I love food, so the monotony of the dining hall is getting to me. Besides missing my family, friends and bed, I miss eating great food. Now I feel like every time I go home, I am on a culinary quest to eat at all my favorite restaurants. Chicago is a food mecca, and it kills me when I hear about friends and family visiting and eating at boring and tasteless spots. To combat this, I have created my dining guide to Chicago. Here's the first installment. Bon appétit!

Breakfast/brunch

1. Wildberry

Wildberry is a great breakfast spot just east of the Loop. It is popular, so I suggest that you either get in early or be willing to wait a while. My favorite order is the Mexicana skillet which has chorizo, eggs, cilantro, onions, jalapenos, and avocado on top of crispy hash browns. It comes with pancakes, and I go with the gluten-free cakes. My favorite thing about Wildberry is how you get any of their specialty pancakes for just a dollar more. - 130 E. Randolph

2. Do-Rite Donuts & Coffee

My favorite donut place in Chicago. Great selection of old fashion, vegan, and gluten-free donuts. My favorites are candied maple bacon, vanilla bean glazed cinnamon crunch, and buttermilk old-fashioned. They are the type of donuts that all the sudden you have eaten three, but you do not even feel bad about it. Make sure to get in before they sell out. - 50 W. Randolph

3. Little Goat

Little Goat is my favorite diner to eat at when I go home. It is the diner that is related to its big sister restaurant, Girl in the Goat, one of Chicago’s best restaurants, where I have been blessed to dine once. The head chef at Girl and the Goat, Stephanie Izard, is a James Beard winning chef and won Bravo’s Top Chef. It is a hip spot in the West Loop, so there is generally a wait. I usually eat a late breakfast or brunch. For breakfast I would recommend the Fat Elvis Waffles, with bananas, peanut butter-butter, bacon and maple syrup. For lunch I love the Macho Nachos, with bbq pork, beans, banana peppers, cheese and guacamole on house made chips. My mouth is watering as I write this. - 820 W. Randolph

Lunch and Dinner

4. Shake Shack

Started in New York, it was a big deal once it made it to Chicago, with lines out the door for the juicy burgers, crispy crinkle cut fries, and delicious shakes. My order rarely wavers from my usual Shack burger, cheese fries, and a peanut butter shake. They have a great collection including burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and custards and even beer and wine. Nothing beats a greasy lunch at Shake Shack, although you may need to go on an afternoon run afterwards. New locations are starting to pop up all over the country, and a few outside the U.S. so see if there is one in your neck of the woods. - 66 E. Ohio and 12 S. Michigan Avenue

5. Eataly

Right across the street from Shake Shack is an Italian paradise in America. Eataly is a special place, filled with Nutella, wine, and pasta. This two story combo grocery store and restaurant is a great place to grab a quick bite, or sit down for a few courses. Once you make it past the Nutella bar, sandwich bar and pastry shop on the first floor, the escalator delivers you to the endless possibilities of dining. Little corners of the second floor have their own different restaurants serving things from pizza and pasta, meat specialties to seafood. The middle of the floor has about 40 standing tables where people sip on wine and munch on foods from the surrounding counters, all with their own specialties. Although I would eat pretty much anything at Eataly, the meal that sticks out in my mind is the roast beef sandwich from the rotisserie station. They carve the medium rare meat right in front of you, put it on a fresh Italian roll, drizzle it in rich olive oil and coarse salt. It is a meal in itself, and with a small side it will keep you full all afternoon. With great, fresh ingredients, a huge wine selection, and enough Nutella to bathe in, you have to stop in Eataly the next chance you get. – 43 E. Ohio

6. Davanti

A great spot in Little Italy, Davanti does delicious sharable plates. I could write pages on what I love about this restaurant, but for times sake I will let you in on my absolute favorites. The Ragú of the day is a must. It is the chosen meat, ranging from meatballs to pork shoulder braised in tomato sauce, served over mascarpone polenta. Another favorite is the pizza con prosciutto e rucola, with fontina, prosciutto, arugula, and served with salt and red pepper flakes to garnish. What always keeps me coming back is the Davanti burger. It comes with roma tomatoes, arugula, fried cheese curd, and garlic aioli. Served with delicious shoestring fries that I somehow always manage to finish, no matter how stuffed I am. The other thing that I always leave room for is the brown butter blondie. It comes to the table warm, buttery and covered in caramel. Topped with maple gelato and almonds, it makes appearances in my dreams. - 1359 W. Taylor

