# Do certain major cities really have better food? (Chicago pizza, NY bagels, etc.) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 11, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911 "2003-09-11T04:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/61 "2003-09-12T17:09:06Z")
The Asian food in Toronto (now with a bigger Chinatown than SF) kicks ass. Comments like “You will not find any good ice cream outside of New England” imply the poster has not been far outside of New England. Certainly not to New Brunswick or Berthillion’s in Paris. I would agree the best Philly cheesesteak I’ve had was in Philly. But I don’t eat them regularly. And that is different from saying “Philadelphia is the only place to get a good cheesesteak”. It ain’t, and it might well not be the best, either. As for bagels, I miss living on St. Viateur street in Montreal and buying them minutes after being baked over the wood stove. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/62 "2003-09-12T17:57:06Z")
All I know is, I moved from Chicago to Nashville a little over three years ago and I’ve only had one decent Chicago-style pizza since – and that’s because my wife surprised me for my birthday by having a Giordano’s pizza shipped on dry ice from Chicago (you can order it from their website! yay!) You can also get Lou Malnati’s to deliver nationwide, and probably some of the other places. Not _quite_ as good, because it’s been frozen before baking, but still lightyears better than anything local I’ve found. It’s also damned hard to find decent BBQ around here. You should not be able to see through a bottle of barbacue sauce, people!! ---
**Author:** ![vivian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3e96dc/32.png) [@vivian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivian)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/63 "2003-09-12T18:11:02Z")
i think Toronto does it best for “Other” food, as in food from a wide variety of countries. Seeing as there really no such thing as “Canadian” food ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/64 "2003-09-12T18:31:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ruadh \* > \*\*The worst thing about getting bagels outside of NY is that in most other places people always try to toast them. And toasted bagels are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. \*\* You ain’t kiddin’. And they give you these little cream cheese containers to spread it yourself and that makes a big difference too. There’s nothing like a damp salt bagel with a slab of cream cheese thrown on it and a nice diet pepsi for breakfast. Now don’t get me started on these new fangled flavors you find outside NY, like _blueberry_ for the love of Christ! It’s plain, egg, salt, poppy, sesame, onion, garlic, cinnamon-raisin and everything. That’s it. No berries, no apples, no chocolate chips! They’re bagels, not muffins! Oooh, I’m just hot under the collar now! ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/65 "2003-09-12T19:59:07Z")
Despite their misleading name, Detroit is the only place to get a proper Coney Dog. We also have great Greek and Middle Eastern Food, though I haven’t had those in enough other places to proclaim Detroit the best. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/66 "2003-09-12T20:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by acsenray \* > \*\*The Washington area (especially Arlington) also has damn good Vietnamese and Pho places. \*\* Oh yeah! There’s a big Vietnamese shopping center on Wilson Blvd. just south of Rt. 7 (I think it’s called Eden West) that has some of the best pho and Vietnamese deli subs anywhere. Springfield is also good for these. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/67 "2003-09-12T20:47:59Z")
Unfortunately Denver doesn’t really have a specialty food that I can think of. Being over here in the middle of land it seems like everybody managed to make it here about the same time(Asian from the west, Latin from the south, various European from the west.) So no particular ethnicity got much of a foothold to dominate stuff. Plus due to latitude and altitude we had crap for ingredients until refridgerated trucking, cause nothing to exciting will grow here . But we are catching up(now that people have finally figured out to to bake bread at altitude which was the first huge problem we had to overcome). And we have a lot of damn good beer. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/68 "2003-09-12T21:12:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cheesesteak \* > \*\*ltfire, why are you going to Yankee stadium to get lemon jello? Everyone knows it’s WAY better at Shea! \*\* You happen to be the first Doper to pick up on that. If you’re a fan, you shouldn’t have to think twice about what it is. To the thousands of Dopers who don’t know what I’m talking about…keep wondering…😃 …and box seats are coming your way…😉 ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/69 "2003-09-12T21:24:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vivian \* > \*\*Seeing as there really no such thing as “Canadian” food \*\* I thought mooseburgers were the Canuck’s claim to fame 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/70 "2003-09-12T21:31:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sarcastro \* > **I cannot agree with you more on the cheesesteak issue. I have never had a very good one outside of Philadelphia. Probably the strongest remaining “regional” food in the U.S., since there’s not really a good chain selling them nationwide.** I call bullshit on that one, sir. Oh, and the rolls are available outside of Philly. I know that **Bongmaster** wants to show his regional pride and everything but the fact is that I made them for 7 years in Harrisburg, and I smoke Pat’s. Come to Harrisburg and I’ll prove it. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/71 "2003-09-12T22:10:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Caricci \* > **Now don’t get me started on these new fangled flavors you find outside NY, like _blueberry_ for the love of Christ! It’s plain, egg, salt, poppy, sesame, onion, garlic, cinnamon-raisin and everything. That’s it. No berries, no apples, no chocolate chips!They’re bagels, not muffins! Oooh, I’m just hot under the collar now!** A place here in Seattle used to sell bagels made with — wait for it — _bacon bits._ Now that just ain’t right. They’re out of business now. I think a powerful deity decided to smite them. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/72 "2003-09-12T22:20:54Z")
Dan Savage wrote his greatest column ever about bacon bagels. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/73 "2003-09-12T22:22:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Krokodil \* > \*\*New Yorkers swear New York pizza is best, Chicagoans swear Chicago pizza is best. People who’ve tried pizza from Old Forge, PA swear by it, even if they’re not from Old Forge. > > I’m from the DC area, and we don’t lay claim to anything as the “best.” I think it really is because Potomac River water is so rank. Nearby Baltimore is the Nazz for crabcakes and scrapple, though. \*\* Old Forge Pizza…I’m from Scranton, about 5 minutes away from Old Forge, had my share of it, and I can tell you, without a doubt, that Old Forge Pizza is OVERRATED! Yeah, it’s good and all, but it’s not as great as it’s made out to be. To the OP, the South in general, Louisiana specifically, is the only place you’ll get good gumbo, jambalaya, and dirty rice, unless you have a relative who can make it. Popeye’s may be OK in a pinch, but you ain’t lived until you had a homemade New Orleans seafood gumbo! ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911/74 "2003-09-13T00:09:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Casey1505 \* > \*\*you ain’t lived until you had a homemade New Orleans seafood gumbo! \*\* Ahhh … Nawwwwlens cuisine :: bowing :: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-major-cities-really-have-better-food-chicago-pizza-ny-bagels-etc/200911.md?page=3)