A Chicago Style Hot Dog is an all-beef frank on a poppy seed bun loaded with mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, sport peppers, and celery salt. It is famously “dragged through the garden” — and famously not dragged through ketchup.

Chicken Vesuvio is a Chicago Italian-American dish made with roasted chicken, potato wedges, garlic, white wine, olive oil, herbs, and often green peas. It is crisp, garlicky, comforting, and very Chicago.

Chicago deep-dish pizza is a tall, buttery-crusted pizza layered with cheese, toppings, and chunky tomato sauce. It eats more like a savory pie than a quick slice and that is exactly the point.

The Gym Shoe Sandwich is a massive South Side Chicago sandwich stacked with meats like Italian beef, corned beef, and gyro meat, then loaded with cheese, sauce, peppers, and toppings. Despite the name, no footwear is involved — just chaos on a roll.

The Horseshoe Sandwich is a Springfield, Illinois original made with toast, meat, fries, and a blanket of cheese sauce. It is open-faced, over-the-top, and absolutely not pretending to be light.

An Italian Beef Sandwich is thin-sliced seasoned roast beef piled onto a roll, soaked or dipped in jus, and topped with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera. It is messy, juicy, and pure Chicago.

Tavern style pizza is Chicago’s thin, crispy, square-cut pizza, the one locals are just as likely, if not more likely, to order than deep dish. It is crunchy, shareable, and built for a pitcher of beer.