Where do Rick Bayless and other top Chicago chefs go when they crave tasty, unpretentious grub? We follow seven of them to their favorite ethnic enclaves and get them to dish on the city’s best, most authentic cheap eats.

	Mexican Frontera Grill’s Rick Bayless gets spicy with snacks (and an unbeatable tres leches cake) in Pilsen.
	Chinese Chef Calvin Soh of Shanghai Terrace reveals how to shop and eat in the Asian haven without getting your duck cooked.
	Italian A fine-dining Italian chef steps out of his glass castle to gather fuel on Harlem Avenue.
	Vietnamese Argyle Street’s encased meats and fragrant herbs bring back sweet Saigon memories for Viet Bistro’s transplanted chef.
	Indian Two chefs—one Pakistani, the other from Bangladesh—devour Little India’s specialty groceries, sweets and handheld eats.
	Middle Eastern The gents from Alhambra Palace show us what to eat, where to shop and how to be treated like royalty on Kedzie Avenue.
	Korean For the best fermented veggies, blood sausage and fried chicken, Le Lan’s chef insists a trek to Niles is worth your while.