When you think of Chicago food, your mind probably jumps straight to the savory classics.
Deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs, and legendary Italian beef sandwiches usually steal the spotlight.
But if you are visiting the Windy City and you have a sweet tooth, you are in for an unbelievable treat.
Chicago has a rich, surprisingly historic dessert culture that rivals any major culinary city in the world.
Whether you are a local looking to satisfy a sugar craving or a tourist planning your culinary itinerary, you cannot skip these sweet treats.
JM
AK
Here is the ultimate guide to the most famous Chicago desserts you absolutely need to try.
1. The Original Palmer House Brownie
Did you know the chocolate brownie was invented in Chicago?
Back in 1893, socialite Bertha Palmer asked the pastry chef at the Palmer House Hotel to create a dessert for the World’s Columbian Exposition.
She wanted a confection smaller than a piece of cake that could easily be eaten from a boxed lunch.
The result was the world’s very first brownie.
Today, you can still visit the stunning Palmer House Hilton in the Loop—which happens to be one of the best downtown Chicago hotels—and order the exact same recipe.
It is incredibly fudgy, topped with toasted walnuts, and finished with an apricot glaze.
Local Pro-Tip: You can order the brownie at Lockwood Restaurant located right in the lobby. Grab a slice and pair it with a cappuccino while admiring the breathtaking painted ceiling.
2. The Original Rainbow Cone
If you visit Chicago in the summer, you have to get a Rainbow Cone.
This iconic South Side institution has been serving up its signature towering treat since 1926 in the Beverly neighborhood.
Unlike traditional ice cream spots, a Rainbow Cone isn’t scooped—it is sliced.
The classic cone features five distinct, colorful layers: Orange Sherbet, Pistachio, Palmer House (New York Vanilla with cherries and walnuts), Strawberry, and Chocolate.
The flavor combination sounds wild, but it works together flawlessly.
Local Pro-Tip: If you can’t make it all the way down to the original Beverly location, they have a highly popular kiosk located right on Navy Pier during the summer months.
3. Portillo’s Chocolate Cake Shake
Portillo’s is undeniably one of those wildly famous Chicago restaurants that are actually worth the hype.
While they dominate the savory game, their dessert menu holds a massive cult following.
You can order a slice of their famously moist double-chocolate cake, but true Chicagoans know to take it one step further.
You have to order the Chocolate Cake Shake.
The staff literally takes an entire slice of their rich, decadent chocolate cake and blends it right into a thick milkshake.
You can taste the actual cake crumbs and rich frosting in every single sip.
Local Pro-Tip: This shake is incredibly heavy and decadent. If you are also eating a hot dog and fries, consider splitting a regular-sized shake with a friend!
4. Eli’s Cheesecake
New York isn’t the only city with a claim to fame in the cheesecake world.
Created by restaurateur Eli Schulman in 1980, Chicago-style cheesecake is distinctly different from its East Coast cousin.
Instead of a graham cracker crust, Eli’s uses a buttery shortbread cookie crust.
The batter is baked at a higher temperature, which gives it a firm, golden outside and a wildly creamy, rich inside.
Local Pro-Tip: You can find slices of Eli’s at steakhouses and taverns across the city, but the best place to get it is fresh from their massive bakery and café on the Northwest side (near O’Hare Airport).
5. Margie’s Candies Turtle Sundae
Stepping into Margie’s Candies in Bucktown is like stepping into a time machine.
This beloved parlor has been serving up handmade candies and massive ice cream sundaes since 1921.
Over the years, everyone from Al Capone to The Beatles has stopped in for a sweet treat.
While everything here is delicious, the Turtle Sundae is the star of the show.
They serve it in a classic white clamshell dish, loaded with French vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, warm caramel, and freshly roasted pecans.
Local Pro-Tip: Margie’s sits on the border of Bucktown and Logan Square, which are two of the absolute best Chicago neighborhoods to explore if you want to hang out where the locals do.
6. Garrett Popcorn (The Garrett Mix)
You might be wondering, “Is popcorn really a dessert?”
Once you try the CaramelCrisp from Garrett Popcorn Shops, you will absolutely say yes.
Garrett Popcorn is a Chicago staple, known for the intoxicating smell of sugar and butter that wafts down Michigan Avenue.
The most famous order is the “Garrett Mix” (formerly known as the Chicago Mix).
It is a blend of their sweet, buttery, deeply caramelized CaramelCrisp and their savory, salty CheeseCorn.
Local Pro-Tip: If you are wondering, is Chicago safe for tourists? Yes! And as long as you follow basic city awareness, snacking on a tin of Garrett’s while safely walking down the Magnificent Mile is an elite downtown experience.
7. Mario’s Italian Lemonade
Located right across the street from the famous Al’s Beef in Little Italy, Mario’s Italian Lemonade is a true Chicago summer tradition.
Operating out of a tiny, colorful stand since 1954, Mario’s serves a product that is halfway between a snow cone and Italian ice.
Their Italian lemonade is scooped high into paper cups and features real chunks of lemon rind.
While the classic lemon is a must-try, they also offer incredible fruit flavors like watermelon, cantaloupe, and peach.
Local Pro-Tip: Mario’s is strictly seasonal. They typically open their windows in May and close up shop by late September, so plan your trip accordingly!
8. Frango Mints
If you want a famous Chicago dessert you can easily pack in your suitcase, look no further than Frango Mints.
These melt-in-your-mouth chocolate mint truffles are a legendary part of Chicago’s retail history.
They were traditionally made in the candy kitchens on the 13th floor of the flagship Marshall Field’s department store on State Street.
