The 39 best restaurants for delivery and takeout in Chicago

MCCB—short for Modern Chinese Cook Book—specializes in Sichuan- and Canton-style cuisines, which translates to flavor-packed dishes that don't shy away from mixing unexpected ingredients. Choose from menu items like lychee-apple grilled whole fish, Dan Dan-style pork fried rice and dessert soup made with papaya and wood ear mushroom.

Named for a mythical weapon used by the Hindu God of Thunder, Vajra illuminates the diminutive yet diverse country of Nepal through adaptations of the dishes co-owner Dipesh Kakshapaty grew up eating in bustling Butwal, from tandoori-roasted game to soothing root-veg curries. Executive chef Min Thapa’s lovely renditions of traditional Nepali dishes join a small handful of Indian staples like biryani, vindaalu and naan. Don't plan on dining in—to go is the only option.

This virtual restaurant originally took orders via Instagram before landing a home in a Humboldt Park shared kitchen. There’s no dining room so the only way customers can try chef Henry Cai’s food is through delivery or takeout. He specializes in “untraditionally authentic” American Chinese cuisine and his menu features items like a salt-and-pepper fried chicken sandwich, fried rice studded with three types of pork and barbecue ribs. The dish that put Cai on the map, though, is his char siu—Cantonese-style barbecue pork covered in a heavy amount of sweet and tangy sauce.

Owners Jenn and Steve Kaplan quit their day jobs in 2019 so they could start a food truck business. Their efforts have resulted in what’s arguably the best Detroit-style pizzas in Chicago. Currently operating out of the Hatchery in East Garfield Park, Five Squared features pies with exciting topping combinations that change every week, such as a Cheeseburger with griddled ground beef and caramelized onions; a Nashville Hot Chicken with panko-breaded chicken tenders and comeback sauce; and a Chicago-inspired Italian Beef with giardiniera. Each box contains four squares of your choosing plus heating instructions. Slide into Five Squared’s DMs, email the restaurant or text 224-595-5781 to place an order at the beginning of the week. Pickups and deliveries are on Thursday-Saturday.

If you're looking for big flavor for just a little bit of cash, this tiny Cambodian fusion restaurant will fill your belly without emptying your wallet. Just around the corner from Googoo's Table in the neighborhood from which the small restaurant takes its name, Hermosa's signature dish is the Cambodian fried chicken sandwich, which takes a crispy chicken thigh marinated in spices and garnishes it with pickled papayas and long beans. You'll also find a few other sandwiches on the menu, including one that pays tribute to moo ping—Thai-style grilled pork skewers.

Thick handmade tortillas, salsas made to order, cinnamon-laced coffee. You can get all of that here. Their only purpose, however, is to accompany this restaurant’s signature platters of chopped goat meat. Unlike other birrierias, this goat doesn’t touch a consommé until it’s plated, when some of the tomato-based broth is spooned over it. At that point, a good dousing of the restaurant’s intricate hot sauce, and maybe a squeeze of lime and some onions, is all you need for one of the city’s best goat tacos.

Chicagoans adore this casual counter-service spot in Albany Park and for good reason. The food’s solid (we recommend the mixed grill platters), the lunch specials are a great deal and the generous portions are usually enough for three meals. The dining room can get pretty packed and hectic during busy hours so delivery or takeout is often the best move.

What we love about this colorful and bustling storefront is that it keeps our interest with new concoctions every couple of weeks (listed under "specials" when you order online). Of course, the tried-and-true favorites keep us coming back, like the gang hung lay (pork in sweet, garlicky, ginger-laden curry) and the kua kae, a stir-fry of chicken, baby corn, eggplant, shredded lime leaves and roasted rice powder that has a gingery citrus tang.

Chicago's carnitas king is still slinging slow-roasted pork by the half-pound. Each serving is accompanied by a stack of tender tortillas, lime, onion, cilantro and your choice of side (you can't go wrong with the jalapeño-tomato salsa).

Pastas always travel and reheat well and few do it better than Tortello. The Wicker Park restaurant takes the art of pasta making seriously, using flour imported from Italy and producing the noodles in-house (you can watch the staff from the front window). The namesake tortelli are stuffed with creamy burrata and topped with brown butter, sage, toasted hazelnuts, parmigiano and a drizzle of balsamic. You can also buy fresh pasta to cook at home by the pound.

Father-son duo Agostino and Tony Fiasche run this extraordinary deli and sandwich shop in West Town. Cured meats are, predictably, the focus here and you can try them in a variety of rotating sammies. But one item that never leaves the menu is the Dante. A riff on the classic Italian sub, it’s loaded with hot soppressata, mortadella, finnochinoa, hot coppa, porchetta, 'nduja aioli, provolone, giardiniera, lettuce, and tomato.

If you feel like jazzing up your delivery order this weekend, bust out your placemats, set the table and call in an order to Community Tavern, a Pan-Asian–inspired New American restaurant in Portage Park. The burger is one of the best in Chicago, but we're also addicted to the short rib dumplings and the crispy rice noodles with lemongrass chicken and crunchy bok choy.

