Viral Chicago Food

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Gone Viral

I started to do these five of a kind posts as a way to showcase specific dishes. It’s much easier writing a paragraph on a piece of pizza I tried than it is doing an entire post. It’s also a way to get a little more content up and not left on my phone to forget about. So I’m always thinking of ways I can combine five different things I ate and this post kind of came about when I recently tried two places I knew of due to their popularity on social media apps like Instagram. I thought to myself hmm what other things did I eat that were directly influenced by Instagram and I was able to come up with five spots (and dishes) that I likely learned of online by appearing on my food dominant timelines. So today’s post is about five places that have gone viral. It’s true that a lot of viral foods are gimmicks but not all of them are. Some are just good and catch on in a way that’s organic in terms of specific dishes like pizza, bagels, burgers, pasta, and hand rolls being popular with the younger TikTok demographic. 

__________________________________________________

Tilly Bagel (South Loop)

We start with bagels but not at the spot in Lincoln Park that had lines around the block last week. I don’t have plans to go there as I already tried an outlet in Delray Beach and the bagels there reminded me of the packaged ones you get at the supermarket. Today we check out Tilly Bagel which was a popup during the pandemic that turned brick and mortar in 2023. Tilly is known for its sourdough bagels that people have been known to line up for. No lines when I visited on a Tuesday morning (St. Patrick's Day) to try their popular cacio e pepe bagel with a smear of caramelized onion cream cheese. Simply put I’m not a big bagel guy so make of this what you will. I thought it was ok. The bagel had decent chew but maybe needed a little more. The cream cheese didn't really have much of a grilled onion taste and I thought there was too much of it on mine but I’ve seen people complain at places that put much less so maybe overloaded is the preferred normal for most but not for me. In the end I felt about these how I do about most bagels - it was fine for what it was - a bagel.

Cacio e Pepe Bagel with Caramelized Onion Cream Cheese at Tilly Bagel
__________________________________________________

Chomp Pizza (Pilsen)

Next up we head over to Pilsen where we’ll pop into the 18th Street Pink Line stop where Chomp Pizza runs a slice stand. It’s ran by a guy named Travis who used to worked at Paulie Gee’s in Wicker Park before doing his own thing at Chomp Pizza where they pretty much serve just one thing - a slice of cheese pizza ($5). I saw this place making the rounds online and made a point of trying it. I arrived right around opening time so the pizza had just come out of the oven. The pizza is made with a simple blend of tomatoes, Grande Cheese Co. mozzarella and some oregano but the magic is in the dough which is taken very seriously. The color on the crust is slightly darker and the texture is crisp and crackly. I can see why this place has become popular with people passing thru the 18th St. Station. 

Cheese Slice at Chomp Pizza
__________________________________________________

Smash Jibarito (Humboldt Park)

A lot of these viral food spots started as pop-ups as is the case with our next stop - Smash Jibarito in Humboldt Park. These guys paid their dues on the pop-up circuit and now have a spiffy new brick & mortar on Division. It’s the perfect fit for their hit smash burgers inspired by the classic Jibarito sandwiches that originated in this Puerto Rican enclave. This means instead of buns they’re using flattened and fried green plantains aka tostones to hold their smashed beef patties. The menu is tight with just a few burgers, some sides, and one wildcard item which is their twist on a pizza puff. The plantain “bun” on these burgers holds up better than you’d think and adds some extra crunch to the mix. Pictured below is “estilo Animal” aka Animal Style ala In-N-Out and it's a damn good burger. 

Jibarito Smash Burger at Smash Jibarito
__________________________________________________



Italian Homemade Co. (Fulton Market)

Pasta is a dish that tends to go viral as often as any and Fulton Market is a place where restaurants commonly go viral so of course a pasta spot on Fulton Market is going to go viral. The Italian Homemade Company got started in San Francisco circa 2014 before opening their Chicago location around 2024 as made from scratch pasta spots have really taken off. As soon as you walk in you’ll see the setup they have for making pasta from scratch plus a fridge with a bunch of that pasta packaged for home use. Or if you want to eat there you can pick a pasta and pick a sauce to go with it or choose one of their specialty pastas. Seems like most of the people working here were Italian for whatever that’s worth. I saw some videos about the lasagna and they list it among their specialties so I stopped in with a friend when he said he had a taste for some lasagna. There was some sort of meet and greet going on so the place was packed and our table was surrounded by annoying people with no sense of their surroundings and it was loud but that's to be expected in this area. I got the meat lasagna which is made with a beef and pork bolognese, bechamel, parmigiano. This was a textbook version. The pasta was fresh and soft and the meat sauce had a nice beefy taste to it. A very hearty dish. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here but if you're already near there it’s a pretty good option. 

Meat Lasagna at Homemade Italian Company
__________________________________________________

Noriko Handroll Bar (West Loop)

Last stop takes us over to Perilla Korean Fare in the West Loop. Perilla is a Michelin-recognized Korean BBQ restaurant group with a Steakhouse in the Loop. They also have a tiny handroll bar located in the basement of their West Loop location. It’s called Noriko Handroll Bar and it’s a hot reservation in big part due to it being such a small space with seating for around 20. The menu is revolved around handrolls with starters and a few crudo options. They have a few different sets you can get that mixes and matches a variety of rolls. Every seat is at the chef’s counter and all handrolls are made to order and meant to be eaten immediately. We started with a couple crudos which were just ok. I chose to go with the chefs handroll set with yellowtail, California roll, bluefin tuna poke, bluefin tuna toro, and bay scallop dynamite. I think I paid around $42 for the five rolls. They were all pretty good but the bay scallop dynamite roll was perfectly named as it was a lot more dynamic than the others as far as flavor. It’s described as a baked/spicy scallop with toppings like masago and sweet soy and it gets a kiss of flame with a blowtorch that gives it a smokiness that almost resembles a hot dog. That might sound funny but this was a really satisfying taste to me and one of the best things I ate last year. If I ever go back I’ll probably order a few of those and make a meal out of them.

Bay Scallop Dynamite Roll at Noriko Handroll Bar
__________________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking