Roadfood in Racine

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties 
- Roadfood Favorites in Racine Wisconsin

I love all the little lake towns found up and down Lake Michigan. I’ve taken the circle tour twice in life which allowed me to visit many of them. Though my favorite is just a short ride from home. Racine sits at the mouth of the Root River just 22 miles south of Milwaukee and 60 miles north of Chicago. It’s neighbors with Kenosha though Racine is typically looked at as the rougher of the two which is probably another reason I like it. Racine isn’t all that different from most Rust Belt towns but its location on Lake Michigan adds some prettiness to the grittiness of it. I’ve been exploring this area for a long time but never for more than a day at a time as it’s so close to home there’s no point in visiting longer than that. But I recently had a work related gig that had me in town for four nights which meant I got to hit up all the classics in one swoop. Racine is a big Roadfood town which is the main reason I like it so much. I always enjoy stopping in at the city’s iconic eateries but usually have to pick and choose as I’m typically only in town a few hours max. Racine has as good of a starting five of iconic eateries as you’ll find in a town of around 75,000. Four of the places we’ll visit have been featured on here before but never together in one swoop like this. Let's check them out. 

Pics from Racine
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Bendtsen's Bakery

The Kringle is Racine’s claim to fame in the food world so it’s only appropriate that we start out at the locally loved Bendtsen’s Bakery. The Kringle is said to have come to this area with the Danish in the late 1800’s. Racine would later earn the nickname Kringleville giving you an idea of just how popular the kringle is in these parts. The shareable rings of buttered and glazed pastry come in many flavors and are found all over town but my favorite comes from this fourth generation bakery. I just cant decide if it’s the cherry and cream cheese or the pecan - so I always get one of each. Since 1934. 

Kringle from Bendtsen's Bakery
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Kewpee Sandwich Shop

There’s just 5 locations left of this once thriving franchise that Dave Thomas frequented as a kid (he once credited Kewpee as the inspiration for Wendy’s). I’ve been to them all - three are in Ohio and another is in East Lansing - but the Racine location is by far the best of the bunch. In fact it’s one of the better burgers anywhere. Kewpee is the second oldest hamburger chain in the country having been founded in Flint Michigan all the way back in 1923. Named after the Kewpie doll it’s currently headquartered in Lima Ohio where their downtown location is a local landmark. Though both the Racine and East Lansing locations are separately owned meaning the burgers are a bit different at each of them. There’s a rumor they still grind beef hearts into the blend here in Racine but I don’t know for sure. What I do know is the beef tastes like it used to and the double cheeseburger here is one of my favorite burgers anywhere. They have some weird hours (8a-2p) and some ever weirder dolls staring at you as you eat in their oldest of old school dining rooms, but this is a burger worth seeking out. Not just one of Wisconsin’s best but one of the best burgers anywhere. Since 1926. 

Double Cheeseburger at Kewpee Sandwich Shop
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DeMark's Bar & Restaurant

It only took me a decade since first learning of it but I finally made it to DeMarks Bar & Restaurant for their popular Pizza Burger for the very first time last summer. You may have had a pizza burger before but unless you’ve been here you haven’t had the original which is unlike all others. It starts with what they simply call “pizza sausage” but it isn’t just sausage like that on a pizza. It’s a full fledged patty that’s 100% pork but texturally it’s just like a thick and juicy burger. I don’t know how they get it like they do but my best guess is they grind their Italian sausage into a more coarse product than usual. The end result is a fennel forward flavor bomb that’s easily the best “bomber” I ever ate in Racine and or Kenosha - bombers are what they call Italian beef, sausage, and meatball sandwiches loaded with marinara, melted cheese and hot peppers on French bread in these parts. DeMark’s is a textbook tavern with a fully sized shuffle board and all sorts of cold booze available for there or taking out. They started serving drinks back in 1939 although the business itself goes all the way back to 1906. 

Pizza Burger at Demarks
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La Tapatia

Racine is a crispy taco town as evidenced in this post from 2016. But not the kind made of store bought shells, the type made crispy by frying them to order. There’s handfuls of spots around Racine making real deal tacos dorados but this family run convenience store with a restaurant in back was the first and is still the best. Get them with ground beef and be generous with the salsa. Since 1981. 

Crispy Tacos at La Tapatia
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Wells Brothers

What more can I say about this place? There was a time when there was little info online about the legend that is Wells Brothers Pizza. It was named one of the country’s best pizza spots in a random list in USA Today circa 2005 which sparked someone on LTHforum to ask about it but the thread went silent for four years until I visited back in 2009. I posted about it on here around that same time and have been hyping it up ever since then. No I’m not taking total credit for its popularity outside of Racine but I can tell you right now I’m the one that set it in motion as there was a time when my blog post would pop up as the first result when you searched Wells Brothers online as there was little coverage of it outside of that. Wells Brothers was also featured in a New York Times piece by Kenji Lopez who learned about it thru Steve Dolinsky who was taken there by me. The sausage pizza is why you’re here - it’s my favorite pizza anywhere. It’s pretty much the only thing I ever get but sometimes I’ll also add a side of spaghetti and meatball and yes meatball is meant to be singular in that you can get a side of spaghetti with a house meatball for like $3 and it’s pretty damn good. 

Spaghetti and Meatball 


Pizza Burger

The pizza isn’t quite as thin as that at Zaffiros in nearby Milwaukee but it’s still one of the thinnest anywhere and I love the cornmeal crust on the bottom. They almost always cook it perfectly which is a bit on the well done side resulting in a crispy crust throughout. Wells also makes the best Italian sausage so that’s what you should get as far as toppings. You can also try a pizza burger here which is made with that same incredible made on site sausage and it’s worth an order should you need something on top of the pizza. While not quite as good as DeMark’s it's different enough to stand out on its own. When I was working up here in December I knew I would be taking a pizza home with me so I was finally able to stop in and try their popular lasagna which is $12.25 with soup or salad on Wednesdays. On top of that you can add a piece of Italian sausage for a buck. What a deal! My only complaint was I wish they put more melted cheese on top but other than that it was peak red sauce Italian. I’ll always have a special spot for the 2009 inaugural winner of the “Roadfood Stop of the Year” which is why I almost always stop here anytime I’m near. The pizza reheats really well so I often take it home but dining in at Wells Brothers is an experience in of itself. Sit at the bar and get a large sausage pizza and indulge in a cold Spotted Cow or one dollar cans of Hamm’s for full effect. Since 1921 - though the pizza recipe came up from Chicago with some relatives post World War II.

Sausage Pizza at Wells Brothers
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Pizz’Amici

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Tavern Thin Pizza in West Town

Chicago is a world class food town with Midwestern roots meaning no matter how many interesting places open none will gather as much buzz as a pizza or steak place. We’re in that stretch of the year where there’s been quite a few openings that seem worth checking out and per usual there’s one spot everyone is talking about more than the others. Today I’m going to give my two cents on Pizz’Amici. 

Recently Opened in West Town

Pizz’Amici opened at 1215 W. Grand Avenue right at the end of last year. One reason it’s been such a popular opening is that there’s a connection to the also popular Kim’s Uncle Pizza out in Westmont. Kim’s was spawned from Pizza, Fried Chicken & Ice Cream which was working out of Bridgeport after the people behind it became locally famous giving out free pizza via Instagram @EatFreePizza during the pandemic. According to Eater Chicago the couple behind Pizz’Amici were partners with another guy who bought them out at Kim’s Uncle Pizza and with that they opened Pizz’Amici. It’s a small space with only so many tables so it’s been tough to get a resy with doofuses like Dave Portnoy praising it. That said we walked in around opening and we were seated at the bar immediately.

a peek inside

I liked the atmosphere here as it feels like an old school spot despite being brand new. I’m not sure what was here before but it feels like an old Italian restaurant when you enter. The space is small with just one dining room and less than 10 tables total. The menu is also on the smaller side with Chicago style thin crust and a handful of antipasti on offer plus a couple dessert options. I was visiting with my wife who likes to start out a pizza dinner with a salad so we began with the Caesar Salad which the menu describes as "crunchy greens, pangrattato, caesar dressing, white anchovies". We both agreed that it was a very good rendition of former Tijuana resident Caesar Cardini's creation. 

Caesar Salad at Pizz’Amici 

The pizza all comes in one shape (thin) and one size (14") and they start at $21 with toppings ranging from $2 to $5 each. As regular readers know I'm a tavern thin pizza purist meaning I like my Chicago style thin crust with sausage and nothing else though onions and peppers or even some giardineria included can also good. But I grew up eating sausage and will never switch to pepperoni even though it seems to be more popular at these trendy transplant hyped spots. We got one sausage and one with mushrooms, onion and green pepper. The pizza looked good upon arrival and it was steaming hot so I made sure to let it rest and not regret going in too quick and leaving a sliver of skin hanging from the roof of my mouth. First things first I had to grab a corner slice. Not bad I thought but the real test comes with the second slice which is always one of the non corner crust squares. I like to fold it like a NY slice and test just how crispy it is. Unfortunately this wasn't as crisp as I hoped it would be. 

Sausage Pizza at Pizz’Amici 

The pizza didn't crack so to say despite being cold cured ala Pat's Pizza on Lincoln. I also thought the sausage was missing something but in fairness I always feel that way at the newer spots that insist on making it on-site despite the availability of a quality product from multiple Chicagoland vendors. My other problem was the sauce which tasted like it had too much going on. Maybe I prefer a milder sauce or maybe I'm just not used to such a heavily seasoned pizza sauce but it dominated the flavor. It might sound like I didn't like this place at all but I still thought the pizza was very good just not the best in town like some others are saying. Actually I enjoyed the veggie supreme pizza more than the sausage which was a first. The quality of the mushrooms and the freshness of the onion and peppers really worked in sync with the well spiced sauce. Overall this is a great opening for the area as there isn't anything else like it along Grand avenue there. The people behind Pizz’Amici have pushed pizza forward in Chicago and I'm almost positive the pizza is always improving as that's what perfectionists like them set out to achieve. I recently saw the backshot (the crust side) of a slice and could tell they're already making it a bit different then when I was there as the picture showed a bunch of dots and the pizza I got had a bunch of diagonal lines going thru the dough. I'll happily go back but I wont be making reservations weeks ahead as that's just not my style when it comes to getting a pizza. 

Veggie Pizza

Pizz’Amici
215 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 285-2382
Website

Old School Chicago Diners

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Greasy Spoon Diners

I wouldn't say the greasy spoon dining genre is headed towards extinction but it's certainly been endangered with each and every closing across the country. There's really no bringing these places back to a healthy number either as you just cant recreate them in any form or fashion. It takes decades for a greasy spoon diner to fully spawn and in today's age they're just not suitable for most areas. There's no exact definition but there's plenty of traits that make a place a blue collar greasy spoon diner. They're usually small, they're always cheap, and they've rarely been remodeled. There's still a decent amount of these places left in Chicago but there's not nearly as many as before. 

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Uncle Bens Grill (West Town)

If one of those Chicago PD or Chicago Fire TV shows ever needs a low key greasy spoon diner to film at Ben's Grill on Damen is a good call. It used to go by Tommy's Grill but it switched names a while back. I must've driven past this place a hundred times before I finally stopped in last summer when I was getting a cracked windshield on my car fixed across the street. The inside looks exactly like you can imagine and so the menu is what you would imagine too. It's pretty standard with all the usual suspects when it comes to American style breakfast. The biscuits and gravy get some love in online reviews so I went with a small order and they weren't bad for being this far north of the Mason Dixon line. They were better than I thought they would be. The biscuits weren't anything special but the gravy was highly seasoned with lots of sausage and had a nice and creamy texture to it too. 

Biscuits and Gravy at Uncle Ben's Diner 
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Parkview Restaurant and Grill (Pilsen)

Our next stop serves up some of my favorite chilaquiles in town. Parkview Diner at the corner of 19th and Damen is a mother and son run spot that's been serving the people of Pilsen for more than 35 years and the more Pilsen changes, the more this place stays the same. The menu is a fun mix of American and Mexican breakfasts and also a few Chicago style items too. The Mexican food here is old fashioned and similar to what you would find elsewhere in Chicago back in the 90's. But it's a step above as they put care into their food such as making their aguas frescas and soups on site. They also grow their own peppers for their salsas. Whatever you get from here it's going to be a hefty plate of food for a more than fair price but I cant get past the chilaquiles loaded with tender hunks of steak. 

Chilaquiles at Parkview Diner 
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United Grill (Belmont Cragin)

You wont find much info about United Grill online and that's how it usually is for a blue collar establishment such as this. They have two locations and I've featured the one in Cicero before. They also have a spot on Armitage just west of Cicero. It recently under went a renovation inside but before that this place felt like something straight out of the 80's. That goes for its looks and feel as well as the menu and prices. When I visited more than a year ago I had a very satisfying patty melt that was something like $6 or $7 with a huge side of hash browns. The patty melt was just about perfect although it is a thinner patty than most but both sides of the bread were well toasted and they loaded up on the grilled onions and the cheese was well melted. I think it might be time to revisit them soon. 

Patty Melt at United Grill 
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Cinderella (Back of the Yards)

Any and every greasy spoon diner worth it's weight does burgers for breakfast. Back when I was a kid in my pre teen days we used to go to this long gone place on Fullerton Avenue in Lincoln Park called Glenn's - it was maybe a half black west of the Walgreens and they had the best greasy burgers we would get for breakfast. Well I was reminded of my trips to Glenn's when I recently returned to Cinderella on 47th street in Back of the Yards early one morning this past winter. At the time I had no idea this out of date diner was still open until I read a feature at Block Club Chicago. Cinderella’s is ran by a Polish grandma named Helen Borowicz who walks to work every day and when I say nothing here has changed I mean that in a literal sense as burgers are still $2.15 each and the dining room is filled with little relics from another era as well as random piles of junk that looks like it hasn’t been touched in 20+ years. Stepping into here is like going to your grandparents house circa 1993. 

a peek inside

There’s few if any places like Cinderella’s left, the burgers taste like they come from a time machine. I got one with mustard and onion and another with lettuce, tomato, mayo and they’re even better than I remembered them to be, just be ready for the smell to linger like a bag of sliders will do as they reek in a way only an old school burger does. I should note that they're the frozen hockey puck variety but there must be some really good flavor in that flattop as they had that classic old school taste to them. According to that Block Club article Helen started working here in 1974 when her future husband hired her to work the Easter shift and the rest is Chicago restaurant history as she’s been working at Cinderella’s ever since then. Her husband passed away in 1993 and she’s been running the show solo ever since. The menu is a short and simple mix of breakfast and sandwiches and includes a few clues into the neighborhoods old Eastern European past such as a liver sausage sandwich ($3.50). If you visit in summer the tomatoes in the BLT come from the garden in back and with that I have to ask how is this place not listed on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey identifying close to 10,000 properties in Chicago with historic or architectural significance? Cinderella is almost a time portal.

Cheeseburgers at Cinderella
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Golden Nugget (Avondale)

Our final stop is one of the more well known blue collar greasy spoon diners in town. Golden Nugget is a homegrown mini chain from another era. Actually I was curious about it's history so I did a little digging and came to find that it was started in Florida by a Chicago guy who named it after the famous Las Vegas casino where he had previously worked as a blackjack dealer. The Golden Nugget first popped up in Chicago in 1966 and they still have four locations left. If you've ever been to the Golden Apple in Lakeview or had been to the Golden Angel at Lincoln and Montrose those too were once Golden Nuggets. I'll be honest I've never been a big fan in part bc we always ate Mexican food late night when I was in that phase of life. I'm just not a big American breakfast person in the morning or the night so Golden Nugget was never my first choice for food after alcohol. But it was and still is for many as they remain open 24 hours at this Diversey location (the others close in the afternoon). The last time I visited any of them was actually right around the pandemic when it felt like the world was headed to the shitter and nothing mattered so I said f-ck it one night and decided to eat here. The menu at Golden Nugget is almost as long as a children's book. It reads like a Sysco catalog with just about any and every diner type dish you can imagine. I somehow ended up on the "Little Italy" section which reads like a menu in Omaha's Little Italy. Whatever I was on that night had me wanting some chicken parm after putting it into my head so that's what I got and it was about what you would expect. It's not the best chicken parm except when it is in those wee hours of the morning. 

Chicken Parm and Spaghetti at Golden Nugget
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Previously Featured Greasy Spoons:

Mr. A's
Don's Grill
Fred's Place
Pete's Place
Johnnie's Grill

The Choo Choo
Alexander's Restaurant

See ya next time @chibbqking

Taquizas Valdez

-Grubbing in Chicago  
New Aged Mom & Pop Mexican in Irving Park

It's been a hot minute since Chicago had a mom and pop type Mexican restaurant to get excited about but that time has passed with the recent opening of Taquizas Valdez on Irving in Irving Park. 

Recently Opened in Irving Park 

The menu at Taquizas Valdez is a reflection of its owner / chef. Diners can choose between the restaurants signature tacos and tortas as well as mouth watering wings or baskets of French fries loaded up with skirt steak, banana pepper fondue and beans. Ivan Valdez was born in Chicago and grew up in Logan Square where his parents ended up after emigrating to the U.S. from Mexico. Upon entry into his restaurant customers are greeted by a beautiful hand painted mural showcasing his families journey. It takes up an entire wall and includes the flags of both Mexico and the United States as well as nods to his service in the U.S. Marines Corp and fatherhood. Valdez first gained a love for cooking through his mother who he often accompanied in the kitchen as a kid before going on to work professionally in kitchens across the city including the now defunct Quiote in Logan Square. 

Taco El Americano

The taco portion of a Mexican restaurants menu is pretty much the first thing I peep when looking over the menu of a new to me spot. You can get a good idea of what type of cooking they're doing based off the taco options. Too many spots serve up the same uninspired menu with the usual taco suspects - steak, chicken, and "al pastor" which I put in quotes because it's rarely the real thing. But not here where the tacos are unique and creative with options like the El Americano made with skirt steak, muenster cheese, lettuce, tomato, and lime crema on a toasted flour tortilla. Chicago wing enthusiasts should take note of the Taquiza Wings which come in four flavors - spicy red salsa , spicy green salsa, Mexican lemon pepper, or tossed in Valdez’s moms mole sauce made with three different chilies (árbol, mulato, ancho), sesame seeds, and bananas among other things. Each order comes with a refreshing made on site ranch sauce plus pickled vegetables known as ecabeche.

Mexican Lemon Pepper Wings at Taquizas Valdez 

All the tortas at Taquizas Valdez start with fresh baked and heart shaped bread and the Pambazo Valdez might be my favorite Mexican sandwich in town right now. The soft but sturdy bread is dipped into a guajillo chile sauce and toasted before being loaded with a medley of sautéed mushrooms, black beans, crispy fries, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, lime crema, queso fresco, salsa macha. It’s an absolute beast of a sandwich despite containing zero meat. A recently added menu item - Mexican corn ribs with guajillo butter and lime cotija mayo - is on my to try list next time because after visiting twice it's safe to say Taquizas Valdez is the best Mexican restaurant to open in a hot minute.  

Pambazo de Hongos at Taquizas Valdez 

Taquizas Valdez
3038 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 681-0227
Website