Chicago Food and Night-Out Glossary
Understand the food and visit details before choosing the Chicago place that fits your day.
- Rib tips
- The trimmed ends of spare ribs. At Lem’s they are one of the named menu choices in Chicago’s South Side barbecue tradition.
- Hot links
- Seasoned sausages. A tips-and-links order pairs them with rib tips at a Chicago barbecue counter.
- Brisket
- A beef cut used for slow-smoked barbecue. Smoque and Green Street give it different neighborhood homes.
- Counter service
- You order at a counter rather than beginning with table service. Kasama separates daytime counter service from its reserved dinner.
- A set sequence of courses chosen by the restaurant. Alinea and Oriole build the evening around that format.
- Bib Gourmand
- A MICHELIN distinction for good cooking at good value. It is different from a MICHELIN Star.
- MICHELIN Stars
- The guide’s award for cooking. The year and the exact restaurant matter; older website copy can be behind the current selection.
- Vegan
- Food prepared without animal ingredients. A venue with vegan options is different from a fully vegan kitchen.
- Seitan
- A wheat-gluten food used in some meat-free dishes. Chicago Diner’s menu names seitan in its diner-style meals.
- Beer garden
- An outdoor place to sit with a drink. Handlebar publishes a beer garden alongside its restaurant and bar.
- Taproom
- A place to drink a brewery’s beer. A taproom does not necessarily have a full restaurant kitchen.
- Carhop service
- Service brought to your parked car. Superdawg’s original Chicago drive-in keeps that style of visit.
- Walk-in
- A visit without a reservation. Alice & Friends’ Chicago branch is walk-in only.
- Show age rule
- The minimum age for the actual concert. A room that hosts some all-ages events can also hold adults-only nights.
- Game-day pub
- A pub that publishes sports viewing. The fixture and opening time still need to match the game you want.
- Branch
- One location of a business. The Wrigleyville Smoke Daddy and the former Wicker Park restaurant have different current status.
- Closed record
- A retained place page that explains a closure instead of sending you toward an active recommendation.