Lolla has way more than just music.
Music may take top charge atLollapalooza , but festival intellectual nourishment almost steals the show . Chicago ’s large music fete is back in August , and along with A - list endowment like Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers , there areactualchili peppers — and a whole slew of other grub and fuddle you’re able to relish while swaying to Lana Del Rey .
In addition to four jam - pack sidereal day of music from most 200 acts , Lollapalooza has evolve into a dining terminus in its own right wing . adjudge once again in Grant Park , and with nigh 70 food for thought vendors in tow , the festival is commence to make the Taste of Chicago look like a food desert . Spread across two principal dining areas , Chow Townand Dessert Island , concert - goers can anticipate a vast cornucopia of options , from empanadas and required hot frankfurter to marshmallow , donuts , iced coffee , and for sports fan ofThe Bear , Italian beef cattle . To imbibe , general admission fee slate - holder can look for beer , sparkling water , and wine-coloured kiosk throughout the festival , while VIP entry allow more spirit and cocktail made from the ilk of Bacardi and other brands .
Here are some of the best thing to eat at Lollapalooza 2023 .
Courtesy of XO Marshmallow
Cafe Tola
What embark on as a dry pint - sized empanada shop on Southport has turn into a burgeon local mini chain , with a handful of locations across townsfolk , each with sexual dining rooms as colorful as piñatas . Scratch - made and hand - rolled , the flaky empanadas are still the lover - favorite , useable in flavor like wimp tinga , beef sirloin , and black beans with goat cheeseflower and plantains , but the company also offers tacos and burritos .
Billy Goat Tavern
no matter of how you palpate about that “ cheezborger cheezborger cheezborger ” schtick , it ’s undeniable that Billy Goat Tavern is as integral to Chicago ’s dining lore as deep - dish pizza and ketchup - less blistering andiron . by nature , said “ borger ” is the bill of fare here , an endearingly frill - free rendition comprising thin stacked patties , dill pickle “ cheeps , ” American cheese , and kaiser buns .
Cloud Cookie
Founded in Wrigleyville in 2020 , Cloud Cookie is the kind of uber - sleek , present-day bakehouse that looks straight out ofThe Jetsons , with cookies that are aptly otherworldly . Classic nip , like chocolate chunk and peanut butter , boast a perfect wad , but make certain you dabble in the more capricious offerings as well . The “ Basic Bish ” is a sugar cookie sparkling with sprinkles , “ Cloudynoir ” is a two-fold burnt umber biscuit with burnt umber chunks and white chocolate microprocessor chip , and the “ Cinnamon Roll ” cookie does an telling job of replicating the pastry .
Dark Matter Coffee
Since festival - goers ca n’t subsist on beer alone , Dark Matter Coffeeis back to supercharge the party and keep the caffeine flowing all day and night . One of Chicago ’s preeminent coffee roasters , Dark Matter is beloved for its frost coffee , and in years past , the company came to Lolla with its renowned Chocolate City stale - brew and Citra City coffee infuse with hop .
Donut Dudes
A South Side staple , Donut Dudes is a bit of an underdog on the overstuff local donut aspect , but that changes now . With a grand stage like Lollapalooza , the decadent bakery operation get to showcase some of the city ’s funnest fritters , which come in a miscellany of colorful flavors , glaze , and toppings , like the blue - hued Cookie Monster topped with cooky crumbles , Biscoff donuts , and doughnut frost with Fruity Pebbles .
The Original Rainbow Cone
Among thebest ice cream shops in Chicago , and an prevail tradition that ’s predominate on the South Side since 1926 , The Original Rainbow Cone is the definitional OG . A refreshing summer staple , and a mercifully cool snack at push festivals like this one , the matter to get here is the iconic stack of five original savor , piled one after another in a crunchy cone . Said flavors are orangish sherbert , Pistacia vera , Palmer House ( vanilla extract with cherry tree and walnuts ) , strawberry , and coffee . The combo , which is “ sliced ” as contradict to scooped , is the perfect mix of textures and flavors , melting together in idyllic summer concordance .
Eiffel Waffle
The house of cards waffle trend shows no signs of break . Just look at Eiffel Waffle , a bubble waffle purveyor that ’s ballooned to locations all over Chicago , specializing in those fluffy , egg - based waffle that come along to “ bubble ” outwards into adorable little ball . Delicious plain , Eiffel Waffle knock down them out by using them as “ cones ” for over - the - top sundaes and toppings , like whipped emollient , ice pick , strawberries , mini marshmallows , and graham cracker .
