10 Cheap Dishes to Eat Near Lollapalooza

[Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]

Unlike most music festivals we've been to, Lollapalooza's food options actually sound downright enticing. That's all thanks to chef Graham Elliot, who returns this year as culinary director of "Chow Town," which mostly means he's in charge of organizing the festival's group of vendors. Once again, the list of restaurants is impressive. Along with his own joint, Grahamwich, he also managed to bring in Chizakaya, Edzo's Burger Shop, and Franks 'n' Dawgs, among many others. So if you have the money, it's probably worth it to see what you can score there. On Monday we'll report back on some of my favorites.

But if you blew all your available cash scrimping and saving to get tickets to the three-day festival, don't worry. The area surrounding Grant Park is loaded with great food finds. We decided to pick out ten of our favorite cheap eats you can get nearby, and the selections include everything from hot dogs to Cuban sandwiches. Have a favorite affordable dish in the area we forgot to include? Let us know. Otherwise take a look at the slideshow, or check out the picks individually below.

• Italian Beef at Al's #1 Italian Beef
• Char Dog at Gold Coast Dogs
• Sweet Corn and Green Chile Tamale at Frontera Fresco
• Milanesa Torta at Tortas Frontera
• Classic Burger at Marc Burger
• Mushroom Tofu Ramen at Noodles by Takashi
• Sergio's Special at Hannah's Bretzel
• Falafel Sandwich at Oasis Cafe
• Original Shell Cream Puff at Beard Papa's
• Cubano at Cafecito

This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.