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If watching The Bear on Hulu makes you hungry, you’re not alone.
Since the show is set in and around a restaurant, food is bound to be a significant theme, whether the characters are cooking, imagining how their meals may look once plated, or eating at local spots.
Obviously, Italian beef was a big food focus in season one — that’s what Original Beef of Chicagoland was known for dishing out — and the season two episode “Forks” shines a spotlight on another classic Chicago food, deep dish pizza.
But the local food scene representation is upped this season, too, when Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) goes on a solo food tour of some of Chicago’s hottest spots, including avec, Kasama, The Publican and Publican Quality Meats, Margie’s Candies, and Big Star.
Tori Ulrich, owner of Chicago Super Sitters and a resident of the Windy City for over 18 years, says, “I have lived in different neighborhoods in my years, and even while trying as much as I could to try all the options, there are just too many to hit them all!”
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She adds, “Chicago food is full of so many cultures and flavors, and cost is not a barrier to deliciousness.”
Grace Hodges, who has lived in both downtown Chicago and the south suburbs for 26 years, agrees.
“I’m always discovering new places that I’ve either never heard of or that I just haven’t tried yet; I could live here forever and never try everything because it’s just impossible to,” she said.
With signature dishes and no shortage of excellent restaurants, it’s safe to say Chicago is a great city for foodies.
If the show piqued your curiosity about all the food Chicago has to offer, but you’re nowhere near the Midwest, we found a solution that might solve some of those cravings.
Goldbelly is an online marketplace that helps restaurants, bakeries, and more to ship their products nationwide. All the food sold on Goldbelly is packaged well for shipping, made fresh and transported with dry ice to final destinations.
Below, we’ve rounded up dishes from The Bear, along with a few other Chicago staples, that you can get shipped right to your door — no travel necessary.
Signature Italian Beef Sandwich Kit – 10 Pack from Al’s #1 Italian Beef, $170
Before The Beef became The Bear, they were serving up Italian beef sandwiches. Not sure what that is? Dating back to the 1930s, the sandwich’s primary ingredient is thin-sliced roast beef.
From there, it’s kind of a choose-your-own-adventure of sandwich building. Do you want your sandwich hot (served with Chicago-style giardiniera), sweet (with sweet green Italian peppers), or both? What about that signature gravy? Do you want your entire sandwich, bread and all, dipped into the juice the beef is cooked in?
This kit includes 10 sandwiches worth of Italian beef, gravy mix, hot giardiniera, sweet peppers, and French bread.
Pan-Style Deep Dish Pizza – Choose Your Own Two Pack from Pequod’s Pizza, $100
Pequod’s Pizza is the very pizza featured in episode seven of The Bear season two, “Forks.” In the episode, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) picks up the pies to serve to guests at the restaurant he’s staging at.
What makes Pequod’s stand out is their “caramelized crust.” According to the restaurant, “a ring of mozzarella cheese surrounds the pan pizzas’ crust, deeply caramelizing as it cooks along the side of the cast iron pizza pan, forming a cheesy, chewy, almost-burnt halo that’s one of the most hallowed bites in all of pizzadom.”
Choose between cheese, pepperoni, and sausage for both pies in the two-pack.
Chicago Style Hot Dog Kit from Vienna Beef, $75, original price: $90
Italian beef is not the only sandwich Chicago is known for (though the jury’s still out on whether we’re calling hot dogs sandwiches these days).
Chicago-style dogs are unique for the toppings: sport peppers, Chicago-style bright green relish, yellow mustard, and celery salt, all on a poppy seed bun. Add your own chopped white onion, tomato, and pickle spears for the full effect!
This kit comes with everything you’ll need to make 16 hot dogs with the works.
Choose Your Own Thin Crust Pizza – 4 Pack from Bartolini’s, $150
Like any good food city, there’s some spirited debate around Chicago’s signature food. While deep dish may be the first pizza you think of, thin-crust tavern-style pizza is just as essential to the city’s food culture. Cut it into squares to get the full effect!
For each of the pizzas in the pack, choose from cheese or a number of toppings, including meatball lovers, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, spinach, and combinations.
2 Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Pizzas + Garrett Popcorn Classic Tin, $135
What’s better than deep-dish pizza? Deep dish pizza and Garrett Mix. Garrett Mix from Garrett Popcorn Shops combines two classic popcorn flavors, sweet CaramelCrisp and savory CheeseCorn, into one delectable mix.
With so many deep dish spots with a long history populating the city, Chicagoans typically have a favorite. For Ulrich, it’s this very pizza.
“I’m a Lou Malnati’s girl, myself. Best sauce, best crust, and best cheese,” she said. “I also love sending Lou Malnati’s to my friends that live outside Chicago since they moved away and miss it so much. Very awesome gift!”
Stan’s Donuts – Choose Your Own 12 Pack, $70
“Stan’s Donuts are next level,” Ulrich said. “They are donuts that have been elevated to a level that feels like a whole dessert, not just a donut.”
(This writer, though not a Chicago native and just a frequent visitor, would have to agree!)
Create a pack of 12 donuts by choosing four signature Stan’s flavors: Cinnamon Sugar Cake, Vanilla Sprinkled Cake, Powdered Sugar Cake, Lemon Pistachio Old Fashioned, Blueberry Old Fashioned, Glazed Old Fashioned, Red Velvet Cake, Coconut Cake, Birthday Cake, and Apple Fritter.
Wow Bao – Choose Your Own 24 Pack, $100
While bao is a less “traditional” Chicago food, Wow Bao is worth the hype, according to Hodges.
“Sometimes they’re sweet, and sometimes they’re savory, but they’re always so good,” she said when asked about the kind of bao the establishment serves.
While you can only ship their bao in three signature flavors through Goldbelly, locals can stop in for much more, including bowls, entree combos, and bundles.
Original Favorites Cheesecake Sampler from Eli’s Cheesecake Company, $96
Every good meal has to end with dessert, right? Eli’s Cheesecake Company is a Chicago institution that’s been family-owned for three generations; “Chicago’s most famous dessert” was first developed as a dessert for original owner Eli Schulman’s restaurant.
“It’s definitely a Chicago staple with a bunch of flavors available now,” Hodges said. She estimates she’s had it at most family birthday parties she attends.
For locals, it’s fairly easy to get (baked in Chicago and sold in area grocery stores), and now it’s even easier for the out-of-towners to get, too! This sampler pack comes with four slices each of original, strawberry, chocolate chip, and candy bar (made with Heath bars).
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