Is it Dinner Time Yet? Some Chicago Dinner Options for ProMat 2019
By Alex Batty, MHI Marketing Communications Coordinator |@mhi_alex
Here at MHI, we love getting to ProMat and being able to see all the hard work exhibitors have put into making awesome booths and presentations and seminars and all that good stuff that comes with ProMat. We also love getting to finally meet a lot of the people we’ve been emailing back and forth with and connect in person with our members.
…but we also really love being able to try new restaurants in Chicago while where there. It is also a significant factor that makes the long hours in March leading up to the show worth it.
As such, I look forward to writing this blog post every year. I’m getting paid to research potential places to eat. It’s a win-win.
You can always check out my post from last ProMat, but here are my new finds from this year’s round of googling. (I should disclaim that I have been to exactly none of these places, so if you have a fiery opinion about one… I have none except the pictures looked good.)
I still want to try Chicago deep dish pizza, just because I have to once in my life, right? Though we did get a tip on Twitter from Chicagoan Debbie Tworek that thin crust tavern style is actually better… so take that as you may. If you’re looking for the typical deep dish experience just to do once like I am, Lou Malnati’s comes recommended as prototypical Chicago deep dish, or a local’s website recommends Pequod’s Pizza.
Chicago is a big city with lots of different ethnic groups and each brings cuisine to the city. Rather than going into a deep dive, I’m going to direct you to this article from Eater that breaks things down in to maps; pizza, tacos, hot dogs, burgers, beer, etc. But then it also breaks things down by neighborhood, so if you wanted to see a particular area, you can wander around the map for food spots. (https://chicago.eater.com/2018/1/5/16151978/best-food-chicago-restaurants-city-guide)
Eater also puts out their Essential 38 list, so if you want easy, just check things off this list: https://chicago.eater.com/maps/38-best-restaurants-in-chicago
Of course, it’s always good to take recommendations from locals, so if you’re into that, you can check out https://www.likealocalguide.com/chicago/eating.
The city of Chicago has also set up a concierge site for ProMat with information on dining and entertainment options and special offers for ProMat attendees.