Eating smoked meats can be a messy endeavor, which is why it’s never a bad idea to have it delivered. At Honey 1, pitmaster Robert Adams Sr. and his son use an aquarium-style glass smoker to churn out incredible slabs of ribs, rib tips, hot links and much more. The barbecue sauce—made from a secret recipe only Adams’ wife knows—ties it all together, but we understand if you’d rather not be in public when it gets all over your face.

While a number of the fillings here are worth your attention, the ravenous crowds are (virtually) beating down the door for the carne asada. Instead of mangy bits of chopped beef, L’Patron serves up sizable hunks of extra-tender steak. Oh, and don’t forget to ask for the thick housemade tortillas.

Most of MingHin's expansive menu is available at your fingertips, with shrimp dumplings, BBQ spare ribs and roast pork just a click away. You can even order a whole BBQ duck or special cage-free chicken for delivery—the ultimate party move in our opinion. All of MingHin's locations offer carryout and delivery, so find your nearest outpost before placing an order.

Owners Steven Jarczyk and Daniela Vitale bring Sicilian street fare to town at their small Edgewater shop. If you can’t take a trip to the Italian island any time soon, do the next best thing and order Sfera’s crisp arancini, Sicilian sandwiches and thick crust pizza slices. Due to limited seating, your best bet is to get the food to go. The housemade marinara is also available by the jar and just as good as your nonna’s.

Owners Madieye and Awa Gueye bring a taste of Senegal to the South Side with their restaurant, which showcases slow cooking and delicious West African flavors. Signature dishes include maffe, a thick stew of lamb with ground peanuts and habanero peppers, and deep fried salmon patties. But we’d move mountains for the succulent chicken yassa, grilled chicken that’s marinated in mustard powder, vinegar and lemon juice.

When sushi cravings hit, you better have an emergency contact on speed dial. The good folks at Sushi-san are happy to deliver your fix, with a menu of maki, nigiri, tempura and more. But perhaps the smartest way to order is to first select a San-Set, like the Mega, with eight pieces of nigiri, eight bites of sashimi and two rolls. Toss in anything else you might need (edamame, Kirin light) and let the sushi experts do the rest.

Developed by Dan Snowden—the former executive chef of Bad Hunter—and Heisler Hospitality's Matt Eisler and Kevin Heisner, Pizza Lobo features grab-and-go 'za, delectable sides and a lengthy booze menu. The trio honed the concept for Pizza Lobo over the course of several years in the kitchen of Bad Hunter's sister bar, Lone Wolf, playing with different ideas revolving around a classic New York-style crust. Now, the stand-alone concept is taking on an identity of its own, thanks to a roster of top-notch pies garnished with everything from grapes and broccoli rabe to hot honey and 'nduja.

No one does Korean fusion quite like Del Seoul, with its sesame-chili shrimp tacos, bulgogi banh mi and kimchi fries. Lucky for us, the full menu is available for pickup and delivery. Upgrade your order with a boozy beverage—cans of spiked seltzer and beer plus soju are available to go.

When you need excellent Indian food delivered straight to your door in an hour or less, The Spice Room never disappoints. Rife with classics, the menu covers a lot of ground—from veg korma and lamb-stuffed samosas to haryali chicken with green chilis. The vegetarian options are commendable, too, with both okra and mushroom masala as well as a stellar aloo gobi, an amber-hued dish that finds cauliflower and potatoes coated in rich spices. For dessert, the gulab jamun are not to be missed—golfball-sized balls of fried dough are saturated in sugary syrup.

Transporting diners to the streets of Chengdu, Da Mao Jia (formerly known as A Place by Damao) deals in heat and flavor. Set your taste buds ablaze with spicy braised duck wings, Chengdu fries and supple handmade dumplings. Almost everything here comes rubbed or topped with mouth-tingling szechuan pepper, so pad your order with the warm water jelly cake with black sugar for relief at the end of the meal.

What makes Art Shabez's slices stand out in a bona fide pizza town like Chicago? Sure, the gooey mozzarella, fennel-flecked Italian sausage and market-fresh veggies are all stellar, but the real star of the show is the fan-favorite red sauce, which bursts with vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh oregano and basil, and a faint hint of red pepper. Luckily for us, we can get our hands on these loaded slices whenever a craving hits, thanks to easy-peasy delivery and takeout service.

Channeling old-school burger joints in Northwest Indiana, the Region is known for its smash burger, with an iconic, lacey-edged patty that extends well past the bun. Every inch of crispy beef is dressed with American cheese, mayo-based Region sauce, bright green relish and onion. It's the only burger that's ever made us want to travel to Indiana. Lucky for you, you don't even have to step outside to enjoy it if you don't want to.

Some of the finest fried chicken in the city is available at this Garfield Ridge joint. The secret: the meat is brined overnight before being dredged in butter-flavored flour. Every piece is then pressure deep fried to order, which takes 25 minutes, and the finished product offers crisp skin and juicy flesh. To avoid waiting for your food in the no-frills space, call ahead.

