Suburban Finds

-Grubbing in Chicagoland
Five of a Kind: Northern Suburb Finds

It’s been a minute since I posted any of my findings in the suburbs so I figured I would throw something together for this week’s post. We’ll focus in on the northern suburbs which has had some interesting spots open in the last year or so. Here’s five of them that I would highly recommend - 

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Lao Tian Dumpling House (Evanston)

The Chicagoland area continues to be a bit of a dumpling desert compared to East and West Coast cities but it’s gotten better in the last couple years. Take for example the suburb of Evanston which despite being the home of a Big Ten university was without a spot a true go-to dumpling spot. Dumpling shops near college campuses have become very common these days. Lao Tian opened almost a year ago and I immediately wondered if there was any relation to QXY Dumplings. Reason being is the menus are very similar with the option to get your dumplings boiled, steamed, or fried. As far as I know there isn't a connection between the two though the quality of the product here in Evanston can match that in Chinatown. I’ve stopped in here a handful of times allowing me to try a bunch of different dumplings and they all hit the spot. I recommend going with the lamb and dill boiled or the pan fried with pork and cabbage. If you’re looking for a little more both the Sichuan Wontons and Zhong’s Dumplings are spiked with chili oil. The Zhong's Dumplings are a regional snack of Sichuan dressed with sweetened, spice-infused soy sauce, chili oil, garlic and sesame seeds.

Steamed Dumplings

Boiled Dumplings


Pan Fried Dumplings


Sichuan Wontons


Zhong's Dumplings
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Alan's Falafel (Skokie)

Here’s something I didn’t know until just recently - the largest and oldest Iraqi community in America is in Chicago, home to the largest Assyrian population in the United States. Honestly I never really thought about it but this makes sense as I know a few Assyrians myself and have also noticed a steady increase in Iraqi restaurants in the suburbs. Alan’s Falafel sits in a mini strip mall on Dempster and seems to stay packed with local Iraqi families. I recently visited and was greeted by two pristinely kept cones of meat - one beef and one chicken. When it comes to shawarma beef is more popular in Iraq and although I tend to prefer chicken I decided to try the beef shawarma samoon which consists of freshly sliced beef shawarma loaded into Iraqi Samoon which is a flatbread baked on-site. This sandwich is loaded with meat and ends up being a great deal too at just $10 each with a piece of piping hot Iraqi falafel included with the sandwich. I appreciated the fact they had bottles of sauce at each table too. Beef shawarma tends to be a bit dryer which this was but the sauce really fixes that. This was a really good sandwich at a super fair price-point. I can see why this place stays busy. 

Beef Shawarma Samoon Sandwich at Alan's Falafel
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Da Local Boy (Highwood)

Let’s go get some Mochiko Chicken on Da North Shore - except we’re not going to Oahu, we’re headed to Highwood where Da Local Boy was opened by a couple that moved there from Maui. There’s a handful of Hawaiian restaurants in Chicago but I can’t recall having Hawaiian fried chicken at any so I went with that on my initial visit and it hit the spot in a way Hawaiian food always does. I’m not a native but I’ve always found Hawaiian food to be extremely comforting. Mochiko Chicken is an iconic Hawaiian-style dish made with chunks of fried chicken. It's known for its sweet, savory, and chewy texture. The dish's signature characteristics come from its key ingredient: mochiko, a Japanese sweet rice flour. A plate comes with a scoop of steaming white rice and mac salad. Da Local Boy was recently featured in a NYT dining article about where to eat in Chicago but if you follow me on Instagram you knew about this place before it was in any local or national publications. I put their North Shore neighbor and former Bears legend and Hawaii Native Olin Kreutz on - he loves it.

