Skip to content

Top Navigation

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Recipes & Cooking
  • Drinks
  • Travel
  • Holidays & Events
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Kitchen & Home
  • F&W Pro

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Food & Wine

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Explore

    Explore

    • F&W Cooks

      Food and Wine presents a new network of food pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online. Read More Next
    • Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? A slow cooker can can take your comfort food to the next level. Read More Next
    • 50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. Read More Next
  • Recipes & Cooking

    Recipes & Cooking

    See All Recipes & Cooking
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Comfort Food Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Vegetable Recipes
    • Pasta & Noodle Recipes
    • Chefs
    • Meat & Poultry Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Fruit Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Special Diets
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Steal This Trick
  • Drinks

    Drinks

    See All Drinks
    • Wine
    • Cocktails & Spirits
    • Coffee Drinks & Recipes
    • Juices
    • Beer & Brews
    • Champagne & Sparkling Wine
    • Tea Recipes & Ideas
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    • Wine Regions
    • Restaurants
  • Holidays & Events

    Holidays & Events

    See All Holidays & Events
    • Valentine's Day
    • Halloween
    • Passover
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • Gifts
    • Super Bowl
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • New Year's Eve
    • Holiday Entertaining
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Kitchen & Home
  • F&W Pro

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Travel Chevron Right
  3. Restaurants Chevron Right
  4. Where to Eat in Chicago for Under $15

Where to Eat in Chicago for Under $15

By David Landsel
Updated February 01, 2018
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
Credit: Courtesy of Xoco
Chicagoans still argue about ketchup on hot dogs (or rather, they argue that you should absolutely not put ketchup on hot dogs) and they're still yelling "Cheezborger, Cheezborger" down at the Billy Goat Tavern, but the days of Chicago's food scene as some sort of deep dish, blue collar wonderland are long over. Mind you, it's not all Michelin-starred brewpubs, Grant Achatz and high-end ramen—locals still obsess over who has the best rib tips, and pretty much everyone loves a sloppy Italian beef sandwich, now and then—but to say that Chicago dining has reached a certain level of sophistication is the understatement of, well, the twenty years or so the city has kept it in overdrive to become one of the best food cities in North America. Looking to taste a lot without spending everything? Let's do this. —David Landsel
Start Slideshow

1 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$12 Butcher breakfast at Publican Quality Meats

Credit: Courtesy of Publican Quality Meats

It seemed only logical that Paul Kahan's meat-centric Publican would spawn its own butcher shop; this spot in the industrial-chic Fulton Market district is also terrific all-day café with outdoor seating—it's a smart place to begin a weekday, while everyone else is working; order up this lumberjack-worthy plate with house bacon, sausage, eggs, rustic potatoes and slabs of very good bread. Publican, 837 W. Fulton Market, 312-733-9555

1 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$8 Chai Hot Chocolate at Mindy's Hot Chocolate

Credit: Courtesy of HotChocolate

There's no secret to the longevity of Mindy Segal's Bucktown hangout—typically a hive of happy energy late into the evening, the skillful multi-taskers here offer something for everyone, from full-on dinners to dessert to mugs of hot chocolate in many varieties; with the Chai, you get 1/3 chai, 1/3 Mexican and 1/3 dark, topped with house-made marshmallow. You can ask for extra marshmallows, too ($0.50).Mindy's Hot Chocolate, 1747 N. Damen Ave, 773-489-1747

2 of 9

3 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$13 Chicken Paitan ramen at Ramen Takeya

Credit: Courtesy of Ramen Takeya

You can get all kinds of ramen in Chicago—ramen by Michelin-starred chefs, fusion ramen, ramen you line up for, very-authentic ramen that's an hour away in the suburbs. We'll make it simple for you—start by dropping in on this Fulton Market sleeper, known for their almost-elegant, chicken broth-based soups.Ramen Takeya, 819 W. Fulton Market, 312-666-7710

3 of 9

Advertisement

4 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$11.50 Cemita Atomica at Cemitas Puebla

Credit: Eater Chicago

Once a humble West Side storefront, now a popular mini-chain, this homegrown success story introduced many a Chicagoan to papalo, the medicinal herb that tops the Puebla-style torta, known as the cemita. Freshly-baked sesame rolls are filled with avocado, Oaxacan cheese and smoky chipotle sauce; the Atomica includes grilled pork loin, breaded pork loin and ham. (Light eaters, look elsewhere.) Cemitas Puebla, multiple locations

4 of 9

5 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$3 Tacos de Lengua at Rubi's

Credit: Courtesy of Rubi's Maxwell St.

