12 Iconic Illinois Dishes You Need to Try This March
Illinois is one of those places where the food scene hits different, and March feels like the right moment to lean into it. Cold days still hang around just long enough to make rich, comforting meals taste even better, and I always find myself craving the classics this time of year.
Illinois takes familiar ingredients and turns them into something unmistakably local, dishes shaped by neighborhood traditions and decades of loyal fans. A slice of deep-dish pizza in Chicago or a forkful of a cheese-smothered horseshoe in Springfield says more about the state than any travel guide ever could.
I put this list together as a personal eating map of twelve iconic Illinois dishes that deserve attention right now. Each one carries a story, a strong personality, and a place that serves it the way locals expect.
Keep reading on an empty stomach if possible.
1. Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza
Some pizzas are flat. Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is basically a skyscraper made of cheese, sauce, and pure joy.
Chicago-style deep-dish pizza dates back to the 1940s and remains one of the city’s most famous comfort foods today.
The crust is buttery and thick, almost like a pie shell, holding together layers of gooey mozzarella, chunky sausage, and a generous pour of bright, herby tomato sauce on top.
Unlike regular pizza where sauce goes first, deep-dish flips the script entirely. Cheese goes down first, toppings next, and sauce crowns the whole masterpiece.
It takes about 45 minutes to bake, so order early and enjoy the suspense. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, located at 439 N.
Wells St., Chicago, IL 60654, is a legendary spot where you can experience this iconic dish at its absolute finest. One slice is practically a full meal, and nobody will judge you for ordering two.
2. Italian Beef Sandwich
Messy, magnificent, and totally worth the napkins, the Italian beef sandwich is Chicago’s most glorious handheld creation.
Thinly sliced seasoned beef is slow-cooked in its own rich juices, then piled sky-high onto a sturdy Italian roll and dipped right into the cooking broth. That final dip is what separates the pros from the amateurs in this city.
You can order it dry, wet, or soaking, depending on how adventurous you’re feeling. Most locals go wet, meaning the whole sandwich gets dunked in the au jus until it’s beautifully soggy and packed with flavor.
Top it with spicy giardiniera or sweet peppers to complete the experience.
Al’s Beef, located at 1079 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607, has been serving this sandwich since 1938 and remains the gold standard for Italian beef in Illinois.
First-timers often order a second sandwich before finishing the first. That’s just how it goes.
3. Chicago-Style Hot Dog
There is a sacred rule in Chicago: never, ever put ketchup on a Chicago-style hot dog. Locals take this seriously, and once you taste the real thing, you’ll completely understand why.
An all-beef frankfurter gets nestled into a steamed poppy seed bun and then loaded with seven specific toppings that create a perfect storm of flavor in every single bite.
Yellow mustard, neon green relish, chopped onions, tomato wedges, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers, and a sprinkle of celery salt, that’s the official lineup, and it’s non-negotiable.
The combination sounds wild, but it works in the most spectacular way imaginable. Portillo’s, located at 100 W.
Ontario St., Chicago, IL 60610, is the place to try this iconic dog in a fun, lively atmosphere with great energy.
Fun fact: The Chicago area is famous for having an enormous number of hot dog stands, often said to outnumber the major burger chains combined. That statistic alone should tell you everything.
4. Maxwell Street Polish Sausage
Born on the legendary Maxwell Street Market in the early 1900s, this grilled Polish sausage sandwich carries more history in every bite than most textbooks.
Immigrants from Eastern Europe brought their sausage traditions to Chicago, and the city embraced it wholeheartedly, turning it into a street food icon that still draws loyal fans to this day.
The sausage gets grilled over an open flame until the casing snaps with a satisfying pop, then it lands in a soft bun piled with sweet caramelized onions and a stripe of yellow mustard. Simple?
Yes. Unforgettable?
Absolutely.
Jim’s Original, located at 1250 S. Union Ave., Chicago, IL 60607, traces its roots to the Maxwell Street Market era and is widely associated with popularizing the modern Maxwell Street Polish.
Known for its late-night hours, it’s equally popular at noon and midnight.
Whether you’re a longtime Chicagoan or a curious visitor, this sandwich feels like a warm, smoky handshake from the city itself.
5. Tavern-Style Thin-Crust Pizza
While deep-dish gets most of the spotlight, tavern-style thin-crust pizza is the real everyday hero of Chicago’s pizza culture.
Cut into small squares instead of traditional wedges, this style is known as the party cut, and it was designed specifically to share over good conversation and great company at neighborhood bars and family gatherings.
The crust is cracker-thin and perfectly crispy, providing a satisfying crunch with every bite. Toppings are spread generously to the very edge, because nobody wants a sad, bare crust situation.
Sausage is the classic topping of choice, usually crumbled rather than sliced, so flavor reaches every single square.
Vito and Nick’s Pizzeria, located at 8433 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL 60652, is one of the most famous destinations for classic Chicago tavern-style pizza.
Regulars joke that once you go square, you never go back, and honestly, they might be onto something genuinely brilliant here.
6. Chicken Vesuvio
Chicken Vesuvio is the kind of dish that makes you feel like you’re sitting at a big Italian family dinner table, even if it’s just a Tuesday night in March.
Named after the famous volcano in Italy, this Chicago original features bone-in chicken roasted to golden-brown perfection alongside crispy potato wedges, all bathed in a fragrant garlic and white wine sauce with bright green peas scattered throughout.
Chicken Vesuvio is widely considered a Chicago Italian-American specialty that became popular in the mid-20th century. Several Chicago restaurants claim a role in popularizing the dish, which only adds to its local legend.
