7 Real-Life Restaurants Featured In The Bear
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4 months ago
Chicago hotspots featured on screen
Although the central sandwich shop in The Bear is fictional, the hit Disney show gives us a look inside some of Chicago’s most beloved foodie hotspots. The series, which recently returned for a third instalment, is a love letter to the city’s eclectic culinary scene, and features numerous restaurant cameos – from fine dining establishments to pizza joints, bakeries to ice cream parlours. Whether you’re planning a food-focused trip to Chicago or are simply craving some trivia after finishing season three, read on to discover which real-life restaurants have appeared on The Bear.
Chicago Restaurants With Cameos In The Bear
Kasama
This Filipino bakery and restaurant from chefs Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores is widely regarded as one of Chicago’s best eateries. It’s also one of the real-life restaurants featured in The Bear, popping up in episode three, after Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) agree to meet there to get some inspiration for dishes for the new restaurant. Carmy ends up standing Sydney up, but she stays for some food anyway, devouring a longanisa sausage sandwich with hash browns, followed by a mango tart.
1001 N Winchester Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States, kasamachicago.com
Ever Restaurant
A favourite amongst The Bear fans, episode seven, season two sees Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) working a front-of-house shift at Ever – helmed by Olivia Colman and described in the show as ‘the greatest restaurant in the world’. In reality, Ever is a two-Michelin-starred restaurant helmed by Curtis Duffy, who does make a cameo in the episode, alongside many real-life waitstaff from Ever. Opened in 2020 in the Fulton Market District, the eatery is renowned for its experimental tasting menu and impeccable service.
1340 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607, ever-restaurant.com
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Pequod’s Pizza
Chicago is renowned for its pizza all over the world – particularly its legendary deep-dish style. One of the city’s most famous spots for this is Pequod’s, which appears in season two, episode seven of The Bear. While working at Ever, Richie overhears a diner mentioning they haven’t had a chance to try Chicago-style pan pizza during their trip to the city. He decides to sprint to Pequod’s, picking up a deep dish and bringing it back to Ever, where the chef gives it a makeover: chopping it into small pieces, adding micro basil, toasting the pieces and serving them amid dots of green sauce.
2207 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 and 8520 Fernald Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053, pequodspizza.com
Gene & Jude’s
Another Chicago institution featured in the episode seven montage is Gene & Jude’s, a hot dog stand in River Grove. It has been around for over seven decades (originally known as River Road Hot Dogs) and is the home of the Depression Dog, an alternative to the Chicago-style hot dog which sees a red hot sausage covered in yellow mustard and sport peppers, then topped with crispy French fries.
2720 N River Rd, River Grove, IL 60171, geneandjudes.com
Pizza Lobo
We also see Sydney grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza from the to-go window of Pizza Lobo, an old-school joint on Fullerton Ave. Here it’s all about thin-crust, New York-style pizza, with the option to build-your-own from a menu of toppings.
3000 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, pizzalobo.com
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Weber’s Bakery
Weber’s is one of Chicago’s oldest family-owned retail bakeries, founded back in 1930. It pops up in season two, episode three, when Richie’s daughter Eva recounts celebrating his ex-wife’s promotion, getting the mysterious ‘good cake from Weber’s.’ Could this be the bakery’s famous buttermilk pound cake?
7055 W Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60638, webersbakery.com
Margie’s Candies
The third episode of season two is named Sundae in honour of the treat Sydney enjoys at Chicago favourite Margie’s Candies. A family-run ice cream parlour, it has two branches across the city (one in Bucktown, another in Ravenswood), serving an array of ice cream sundaes, root beer floats, shakes and – perhaps the most popular menu option – banana splits.
1960 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 and 1813 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, margiescandies.com
Which Real-Life Chefs Have Cameos In The Bear?
- Daniel Boulud, the French chef best known for his eponymous restaurant Daniel in New York
- René Redzepi, co-founder of Noma in Copenhagen
- Matty Matheson, the Canadian chef who plays handyman Neil Fak in the show
- Christopher Zucchero, the real-life owner of Mr Beef, the Italian beef sandwich spot that inspired The Bear
- Dario Monni, chef and owner of Italian restaurant Tortello in Chicago’s West Town
