by wagdy ahmed
trailer of the beloved Chicago-based show.
The actual restaurant the show is centered on doesn’t actually exist. But many of the restaurants highlighted throughout the season are very real and, in some cases, iconic to the city.
One episode in particular stood out as a tour of Chicago’s foodie scene, as Chef Sydney, played by Ayo Edebiri, goes on a quest for menu inspiration.
In the episode, she makes her way through several well-known city spots. But those aren’t the only eateries to make the cut.
Here’s a look at restaurants featured in the most recent season of “The Bear:”
Kasama
Recently awarded a James Beard Award for the Best Chef- Great Lakes, Kasama, the product of a husband and wife duo, is a Filipino restaurant in the city’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood.
It was the first stop on Chef Sydney’s list.
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Avec and Publican Quality Meats
A West Loop staple and consistently ranked among the city’s best, Mediterranean spot Avec gets one of the bigger features in Syd’s Chicago food marathon.
She even speaks to owner Donnie Madia in the show, who is also an actual restaurateur with One Off Hospitality, which is behind both Avec and another featuredspot in the episode, Publican Quality Meats.
Madia praised the show on Instagram following its release.
“@avecchicago and @publicanquality are incredibly grateful to be part of season two of @thebearfx.
This show is a beautiful homage to all the great restaurants and this great city of Chicago,” he wrote.
Lao Peng You
Another Ukrainian Village hotspot, Lao Peng You is where Sydney enjoys some noodles and dumplings. And it’s not just any noodles, it is the Chinese restaurant’s signature noodles.
“We’re excited to be a part of Season 2 of @thebearfx!” the restaurant wrote on Instagram.
Giant
Contrary to its name, the small Logan Square restaurant named Giant has an equally small but still recognizable cameo in the show, as first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Pizza Lobo
Logan Square’s Pizza Lobo makes a cameo in the episode as Sydney grabs a slice of thin crust pizza to-go.
Margie’s CandiesFor an episode titled, Sundae, it is only fitting that Syd’s tour includes a stop at the beloved Margie’s Candies.
The show features the eatery’s Bucktown location. Margie’s has been dishing out ice cream, milk shakes, candies and more for more than 100 years in the city.
Pequod’s
While not in Syd’s tour, Pequod’s Pizza gets a special feature as Richie Jerimovich, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, brings his favorite deep dish pizza to a customer who expressed disappointment that they didn’t get to try Chicago deep dish during her trip.
Ever
The world’s best restaurant “Carmy” sends Richie to work at for a week is actually Chicago’s Ever, though more of a fictional version in the show.
The episode is filmed inside Ever and the shirts feature the restaurant’s name, but no, Olivia Coleman does not work there.
“We were so honored to lend Ever restaurant to the extraordinary team of The Bear @thebearfx for Episode 7 of Season 2. Thanks for letting us take part in it; we had a blast. Shout out to Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie),” the restaurant wrote on Instagram.