Secret Food Tour Chicago Has a Mix of Good Food and History

You cannot talk about the history of Chicago without talking about food. So a food tour in downtown Chicago which mixes in some history, cultural references and architectural knowledge is an excellent combination. Secret Food Tours offer unique tours throughout the world, similar to the Secret Food Tour Chicago.

On this tour, they offer relatively small group tours, maximum of 12 people, multiple times a day. We chose a weekday during holiday shopping season in downtown Chicago, and we were the only participants on the tour. The menu for the tour is set, so if you see something you want that is not offered on the tour it will be at your expense.

Mix of Food & History

Our Chicago food tour guide was Sue, a Chicago native that provided a good knowledge base of the food scene along with a solid understanding of history and architecture which was a nice bonus. We were expecting a sole focus on food, so a diversion to see an amazing Vietnam Memorial inside the public library or learn about the history of some of the landmark buildings was a nice bonus. 

Secret Food Tour Chicago Pizza

Gino’s East is the starting point for the tour, located at 521 South Dearborn. Gino’s was started in 1966 by two Chicago taxi drivers, Sam Levine and Fred Bartoli and their friend George Loverde. According to the story told by our guide, Sam, Fred and George managed to lure away Alice Mae Redmond from Pizzeria Uno to help launch Gino’s. Pizzeria Uno is widely recognized as the birthplace of a Chicago-style pizza, dating back to 1943 and it was Alice that helped perfect the buttery crust that is a distinct feature of the pizza. Near the entrance to Gino’s is a sign with Alice’s story – the legend behind Gino’s deep dish pizza.

The pizza was good. We’ve been fortunate to have sampled many of the great pizza’s offered around Chicago. While Gino’s is not at the top of our list, it is still very good. Of note, we really liked their pizza sauce which was distinctively sweet. Alice’s crust was also very good, and a nice hearty offering to start out on a tour.

Next up on the tour is a visit to a Chicago icon. On many trips to the windy city, we have walked along the shops on Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile and witnessed a long line extending down the sidewalk. No matter the weather, you’re likely to see a long line waiting for Garrett’s Popcorn. Over the years they have added locations, including at both major airports that serve Chicago. A visit to the area isn’t complete without a bag of their delicious popcorn.

For the tour, we sampled the Garrett Mix, which is their version of Chicago Style. This a tasty combination of cheddar cheese and sweet caramel popcorn. This is their most popular mix, but the menu provides a variety that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. A couple of our favorites include plain cheddar, caramel crisp and hot cocoa caramel crisp. 

As mentioned, Garrett’s now has multiple locations in downtown Chicago including one near the ending point of the tour. In our case, we wanted some for the road and waited until after the tour to purchase so we didn’t have to carry it around throughout the three hour tour.

Chicago style hot dogs are almost as famous as the deep dish pizza. So a food tour in Chicago wouldn’t be complete without a stop to taste this Chicago tradition. For the tour, we sampled Luke’s for their take on this iconic sandwich. Luke’s is located at 215 West Jackson Blvd.

People from Chicago are about as passionate about their hot dog as they are for their sports teams. Maybe more – you can have multiple favorite teams but there is only one way prepare a Chicago dog. To do it right, a Chicago dog must be an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun. For toppings, add in yellow mustard, neon-green sweet pickle relish, chopped white onion, tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, pickled sport peppers and celery salt. And for goodness sakes, don’t ask for ketchup!

There are many ways to eat a hot dog. Chicago style isn’t at the top of our list for preferences. We’d rather see some coney sauce to add to that dog, but if you like Chicago style, then you’ll want to check out Luke’s. They also have other items on their menu, including pizza and other sandwiches including Italian Beef. 

On the tour, they also take a picture of you to help remember the trip. The backdrop at Luke’s is a good spot to get your selfie done.

Secrets of the Secret Food Tour

As mentioned in the name of tour, it is the Secret Food Tour of Chicago. The secret is that they keep one of the locations out of their marketing so you are surprised. Most of the time, the loop of restaurants visited are the same every time, including the secret restaurant. They asked that we not mention the name of the restaurant, and we won’t do that. We will let you know that it has a big name restaurateur behind it, and that it is located in a iconic landmark building in downtown Chicago. The offering is a sugary dessert that you will enjoy.

Next stop is Jimmy’s Gyros & Grill, located at 20 East Adams Street. While they have a wide variety of offerings on their menu, the tour is there to sample their Italian beef sandwich.

There are several great places to get an Italian beef sandwich in Chicago. Jimmy’s was good, and worked well as you map out a walking tour in downtown. It would not be a recommended place, not that it was bad. Frankly, the competition for Italian beef sandwiches is just that tough in Chicago.

The sixth and final location is inside another historic building, the Palmer House Hotel, at 122 South Wabash. Sugar Bliss will satisfy your sweet tooth with their version of a classic brownie. And there is no more an appropriate place to devour a brownie that at the Palmer House, which is where the brownie was created. 

Bertha Palmer wanted a unique dessert to help celebrate the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago so she commissioned her kitchen staff to come up with a new creation. Thus the brownie was  born.

Sugar Bliss’s brownie was very good, and an excellent ending to a culinary tour. The tour used to serve up the Palmer House brownie, but has changed recently. Nothing against the Sugar Bliss version, we would like to try the original next time we’re in the area. 

The tour ends at the Palmer House, which is a great spot to continue on your time in Chicago. We parked in that area and then walked about 15 minutes to get to the tour’s starting location at Gino’s East. Parking in Chicago can be expensive, and sometimes hard to find. The tour also ends near Millenium Station, which is convenient if you’re taking the train to downtown.

Is Secret Food Tour Chicago Worth It?

There is plenty of shopping in the area where the tour ends, and you are near the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue shops. Plenty to see and do in that immediate area, should you desire.

The Secret Food Tour of Chicago is enjoyable. With the exception of Garrett’s, there are better versions of all of the foods sampled, at least in our opinion. Pizzeria Uno or Giordano’s for pizza, Al’s #1 Italian Beef or Mr. Beef (made famous by the TV show The Bear) are all places we’d recommend if you have an abundance of time and transportation available. What makes this one of the best food tours Chicago is that it’s all compactly located in an accessible and vibrant part of Chicago. Chicago is a great food town, and there are several other restaurants we’d recommend trying that were not the cuisine sampled on the tour.

Cost for the tour will vary but seemed pretty affordable for us especially given the amount of food provided. In addition, we easily found coupons to save on upcoming tours so look around for that prior to booking.

Planning a trip to the windy city? Check out some of our other Chicago restaurant reviews.