I Know Chicago

I decided to play tourist this week and took some time on Monday to participate in Chicago Food Planet’s Food Tour of Chinatown. Having spent a few months in China I’m moderately versed in the food + cultural rituals and customs around eating but I have not taken the time to really dive into the Chinatown neighborhood of Chicago.

Let me say this, the Chicago Food Planet’s Chinatown tour is the PERFECT way to get to know the neighborhood, a bit about it’s history + explore some of it’s most delicious restaurants + hidden gems! 

We started at Triple Crown for a bit of Cantonese Dim Sum then headed to the local Buddhist Temple which was lovely and definitely not something I would have event noticed if I was exploring on my own.

We then walked to the Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng Co for some delicious green tea with jasmine. The shop had so much Ginseng. Ginseng root is really ugly. Did you know that the second biggest producer of Ginseng is Wisconsin?!

We walked around the neighborhood a bit more to walk off our Dim Sum stopping at points of interest. Our tour guide, Hillary, was well versed on the neighborhood, the history of the Chinese community in Chicago and of course the food.

We hit two more restaurants including Lao Sze Chuan for the BEST eggplant I have ever eaten. Ever. Go there.

We enjoyed some time at Ping Tom Memorial Park (which is stunning and maybe you recognize it from the Amazing Race).

(View from the Park)

We wrapped the tour at Saint Anna Bakery with some delicious sweets.

I had such a lovely time exploring the Chinatown Neighborhood with the group. It was a nice way to dive in, learn some great facts, enjoy great food + start my list of all of the places I need to go back and eat at/spend time at.

I definitely wish there were more vegetarian options especially when everyone was enjoying their Peking Duck but as all vegetarians know…you come to expect that. Maybe a vegetarian food tour of Chicago is in order?

If you are looking for a great way to play tourist in Chicago, you love food, or you are an out of towner looking for something a little more meaningful to do with your visit then I highly recommend the Chicago Food Planet Tours!

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