Homesickness hits in weird ways. When you’re living abroad, you can just be going about your business and then wham, suddenly you’re craving Cheetos with a vengeance. And food can be one of the strongest links to home. So when I saw the new i55 American Bar & Restaurant, I was curious. When C and I first went there and got their chicken nuggets, I was hooked. It wasn’t long before we went back for a follow up trip!
The whole restaurant is an homage to a good ol’ American road trip–and all of the good eats that come along the way. As we settled into our seats, I looked around to see lots of nostalgic touches of neon signs and road maps—and of course a map of the restaurant’s namesake, the iconic Route i55.
The website tells how the owners were entranced by American food after spending some time in the States, and I have to say, the menu is pretty impressive. As in, it basically covers the whole of the U.S., haha. There’s items ranging from the classic cheeseburger and fries, to nacho plates and quesadillas, mac & cheese and BBQ, clam chowder and even Signature Dishes like jambalaya and gumbo. But of course, there’s no mistaking i55’s biggest Signature Dish: the Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.
From the moment they brought it out, we could tell they weren’t messing around. Here was this mountain of cheese and sauce, everything about the enormity and decadence of American food all in one pizza. We went for the Classic Chicago, although there were quite a few options (I’m still eyeing the one with prosciutto and arugula).
The fun starts before even eating it—just taking a slice and watching the cheese stretch for miles as you maneuver the slice into your plate is a bit bizarre. And then of course, the real fun: eating it! Can y’all believe we could each only get through one piece? We knew the pizza would be deep, but we didn’t think it would be this deep. We knew it would be stuffed full, but we didn’t think it would be this stuffed. And by the end, we were stuffed.
Along with the pizza, we also got a starter of chicken nuggets (stellar! They’re very meaty and have the perfect crunchy outside) and a milkshake (it looks better than it tastes—I’m still on the lookout for a milkshake in Budapest with the true thick, ice granule-y texture I grew up with).
And the only thing an American loves after a ridiculously huge meal out? Leftovers. And that pizza made my meal planning really easy for the rest of the week, let me tell ya.
C and I really enjoyed our meal at i55, and now I’m taking it as a personal challenge to try almost everything on their menu. (I’ve been dying for a decent plate of nachos, can’t wait to try those out!) I forsee a long and happy partnership.
Check out all of i55’s offerings on their menu here! Try not to drool 🤤
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