I enjoyed a recent meal at Asian Outpost in the South Loop. Unique and tasty.

& of course there are those who think stuffed pizza is goobers of cheese & therefore much prefer pan deep dish.

But that is not the point of my post. Just wanted to clarify For anyone interested in deep dish pizza, there are TWO kinds, pan & stuffed.

Places like Giordano's & Edwardo's are serving stuffed pizzas meaning there is crust on bottom & top with cheese stuffed in between.

Places like Uno's (the original please, don't go to the horrid franchises), Due's, Lou Malnati's & Geno's East are pan pizza, meaning only crust on bottom & the rest of the ingredients are piled on top.

I went to the Hyde Park Ann Sather's for one of my very first meals in Chicago when we moved here in 1994. I got here before my wife and I had no kitchen stuff and no car for a few days.

First meal at Sammy's (Greek-style greasy spoon/diner, corner 57th and Cottage Grove, now gone for a parking garage), second at Ann Sather's.

And of course Salonika, Medici, and the rest until wife arrived.

Based on what some have said here, I am surprised you survived to tell about it! :D

I was walking on Jackson the other day and saw an old standing establishment called Lou Mitchell's.

Any good?

I really like it. I've gone twice for breakfast and once for lunch. They have fun gimmicks (everyone gets a doughnut hole when they walk in and a small box of Milk Duds) as well as really good coffee. Portions are huge, especially the omelets and the pancakes, and you get a lot of quality diner food for very reasonable prices, especially for Chicago.

ITT: No restaurant in Chicago is any good. :rolleyes:

Hot G Dogs
 

Got there the other day.

Of course, it is not Hot Doug's (no Doug, no ambiance).

However, no line, clean, larger and the food is much the same. In fact hubby claimed duck fat fries were slightly better than at Doug'.

If you are jonesing for great 'encased meats", I recommend.

We ended up going to Girl and the Goat, which was fantastic. Prices were reasonable for the #8 restaurant in Chicago per TripAdvisor. Unusual offerings such as escargot ravioli and goat empanadas made for an unforgettable Chicago experience! Thanks everyone for all the tips thus far!

Glad you enjoyed it. Unique menu, for sure, and I really enjoyed eating there. Little Goat Cafe across the street is also interesting and (imo) a good joint.

Where would you go for good food that is about $20/person and very casual (thinking shorts/t-shirt)?

Going to Chicago next week for three nights to watch the Cubs and see U2. While I like going to Eleven Madison Park, Ledbury, Jiro, and the like, this is not going to be one of those trips.

You don't mention where you're staying, but The Little Goat (near United Center), mentioned above, is a good reasonably priced choice - for any of the three meals (and very casual). If you want deep dish pizza, Lou Malnati's is probably going to have a location close to anywhere you'll be staying. Also near the UC is Billy Goat, as is the Twisted Spoke and the Beer Bistro (my neighborhood haunt - including $5 burgers on Tuesdays all day) and The Parlor Pizza Bar. Closer to Wrigley Field are Anna Maria Pasteria and Crosby's Kitchen. I'm sure others will come up with ideas if you mention where you're staying.

Heaven on Seven has pretty good Cajun/Louisiana food. Irregular hours.

Some nice places in Chinatown. Try a genuine Chicago Italian beef and hot dog. And pizza as mentioned. Some quite good Vietnamese places on Argyle.

There are a bunch of threads here. A thread on the best burgers is useful.

Some cheap eats close to Wrigley:
* Goose Island Brewery (Clark just south of Addison)
* Falafill (Broadway & Belmont)
* Dryhop (Broadway just south of Belmont)
* Julius Meinl (Addison & Southport)
* Uncommon Ground (Clark & Grace)
* Spencer's Jolly Posh (Southport near Grace)

Some cheap eats closer to Loop
* Strings Ramen (Chinatown location)
* Ba Le (two locations in the Loop, I think)
* Protein Bowl (a bunch of Loop locations)
* Green Street Smoked Meats (Green south of Randolph)

Thank you all very much for the great suggestions. I'm usually leery of Tripadvisor/Yelp ratings.

Glad I'll have a long list of places to try.