Even Chicagoans can't remember how many lives the legendary Maxwell Street Market has had since the old days, but two important things to know are that it still happens every Sunday on Desplaines Street, steps out of The Loop; it also happens to be one of better places north of the border states to sample Mexican street food. Eat as much as you can, but start at Rubi's, a market fave since the 1990s for terrific tacos (try the lengua, or beef tongue).Rubi's, 800 S. Desplaines St., 312-745-4676

5 of 9

6 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$9.95 Cheeseburger at Small Cheval

Credit: Courtesy of Small Cheval

Let the crowds wait hours to eat one of the most sought-after burgers in America—you're going to Au Cheval's Bucktown spinoff, a casual cave with a giant communal table where you can chow down on its almost-identical twin. Two patties, a lake of molten American cheese and that perfect brioche bun are where it all begins; unlimited Sir Kensington's condiments and piles of terrific fries ($2.95) complete the picture. Small Cheval, 1732 N. Milwaukee Ave.

6 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$11 Gym Shoe at The Ruin Daily

Credit: Courtesy of The Ruin Daily

An Italian beef sandwich topped with giardiniera (pickled peppers and other vegetables) or a proper gyro (HEE-ro) stuffed with off-the-spit lamb and drenched in tzatziki are about as Chicago as you can get; so too is this unfortunately-named—but delicious—hybrid sandwich not quite so appreciated as its birth parents, but one equally worth seeking out. This fashionable West Loop café is a fine place to try one.The Ruin Daily, 328 S. Jefferson St., 312-929-2707

7 of 9

8 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$9.25 brisket sandwich at Smoque

Credit: Ken Goodman Photography

Chicago's all over the place when it comes to barbecue, so there's no harm in eschewing the classic spots in favor of this worth-a-journey Northwest Side favorite that's not so much a Chicago 'cue joint as it is one of the best 'cue joints in Chicago. Can't make the trek? Sample Texas-worthy brisket at Smoque's location inside The Loop's new Revival Food Hall. Smoque, 3800 N. Pulaski Rd., 773-545-7427

8 of 9

9 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

$10.50 Shortrib red chile caldo at Xoco

Credit: Courtesy of Xoco

Mexican food is as Chicago as the Polish dog, and while you could slog to the Southwest Side in search of the perfect birreria, you could also just stroll over to Rick Bayless'River North counter joint, home to some of the best caldos (Spanish for soup) in town. Braised Creekstone Farms shortrib served in a piping hot red chile broth with an exotic, aromatic hit of epazote is a time-tested cure for Chicago winters.Xoco, 449 N. Clark St., 312-661-1434

9 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By David Landsel

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 9 $12 Butcher breakfast at Publican Quality Meats
2 of 9 $8 Chai Hot Chocolate at Mindy's Hot Chocolate
3 of 9 $13 Chicken Paitan ramen at Ramen Takeya
4 of 9 $11.50 Cemita Atomica at Cemitas Puebla
5 of 9 $3 Tacos de Lengua at Rubi's
6 of 9 $9.95 Cheeseburger at Small Cheval
7 of 9 $11 Gym Shoe at The Ruin Daily
8 of 9 $9.25 brisket sandwich at Smoque
9 of 9 $10.50 Shortrib red chile caldo at Xoco

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Login

Food & Wine

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Food & Wine
  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
  • Content Licensing

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Food & Wine is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.foodandwine.com

View image

Where to Eat in Chicago for Under $15
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.