Here's The Best Food and Drink In Illinois For 2018

Hungry for nothing but the best? You might want to plan an in-state road trip. Popular food site The Daily Meal has provided what it's calling the definitive list of the best places to eat and drink in Illinois for 2018.

"Whether you refer to it as the 'Land of Lincoln' or as 'the Prairie State,' you have to admit — Illinois cannot be beat," the site wisely notes. "Whether you’re looking for waving expanses of corn, suburban grottos, or a bustling city, Illinois has it all. While restaurant powerhouse Chicago hosts such crown jewels as Grant Achatz’s The Aviary and Alinea, Brendan Sodikoff’s Au Cheval, and Maurie Berman’s legacy Superdawg, southern and central Illinois are home to some of the country’s best chili, ribs, and even spaghetti and meatballs."

Here they are, in each category, and The Daily Meal's justification for distinguishing the best of the best in Illinois:

Best pizza - Pequod's Chicago

"Pequod’s deep-dish, known for its “caramelized crust,” earns points for its chewy, crusty, quasi-burnt cheese crust that forms the outer edge of this cheesy casserole, adding a welcome degree of texture that probably wouldn’t be necessary if it weren’t nearly an inch thick. But it is necessary. And beautiful. And it does add that texture."

Best Pizza In The US: Which Chicago Pizzerias Made The Cut?

Best burger - Au Cheval, Chicago

"The beauty of the burger served at Au Cheval lies in its simplicity, and crowds line up for it on a daily basis."

Best chili - The Chili Parlor, Springfield

The eatery "has been making bowls of chili to order since 1945."

Best hot dog - Superdawg, Chicago

The drive-in "serves perfect version of the famed Chicago-style dog."

Best Italian restaurant - Spiaggia, Chicago

"Tony Mantuano’s Spiaggia is a fine dining institution, and is completely unique."'

Best ribs - 17th Street Barbecue, Marion

"Mike and Amy Mills are creating world-champion barbecue at Marion’s 17th Street BBQ."

Best taco - Birrieria Zaragoza, Chicago

"At Chicago’s Birrieria Zaragoza, they’re slowly roasting goat according to a recipe that’s over 100 years old."

Best apple pie - Hoozier Mama Pie Company, Chicago

"At Hoozier Mama Pie Company, they are not opposed to stealing Grandma’s recipes! All the produce comes from local farmers, and their amazing crust (which took an entire summer to perfect) is 100 percent butter."

Best Bar - The Aviary, Chicago

"Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas' cocktail venture in Chicago, The Aviary, is an experience: From the setting and the cocktails to the service and the food, no detail is overlooked at this 'redefined' cocktail bar."

Best beer - Goose Island's Bourbon County, Chicago

"Goose Island’s limited edition Bourbon County Brand Stout makes waves in beer circles every time it’s released. With strong aromas of bourbon, vanilla, and fig, this brew is considered one of the best barrel-aged stouts around and is the sixth best beer in the world."

Chicago Watering Holes Make Esquire List Of Best Bars

Best chicken and waffles - Longman & Eagle, Chicago

"This gastropub might be a hipster haven, but its chicken and waffle game is still very strong."

Best Chinese food - Katy's Dumpling House, Chicago

"You have to hand it to 'Katy,' her handmade noodles are just about the best on offer in the Windy City. Tangled with ground pork in fiery dan dan noodles or sunken into deeply flavored beef broth, their springiness makes slurping a pleasure. However, one of Katy’s finest contributions is a dish that melds the restaurant’s signature item with Chicago’s European roots in a bowl of beef noodles with homemade sauerkraut.

Best craft brewery - Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago

"They pioneered the use of bourbon barrels in the beer-aging process. If you’ve never had the pleasure of trying bourbon-aged beer, you are in for a treat."

Best cupcakes - Molly's Cupcakes, Chicago

"Molly’s Cupcakes in Chicago has sweets that really pack a flavorful punch. To customize your own, simply pick a cake flavor, choose a frosting, and then make it yourself with an array of tasty toppings. "

Best dive bar - The Mutiny, Chicago

"Free live music may just be the best thing about Chicago bar The Mutiny Corp. ... But that isn’t the only reason to hit this joint up. The huge steins of beer for dirt cheap prices will keep you happy even if you don’t love punk rock. As one Yelp user wrote, 'Beer is so goddamn cheap and you can get it in a little mini pitcher if you want.'"

Best doughnuts - Dat Donut, Chicago

"The pillowy fluffiness is truly satisfying, and the plain glaze will make you wonder if there really is anything better than a ginormous, classic, glazed doughnut."

Best farmers market: Green City Market, Chicago

"The farmers of the Green City Market go through a rigorous application process, ensuring that they yield humanely raised meat and pesticide-free produce. The year-round market offers sustainable, local groceries and free resources for maintaining a sustainable future."

