Preparation and Tips - Eating in Chicago

Chicago is famous for its food. From deep dish pizza to Italian beef to Chicago style hot dogs. Whilst you're in Chicago you will definitely want to try some of the local cuisine. Now, there's plenty of guides online to the best foods to try in Chicago. From the best deep dish in town to the best cookies, a quick Google search will give you all you need to know. So for this guide I'm going to focus mainly on what's available near McCormick Place itself.

McCormick Place West

McCormick's West Building, which will be home to Star Wars Celebration, offers a range of dining options, including some you don't even have to leave the show floor for!
First up is the West Hall Cafe. This is located on the show floor making it the most convenient place to eat, and likely the busiest as well! The cafe offers Mediterranean pizzas and paninis, gourmet burgers and chicken sandwiches, along with a range of express to go sandwiches, salads and snacks. If you're plan on eating here I'd say the best times are likely to be late morning or mid afternoon, avoiding the lunch time rush. Or when there's a major panel, such as Episode IX, taking place. You could enjoy brunch whilst streaming the panel live on your phone or tablet.

The main West Hall Food Court is located on Level 2 of the building, with offerings including Little Italy, Pacific Rim, American Grill, and Fiesta Brava, as well as a range of express to go sandwiches, salads and snacks. Also on Level 2 is the La Brea Bakery, which offers fresh pastries as well as made to order paninis for breakfast and lunch, along with grab and go sandwiches, salads and soups.

And then there's Starbucks on the main concourse as well.

More details can be found here and at Savor, who provide all of the food and beverages for the convention centre.

Connected Hotels

If you don't fancy convention centre food for 5 days straight, both the Hyatt Regency and Marriott Marquis are connected to McCormick Place by sky bridge and offer a variety of dining options.

Restaurants at the Hyatt include;

Sixes & Eights - Southeast Asian food (open 11am-6pm)

Third Star - an array of international options (open 6:30-11am for breakfast, 11am-2pm for lunch, and 5pm-10pm for dinner)

Arc Bar - offering a rang of craft beers and cocktails (open 11am-midnight)

Or if you want something to just grab and go, check out the Market. Open 6am-10pm, the Market offers freshly brewed Starbucks coffee, gourmet sandwiches, fresh fruit, smoothies, pastries and more.

Over at the Marriott options include;

Woven & Bound - American food and bar (open 6:30-11am for breakfast, 11am-5pm for lunch, 5-10pm for dinner, and 10pm-midnight for light fare)

2121 Pantry - American food to go

Showroom Food Hall - offers 5 locations for dining and drinking (open 7am-10pm)

• Argosy Soup & Sandwich - soups and sandwiches (open for lunch and dinner)
• Winged Warrior - pizza, wings and salads (open for lunch and dinner)
• Hot Licks - baked potatoes (open for lunch and dinner)
• Revolution Coffee - baked goods and coffee (open for breakfast, lunch and dinner) I am way too excited about trying the home made Pop Tarts!
• The Nomad - craft beers and handmade cocktails (open for lunch and dinner)

You can find more information and menus for all of these restaurants at the hotels websites - Hyatt & Marriott. Just keep in mind that if you leave the convention centre to dine at the connected hotels you will have to go back through security to re-enter. Just something to keep in mind if you have panels or other events planned for after your meal.

Outside

Of course, eating at the convention centre or the connected hotels won't be cheap. If you're happy to step outside then you'll find a range of dining options from fast food to a dinner show at Tommy Gun's Garage (which you can see on the restaurant map below with a theatre symbol rather than the standard knife and fork).

Near the convention centre is mostly fast food, but there is a Pizano's within easy walking distance (the unnamed restaurant pin just above Papa John's on the map) and Chinatown is about a 20 minute walk away.

Heading further afield, up to downtown/The Loop and Magnificent Mile, both of which are only a short ride away on the L train, you'll find a wide variety of dining options including some of the best places to eat in the city. You'll get better food and better prices than you will at/around the convention centre.

My best advice is to look up some of the Chicago food tours on offer. Even if you don't plan on taking a tour, look at the restaurants they visit. You'll probably get some great ideas on where you want to go. Then look at where those places are in relation to your hotel and your transport links. That last part is important. After walking all day at Celebration, you probably won't want to be walking miles for food in the evening.

Bring Your Own

If you want to do Celebration on a budget or simply don't have time in your schedule for a proper lunch break, then you're going to want to take food in with you. Taking water and snacks is pretty much essential for any convention, but bringing a packed lunch (or breakfast if you're over nighting it!) can really save you both money and time. Plus it's probably healthier too! If you're driving in you can bring some supplies with you, but for those flying in or just wanting to buy provisions once they arrive, there's plenty of options available. There's a Walgreens about 20 minutes walk away from McCormick Place, but if you hop on the L Train for one stop to Roosevelt there's a Walgreens right by the station and a large Target store about 5 minutes walk away that's sure to fill all your needs. And there are plenty of CVS stores throughout the downtown area. If you're in a group then splitting the cost on supplies can really save you a lot of money on your food bill.

Most likely, you'll mix it up a bit. Bring some food of your own, eat on site one day and downtown the next. Just make sure that you do eat and stay hydrated. You'll be on the go almost constantly at Celebration, so it's important to stay fuelled up and ready to go.