The crispy potatoes soak up the savory pan sauce like little golden sponges, making each bite deeply satisfying. Gene and Georgetti, located at 500 N.
Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60654, serves one of the most celebrated versions of this dish in the entire state.
Order it with extra bread to mop up every last drop of that incredible sauce.
7. Jibarito Sandwich
Forget bread, because the jibarito sandwich uses fried flattened plantains as its base, and that creative decision changed Chicago’s food scene forever.
This Puerto Rican-inspired creation was invented right here in Chicago in 1996 by Juan Figueroa at Borinquen Restaurant, making it a true Illinois original with deep cultural roots in the city’s vibrant Latino community.
The plantains are green when fried, giving them a starchy, slightly crispy texture that holds up beautifully against hearty fillings like seasoned steak, lettuce, tomato, and a slather of garlicky mayo. Each bite delivers a wild mix of textures and bold, satisfying flavors that feel completely unlike anything else on this list.
Borinquen Restaurant, located at 1720 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60647, is the original home of this sandwich and still the best place to try it authentically.
The Humboldt Park neighborhood surrounding the restaurant is full of amazing Puerto Rican culture, food, and community spirit worth exploring further.
8. Shrimp DeJonghe
Shrimp DeJonghe might just be the most elegant dish on this entire list, and it was invented right in Chicago over a century ago.
Around 1900, the DeJonghe family opened a hotel restaurant in the city and created this buttery, garlicky, breadcrumb-topped shrimp bake that became an instant sensation among Chicago’s dining elite. It’s rich, indulgent, and completely worth every calorie.
Plump shrimp are nestled in a casserole dish and covered with a golden mixture of butter, garlic, herbs, and seasoned breadcrumbs, then baked until bubbling and beautifully browned on top. The result is somewhere between a casserole and a fancy appetizer, making it endlessly versatile.
The Berghoff Restaurant, located at 17 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60603, is one of Chicago’s most historic dining institutions and a fitting place to experience classic Chicago cuisine.
Bring a group and order it as a starter, because sharing this dish is basically a bonding experience in itself.
9. Chicago-Style Smoked Rib Tips
Chicago barbecue doesn’t get the national attention it deserves, but locals know the truth: South Side smoked rib tips are one of the greatest barbecue experiences in the entire country.
Rib tips are the meaty, cartilage-rich ends cut from spare ribs, and in Chicago, they get slow-smoked over hardwood for hours until they reach a tender, almost falling-apart perfection that is genuinely hard to describe without drooling.
What really sets Chicago rib tips apart is the legendary mild sauce, a thin, tangy, slightly sweet condiment that gets drizzled over the finished meat right before serving. Every South Side pitmaster guards their mild sauce recipe like a family treasure.
Lem’s Bar-B-Q, located at 311 E. 75th St., Chicago, IL 60619, has been smoking rib tips on the South Side since 1954 and is considered an absolute institution. Order them with a stack of white bread slices on the side to soak up every drop of that smoky, saucy goodness from the tray.
10. Pepper and Egg Sandwich
During Lent, Chicago’s Italian-American community transforms the humble pepper and egg sandwich into a seasonal superstar, and March is peak season for tracking one down.
This simple but satisfying sandwich was born out of Catholic fasting traditions, when meat was off the table on Fridays, and creative home cooks needed something filling and flavorful to keep everyone happy and well-fed.
Scrambled eggs get cooked together with sauteed green bell peppers in a generous pour of olive oil, creating a soft, fragrant, golden filling that gets piled into a crusty Italian bread roll. The combination is comforting, savory, and surprisingly filling for something so straightforward.
Fontano’s Subs, with multiple Chicago locations, is a beloved institution that makes an outstanding version of this sandwich every Lent season. Regulars line up early on Friday mornings to grab one fresh, and once you taste it, you’ll immediately understand why the wait is absolutely worth it every single time.
11. Chicago Mix Popcorn
Cheddar popcorn plus caramel popcorn sounds like a strange combination, but Chicago Mix proved to the entire world that salty and sweet are best friends when they work together.
This iconic snack was created in Chicago and has since become one of the most recognizable food souvenirs from the state of Illinois, showing up in airports, gift shops, and grocery stores everywhere you look.
The magic is in the contrast. One kernel is savory and sharp with real cheddar flavor, the next is sweet, crunchy, and coated in rich caramel, and eating them together creates a flavor combination that is genuinely addictive.
Garrett Popcorn Shops, with a downtown location at 26 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601, is the most famous name behind the cheddar-and-caramel popcorn blend often called Chicago mix.
Pick up a tin in March and you’ll quickly understand why people treat this popcorn like a precious, irreplaceable treasure.
12. Horseshoe Sandwich
Springfield, Illinois, gave the world Abraham Lincoln and the horseshoe sandwich, and locals will argue passionately that both contributions are equally important to American history.
Created at the Leland Hotel in Springfield back in 1928, this open-faced beast of a sandwich is not for the faint of heart or the small of appetite. It starts with thick toast, gets topped with your choice of meat, and then gets absolutely buried under a river of rich, golden cheese sauce.
The name supposedly comes from the shape of the ham originally used, resembling a horseshoe, though the presentation has evolved significantly over the decades. Modern versions include hamburger patties, turkey, or even pulled pork as the protein of choice.
D’Arcy’s Pint, located at 661 W. Stanford Ave., Springfield, IL 62704, is widely celebrated as one of the best places in Illinois to experience this legendary sandwich at its cheesiest, most glorious peak.
First-timers always take a photo before eating, and honestly, that reaction is completely earned and totally understandable.