At least once a year we visit Chicago. It is the biggest city, kind of close to us. Some Labor Day weekends we spend in Chicago, we pick up or drop off my parents in Chicago or we have a “Girls Weekend Out” in December etc. It is just a fun city to explore. I even found some Dutch things in Chicago.

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Dutch history of Chicago

The Dutch were one of the first settlers in the USA. In Chicago they came in the middle of the 19th century. The middle-to-lower-class Protestant, rural, Dutch immigrants who moved to and around Chicago established three distinct communities that recreated the cultural, social, and geographical patterns of the Netherlands.

1. Zuid (South) Hollanders founded Lage (Low) Prairie, later known as South Holland. This was an agriculture enclave.
2. Noord (North) Hollanders settled in Hooge (High) Prairie, later known as Roseland. Also an agriculture enclave.
3. The Groningsche Hoek (Groningen Quarter) as immigrants from the Groningen Province increasingly settled on the west side of the city center. Source.
   

Now, whenever I visit Chicago, I’m going to try to find some names of streets or parks that sound Dutch. It could be from that time.

And by the way: There is a book about the Dutch in Chicago. Here you can find a preview.

Dutch food in Chicago

Labor Day weekend is AVP (pro-beach volleyball league) weekend in Chicago and my husband loves to see these games live. I do too, but I need to take care of kids as well. “One more game…” he said. I was looking on my phone for the nearest place where we could have a quick bite.

Oh, my, I couldn’t believe it!

Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter

I found a tiny place called Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter. It is a small bakery and bistro, really close to the beach and the John Hancock building. And as the first sentence on their website says:

“Finally, there is a Belgian bakery in Chicago!” I know, it’s not Dutch, but close enough for me!

I totally agree!

The lady who helped us, was very friendly and I loved her accent. It was not Dutch or Flemish, but it might have been French. If you go there in the weekend they have delicious waffles and crepes.

For our lunch today we ordered Garden Vegetable soup, served with their homemade artisan bread. The soup was creamy and full of flavor of carrots and tomatoes. All of their croissants were sold out, but one: a chocolate croissant for K. J and daddy had a Croque Monsieur , which is a kind of panini with cheese, tomato and prosciutto. Omit the prosciutto, because they are vegetarian. It was all super delicious.

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Original Pancake House

One of the restaurants we found by accident earlier that year, was the Original Pancake House in the Gold Coast area in Chicago. It was close to the beach and close to some hotels we stayed at in the past. It is not only a great place to eat with a family, but at my Ladies Weekend Out, we had a delicious brunch there.

I’m not sure what a Dutch Baby really is, but it’s not an original Dutch treat. It looks interesting and yummy, though! I have to try this recipe really soon! On the menu of the Original Pancake House, it is listed as an ” Oven baked German pancake served with fresh lemon, whipped butter and powdered sugar”.

It is getting even better with a “Dutch Treat” and a “Dutch Garden”, which are also “Dutch Babies”, but filled with good stuff like strawberries, banana pieces, whipped cream powdered sugar and strawberry sauce, and all kinds of veggies for the “Dutch Garden”.

Famous Dutch Pancake Huis

This is a restaurant I just found online. On Lincoln Square, there is a real Dutch Pannenkoekenhuis! It exists since 2007….and this is the first time I hear about it! We have to check it out very soon. Here is a little about the owner: Linda Ellis.

” Linda Ellis, owner of this tiny Lincoln Square cafe, fell in love with Holland on her first trip in 2001–the bikes, the easy pace, the friendly people. And she got hooked on pannenkoeken, the large, thin, crispy-edged Dutch pancakes–so much so that she apprenticed herself to a gruff elderly master of the art. “

Unfortunately this restaurant closed its doors because of the COVID pandemic. I’m so sad we haven’t tried it before.

Frietkoten, Belgian Fries & Beer

I heard someone telling me recently about Dutch Fries in Chicago…but where are they?

For my husbands birthday we drove down to Florida in January and we flew back into Chicago. From there, we took the train back home. From the airport in Chicago to downtown, you’ll need to get the Blue Line subway. It was fine for us, because we had brought our backpacks only ….and no kids! The question was: what and where are we going to eat?

At the train station or somewhere close to the train station? My husband asked Siri and …. “French Market just 2 blocks south of the station”, was the answer!

A winter storm was howling outside and we made our way through the wet and slushy snow. It was near the Metra station, in the MetraMarket. Totally hidden!

What an interesting place! This is what it says on their website:

Founded in 2009, the Chicago French Market came about with the movement in America to support local food systems and bring back the European-inspired marketplace — providing you with year-round, permanent access to their local bounty.
The Bensidoun Family is proud to bring together a unique collection of 30 + local vendors that were hand selected for their individual passions and high-quality products. You will find best-of-the-best from Chicago’s melting pot neighborhoods. The Chicago French Market is largely comprised of entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses and accomplished purveyors presenting foods from around the world.

So within this market you’ll find a booth with Belgian Fries, even though the owner of this booth is Dutch. Here is what it says on the website

What an amazing find. We ate a lot more international goodies, like Italian panini with fresh mozzarella, pesto and tomatoes and French filled crepes. That was our lunch! And there is way more!

Other Dutch Things in Chicago

Dutch Club in Chicago

Since 1958, this club organizes events for more than a thousand people in the Dutch community or people interested in the Netherlands in and around Chicago.

The events can be Kingsday (“Koningsdag”), “Sinterklaas”, New Years and many more. You can become a member and receive newsletters about upcoming events and important news from the Dutch Consulate, Tul(i)p School in Chicago, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) as well as the Dutch-American Chamber of Commerce.

Dutch Farms

In the south of Chicago you’ll find a dairy company called Dutch Farms. This company is a 4th generation Dutch settler in the Roseland area in Chicago. The Dutch are famous for their dairy, like cheese, so it made sense to find a company like Dutch Farms in the Chicago area. Read more about them and where they’re located right here.

Dutch Tul(i)p School

First Dutch Language school in Chicagoland. Actually there are 2 schools: one in Chicago and one in Naperville, which is a few miles west of Chicago. Elementary school kids, middle school and high school kids can attend this school. Even if your child hasn’t been brought up with the Dutch language, he/she can still attend this school. I’d love to go visit and I even wished that we lived closer. It is so hard to teach my kids dual languages. With J. it was not hard, but as soon as they attended school and our main language at home became English, it was much tougher to keep the Dutch language up. It even sounds funny now!

J is talking Dutch, when they want to tell me something and they want other people not to hear it;) So sneaky! Here you can find my blog about raising bilingual kids.

Indonesian Restaurants

There are two Indonesian Restaurants in Chicago. Indonesia was one of the first Dutch colonies. Many Indonesian spices and dishes came over to the Netherlands and you can still find a good amount of Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands, often combines with Chinese restaurants.

For many of you who visited the Netherlands and went to an Indonesian restaurant, you probably love to know where to find Indonesian restaurants in Chicago: “The Rice Table” and ” Rickshaw Republic”

We have to check them out as well. Check back soon for reviews!!!

Danielle

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.