Ask any tourist: “What food is Chicago known for?” and you can expect answers ranging from classics like Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef, to unique options like Chicago-style popcorn. But the city’s food history and culinary offerings go much deeper than its renowned deep dish pizza!
Locals know: any cuisine, if you dream it, Chicago will provide. The city delivers a pages-long array of different cuisines, like Mexican, Chinese, Polish, and Puerto Rican, to Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Indian, German…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
There are gems in every corner of the city, and a workplace food provider like Fooda can help you experience them - without needing to leave your office building! Let’s dive into Chicago’s rich immigrant and food history, explore lunchtime favorites, and all the ways you can bring local classics to your corporate cafeteria.
Chicago’s food scene isn’t defined or dominated by one single cuisine. The city has been a rich melting pot of different cultures and identities from its inception. Located on traditional indigenous lands, the area’s first non-indigenous inhabitant and official founder was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a free Black and Haitian-born immigrant.
Large waves of migrants and immigrants have shaped the city since the 1780s. By 1850, more than half of the population was foreign-born. Today that number is about 22% of the city’s population!
Early immigrants established neighborhoods that reflected their countries of origin, such as Little Italy, Greektown, and Ukrainian Village. While these foundations reflect strong cultural identities, and serve as gateways to their respective cultures, they also paved the way for innovation.
After laying down roots, immigrants and their subsequent generations reinvented and overhauled their traditional foods. Over the years, they created Italian Beef sandwiches, gyros, jibaritos, Tavern-style pizza, Chicago-style giardiniera, and so much more!
The fusion of different cultures is what makes Chicago so unique. In the 1970s, the grandson of an Assyrian immigrant borrowed flour tortillas from a Mexican business owner to create the Italian-inspired Pizza Puff.
The title of 'oldest' restaurant or tavern is highly contested among owners, local historians, and patrons across the city. But the 5 oldest surviving eateries in the city are considered to be:
To say “the types of food Chicago is known for is vast…” is an understatement! Chicago’s food scene is all its own, reinventing former traditions!
With its reputation as “The City of Broad Shoulders”, there are approximately 1.3 million people employed within city limits, and 5 million+ in the greater Chicagoland area. In fact, these hard workers generated $886B in Gross Regional Product in 2024, ranking between the world’s 21st and 22nd largest economies!
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports Chicagoans spend about 39% of their food budgets on dining out: keeping Chicago’s labor force fed is no small feat. t
Like any city, popular lunch options include sandwiches, salads, tacos, soups - anything quick and convenient! Chicago adds its own flair to the lunchtime equation, offering exciting possibilities for diners across the city.
Here are some of Chicago’s favorite options at lunch:
Whatever you’re in the mood for, the city has an answer! Hungry yet? Here’s how you can get the best foods the city has to offer in your workplace!
Considering Fooda was started in and is currently headquartered in Chicago, it’s safe to say we have a history of bringing its classics into workspaces just like yours. We believe food builds a culture of connection and inclusion, and have made it our mission to bring top-quality Chicago eateries to our clients.
Just like the best restaurants, you can mix and match custom lunch options. We offer a variety of dining options to accommodate any business type, company size, and workplace. Whether you have an on-site cafeteria, meeting room, or everyone eats at their desk, Fooda can help you build a custom meal program for your team.
Don’t know where to start? Here’s 35+ Fooda restaurant partners located across the city of Chicago! Organized by neighborhood, we’re confident you’ll find a great option for your team.
Restaurant Popups are Fooda’s signature service. Essentially, it’s an on-site food hall for your employees. The restaurant(s) of your choice serve food for a set period, then leave. Fooda takes care of all the logistics, including set up and clean up.
This program is completely customizable. You can have a Popup restaurant on site twice a week while providing subsidized consolidated delivery on the other three days. Our schedules flex with yours, adjusting for hybrid office days, your budget, and rotating shift patterns. We make it easy to experiment with your program and experience all the flavors the city has to offer!
If you want to give back to your team after a busy period, boost office attendance, or improve morale, try hosting a “Chicago Classics” lunch event for your team! Here are some ideas:
Monday, Italian Beef: Al’s, Johnnies, Portillo’s, Mr. Beef…there are plenty of options across the city!
