Admit it, you were taking notes of all the places Sydney ate at during that Season 2 episode of “The Bear” so you can follow in her footsteps next time you’re in the Windy City. Well, delete that checklist, because Chicago Food & City Tours is all over that.
For the uninitiated, Hulu’s smash hit follows chef Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as he returns home to run his family’s restaurant. He takes the audience and the show’s characters on a journey from Italian beef sandwiches to haute cuisine.
During Episode 3 of the second season, sous chef Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) takes to Chicago’s restaurants to find inspiration for new menu items. That episode inspired the tour company to create Yes, Chef! Chicago: A Bear-Inspired Food Tour.
So tie on your blue apron, get your tip ready for the diced tomato can (neither required) and climb aboard your bus; here are the restaurants you’ll visit.
Mr. Beef
The tour has to start at Mr. Beef, the Italian sandwich shop that inspired the show’s restaurant. Many of the kitchen scenes were filmed at Mr. Beef, which opened in River North in 1963.
“A traditional Chicago sandwich shop may seem like an unconventional excursion. But since ‘The Bear’ debuted, tourists have flocked in droves to Mr. Beef, which opened in River North in 1963. Ahead of Season 3′s release, its cult following is surging with renewed enthusiasm,” the Chicago Tribune wrote.
You will sample: an Italian beef sandwich with giardiniera.
Time Out Market
Although Sydney stopped at Lao Peng You in Ukrainian Village for dumplings, the tiny restaurant can’t handle a tour group of 30. Instead, you’ll be taken to Time Out Market, “the Fulton Market hotspot where we’ve brought together the city’s best food-and-drink offerings,” according to its website.
You will sample: potstickers or dumplings
Pizza Lobo
Pizza Lobo in Logan Square makes a cameo in the episode when Sydney stops for a slice of pepperoni. If you’re envisioning a deep dish pie at this neighborhood hot spot, open your eyes. Pizza Lobo serves thin slices ranging from cheese (red sauce and mozzarella) to the Borgata (red sauce, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, ricotta, Calabrian chili, honey, basil) to the IYKYK (we don’t know, so we can’t list the ingredients). If you go on your own, you can also get a 16″ pie.
You will sample: pepperoni pizza
Roeser’s Bakery
What’s a food tour without a sweet treat? Roeser’s Bakery, Chicago’s oldest family owned bakery, is the next stop.
“Over the years many things have changed at Roeser’s Bakery — you’ll find a new creative variety of customized cakes, larger selection of fillings, even off-street parking,” its website states. “But the best things have remained the same. The care and quality that founded Roeser’s Bakery in 1911 are still consistent ingredients today after a century of superior quality products.”
You will sample: a doughnut
Margie’s Candies
There is a reason Episode 3 of Season 2 is titled “Sundae.” Sydney ends up at Margie’s, the 100-year-old homemade candy and ice cream parlor.
“When you walk through the door of our original location on the corner of Western & Armitage you are stepping back in time. The year is 1921. The aroma of rich chocolate and caramel fills the air. Hand dipped chocolates in the full array. English Toffee made with real butter that melts in your mouth. Ice cream confections created with homemade family recipes,” its website states. “Our foundation creations and chocolates are still made the same way as they were when our doors opened many years ago.”
You will sample: a chocolate sundae
If you go
The Yes Chef Chicago tour runs 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, when available.
All ages are welcome, but anyone 13 and older will have to pay $129 for the experience.
About the Author
