As the Michelin Guide Chicago is out this week, it’s time to take a closer look at the Chicago food scene, including its regional specialities and restaurants.
With the first edition published in 2011, Chicago was one of six American cities to be chosen for a Michelin Guide - the others were New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The latter two of which have now been discontinued. Chicago is also the third most populous city in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles.
Like many other large cities in the US, Chicago has a varied food scene thanks to its ethnic districts such as Little Italy, Chinatown, Little Seoul, Little Vietnam and Mexican American, Puerto Rican and Polish neighbourhoods.
Regional dishes of Chicago
The city’s ethnic and working class roots can be seen in its three main regional specialities. The first being the famous Chicago deep-dish pizza, known best for its tall crust and extra cheese. Nobody truly knows exactly who first came up with the idea of a deep-crusted pizza, but one of the most popular stories is that it was invented at Pizzeria Uno in 1943.
Also from the city is the Chicago-style hot dog. The ingredients for a Chicago-style hot dog are 
very specific; it starts with an all-beef frankfurter (steamed or boiled) to which is added a great many toppings: yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green relish, a pickle spear, wedges of tomato, sport peppers and celery salt. All served in a poppy-seed bun, which is steamed instead of toasted. The use of ketchup is frowned upon.
Completing the trifecta of Chicago-style foods is the Italian Beef, a sandwich made from thin slices of roast beef, cooked in a broth ("gravy") and seasoned Italian-style with garlic, oregano and spices and served in an Italian-style roll. Known for being spectacularly messy, especially if the bread itself is dipped in the juices, it’s often served with giardiniera, an Italian-American relish made from pickled vegetables in oil or vinegar.
Two other signature dishes are Chicken Vesuvio, an Italian-American casserole of chicken on the bone sautéed with garlic, oregano, white wine and olive oil and then baked until crisp, and Shrimp DeJonghe, a casserole of shrimp in garlicky bread crumbs named after its birthplace, DeJonghe’s Hotel and Restaurant, back in the 1920s. Fried shrimp and seafood are also specialities in Chicago, thanks to the city’s waterfront location.
Michelin Guide Chicago 2017
The Michelin Guide Chicago 2017 saw approximately 298 restaurants included, with 19 being awarded one star, five with two stars and just two restaurants with the highest award, three stars.
Here’s a pick of the best restaurants the city has to offer:
Alinea
Alinea has held three Michelin stars since the guide launched. It has also
