Lettuce Guide to Chicago: ‘The Bear’ Edition

Where would Carmy, Sydney & Richie eat at Lettuce?

FX’s The Bear is the talk of Chicago, with season 3 shooting all over town and cast members popping into Lettuce restaurants (Corey Hendrix attended the opening of Tre Dita at The St. Regis Chicago) and other iconic spots on the DL. In anticipation of the series’ new episodes coming soon to Hulu, we put together this guide to Chicago, matching the show’s characters with what would undoubtedly be their favorite Lettuce spots IRL.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for seasons 1 and 2 of The Bear.

Carmy + The Oakville Grill & Cellar

Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) would find a kindred spirit in The Oakville Grill & Cellar Executive Chef Max Robbins. Both masters of their craft with experience at Michelin-starred restaurants, they’ve gone on to earn accolades for putting a totally fresh spin on classic dishes by using simple, straightforward, quality ingredients. The Oakville’s Mushroom & Eggplant Ragù (which is so hearty you’d never guess it’s meatless!) would be a go-to for Carmy. Yes, Chef.

Make a reservation at The Oakville Grill & Cellar
Order carryout or delivery from The Oakville Grill & Cellar

Get the recipe for The Oakville’s Mushroom & Eggplant Ragù.

Richie + Tre Dita

Richie’s season 2 glow-up involved him discovering his true purpose as maitre d’ of The Bear, having honed his skills by interning on the team of another renowned Chicago fine dining establishment. With his newfound knowledge of hospitality that’s all about going the extra mile, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) would thoroughly appreciate the guest experience at Tre Dita while devouring Chef Evan Funke’s authentic handmade pastas and expertly prepared Bistecca Fiorentina.

Make a reservation at Tre Dita at The St. Regis Chicago

Sydney + Aba

Boundlessly creative and resourceful, Carmy’s chef de cuisine extraordinaire Sydney (Ayo Edibiri) saves the day more than a few times. A disastrous service of lamb ragù at her catering company’s final gig led her to Mr. Beef, where her obsessively perfected recipe for short rib risotto earned the restaurant a rave review from a local restaurant critic. Sydney would most certainly find her happy place in Aba Chef Partner CJ Jacobson’s menu of modern mezze favorites, like Lamb Ragù Hummus and Crispy Short Rib Hummus.

Make a reservation at Aba
Order carryout or delivery from Aba

Marcus + Beatrix

The Bear’s in-house baker Marcus (Lionel Boyce) lost sleep over creating the perfect chocolate ganache cake in season 1. He would no doubt spend a lot of time at Beatrix’s pastry counters figuring out how to dupe the all-day favorite’s beloved cookies and baked goods. Or maybe Executive Pastry Chef & Partner Yasmin Gutierrez would try to lure him away from Carmy to bring his vision and precision to serving desserts like Beatrix’s signature, gluten-free Tall, Dark & Handsome Chocolate Cake.

Make a reservation at the Beatrix location nearest you
Order carryout or delivery from the Beatrix location nearest you

Want try your hand at another dessert that would be Marcus-approved? Make RPM Steak’s 14K Chocolate Cake!

Tina + Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Mr. Beef veteran Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) is a whiz when it comes to zhuzhing up classics, like her recipe for rosemary mashed potatoes. She would marvel at what Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab does with sides—Jennie’s Mashed Potatoes at Joe’s are a gold standard in Chicago (IYKYK)—not to mention other time-tested signatures like Lobster Mac & Cheese, Seafood Chopped Salad, Dry-Aged Ribeye Sandwich and Joe’s Fried Chicken.

Make a reservation at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
Order carryout or delivery from Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Don’t forget pie! Joe’s Key Lime Pie is legendary – make it now.

Natalie + Mon Ami Gabi

Thanks to Carmy’s sister Natalie’s head for business, renovations of The Bear become a reality in season 2. Seeing “Sugar” hangry and frustrated while working through this massive project, Sydney lovingly prepares the most perfect French omelet for her pregnant colleague. We’re sure that Natalie (Abby Elliott) would frequent bistro classique Mon Ami Gabi for the delicate omelets and other authentic French cuisine for cozy dates with Pete, and someday soon, a family brunch with their new bundle of joy. (Oui, Chef!)

Make a reservation at Mon Ami Gabi – Lincoln Park
Order carryout or delivery from Mon Ami Gabi – Lincoln Park

Donna + Osteria Via Stato

Jamie Lee Curtis brought major drama as the Berzatto clan’s long-suffering matriarch, laboring over a Feast of the Seven Fishes for her ungrateful family. Cigarette in hand, she bakes and stirs and stews all day long during a holiday episode for the ages. Donna would do well to treat herself to authentic pasta, meatballs, the Famous Italian Dinner Party and more at Osteria Via Stato anytime, and maybe next Christmas Eve, take a break from cooking to enjoy the traditional holiday feast prepared by Chef Partner David Di Gregorio.

Make a reservation at Osteria Via Stato
Order carryout or delivery from Osteria Via Stato

Channel Donna Berzatto with the recipe for Osteria Via Stato’s Seafood Stew.

Uncle Jimmy + Shaw’s Crab House

Carmy’s Uncle Jimmy “Cicero” Kalinowski (is a man who enjoys the finer things in life, so we know he’d be a regular at Shaw’s Crab House. As iconic as it gets in Chicago, we’d surely catch him in a red leather booth at this River North seafood stalwart digging into a plate of King Crab Legs while negotiating a deal on a cocktail napkin, or just snagging a few moments of peace to himself as he throws back some oysters and martinis at Shaw’s Oyster Bar.

Make a reservation at Shaw’s Crab House – River North
Order carryout or delivery from Shaw’s Crab House – River North

Mix up Shaw’s Classic Martini for some Uncle Jimmy-style fun at home.

The Fak Brothers + R.J. Grunts

With $5 classic cocktails available during late-night happy hour every Thursday-Sunday, plus all-American grub like Potato Skins and the French Dip Enigma (the other iconic beef sandwich in Chicago, in our humble opinion), we can’t think of a better place for Neil and Theodore Fak (Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri) to pass the time waiting for parts to come in to fix the condenser/walk-in/range hood and everything else at The Bear in need of the goofy brothers’ mechanical expertise. (FUN FACT: Staffieri is a former employee of R.J. Grunts and met his spouse there!)

Make a reservation at R.J. Grunts
Order carryout or delivery from R.J. Grunts

Click here to discover all of Lettuce’s best happy hour deals!

Gary + Hub 51

Gary “Sweeps” Woods (Corey Hendrix) played farm ball for the Chicago Cubs, and though he never went pro, we think he’d love digging into Hub 51’s Famous Pulled Chicken Nachos, sushi, salads and more, while watching the Cubbies on the many TVs available at the super-chill River North spot. Just a two-minute walk from Mr. Beef/The Bear, Hub 51 would be the perfect place for the low-key cook to relax before heading into an intense night on the line with Carmy and crew.

Make a reservation at Hub 51
Order carryout or delivery from Hub 51

Did you know that Hub 51’s lower level space Sub 51 has transformed into a Tokyo-inspired listening bar for the month of April? Don’t miss this immersive cocktail pop-up series from Three Dots and a Dash!

Claire + Pizzeria Portofino

Pizzeria Portofino is simply made for brunch-as-breakup-recovery, and after That Scene with Carmy trapped in the walk-in (NO, Chef, no!), we’re pretty sure that what “Claire Bear” would do is gather her girls for a heartache-healing feast of pizza, pasta and very large Aperol spritzes. Revenge dining at its finest, and with a fabulous view from an all-seasons riverfront patio.