When looking for a great hotdog or the world’s best pizza, Chicago is often at the top of the list. Most people don’t look to the windy city for great Cajun food, but it’s there if you know where to look.
Cajun food is unique to the southern United States (Louisiana especially) and can range from a rustic two or three ingredient dish to an elaborate and flavorful recipe like Jambalaya. Luckily, for those of us who don’t live in the Deep South, Cajun food has migrated throughout the country. These Chicago restaurants offer some of the best Cajun food to be found this side of New Orleans.
Walking into the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop in Hyde Park is like walking into another era. The décor is eclectically southern with Dixieland memorabilia covering every nook and cranny in the restaurant. The service is fast and friendly and you’re always greeted with a basket of delicious Johnny cakes at your table. And don’t forget the fried green tomatoes as a starter to your meal.
If you’ve saved room after the Johnny cakes and fried tomatoes, I recommend the one of their po’boy sandwiches or a sampler dish to try their tasty jambalaya and gumbo. If you’re heading to the Dixie Kitchen for lunch or dinner, be sure to come early, this Chicago eatery fills up fast with locals.
Heaven on Seven on Wabash Avenue, is a favorite Cajun destination in Chicago, with good reason. The restaurant is on the smaller side, but they make up for that with big flavor. If the delicious gumbo and andouille sausage doesn’t ignite your appetite, the Wall of Fire will. The wall is bottle after bottle of hot sauces sure to intimidate even the most diehard spicy Cajun fan. If you head here for breakfast I recommend the shrimp omelet. You won’t be disappointed.
Heaven on Seven is open for breakfast and lunch during the week and one Friday every month they’re open for dinner. This is another restaurant that gets packed early, so plan ahead.
Chicago’s Wishbone restaurant on Washington is a great mix of home-style southern and Cajun cooking. The ingredients are fresh, with a huge variety of menu items to please just about anyone. Wishbone has some of the best blackened dishes this side of Louisiana and the grits are amazing.
When the only complaint you have is you can’t decide which of the long list of side dishes you want with your meal, you know you’re eating good. But with their reasonable prices, you might even get a few extra. They also have a nice selection of vegetarian meals sure to please anyone.
The Lagniappe Creole Cajun Joynt on Chicago’s 79th street is home to one of the best of not THE best chicken gumbos in town. The spices were perfectly balanced and complimented the ingredient beautifully. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious and you’ve never tasted crawfish before, this is the place to try it.
The food is authentic and made to order, so you might have a longer wait than you’re use to in most restaurants. But it’s well worth the wait.
The highlight of a visit to Lagniappe for me is the desserts. Having grown up in a southern family, their bread pudding is the closest thing to home cooked you’ll find. The cake in a jar is another fun dessert and the banana pudding is the best I’ve ever tasted. If you’re only in Chicago for a short visit definitely head over to Lagniappe for some authentic Cajun food.