When Macy’s took over Marshall Field’s, they kept the Frango Mint tradition alive.
Local Pro-Tip: Head to the lower level of the Macy’s on State Street to grab a classic green box. They have a distinct, slightly grainy texture and a cool peppermint finish that pairs perfectly with an after-dinner coffee.
9. Sweet Mandy B’s Banana Pudding
Sweet Mandy B’s is a staple in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, famous for its old-fashioned, pastel-colored desserts.
Walking into this bakery feels like walking into your grandmother’s kitchen.
While their frosted sugar cookies and cupcakes are legendary, you simply cannot leave without trying their Banana Pudding.
It is rich, impossibly creamy, loaded with fresh bananas, and packed with soft vanilla wafers.
Local Pro-Tip: Lincoln Park gets incredibly busy on weekends. Go on a weekday afternoon, grab a cup of pudding, and walk a few blocks east to enjoy it while looking at the Lincoln Park Conservatory.
10. Churros at Xoco
Famed chef Rick Bayless is known worldwide for his authentic Mexican cuisine in Chicago.
While his savory dishes at Frontera Grill in River North are amazing, the desserts at his fast-casual spot, Xoco, are out of this world.
Xoco is famous for its bean-to-cup hot chocolate and made-to-order churros.
These churros are fried perfectly crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and rolled heavily in cinnamon sugar.
Local Pro-Tip: Dunking a warm, freshly fried churro into a cup of their thick, dark, Aztec hot chocolate (made with chili and allspice) is a transcendent Chicago food experience.
11. Brown Sugar Bakery’s Caramel Cake
If you want to experience the soul of Chicago’s South Side, you have to visit Brown Sugar Bakery in Chatham.
Founded by James Beard Award-nominated baker Stephanie Hart, this bakery is an absolute Chicago institution.
While they serve incredible cupcakes and peach cobbler, their signature Caramel Cake is the undisputed star.
It features layers of impossibly moist yellow cake smothered in a rich, cooked southern-style caramel icing.
Local Pro-Tip: Buy it by the slice, but eat it at room temperature. The frosting is sweet, slightly gooey, and sets up with that perfect, slightly crackly sugar crust.
12. Alinea’s Edible Helium Balloon
Not all famous Chicago desserts are casual street food or classic diner fare.
Chicago is home to Alinea in Lincoln Park, one of the few three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the country, run by culinary genius Chef Grant Achatz.
While the tasting menu changes constantly, their Edible Helium Balloon has become a globally recognized dessert.
The culinary team makes a transparent, green-apple flavored sugar taffy balloon and literally fills it with helium.
Local Pro-Tip: You are instructed to suck the helium out and speak in a high-pitched voice before eating the taffy. It is a playful, wildly innovative dessert that put Chicago’s modern culinary scene on the world map.
13. Doughnut Vault’s Buttermilk Old Fashioned
Chicago has a massive donut culture, but Doughnut Vault in River North is legendary.
Tucked away in a tiny, brick-walled space that literally looks like an old bank vault, they serve small-batch artisanal donuts.
Their Buttermilk Old Fashioned is the pinnacle of donut perfection.
It has a deep, craggy, crunchy exterior that catches all of the sweet vanilla glaze, while the inside remains perfectly soft and dense.
Local Pro-Tip: You have to get there early. They open in the morning and close their doors as soon as they sell out, which frequently happens before 11:00 AM!
14. Vosges Haut-Chocolat (The Bacon Chocolate Bar)
Did you know the culinary trend of mixing bacon and chocolate actually started in Chicago?
Chocolatier Katrina Markoff founded Vosges Haut-Chocolat with a mission to blend exotic spices and ingredients with premium chocolate.
Her most famous creation is “Mo’s Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar.”
She daringly folded uncured, fruitwood-smoked bacon and alder wood smoked salt into deep milk chocolate, creating a sweet and savory craze that swept the nation.
Local Pro-Tip: Stop by their boutique on Michigan Avenue or inside O’Hare Airport to grab a few bars to take home as gifts.
15. Bavette’s Chocolate Cream Pie
Chicago is a legendary steakhouse city, and a great steakhouse always has an over-the-top dessert menu.
Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf in River North is widely considered one of the best steakhouses in Chicago, but their dessert menu has a cult following of its own.
You absolutely must order a slice of their towering Chocolate Cream Pie.
It features an intensely dark, buttery Oreo cookie crust filled with a silky, rich chocolate pudding.
Local Pro-Tip: It is topped with a literal mountain of freshly whipped cream. It is incredibly decadent and easily big enough to share with two or three people at the table.
16. Chiu Quon’s Egg Tarts
To round out your Chicago dessert tour, you have to head south to Chinatown.
Grabbing dinner at the best Chicago Chinatown restaurants is a local rite of passage, but saving room for the neighborhood bakeries is mandatory.
Chiu Quon Bakery is the oldest bakery in Chicago’s Chinatown, operating since 1986.
Their famous Dan Tat (Chinese Egg Tarts) feature a remarkably flaky pastry crust filled with a bright, silky, perfectly sweetened egg custard.
Local Pro-Tip: Buying a box of these warm egg tarts to share with friends is one of the absolute best things you have to do in Chicago’s Chinatown on a breezy Sunday afternoon.
The Ultimate Chicago Dessert Experience
Chicago is truly a dessert lover’s paradise. From the historic kitchens of the Loop to the bustling neighborhood bakeries, there is a sweet treat to satisfy every single craving.
The next time you visit the Windy City, make sure you save plenty of room after your hot dogs and deep-dish pizza to indulge in a slice of local culinary history.
Which of these famous Chicago desserts is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
JM
AK
