• Home
  • About
    • Where has GhettoIFE gone?
    • For PR’s and Agencies (Changes and Corrections)
    • Privacy Policy
  • Snapshots
  • Trip Reports
  • Travel Plus…
    • … Technology
    • … Photography

Economy Class & Beyond

You are here: Home / Trips / ORD Fall 2024 / TRIP REPORT: Random Food Adventures in Chicago – There and Back Again

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

07/12/2024 by Kevincm

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

There and back again trip report header - Image, Economy Class and Beyond

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 – Seeing Cloud Gate after works at the Plaza
  • Did I mention I hate suitcases? The Hunt for a Replacement
  • Exploring The Loop from Above with the Chicago L
  • Random Food Adventures in Chicago 
  • 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.

a take out box with food in it

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.

a display of pastries on shelves a display case with pastries and pastries a display case of pastries and pastries a display of bread and rolls

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.

a plate of food on a table

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.

a screenshot of a menu

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.

a food in bags on a table

a bag of french fries

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.

a sign on a building

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.

a menu of a restaurant

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).

a group of people sitting at a bar

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.

a pan of food on a table a pizza with meat and vegetables in a pan a plate of food on a table

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.

a store front with a sign on it

And one of those offerings was Taiwanese Style Beef Noodles.

a man and woman standing in front of a counter

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.

a green wall with plants and signs  a counter with food items on it people sitting at a table in a room with white chairs and a plant

a coffee machine on a counter

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

a bowl of soup with meat and vegetables

a bowl of soup with a spoon and a measuring cup on a table

a bowl of soup with meat noodles and vegetables

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

a bowl with chopsticks and a spoon on a table

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?


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on BlueSky, Threads  Mastodon and Instagram!

Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.

Related

Filed Under: ORD Fall 2024, Trip, Trip Reports, Trips

Comments

  1. ffi says

    07/12/2024 at 1:21 pm

    $500 for a pizza does seem a bit much ………… ? typo

    • Kevincm says

      08/12/2024 at 11:54 am

      Typo. Pro tip. Don’t type at Service Stations after driving 2 hours in a Storm/Gales….

  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Threads

Recent Posts

  • Data Storage Adventures – With UGreen NASync – PART 5 Growing the Storage Pool
  • United Airlines partners with Spotify for content
  • Royal Brunei selects Intelsat for Mutli-Orbit In-Flight Connectivity
  • Lufthansa activates Free Inflight Messaging for intercontinental flights
  • JetBlue and Brightline to lauch multimodal travel options in Florida

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

Privacy Policy
Copyright © Economy Class & Beyond All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Economy Class & Beyond with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.