"The Bear": All the restaurants you can eat at in real life
The Bear was a massive success when it first hit the air in June 2022.
The second season launched in Canada recently (July 19), and we’ve already binged through every single episode. The first season showcased the struggles of getting a restaurant back on its feet. We saw great ideas in dreams and heard about them in theory, but it felt limited.
In the second season, we follow Carmen, Richie, Sydney, and the rest of the kitchen gang as they finally have the confidence to start from scratch and create the restaurant they want. They are equipped with the tools, literally and figuratively, to make the best food they can. They experiment. They discuss. They cook. And best of all? They scour the city for inspiration.
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It’s as these characters visit these restaurants that the show truly feels like, in the right moments, it’s relishing in the opportunity to delve into food porn.
We’ve rounded up all of the mouth-watering stops across Chicago for your curiosity or your next flight out.
Here are 12 real food spots and bars that you can actually go to, as seen on the brilliant hit show The Bear.
Mr. Beef
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Okay, it’s not REALLY in season two, but it sort of is because it is in spirit. This is the home where the show takes place. The real thing, operating since 1979, is the home of the original beef sandwich in Chico and it’s absolutely an American classic of a food spot.
Address: 666 N Orleans Street, Chicago
Kasama
Photo by Timothy Flores
This spot always has a wait, but that’s because it’s the first Filipino restaurant ever to win a Michelin star. Syd goes here and orders SO much food to look for inspiration in her own menu creation.
If you’ve already seen the episode and want to copy her order, then get the mushroom adobo, the breakfast sandwich with longanisa (Filipino sausage), a crispy hash brown, a mango tart, and a matcha latte.
Address: 1001 N Winchester Avenue, Chicago
Lao Peng You
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If you were drooling over dumplings in episode three, especially over the rolled-out Cong You Bing (green-onion and sesame-studded bread) then you were drooling over Lao Peng You.
Address: 2020 W Chicago Avenue, Chicago
Ever
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We won’t spoil any cameos or plot points, but we will say that Ever was heavily featured in the Forks episode, a season favourite.
Ever is a Michelin-starred spot in the West Loop and everything from the restaurant and kitchenâs interior, top-notch service, and even one of the food courses was shown in this season of The Bear.
Address: 1340 W Fulton Street, Chicago
After
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Ever and then After. It’s no coincidence. After is the companion cocktail lounge of Ever and it was where Marcus spent time making dessert in Copenhagen with the gorgeous Will Poulter.
Address: 1338 W Fulton Street, Chicago
Pequod’s
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If you ask someone who really knows what’s what where the best deep dish in Chicago is… they’re going to say Pequod’s.
Address: 2207 N Clybourn Avenue, Chicago
Pizza Lobo
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In possibly an effort to show that Chicago isn’t only for deep dishes, Pizza Lobo offers some incredible thin-crust options. Syd enjoys a slice of pepperoni, and we wish we were too.
Address: 3000 W Fullerton Avenue, Chicago
Avec
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This famed spot is known to Chicago diners for its shareable Mediterranean menu.
In season two, you might remember the scene where Syd sits pre-service and chats with someone and gets advice. That person is Donnie Madia, a highly regarded Chicago restaurateur and past employee of the real Mr. Beef.
Address: 615 W Randolph Street, Chicago
Publican Quality Meats
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Also in the West Loop in Chicago’s Fulton Market, this shop was also featured in Syd’s food-heavy episode. During her visit, Syd gets a butcher lesson from PQMâs very own Rob Levitt.
Address: 825 W Fulton Market, Chicago
Margie’s Candies
Margie’s Candies
This is the comfort food spot where Syd ends her food tour of Chicago. Margie’s Candies is an iconic 90-year-old ice cream parlour known for its homemade ice cream, milkshakes, and classic sundaes in old-school clamshell dishes.
Address: 1960 N Western Avenue, Chicago
Address: 1813 W Montrose Avenue, Chicago
Giant
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This spot wasn’t called out in the show, but it was featured. It played a fictional French restaurant but showed actual Giant chefs working in the background.
Address: 3209 W Armitage Avenue, Chicago
Elske
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Remember when Syd visits the Chicago restaurant and is allowed to use the kitchen to tinker and cook a new pasta dish? That’s here.
The chef who gives her the space and welcomes her is David Posey of the Michelin-starred restaurant in the West Loop.
Address: 1350 W Randolph Street, Chicago
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