Mochiko Chicken at Da Local Boy
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P Dern Thai Kitchen (Niles)

The locally owned Park2Shop grocery chain took over Assi Plaza on Milwaukee avenue in Niles a while back and the food court had some turnover too. There’s a few new non-Korean spots now including a Pho place and an outlet of a Sichuan spot in Bridgeport. There's also P. Dern Thai Kitchen ran by a Thai lady who can flat out cook. After a few visits it’s become one of my favorite Thai spots in the Chicagoland area due to an extremely high hit rate. I haven’t even had a chance to get into any of the Northern Thai options which are on a secret menu but don’t sleep on her spicy basil dishes. Pad Kra Pao is a good dish to gauge the talent of a Thai kitchen and the version at P Dern is among the best in the Chicagoland area - loaded with holy basil and Thai Chiles. But if you’re a fan of crispy basil pork you need to try the version from here which is as good as it gets. Super crispy chunks of pork belly are tossed in a mouth watering sweet and spicy sauce. You absolutely want to pay the up-charge for the fried egg sitting atop a mini mountain of jasmine rice. They don't skimp on the heat here so long as you can convince them you want it “Thai people hot” which I very much appreciate. 

Crispy Basil Pork Belly at P Dern Thai Kitchen
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Tandoor Curry Hotspot (Riverwoods)

Every now and then I learn of a new to me food spot that shoots to the top of my ‘to try’ list and Tandoor Curry Hotspot out in Riverwoods was a recent stop that attracted my attention in that way. I had kept hearing good things from reliable food friends about this Northern Indian restaurant in a very random suburb. When I finally got the chance to check it out I came away just as impressed as everybody else. I would say the Chicken 65 is my favorite rendition of that dish to date. It’s a very well seasoned dry spiced version made up of popcorn chicken sized pieces that are fried to a perfect crisp. The same can be said for the Gobi Manchurian which features little morsels of wok fried cauliflower bits tossed in a sticky chile sauce with some real deal heat. Dal Makhani is the dish I use to gauge a Northern Indian kitchen such as this and it was outstanding. Both the garlic naan and the basmati rice were very nicely done. The lamb chapli kebab was great as far as flavor but more like a meatball than a patty so I would probably list those as a one and done. I haven’t had a chance to try any of the “Ugly Delicious” portion of the menu but it features Northern Indian street food favorites like Samosa Chaat. The food seems to be really consistent from dish to dish so I might try an entirely new set of dishes next time with the exception of the Chicken 65 which will be a must on each visit. 

Chicken 65


Gobi Manchurian


Chapli Kebab


Dal Makhani
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See ya next time @chibbqking

The Red Hot Chilli Pepper

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
Indo-Chinese Cuisine in Evasnton

Months before the pandemic me and a friend rode out to Evanston for some Indo-Chinese. The fusion of Indian and Chinese flavors is a magical one and is very popular in spots like Toronto and Bangkok on top of all the major cities in India. But despite a large Indian community in the Chicagoland area there isn't a ton of Indo-Chinese spots. There's maybe a handful and a few more that sell Indo-Chinese dishes but RHCP boasts a large Indo-Chinese menu and pre-pandemic seemed to be a popular stop for Indian families in the area. They even have a bar and lots of space for groups. 

Locals favorite in Evanston 

Indian-Chinese cuisine is said to be traced back to the ethnic Chinese community of Kolkata. Like all groups of Chinese nomads they brought with them their recipes and adapted to the local ingredients and such. There's many of Chinese fusion cuisines and Indo-Chinese is one of the most exciting. RHCP offers a solid menu with many of the favorites as far as Indo-Chinese dishes go. While I haven't had the chance to check out a ton of Desi-Chinese spots I always like to try the Hakka Noodles when doing so. It's a simple dish that relies on the wok skill of the cook to determine just how good it can get. The version served here is my favorite from anywhere thus far. They're just cooked really well to the point where you yourself might wonder what makes this bowl of noodles so pleasing. So much so I've been itching for an order for what's been almost my entire time in quarantine. RHCP closed it's doors when the covid cases started rising and just reopened for takeout not too long ago. 

Hakka Noodles at Red Hot Chilli Pepper 

Indo-Chinese features a ton of stir fried dishes mixing the spices popular in each cuisines together. Personally I find spots that do good stir fried foods always tend to do the fish dishes well so we tried an order of dry chili fish from the appetizers menu. It hit all the notes you want in terms of bold flavors. It was a busy weekend night when we visited so our food took a while to come out and they brought us some lollipop wings to enjoy while we waited for the fish. Those are always pretty good. 