For Chicagoans, there are few greater joys in this world than a pristine Chicago-style hot dog or a decadently messy Italian beef. Portillo's has both—and then some. No order is complete without some crinkle-cut fries and an order of chocolate cake (bonus points if you opt to get the latter blended up into a shake).

In Thai, Immm means "I'm stuffed," which is an appropriate name for this Uptown restaurant that has a mile-long menu of traditional delicacies. Get your household to buy in to ensure that you're able to try a bit of everything—from the refreshing green papaya salad that's studded with peanuts and dried shrimp to gaeng kiew whan, a rich green curry with protein, bamboo shoots and Thai basil. Flank your meal with an order of fried shrimp wontons to start and mango sticky rice for dessert.

The spacious patio at Frontier offers plenty of good vibes, but if you prefer to dine at home, chef Brian Jupiter is happy to pack up your feast to go. The meaty menu is made for carnivores, with mammoth wagyu ribs, smoke-kissed wings and lamb skewers on offer. Prefer your meat from the sea? Char-grilled oysters and barbecue cod are great picks.

Did you know that the jibarito was created in Chicago? In our minds, the ingenious Puerto Rican sandwich is as iconic as the Chicago-style hot dog or the Italian beef. You'll find a stellar example of the sandwich at this no-frills restaurant in Back of the Yards, where the jibaritos are accessorized with melted cheese, tomato, grilled onions and lettuce. But the star of the show is the garlicky plantain “bun,” which is expertly seasoned and fried to crispy-chewy perfection.

You don’t have to claim a bunk at the adjacent Hostel International to get your hands on one of this café’s ridiculously good Cuban sandwiches. Sure, black bean soup, tostones and shrimp ceviche are flavorful, but there’s no confusion over the star of the show: The Cubano’s crusty bread is toasted just right, its roast pork juicy, its pickles thick, and its mustard and gooey cheese plentiful.

There's something incredibly comforting about warm pockets of baked dough stuffed with meats, veggies and cheeses. The empanada experts at 5411 specialize in non-traditional flavor combinations, like mushroom, thyme and blue cheese; bacon, date and goat cheese; and sweet corn, béchamel sauce and mozzarella. Three or four empanadas feed a hungry adult, but that shouldn't stop you from adding in one last handheld for dessert—a banana-Nutella empanada.

Whether you like to keep it traditional or break the rules, this new-wave taqueria has something for everyone. Served on handmade tortillas, the tacos here vary from beautifully simple grilled steak to funky sweet and spicy chicken. An order of guac and a margarita cocktail kit are musts as well.

One of the city's all-time best pizzerias is firing up its ovens in anticipation of your delivery or takeout order. We're big fans of the Honey Butter Fried Chicken collaboration pie with crispy poultry, blue cheese, scallions, buffalo sauce and crunchies.

Seafood and fast food don't typically go hand in hand, but the folks at Brown Bag are trying to change that. The quick-service restaurant has locations all over Chicago—from the Loop to Roscoe Village. Simply pick your protein (salmon, crispy cod, curry fish cakes, seared tuna, etc.) and a base (veggies, grains, salad, tacos, etc.), and you'll be on your way in no time. The fish here is deliciously fresh, whether you go with the daily catch or the grilled shrimp. And you can't beat the price: Most meals are under $15.

Both the Wicker Park and Wrigleyville locations of Big Star offer pickup and delivery, making it easier than ever to get your hands on crispy fish tacos, creamy guacamole and tequila-spiked margaritas. Now, if only we could order a side of patio vibes.

The culinary geniuses behind beloved Chicago restaurant Giant offer hot takes on sweet-and-sour chicken, mongolian beef, walnut shrimp and other crave-worthy American Chinese takeout classics at Chef's Special Cocktail Bar in Bucktown. Wash it down with a selection from the to-go cocktail menu, which includes refreshing sippers that showcase ingredients like lavender gin, orange blossom syrup and fresh lime leaf. No order is complete without a trio of warm almond cookies.

Up until recently, all attempts to bring Nashville-style hot chicken to Chicago have been hampered by unfortunate missteps, from texturally weird breading to too-viscous, barbecue sauce-like cayenne paste to wimpy spicing. Enter the Budlong, a snug spot frying up hot chicken that hits all the right notes. That is to say, the chicken is briny, the breading is shatteringly crisp, and the cayenne paste that coats it gets you sweating and stains your fingers just the right shade of atomic red.

If you're looking for variety, this West Loop sushi haven delivers a laundry list of nigiri, sashimi, maki rolls, small plates and desserts. The chef-dressed tuna truffle nigiri bites are a fan favorite, with seared yellowfin tuna dripping in savory truffle sauce and served with slices of chilled avocado. Diners can expect more creative rolls here, like the vegetarian panko onion with garlic mayo, onion, avocado, red onions and greens.

Ramen? For delivery? Just go with us on this one. The folks at Furious Spoon package their famously toothsome noodles on the side so that nothing gets soggy in your driver's car. The namesake Furious bowl boasts a spicy miso pork broth with house-made chashu, tender dumplings, crispy shallots, marinated 'shrooms and a perfectly poached egg. Add beer, sake or wine to your order if you please.