Beyond Deep-Dish: A Guide to Chicago's Most Iconic Dishes

Ask an outsider to name Chicago food and you'll likely hear "deep-dish pizza." But locals know the city's signature table runs wider — a plantain-based sandwich born in Humboldt Park, a seven-topping hot dog with Depression-era roots, thin-crust tavern-style squares that many Chicagoans actually prefer, and an ice cream shop that has scooped since 1926. Here's what defines each classic, and how to tell them apart before you order. The Jibarito: A Plantain-Powered Sandwich If you want the dish that most surprises first-time visitors, start here. The jibarito is a sandwich served between two fried and flattened green plantains instead of bread. That swap defines everything about how it eats: crisp on the outside, tender inside, and sturdy enough to hold a full sandwich's worth of filling. Steak is the most well-known filling, but the range runs wide — from ham and cheese to octopus and shrimp, plus blood sausage and even a vegetarian option, according to Eater Chicago's guide to…