Chili Fish at RHCP

For an entrée we had to try the chili chicken the first go around. It's maybe the most popular Indo-Chinese dish though it's rarely made the same way at any two spots. RHCP does up a wetter version than I was hoping for and bc we got  chili fish too this the meal might've seemed a bit repetitive but between the two of us we scarfed it all down. It came served on a sizzling platter which I always get a kick out of. You know how everyone turns their head when you get your fajita platter at the restaurant wishing they had what you had. I also like how the pieces of chicken get crisper as time passes. 

Chili Chicken at Red Hot Chilli Pepper 

The Red Hot Chilli Pepper

500 Davis St #102
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 563-8085
Website

Peppercorns Kitchen

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)

Szechuan food in Evanston

Restaurants serving food from China's Sichuan region show no sign of slowing down. With help from the now free Tony Hu Chicago has had Sichuan cuisine regularly available since he first opened Lao Sze Chuan over a decade ago. Funny bc it's just becoming all the rage in LA where most of the country's Asian food trends are set especially Chinese with the SGV area being damn near all Chinese. Well ever since the city's first Szechuan restaurant opened many have followed in it's path. I got word one of the city's best was found up North in Evanston. Not surprising considering all the other college campus towns across the Big Ten where regional Chinese food has a presence.

Locals Favorite in Evanston

Peppercorn's Kitchen sits in an old storefront on downtown Davis street. Word among those on food social media has it that the owners of Peppercorns are the same people behind Chef Xiong Taste of Szechuan. I haven't been there yet but early word is mostly positive from those I know and online reviews. I tried Peppercorn's one night this last summer and it was bustling despite being in it's last hour of business for the day. Lots of younger groups of Asian kids as well as gringo families and the likes. A nice mix. From what I heard this place is as good as most anywhere else in Chinatown so if you live closer to Evanston you might be just as satisfied here with a much shorter drive to boot.

 Dan Dan Noodles at Peppercorns Kitchen

I have a couple of dishes I will try the first time through a Sichuan focused spot. Dan Dan Noodles being the menu item most Sichuan spots are going to have. But it can be served in so many different ways in the States that it can be tough to find something like that which you might have had in China. Peppercorns does a pretty good version for an American made bowl. I liked it better than most all of the other spots around town where I've had Dan Dan but that's not saying much. The other item we're getting if you're dining with me at a Sichuan spot is Dry Chili Fish Filet. It's not always called such but most spots have pieces of crispy fried fish tossed with peppercorn chiles as a menu option. Peppercorns serves theirs with fried green beans as well. The peppercorns are deceiving in that they put so many of them on the plate it takes up much of the space so there's not as much food as there seems. I've never really had a bad rendition of this dish and I'd give this version a B- overall.

 Dry Chili Fish Filet

We also decided to try the stir fried cumin lamb. I thought this was going to be the little individual pieces of fried lamb you eat with toothpicks but I was mistaken. Instead it was little strips of cumin laced lamb stir fried with bell peppers and onion. While not what I envisioned it was still delicious as I love the combo of cumin and lamb and the meat was tender and the veggies crisp. Nice wok work.

Stir Fried Cumin Lamb at Peppercorns Kitchen

Peppercorns Kitchen
620 Davis St #4419
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 563-8461
Website

10Q Chicken

-The Sammy's of Chi (land)

No I didn't get a chance to try the Popeye's Chicken Sandwich. Will I ever? Yeah I'm sure someday I'll be in a rush somewhere or just hangry and near one so that day will come. But I wasn't going to wait in line and make the poor employees getting what's most likely low hourly pay work twice as hard for the same crappy pay. Plus there's lots of other fried chicken sandwiches to be found around town. It was only a few years ago they were all the trend and most of them still remain. 10Q Chicken in Evanston is probably the place I would name when asked about my favorite fried chicken sandwich.

Locals Favorite in Evanston 

One of the guys behind this downtown Evanston chicken shop is the owner of the popular bopNgrill which has two locations in the city. It was originally across the street from ETHS before moving into Rogers Park. It's still close enough to Evanston that most of the people who live there full and part time know about it. But now many of those Northwestern students don't have to go into the city to get Korean inspired fast food. 10Q focuses in on chicken and you can get it a variety of ways but it's the sandwiches that drive sales. The namesake is Panko fried chicken breast, pickled radish, togarashi mayo, on a buttered brioche bun. None of the ingredients took away the flavors you want when the taste for a chicken sandwich comes calling. Which for me isn't often but next time one comes I hope there's a 10Q nearby. Otherwise next time I'm in Evanston. I'll probably pass a few Popeye's en route.

