Trying To Eat This Famous Chicago Food Could Be An Instant Ticket To A Total Tourist Trap

From rich history and stunning architecture to famed sports teams and world-class museums, there are quite a few things that Chicago is known for. Taking the cake for the most appetizing attraction is its iconic food scene. Consisting of a plump, all-beef dog traditionally topped with onions, tomatoes, pickle spears, peppers, mustard, and relish on a poppy seed bun, the Chicago-style hot dog is among the most famous foods to come out of the Windy City. (For an unbelievably tasty one with a side of playful profanity, check out Chicago's "most notorious hot dog stand"). Rivaling the delicious dog is the thick and cheesy culinary icon: Chicago deep-dish pizza. Invented in Chicago in 1943, the distinctive pizza is baked using, well, a deep dish instead of a flat tray, creating a tall, thick-crusted pie. In addition to its voluminous shape, the toppings of a Chicago-style pizza are inverted, with the cheese sprinkled on the bottom, followed by the desired meats or veggies in the middle, and a generous layer of sauce slathered on top.

If you're trying to get your hands (and your mouth) on a Chicago deep-dish pizza, there are plenty of places you can go. However, you must choose wisely. According to locals, the deep-dish pizza scene is one of the most common tourist traps to avoid in Chicago, inspiring long lines and wait times at the city's popular pizzerias. Luckily, with the right planning, there are ways you can avoid falling into the deep-dish tourist trap.

If you want to avoid waiting forever and a day for your Chicago deep-dish pizza, the clearest solution is to take the road less traveled by tourists. A beloved downtown establishment since 1966, Gino's East is the most jumping joint in town, but long wait times are a common complaint in online reviews. Some say it's worth the wait, others not so much. To skip the line at Gino's East, visit Gino's North. Despite their similar names, the restaurants bear no relation to each other, and Gino's North is significantly less crowded. Located about 8 miles north of downtown in Edgewater, a Lake Michigan-hugging neighborhood brimming with antique shops and beaches, the pizza place is a bit of a trek, but like most hidden gems, it's one worth discovering. The deep-dish pizza may take a moderate amount of time to reach the table, but as the restaurant's local vibe assures, at least you won't be waiting in a long line of insufferable tourists to get it.

For another scrumptious suburban slice, try Burt's Place. Situated northwest of Gino's North in Morton Grove, the cozy neighborhood pizza parlor is stacked with stellar reviews on Tripadvisor, with many praising it as the best pan pizza in the Chicago area. Grab a table in the quaint, wood-paneled dining room, and bite into Burt's beloved deep-dish recipe, which involves an extra sprinkling of cheese on the crust before it's baked. You'll be happy you made the drive.