Good Eats near Joliet?

[ekarlsso]

Hey all,

I will be in the Chicago area this weekend and am looking for some good eats in places near Joliet for some good, traditional Chicogo-style food. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I'm willing to try pretty much anything so just shout out your favorite places. My past travel to the Chicago area is limited so I don't know how far I'll be able to range...

Cheers!

[dramisino]

MARICHKA'S on Theodore St. in Crest Hill is a Joliet area institution. Garlic poor boys are killer. Old school decor and menu. Straight out of "Rudy"

[kellip14]

You MUST go to Barolo (http://www.barolofinedining.com/
)This food is phenomenal. It's not your typical pizza/pasta Italian restaurant. It's more gourmet but they have a variety of dishes and appetizers to please anyone's palette. Great for a date or a nice night out for delicious food w/ friends. Great wine selection & specialty martinis too!

[losti]

A little north of Joliet , but White Fence Farm is pretty much a south suburb institution. Family style fried chicken with sides. Joliet Road just south of Rte 55, Lemont Il.

[Mid Michigan Dining]

Best restaurant in Joliet is a little dive on Chicago Street downtown called Chicken-N-Spice. I went to school in Joliet and ate there three times a week. Love the chicken. Love the Italian beef. Any time I'm close to Joliet now, I'll make a detour in to town to get chicken....

http://midmichigandining.com/2008/12/18/chicken-n-spice-joliet-il/ <---review of a recent visit

I would also second Vito and Nick's. We ate at the Chicago location not too long ago. Service was awful, but pizza was great. Get two Chicago favorites in one dish...and Italian Beef Pizza

http://midmichigandining.com/2009/02/... <---recent review

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Chicken-N-Spice
251 N Chicago St, Joliet, IL 60432

[libgirl2]

For good beef sandwiches and the like, Mickeys on Larkin in Crest hill is really good. Wonderful fries my favorite actually for a non-chain. The also have great hotdogs.

[kristenk76]

It's a little outside Joliet, but if you want really good Chicago Deep Dish Pizza go to Lou Malnati's. I think the closest one to Joliet is in Naperville.

[Ben Person]

Located just north of Joliet, in Plainfield, is Baby Back Blues BBQ (16200 S.W. Lincoln Highway). This is perhaps the best BBQ institution outside of the Chicago city limits, and it would be a convenient visit for you from Joliet. Ribs are the star. They are smoked in large vertical smokers just behind the counter. Also available are sandwiches (brisket, pulled pork, and chicken), beef brisket, and pulled pork entrees. You have baked beans, green beans, cole slaw, and fries to choose from to accompany your sandwich or entree orders. The fries, cut fresh with the skins on, and beans are delicious, but the thin slaw and bland green beans are forgetable.

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Baby Back Blues BBQ
Plainfield, IL, Plainfield, IL

[gleam]

Not Chicago style, but you need to go to Amanecer Tapatio in Joliet. You can find more about it here by searching, or searching at LTHForum.com.

Amanacer Tapatio
573 Collins St
Joliet, IL 60432
[phone]

[nsxtasy]

Amanacer Tapatio has closed.

[markh]

This is where I would go for pizza:

The Original Vito & Nick's Lemont Lanes
1015 South State Street
Lemont, IL 60439
1-630-257-5426
http://www.vitoandnick.com

It's about a 15 minute drive from downtown Joliet.

[nsxtasy]

Nothing's more traditional Chicago-style than our famous deep-dish pizza. There are two main styles: double-crust "stuffed" pizza and single-crust "pizza in the pan". My favorite pizza of all is the delicious stuffed pizza at Giordano's, which has locations in Joliet, Plainfield, and Minooka in that area. Stuffed pizza from Giordano's - yum!!! Phone ahead with your pizza order to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes while seated for your pizza to bake. www.giordanos.com

Two other Chicago specialties are Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs. Portillo's is always a good bet for either (or both!), and they have a location in Shorewood. www.portillos.com

If you enjoy finer dining, Tallgrass in Lockport is one of the very best restaurants in the entire Chicago area. I posted a detailed report on a dinner I ate there, at
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/403032 The restaurant's website is at www.tallgrassrestaurant.com

I've heard good things about Amanecer Tapatio, a Mexican restaurant in Joliet, but I have yet to try it - it's still on my list...