We were lucky to spend 3 full days in Chicago this summer with friends we met while living in Dubai as expats back in the 90’s. They took us on a walking tour around this fabulous city and because they know my children are foodies, prepared a list of the best restaurants for kids in Chicago they thought we would enjoy.
Here’s their list of the best restaurants in Chicago to visit with kids, some of which we visited and others we hope to visit in the Spring when we return.
Little Goat Diner (Stephanie Izard of “Top Chef” fame)
We ate breakfast here one morning, and the menu seemed like a very typical breakfast “diner” menu except it wasn’t typical at all! It was like art on a plate, a true foodie paradise.The booth we sat in was large and fit all of us 4 quite comfortably.
The kids loved it here because of these cute little goat pins they received at the door. We ordered a cinnamon roll (which was so large the adults could barely finish it), a Bullseye French Toast that had a soft fried egg in the middle, topped with fried chicken in a spicy maple syrup, and a Sloppy Joe. All the dishes were wonderful and was shared amongst the 4 of us since the portions (we were told) would be too big for the kids.
The food is reasonably priced and served a la carte but very tasty and good. It was super busy when we went and had to wait 1/2 hour for a table so make sure you’re prepared for that on a weekend. Also, it gets quite noisy in there. We found ourselves shouting more than talking in some instances. But trust us, the food is FAB!
Kid Favorites: Bulls eye French Toast and Sloppy Joe
Manny’s Deli
This was the first time the kids ever ate at a Chicago deli. Deli’s here are amazing and this place is no joke. The “help-yourself” style delicatessen was great, the kids liked choosing their own things. It’s just like walking into an old school deli – it had everything from pastrami sandwiches, reubens and even baked chicken with mash potatoes. Their sandwiches were so large and tasty…
Kid Favorites: Pastrami Sandwich and homemade apple pie
Lou Malnati’s (real deep-dish pizza)
This restaurant was super busy when we arrived. In fact, they handed us a menu when we arrived and told us to look it over and place our orders so by the time we sat our food would be ready. One of the things Chicago is most known for is their “deep-dish pizza”, so you can imagine what the place looked like when we arrived… full of tourists!
The kids opted for a small plain cheese pizza (which was too big for them to finish) and we ordered salads since weren’t that hungry. The salads were great and the pizza was so different, like nothing we’ve had before. The crust so thick and wonderful. We think it was the atmosphere together with the pizza that made our dining experience unforgettable.
There’s so many other things to choose from the menu, there’s truly something for everyone! * It took 45 minutes for the pizza to bake so make sure you don’t over do it with the appetizers, like we did!
Kid Favorites: Classic deep-dish cheese pizza with sausage and calamari with marinara
Greek Islands
We didn’t get a chance to visit this place but heard from a few friends it has the best Greek food and an incredible dining experience for families. Our friends who are from Chicago rave about this place and take their children at least 3 times a month.The menu is large with many different dining rooms and even with all the space apparently it gets busy with a long wait.
Here’s what was recommended to us the next time we visited Chicago: Flaming Saganaki, Moussaka and Pastitsio.
Then when your bellies are full, take a walk about Greektown to burn off your dinner!
Wildberry
About a half hour later we walked back and thankfully the beeper went off earlier than expected and we were seated. The kids immediately wanted the Fruity Pebble pancakes from the kids menu and we ordered salads since it was almost lunch. The food was fantastic, it’s really worth the wait. The ingredients were fresh and wonderful.
Kid Favorites: Fruity pebble pancakes and “Wildberry” French toast