Claudia Dietrich and Ross Lloyd boarded a bus bound for the hottest tourist spot in Chicago, Illinois in the United States – the River North neighbourhood. While their guide rattled off Chicago trivia, the couple snapped photos from every angle – even the alley. They weren’t deterred by the winding line out the front door.
“This is something that brought us to Chicago, there’s no doubt about that,” said Dietrich, a 72-year-old resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their destination? Mr Beef, the no-frills sandwich joint featured on the smash TV series, The Bear . It’s the first stop on their guided food tour inspired by the series.
A traditional Chicago sandwich shop may seem like an unconventional excursion. But since The Bear debuted, tourists have flocked in droves to Mr Beef, which opened in River North in 1963. With Season 3 of the show now out, its cult following is surging with renewed enthusiasm.
Just ask one of the food tour’s 30 patrons, who were bussed to six restaurants in River North, the West Loop and Logan Square one Friday afternoon. Many of the restaurants on the tour served as filming locations for the series. “I just think the show is so authentic,” Dietrich said after sampling an Italian beef sandwich with giardiniera.
“And you can practically taste the food when you watch.” The Bear follows the story of Carmy, a young gourmet chef who seeks to transform his late brother’s sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment. There, he clas.