Tuesday, Tacos: La Pasadita, Taqueria Tayahua, Tacotlan…Wow your team with exciting flavors from south of the border!
Wednesday, Chinese: MingHin, Phoenix, Three Happiness…Celebrate Chicago’s historic Chinatown in the office!
Thursday, Gyros: It’s Greek 2 U, Central Gyros, and Mr. Greek Gyros…Highlight Greek favorites!
Friday, Pizza Party: Opt for Tavern-style from Vito & Nick’s or Michael’s Original or Deep Dish from Uno’s, Lou Malnati’s, or Pequod’s!
Want a more permanent experience for your corporate cafeteria? Orange by Fooda is a flexible program that elevates dining experiences for our clients. Our solutions include:
Within the Fooda platform, your team can order ahead of time through their mobile app and access scan-to-pay counters and self-checkout. On the admin side, your leaders can review centralized billing and reporting dashboards - you’ll always understand your meal program’s performance and opportunities to further improve lunchtime experiences.
Just like our Popup and meal delivery program (which will be covered next), cafeterias managed by Fooda are completely adaptable. You can offer all stations open on peak office days, and reduce availability during slower periods. As you use Fooda, the system will learn your team’s habits and always have your favorite restaurants and dishes on the weekly menu.
Fooda clients get wider access to a larger variety of meals. This makes their workdays exciting and dynamic. Perfect for brutal Chicago winters, or busy office days, Fooda’s office lunch delivery system streamlines the order and delivery process.
On the Fooda app, your staff will have the option to select meals from about 6 to 8 local restaurants of your choice. Everyone places orders and pays on their own. Additionally, there will be a pre-agreed order and delivery window. This ensures we can collect all orders and have them delivered at the same time!
Here’s an example: your team must have their orders placed by 10am for a 12pm delivery. Marc from accounting orders a hotdog meal from Chicago’s Dog House (dragged through the garden of course!), and Stacy from sales orders an Italian sausage sandwich from nearby Miller’s Pub.
Fooda receives and consolidates all the orders and restaurants. We will assign a delivery staff member to your company, so your team and building’s security will always know who to expect. This team member picks up all the orders, then brings them to your office between 12:00 and 12:30pm.
Ready to dig in? Here’s 10 Great Chicago Office Lunch Delivery Options for Hungry Teams!
We’re not just great at running cafeterias and coordinating meal deliveries, we can also help you plan and execute flawless catered events! We take the headaches out of planning, emphasizing value and joy.
We want everyone, from your summer intern, to meal coordinator, finance officer, and CEO, to enjoy Fooda events fully. That’s why we handle the logistics: the planning, pickups and deliveries, event staffing, and clean up. All you need to do is tell us what you're in the mood for, your budget, and how many employees are participating.
Additionally, for any meal program you choose: Popups, complete deliveries, or catering, we offer a competitive employee subsidy program. This increases employee happiness and participation! The benefit is that savings go directly back to your employees. You’re in complete control, choosing how much to give back, for which meals, and which employees. For instance, you can offer a $5 daily coupon, or completely subsidize meals for employees.
What food is Chicago known for? A lot! That’s why it’s one of the best food cities in the world. The city’s vast restaurant history is marked by constant reinvention: navigating prohibition and speakeasies, resurging after WWII, and modernizing both facilities and menus.
Chicago’s food scene is dynamic: highly reflective of immigrants and migrants, curiosity, and daringness to try. With Fooda, you don’t have to leave the office to experience it. Whether you want to better coordinate meal deliveries, or completely revamp your cafeteria, we’re confident we can bring Chicago’s iconic flavors to you.
Ready to get a taste of the city of Chicago? Talk with a Fooda expert today, and we’ll help you access the best the city has to offer!
Chicago is best known for foods like Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs, deep dish pizza, tavern-style pizza, gyros, and Chicago popcorn. But the city’s culinary scene goes far beyond these classics, offering cuisine from nearly every culture and country in the world!
Absolutely. Your team should have access to the foods they need. Fooda partners with a wide range of restaurants and cuisines, making it easy to offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal, and more. Plus, we can ensure every Fooda menu has at least one dietary-friendly option - ensuring everyone has the opportunity to participate!
