Giardiniera Sandwiches
Subs, combos and sandwiches where Chicago's spicy pickled-vegetable relish is the star.
Bari
The classic Grand Ave deli. The house giardiniera has real heat, and this is the benchmark Chicago sub.
J.P. Graziano Grocery
A 1930s family grocery that makes and jars some of the city's best giardiniera.
Tempesta Market
The modern Italian sub: house-cured meats, spicy 'nduja and giardiniera.
D'Amato's Bakery
The bread comes out of an old coal oven on site, and it makes the sub.
Fontano's Subs
A no-frills Little Italy counter ranked #2 in the city, at UIC-area prices.
Conte di Savoia
Taylor Street's last old-guard Italian grocery. Pure Little Italy.
Paulina Meat Market
An old-world butcher that cures its own meats. The Infatuation's #1 Italian sub, and the North Side pick.
Riviera Foods
A Northwest Side Italian grocery where local Italian families shop. A true locals' sub.
Chicago's secret weapon
Giardiniera is a pickled mix of peppers, cauliflower, carrots and celery, packed in oil. Chicago's version is hot, usually made with sport peppers or serranos, and locals put it on almost everything.
The best way to try it is on an Italian sub: layers of Genoa salami, capicola and mortadella with provolone and a heavy spoonful of hot giardiniera, on crusty Italian bread. The oil soaks into the bread, the heat cuts the richness, and the sandwich gets better as it sits.
Good to know: many of the best subs come from Italian delis and grocery stores rather than restaurants, and Grand Avenue has a concentration of them. See our West Town guide.
Giardiniera is also the classic topping on an Italian beef. Order it "hot."