7. Pizanos

My favorite pizza place, hands down. As a real Chicagoan, I feel like I need to let all of you know, Pizanos is the real deal. Don’t even think about stepping into Giordano’s or Pizzeria Uno--go straight to Pizanos. Their crust is unmatched, perfectly buttery and salty. My favorite is the thin crust. It’s so good that me and my little sister fight over the crust pieces. This is not to say their deep dish is not the best in Chicago, because in my opinion it is. My favorite is sausage and green pepper, with the sauce on top, of course. - 61 E. Madison and 864 N. State

8. Xoco

Like Little Goat, Xoco is a less formal version of its big brother restaurant, Frontera Grill, whose head chef is Mexican food authority, Rick Bayless. Xoco does great tortas and caldos, which are soup like meals in a bowl. I would not recommend it for large groups, but it is a perfect place to grab lunch or dinner with a friend or two. You walk in, order and try to find a seat. I love the tortas, and my favorites are Milanesa with crispy Gunthorp chicken, artisan jack cheese, pickled jalapeños, red onions, Napa cabbage, tomatillo-avocado salsa and black beans as well as the Pepito, with braised Creekstone short ribs, caramelized onion, artisan jack cheese, black beans and pickled jalapeños. I always make sure to get my fill of Mexican food when I go home, and since my favorite Mexican place, Nuevo Leon, burned down, Xoco has taken my number one spot. - 449 N. Clark and 1471 N. Milwaukee

9. Chilam Balam

Chilam Balam is a "small plates" Mexican spot on the city’s north side. It's basically in a basement and only has a few seats, but it has become one of my favorite spots in Chicago. It's BYOB, but they hook you up with the margarita mix. The menu is fairly small, but this does not reflect its tastes. With a seasonal menu, every time I go in there is a new thing to try. My favorites, which I can’t guarantee will still be there, are the mahi mahi ceviche, grilled flank stake, and the chicken flautas. In the past, I have also had alligator sausage as well as quail, which I am happy to report took my palate on a flavor journey. If you go back to the bathroom, you walk past elderly women cooking and making fresh tortillas. It's a true gem. - 3023 N. Broadway

Dessert

10. Mercat

Mercat is a tapas spot right on Michigan Avenue, but if you are looking for tapas, I would suggest Café Ba-Ba-Reeba. There is however one thing that draws me back to Mercat, and those are the Croquetes de Xocolata. They are little milk chocolate croquetes (deep fried), on top of banana marshmallow, drizzled in rosemary caramel and olive oil. They fit perfectly onto a spoon and are gone before you know it. I will go on the record to state that I have gone there to eat just dessert, and maybe had to order the croquetes twice. – 638 S. Michigan Ave.

11. Sugar Shack

Sugar Shack is a great south side stop. Located in Bridgeport, it’s the perfect summer evening stop. You will have to wait in line, but you won't be upset. You can order any crazy desert you could image, from ice cream and shakes, to funnel cakes, to Italian ice. Some of the ice cream creations that people come up with, then put on top of funnel cakes are impressive. It brings back great summertime memories, and I would recommend it to anyone with a sweet tooth. - 630 W. 26th

12. Mario’s

Mario’s is Chicago’s most famous Italian ice spot. It is about 100 yards from my high school in little Italy, which was dangerous. It is the perfect way to top off a summer night or a long day at school. You can go with a combo of a few flavors, or keep it safe and go right for the lemon. There will be lines, and it is only open during the summer, but I would make sure you find your way to Mario’s Little Italian Ice shack. – 1068 W. Taylor

Check back in a few weeks to see my next set of restaurants!

Comment with any of your favorite Chicago restaurants and you might see them in the next article!