Fatso’s Last Stand
Unsurprisingly , Chicago - expressive style hot dog are well represent at Lollapalooza this year , but there ’s something just spare summery about a hot dog that ’s been charred and imbued with the fragrant aroma of a grill . When those pangs hit , head to Fatso ’s Last Stand , an enduring later - nighttime haunt in Ukrainian Village ( now with a 2d location in Lincoln Park ) know for its snappy char wiener “ drag through the garden ” with Chicago - style toppings like pickle spear , chopped onion plant , love apple , variation white pepper , and cultivated celery Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in a poppy source bun . The insouciant restaurant has expound its offerings to include burger , chicken sandwiches , and Italian beef , but do n’t catch some Z’s on those char hound .
Frannie’s Beef
Thanks toThe Bear , Italian gripe is have a moment . Once mostly only known in and around Chicago , the chopped beef sandwich has boomed in popularity , allowing other local purveyors to glint . One such business is Schiller Park ’s Frannie ’s Beef , a longstanding sandwich stand and catering electric receptacle that makes a mean Italian beef with all the traditional trappings : flimsy slivers of meltingly untoughened knock kick , au jus , and fluffy French staff of life . The burly blimp sandwiches are also rightfully notable , and the meaty carte also offers red-hot dog , meatball subs , gyros , and porc chop sandwiches .
Glow Superfood
As a reminder : Hallucinogens are not permitted on fete grounds . But you could always get your mushroom fix in the form of plant - free-base superfood ice ointment . Glow Superfood , a mincing frozen dessert blade that looks like something Gwyneth Paltrow would bonk , offer a hefty snack option with its plant life - free-base ice pick bars . Made from ingredients like cashews , untried Thai coconut meat , almond milk , and 10 types of organic mushrooms , flavors let in cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookie , hazel chip , pistachio wheatgrass , and vanilla chai caffe latte .
XO Marshmallow
Chowing down on first-rate - sized marshmallows may not seem like the most obvious fete menu , but XO Marshmallow is a far cry from the ‘ mallow mold . Quirky , colourful , and crafty , this cutesy coffee shop not only dish out Instagrammable marshmallow in kinky tang , but uses them as the base for other irreverent treats , like s’mores cups , marshmallow - top fixed lemonade , and “ S’moreos , ” aka elephantine Oreos with fluff in the centre .
Harold’s Chicken
A Chicago rite of passage , Harold ’s Chicken is the perfect position to completely contradict all your healthy superfood choices . Crispy and dark , the fried volaille come in in many forms at Harold ’s , including wings , tenders , sandwiches , and hulking crustal plate of drab and livid gist Gallus gallus piled atop french fries and slosh in live sauce . It ’s a Chicago custom , an unabashedly messy spread , and a Lollapalooza basic .
The StopAlong
pizza pie is essential festival food no matter where you are , but since deep - dish is a chip of an unruly raft to undertake in the midst of a mosh Inferno , your best bet at Lollapalooza is The StopAlong , an endearingly kitschy Bucktown situation slinging thin - crust slice in look both classic and capricious . Malva sylvestris and pepperoni pizzas are double-dyed renditions of the course , in all their foldable gloriole , but keep your eyes disrobe for more eccentric offerings , like the Return of the Spaceballs ( mozzarella , meatball , pepperoncinis , ricotta , basil ) , the Elle Woods ( roasted cherubic peppers , spinach , mushroom-shaped cloud , red onions , vegan mozzarella ) , and the Chicago Special ( sausage , mushroom , green peppers , red onions ) .
The Tamale Guy
The Tamale Guy , aka Claudio Velez , is basically a guardian holy man for previous - night barflies in dire need of sustenance . A local legend , he ’s long carted around homemade Tamale in cooler to bars that do n’t assist food for thought , offer athirst diners a much - needed nosh in their drunkest consequence . The same is true at Lollapalooza , where the masa icon will be slinging tamales with filling like pork , chopped chicken , and queso — and do n’t skimp on his zesty salsas .
Wow Bao
Hot take , but bao buns may be the most perfect festival food . Compact , prosperous to duple - fist , and neatly enrobe in doughy keister , bao are as convenient as they are delish . Which is what makes Wow Bao such a meet reparation on the festival racing circuit . The vibrant stain , now with locations throughout Chicago and across the country , serves buns stuffed with the the like of teriyaki chicken , barbeque pork , spicy Mongol bitch , and coconut custard . Along with equally convenient eggrolls and potstickers , it ’s a reliable collation that perish helping hand - in - hand with the inevitable bunch - surfboarding .
Courtesy of Cafe Tola
Courtesy of The Original Rainbow Cone
Courtesy of XO Marshmallow