Best food truck - The Fat Shallot, Chicago

Husband and wife Sam Barron and Sarah Weitz "opened up The Fat Shallot in their hometown in 2013 serving up delicious sandwiches and sides. Order their grilled cheese, which is made with Muenster cheese, sautéed spinach, and caramelized onions on sourdough, or the Buffalo chicken sandwich served on an egg bun with blue cheese sauce and a celery salad. "

Best French fries - Kuma's Corner, Chicago

"They’re salty, crispy, and make for one heck of a winning combo."

Best fish and chips - BIG & little’s, Chicago

"This BYOB, cash-only hotspot may have risen to fame after an appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, but don’t hold that against it: Just about everything on its expansive and creative menu, including po’boys, seafood tacos, burgers, fries (topped with foie gras, naturally), and soft-shell crabs when in season, is insanely good."

Best fried chicken - Harold's Chicken Shack, Chicago

"Known as President Obama’s favorite fried chicken place, Harold’s has become a small local chain, and it continues to grow in popularity. But despite having numerous locations across the city, Harold’s never sacrifices the quality it’s known for."

Best grocery store- Nature's Best Fresh Market, Westmont

"A Westmont reviewer said of Nature’s Best Fresh Market: 'My favorite place for excellent produce, fresh meat, international and specialty. Perfect size store, not too big, terrific service, clean, well-stocked, [and]well-run. Always busy, diverse customers, pleasant atmosphere, never too long a checkout wait.'"

Best Irish pub - The Grafton, Chicago

"The Grafton in Chicago blends time-honored tradition with a contemporary gastropub feel. The food is terrific, and the Guinness takes a good two minutes to pour — as it should."

Best Jewish deli - Manny's Chicago

"Every sandwich packs in nearly a pound of meat at Manny’s, which has been going strong for more than 70 years."

Best lobster rolls - Acadia, Chicago

"When the chef spent his summers in Maine and made it his mission to replicate that experience as accurately as possible, you know you’re in for a treat. The lobster roll that chef Ryan McCaskey serves at the bar at his restaurant, Acadia, starts with split-top buns from the Maine-based Hannaford supermarket chain, topped with big chunks of fresh lobster that’s been tossed with chive mayo, then topped with paprika and a lemon squeeze."

Best Mexican restaurant - Topolobampo, Chicago

"Topolobampo is named for a port city on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa. At this slightly fancier and more ambitious next-door cousin of his popular Frontera Grill, Rick Bayless serves irresistible Mexican fare of a kind not found outside some of the better restaurants of Mexico itself, if even there."

Best restaurant - Alinea, Chicago

"The menu at Alinea can sometimes sound deceptively simple ("scallop with citrus aroma," "woolly pig, fenel, orange, squid," and suchlike), but what shows up on the plate is absolutely original and almost always dazzlingly good."

Best grilled cheese - Cheesie's Pub & Grub, Chicago

"There are 12 grilled cheeses on the menu at this Chicago favorite. The most outrageous offerings include The Mac (American and Cheddar cheese, homemade macaroni and cheese); The Tenderizer (Cheddar, mozzarella, hot sauce, bacon, fried chicken tenders, barbecue sauce); and The Edgar (pulled pork, barbecue sauce, coleslaw, fried onion strings, provolone, and white Cheddar)."

Best sandwich - Italian beef at Al's #1 Italian Beef, Chicago

"To make this beauty, sirloin is rubbed with a secret spice blend, dry-roasted, thinly sliced, made into a sandwich, and then dunked in Al's signature “gravy” (more similar to au jus). Customers can choose how much or little they want, but Al’s encourages customers to get their sandwiches “wet.” When topped with the signature giardiniera, a tart and spicy pickled vegetable blend, this sandwich is a masterpiece."

Best seafood shack - Calumet Fisheries, Chicago

"One of the best seafood shacks in America is in the Midwest? You better believe it — the James Beard Foundation and Anthony Bourdain do. Calumet Fisheries in Chicago is famous for smoking any seafood that comes to mind — including salmon, herring, eel, sturgeon, sable, rainbow trout, and shrimp."

Best soft pretzel - Dinkel's Bakery, Chicago

"Dinkel’s, which has been in business since 1922, may be renowned primarily for its legendary doughnuts, but their soft pretzels are also arguably the best in Chicago."

Best soup - Shortrib Red Chile Caldo at Xoco, Chicago

"Xoco’s soup is the kind of warm, spicy comfort Chicagoans need for facing frigid winters."

Best spaghetti and meatballs - Bartolini's, Midlothian

"Bartolini’s might be most famous for its Annual Meatball Eating Championship and a 10-pound meatball sandwich challenge (with 40 meatballs), but gimmickry aside, these are also some stellar meatballs."

Best steakhouse - Gibson's Bar & Steakhouse, Chicago

"If you were to close your eyes and try to imagine what a 24-year-old steakhouse in downtown Chicago called Gibson’s would be like, you’d probably hit the nail right on the head: red leather booths, wood paneling, martinis, high-roller customers, flawless service, giant steaks, and lobster tails."

Best sushi - Juno, Chicago

"A high-end sushi experience if ever there was one, Juno is a temple to all things sushi.."

Read the whole report right here.

Shutterstock photo