Anthony Bourdain Never Passed Up A Trip To This Chicago Restaurant

Anthony Bourdain found dishes that stuck out to him in cities all across the globe, and while his love for Tokyo's cuisine was never topped  – we here at The Takeout much prefer Osaka, the "Kitchen of Japan," but who are we to argue? — one city in America that he quite enjoyed was Chicago. The chef only documented his travels in the Second City three times across his several travel shows, but Bourdain's visit during Season 7 of "Parts Unknown" led him to reveal his favorite spots across the city in a subsequent interview with Thrillist in 2016.

While the beloved chef and world traveler had a handful of go-to spots in the city, the top of his list was actually just outside of it; Johnnie's Beef, an establishment that has been serving Italian beef since 1961, can be found just outside Chicago's city limits in the suburb of Elmwood Park. "Either on my way into town or out of town, I'm going Italian beef at Johnnie's," Bourdain remarked, referencing the restaurant's close proximity to Chicago O'Hare National Airport northwest of the city.

Bourdain was unable to document a visit to Johnnie's Beef in the Chicago episode "Part's Unknown," but he was able to express his love for the restaurant a few years earlier during the first episode of Season 2 of "The Layover." During his 43-hour visit to the city, Bourdain explained exactly why Johnnie's was a must-visit destination. "On my way back to the dreaded O'Hare, I stopped for an important Station of the Cross," Bourdain lauded, "Johnnie's Beef, where they do the all-important Chicago staple, Italian beef, right."

As for his order, Bourdain went for the Italian beef makeup that Chicagoans know and love — sweet peppers, hot peppers, and wetted in the sandwich's fabled beef au jus to perfection alongside a lemonade to wash it all down. While some Chicagoans also like to add some cheese to the mix and others prefer their Italian beef dipped rather than wet (yes, there's a difference), Bourdain's order was as classic as they come, and he was incredibly happy with the results. "It is a big, soggy load of awesomeness," Bourdain gleefully remarked.