The pizza. I’m not generally a deep dish pizza fan but I’ve never been to Chicago, so maybe I’ve never had it done right. I’d like to give it a try. Besides, I can get a good steak anywhere and hot dogs just seem so mundane.
Ditto!
I’ve nevr had a bad meal in CHicago, wait, Popeyes Chicken on the overpass rest stop at 294 (no longer there) bunch of racist slackers it was the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had.
Yet another vote for Italian Beef. Steakhouses are steakhouses and lots of cities have 'em. Chicago style pizza is all over the world now. Okay Chicago style dogs are special but still they, even Flukies and Wolfy’s, lose out to this Italian Beef!
The only good deep dish pizza I’ve had outside of Chicago was in Champaign, Illinois. The Uno chains around the country are horrible.
We’ll just slip past the buffet and head over to their steakhouse for brunch. 
At least he didn’t sentence us to the IP buffet.
Italian beef? I can do that. Repeatedly.
The one and only time I’ve been to Chicago, just changing planes, I had Chicago pizza at O’Hare. It was excellent. I just wish I could remember the excellent beer I had with it.
Italian Beef here too. I like it with the works: Italian sausage (you order “Combo” sandwich), sweet pepper (cooked), melted mozzarella cheese, and top with mild giardiniera.
I like deep dish pizza but I don’t eat deep dish exclusively. Occasional good deep dish pizza is a treat though.
When I’m away from Chicago I don’t think I think about Chicago style hot dog. A good steaks from restaurants or even supposedly good steak joints are, as far as I’m concerned, hit or miss and quite elusive. I can cook pretty satisfying steaks with right kind of meat and grill. I also can pretty much make my version of Chicago style hot dog anywhere. I like my hot dog with the works too - I order mine “easy everything” and often I pick out some Sport Peppers - eating too many Sport Peppers killed my stomach a couple of times already. Not a huge fan of relish but I don’t mind minimal sprinkle.
I’ll go with the Chicago Dog, with pizza a close second.
Goose Island? 312? Old Style?
Pizza, love deep dish pizza. Not even close.
Where are you staying?
That may have an impact on your decision.
Pizza, but with a thin crust. Regular, non thin crust pizzas are too doughy, so I’d probably hate a deep dish pizza.
I imagine it was one of the Goose Islands beers, 312 or Honkers. I sure hope nobody would confuse Old Style with a good beer.
Beef, dipped, mozz.
You can get a steak anywhere. You can even get Uno pizzas at the grocery store now, but there’s just no finding Italian beef outside of Cook County.
So where is the closest good Italian beef joint to State & Grand in downtown?
I’d have to say Al’s Beef for the real Chicago experience.
169 W. Ontario - about 2 blocks North, 4 blocks West.
A very good version and nice and close.
For another option try Portillo’s.
100 W. Ontario - it’s even closer, about 2 blocks North, 2 1/2 blocks West. Portillo’s makes a damn good beef and they make a pretty good Chicago dog too so you could knock 2 off your list right here.
I don’t generally eat Italian Beef when I’m in DT. It is something I get at local corner hotdog joints. Most of these small hotdog joint have Italian Beef. In fact, if you get it at restaurants often they are not quite the authentic Chicago Italian Beef, as they tried to make them too fancy. Generally, I’d say 80% of small corner hotdog joints have standard good to decent Italian Beef. Then there are a few “famed” Italian Beef joints. I don’t particularly seek them out so I don’t know. I hear about these joints on travel/food channel shows covering Chicago like everyone else. Someone else will have to direct you to one of these places. I’d think if you want to make a dinner out of it, you might want to go to some place where you can sit down and have some beer as well… but I don’t know what sit-down restaurants serve good Italian Beef.
Mr beef and Portillo’s (I think they have tables and have beer) are decent hotdog chains or check out http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/657941. I would order it juicy, which means they dip the whole sandwich in beef juice: makes it hard to eat without dripping but good. Good luck and I hope you like it.
What the hell is it with you people putting cheese on Italian beefs? 
I confess, I never knew this was a thing until about five to ten years ago. Do what you like, but for me, the only options are how juicy you want 'em and what peppers (hot, sweet, or mix.) Cheesy beef is all sorts of wrong to me, but de gustibus…
The first time I brought my wife to Johnnie’s she asked for a “beef dipped, sweet,…” and before I could stop her she blurted out “with cheddar”.
The whole place just stared at us while the counter man admonished us.
Now I just go pick it up for us 
Fascist 
More than half the times you just pay extra for cheese but you don’t get it, just like how cooks never seem to remember to put cheese in your Denver omelet. :mad: