A Guide To ‘The Bear’ Filming Locations

Wind down at the end of the evening with some karaoke and a cheap drink at Alice’s Lounge, the dive bar where Chef Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) wows her culinary school classmates after a long day in the kitchen. Unpretentious, with wood-paneled walls and disco lights, Alice’s has a half-off drinks promo every evening from 7 to 9 p.m. to loosen you up for karaoke that starts at 11. You can dress casual, let your hair down and have your own Tina moment with a full belly and a ballad of your own.

Scruffy, restless Richie learns a powerful lesson in hospitality during his week interning at Ever, a real-life West Loop restaurant with two Michelin stars and a $325 per-person tasting menu. Richie spends hours resentfully (and poorly) polishing forks; by the end of a week observing the magic of wowing guests, Richie personally runs to pick up deep-dish pizza for a table who offhandedly mentioned not having tried it. The dining experience at Ever lasts over two hours, and if you haven’t been luxuriated enough, you can head over to After, the swanky in-house lounge, for a drink and some pricey but beautiful bar snacks.

When Carmy bails on Syd when they planned to scout out local restaurants (to be fair, he’d got a hot new doctor girlfriend, Claire, played by Molly Gordon), she rocks up to Kasama and orders a breakfast sandwich with longganisa –– a popular Filipino sausage –– hash browns, mushroom adobo, a mango tart and a matcha latte. The first Filipino restaurant to get a Michelin star, Kasama serves first-come, first-serve brunch (the place is uncharacteristically empty for Syd’s visit) and a $255 per-person tasting menu for dinner with 13 courses and reservations booked out weeks in advance. Plan ahead for dinner, or pick up coffee and a pastry elsewhere and get ready to wait a bit for brunch.

The dumplings at this counter-service Chinese food restaurant in West Town inspire Syd’s noodle shapes at The Bear. No reservations needed. Show up hungry and with friends to split dan dan noodles with chili oil and soy, flaky made-to-order bing with scallions, dumplings swimming in flavorful broth and meat rou jia mo sandwiches. Plenty of vegetarian and vegan options are available, making Lao Peng You a flavorful respite from all the Chicago meats.

While not directly featured on “The Bear,” Avondale café Loaf Lounge is co-run by “The Bear” consulting pastry chef Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader and her husband, Ben Lustbader. Mispagel baked the moist, creamy chocolate cake that Chef Marcus toils over in season one. She serves her cake, called “The Bear Chocolate Cake,” at the café. Just use your imaginative power to pretend sweet, dedicated Marcus is back in the corner of the kitchen, smiling down at his desserts.

Syd ends her culinary tour smiling into a sundae at the Bucktown location of Margie’s Candies, a sweet shop and ice cream parlor first opened in 1921. Though Margie’s serves diner-style sandwiches and platters, they’re famous for offering more than 50 ice cream sundae combinations, including cherries jubilee loaded with fruits, whipped cream, nuts and a cookie and a piña colada sundae with the beachy fruits. You can even try the World’s Largest Sundae, with half a gallon of ice cream –– not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Most charming of all is the diner’s interiors: original Tiffany lamps, yellow booths, stuffed animals lining the walls and old photographs. Margie’s feels like classic Chicago: historic, sweet and worn with love.

This beef sandwich counter on River North is the inspiration for Michael’s shop The Original Beef, and actually where the show’s pilot was shot. (Subsequent episodes were filmed at a replica on a soundstage –– production couldn’t keep Chicagoans from these cheap, classic sandwiches.) Unlike in “The Bear,” this reasonably priced neighborhood joint hasn’t been vying for a Michelin star. The sandwiches are cheap, the owners are Italian, and Jay Leno loved it before “The Bear” made the place famous. Stop by for deli meats, a fountain Pepsi and a photo op.

When in Chicago, it’s sort of a requirement to try deep-dish pizza, even if that lake of cheese and sauce freaks you out. On his work shift at Ever, Richie seemingly travels over 3 miles to Lincoln Park’s Pequod’s Pizza to get the best deep-dish for Ever’s guests. With its unassuming exterior and reasonable prices, you’d never guess it was one of the top-ranked pizzas in the U.S. You can make a reservation to eat in, or take it out and drive over to the lake for a real Chicago experience. (If you’re not local, Pequod’s ships frozen pizzas that you can bake in the comfort of your own home.)