Americana Submarine is steps away from the row of fried food featured on Lunch in the Loop like Micky's Chicken and Fish and Coco's Famous Deep Fried Lobster. Unlike those restaurants, nothing on this menu is fried. When I asked what the most popular sandwich on the menu was, the cashier proudly exclaimed that it was the ominous sounding "Bomber." More

It's easy to feel overwhelmed at Beard Papa's. Chocolate or strawberry filling? Is the flavor of the day anything special? Original shell or éclair? Isn't it important to try the basics first? But then again, isn't everything improved by a layer of chocolate? Fret not. We did the arduous and demanding work required to break things down for you filling by filling and puff by puff. More

Now that we're well into spring, I find myself craving fruits and vegetables. There's just something about the smell of spring air that says to my body, "Dennis, stop shoving those fries in your face and eat something fresh." When you get the same itch, Sopraffina Marketcaffé is the perfect place to visit. More

Can one restaurant successfully serve up Greek, Asian, and Italian flavors, just to name a few of Native Foods's points of culinary reference? And, maybe even more importantly, can it deliver authentic, honest, and ultimately delicious flavors via its proprietary line of fake meats? More

I was jealous when one of my fellow Serious Eats co-conspirators in crime, visited Fontano's Subs a while back for A Sandwich a Day, because it's one of my favorite places to grab a sub sandwich in the Loop. It's a bit of a walk from my office building, but on nice days, it's a perfect excuse to get out for lunch. More

List off the usual clichés that plague corporate cafeterias, and the Urban Market in the Chase Tower in the Loop probably has them all covered. But quietly over the past few months, a number of chef-branded stalls have quietly replaced the no-name eateries here, transforming the cafeteria into something that everyone might actually be interested in checking out. That includes Jimmy Bannos's Big Easy. More

While most people know of Pazzo's on S. Wacker as being an easy place to schedule a suit-and-tie lunch meeting, there's also a little express lunch place tucked away in the beautiful marble courtyard (complete with soothing fountain!). Instead of the $20 entrees served at the grown-up version, Pazzo's Express serves burgers, salads, wraps, and other quick lunch options. More

Oh, Thanksgiving, why are you only once a year? What injustice is it that you're not once a month—nay, once a week? I raise my fists to the sky in desire of piles of turkey and cranberry sauce! I shake them at the heavens in deep, deep sorrow and internal rage! Luckily, there is hope. Jaffa is the only lunch place I know of in the Loop that carves a giant turkey right off the bone in front of you. More

The Torpedo ($7.15 for a regular) features ham, salami, and bologna, none of which particularly stand out, but with their powers combined, form a sort of super deli meat conglomerate. The lettuce, tomato, and pepper are applied without restraint (See that monster ring of green pepper on the right?), but the white onions are a different story. More

I've always been wary of restaurants with clever names. Is the allure of punny food names just a way to distract from a sub-par kitchen? We have our fair share of them In Chicago, including Chubby Wieners up on Western (no kidding). Hot Woks Cool Sushi is another, and one of its four outposts happens to be in the Loop near my office. Of course, if I had my choice, I'd name a restaurant "These Boots Were Made for Wokkin'" or "Wok the Line," so I wouldn't be any better. More

I don't typically find myself dining down in the Loop for brunch, but when I do, I like to choose one of my go-to restaurants, Atwood Café, which is located in the historic Reliance Building. Their dinner has always impressed me, so I was curious to see how their brunch stacked up. More

After my visit to Rōti, I thought I'd pretty much found the only restaurant with the letter ō in its name. But I was wrong. Dead wrong. Because I found another place with that squirrelly little letter ō: Caffe RōM. Wōō! More

One of my main beefs (groan, pun intended, I hate my face) with other Italian beef pizzas is that the beef is almost always on top, or close to being on top, of the pizza. The cooking process inevitably transforms tender beef into jerky. But Luke's personal pan pizza with Italian beef ($5.25) may have actually changed my mind. More

You know, every now and then it's refreshing to have a nicer work lunch than the typical salad or sandwich, especially on special occasions. In this case, I recently got a raise (yay, me!) and I thought I'd go a little wild by picking a restaurant that has tablecloths. More

You've probably heard of Magnolia Bakery thanks to their famous cupcakes. I'd like to change that. Though the cupcakes are overly sweet, the crust on their apple pie is remarkable, their classic icebox pies and cakes will make you wonder why other bakeries haven't tried to copy them yet, and I can't imagine anyone would be angry if you showed up at a party with a dozen impeccably made mini cheesecakes instead of cupcakes. More