TRIP REPORT: Random Food Adventures in Chicago – There and Back Again

Random Food Adventures in Chicago
Back to the back with American Airlines and British Airways

Well, since I’m in Chicago, it would be rude not to eat. Time for some random food adventures with minimal themes and planning. 

In this adventure

• Let’s have a Melancholy Introduction
• To the 2:40 Coach and Heathrow Terminal 3
• Lounging in Terminal 3 with Cathay Pacific and American Airlines
• AA99 London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare (Main Cabin)
• Into the USA and The Holiday Inn/Staybridge Suites, Rosemont 
• Airplane Art Extra from the Holiday Inn/Staybridge Suites, Rosemont
• Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• Airplane Art Extra from the Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• An Unveiled Bean
• Did I mention I hate suitcases?
• Exploring The Loop from Above
• Random Food Adventures
• Off to O’Hare Terminal 3. Wait. T3? With the American Airlines Flagship Lounge
• BA296 Chicago O’hare to London Heathrow (World Traveller)
• Coffee and the Coach
• One step forward

It’s that time of the trip report where I talk about food. Because food is important about how we do things, what we do and it’s sometimes more than just a bowl of instant noodles.

As usual, I have a few lines and a few comments about the food experiences here. Once I get the urge to do deep-depth food reviews again, we’ll do them. But for now, let us kick off with what I can…

Wow Bao at the Renaissance Hotel, State and Lake

Price Paid ~ $13.40 inc tax. 

Visiting Wow Bao the first night I’m in Chicago has turned into something of a tradition in recent visits. Be it the desire for salt in my diet, or some Chinese-American tastes to tickle the tastebuds. That and Deep Dish Pizza is the wrong thing on a first night. I need time to build up to those monstrosities.

Besides, there’s something like rice, Kung Po Chicken and some gyoza that can make a day better.

I class this as fast food – with the goodness that comes with it. And there’s nothing wrong with that – it’s better than a Subway or whatever thing that Dunkin Dounts classifies as food.

That, along with the classic amount of Gatorade. I’m noticing that I’m much more dehydrated after flights these days, so adding this helps a lot for me (I don’t want to think how wrecked my skin would be on a Boeing 777 or Airbus A330…).

Chiu Quon Bakery, Chicago Chinatown

Price paid – Around $15 for several baos.

During my time in Chicago, I can be extremely busy with minimal time to get a snack or food when catching up with people, hence, why I stop at Chiu Quon Bakery in Chinatown, South of The Loop.

I tend to grab a few Chinese Pork Buns and Chinese Sausage buns. They’re normally good to eat and last a few days – unless, of course, I leave them exposed to the air – then they turn into solid lumps of dough.

For not a lot of money (between $1.85 and $2.25), I can get some good-tasting carbs here, with some delicious char sui filling. And if you don’t believe me, I refer you to this documentary.

Subway

Provided. 

They allegedly make sandwiches. Others might disagree.

Wingstop

With Uber Eats, it’s nearly impossible to find the true price… 

Sometimes I feel creative when ordering with Uber Eats. And sometimes, I leave it way too late for anything to be done. This time it was very much the latter – so with limited time I turned to Uber Eats and Wingstop, with some “boneless wings, fries and a drink”.

Whilst I had a food discount, of course, Uber Eats was going to sting me for every penny along the way.

As for the meal itself – it was fine. Going for the mango habanero and Spicy Korean flavourings went well, with the fries… being a little cold. That’s the joy of Uber Eats. Unless you pay more for direct delivery, sometimes stuff is going to come out cold.

Compared to the Korean dish I had last time (which I’d go back to again if I had more time), it pales, but it’s passable – if the total price in the end was nearing the same as something from the hotel bar.

Pequod’s Pizza

Around $50, with lots to take home.

I’ll be honest, I did have other Deep Dish Pizza plans for this trip, but they fell through – mainly because I was tired and too exhausted to go exploring after a busy weekend. Thus, I went to my standby pizza in Chicago – Pequods.

Why? I love the burnt-style crust (the joy of burnt mozzarella on a skillet), but also the atmosphere feels alive – compared to Girodoana or Pizza Uno.

I chose a reasonable mix for my pizza – with Sausage, Pepperoni and giardiniera (the meat is obvious, whilst the giardiniera is used to cut through the fatty richness of the meat and add crunch).

Like most deep dish places, it takes 45 minutes to an hour to bake, so ensure you’ve got a friendly barkeep to keep you sane or a phone.

And if your phone is running low on power, bring a power bank to share so someone else can top up their phone.

Let’s get onto the pizza p**n shorts.

Again, the caramelised crust adds to the pizza, with it served in a cast-iron pan, with some delicious toppings. Served in a friendly and warm atmosphere. A perfect highlight to the weekend.

And yes. Most of it flew home with me. Mainly because proper deep-dish pizza in the UK is not a thing.

Poke Poke – South Wabash Avenue

Price Paid: $17.88 including tax 

Something a little different to finish, as I was in the mood for something… different. Passing Poke Poke, on the outside, it looked like the usual Poke Bowl place. However, it offered Ramen and Noodle bowl offerings.

And one of those offerings was Taiwanese Style Beef Noodles.

It’s very casual here, so I ordered, grabbed a table and ordered. There’s free water here from a dispensing machine – so that’s good to see too.

As for the noodle soup, it’s very beefy, along with a deep soy sauce taste, and some rather bouncy noodles.

For $17, a bit steep compared to some noodle places, but the bowl is a big one – and certainly one to savour.

It’s on me “if I fancy something different list – as the Tonkotsu Ramen looked very tempting too.

Next:

Time to start making tracks back home. But first, O’Hare Terminal 3.

Wait – Terminal 3?

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