beef sandwich dripping with juice, was the perfect final stop on our tour.
Story and Photography by Kylie Thomas / Special Thanks to Hayes Minich
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