The 10Q from 10Q Chicken 

10Q Chicken
816 Church St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 859-6100
Website

Evanston Grill

-Grubbing in Chicago (land)
Korean Diner Food in Evanston

There's a cool article on Al's Deli in Evanston that's been floating around my Social Media feed this week. I've featured Al's before but that Takeout article reminded me I've never given my thoughts on Evanston Grill. Another one of the city's most beloved spots. A place that generations have ate at.

Locals Favorite in Evanston, IL

I have pretty much zero affiliation with Evanston. I didn't go to Northwestern but I did go to Loyola Academy for a couple years and it brought me through Evanston often. As the purple line was my way home. I remember when I first learned of Bi Bim Bop after seeing the ad on Evanston Grill's window announcing they served it. Evanston Grill is a Korean owned diner where the mother and son are always in-house. It's the last of a dying breed. To my knowledge there's only three Korean owned diners left in the Chicago area as well as one Vietnamese owned spot. Evanston Grill caters to a city that's mostly vanilla so you can expect all the breakfast classics as well as a few Korean favorites.

a peek inside 

I can't say I'm a regular here but I can proclaim my love for it. Every time I stop by which is maybe every other year I'm reminded just how classic of an establishment this is. It just wreaks of old school feels. I'm sure that pretty much everyone that lives in Evanston or went to school at Northwestern has an opinion on this place and I'm sure most of them are good. Personally I love the bi bim bop here as much as anywhere. They make a pretty traditional style with a handful of different thinly sliced veggies resting on the bottom with a big scoop of rice on top as well as a fried egg and lots of sliced beef. It doesn't come in a dolsat bowl which is it's biggest weakness but the beef is it's strength. I love how they chop it down really finely and season it just right. Kimchi is free upon request. Bc the son runs this spot with his mother it may have a couple decades left but you never know for sure.

Bi Bim Bop at Evanston Grill

Evanston Grill
1047 Chicago Ave # B
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 328-3339

Yeero Revolution

-Grubbing in Chicago (land)
New to the 'Scene'

Due to some glowing reviews I had wanted to try out Yeero Revolution in Evanston for some time. It's not your typical Greek gyro place in that they aren't getting their cones from a warehouse but rather making them on site. Yeero Revolution opened towards the end of 2016 and as mentioned did so to some good reviews. I'm all about spit roasted meat so I had to go check it out for myself. I'm rarely if ever in Evanston so I made a special trip out there to try it one recent summer night.

Newly Opened in Evanston 

I arrived around 7p and you could tell they were starting to shut down as they close at 8p. This meant there were no spits in motion and all the meat had been pre-sliced. I hate that shit, whats the point in cooking it on a vertical spit? Yeero Revolution offers gyros made with beef and lamb as well as a pork belly option and a chicken one too. I opted for the pork belly and bc I was hungry got it as a plate opposed to just a sandwich. I guess because they were close to closing they ran out of rice so I got fries alongside it. What I received was a plate with a small handful of pork gyros that must have been the end of it. The pieces were barely bigger than a nickel. The first thing I think of when gyro plate is mentioned is a big ass plate of food and this wasn't that. Maybe they ran out since they close so early? If so I cant see how this isn't a constant problem with people coming in around 7p which isn't all that late. The product itself was good but the delivery of it was pretty weak. It's more than possible this isn't the norm and I just caught them at a bad time. I will try them again one day.

Pork Belly Gyro Plate at Yeero Revolution 

Yeero Revolution
1009 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 905-0213
Website

Union Squared Pizza

-Grubbing in Chicago (land)

New to the 'Scene'

I took advantage of some nice weather recently and took a trip out to Evanston. It's a place I rarely make it to these days but I've had my eye on a restaurant there for a while. That restaurant is actually a pizza parlor and to be more specific it's a Detroit Style Pizza Parlor. For those unaware Detroit has a pizza style all it's own and it's having it's moment right now. There's no doubt about it when I say it's one of the trendiest foods in the country. A good trend as far as I'm concerned. Enter Union Squared

 Detroit Style Pizza in Evanston, IL 

Union Squared is an extension of Union Pizzeria where they're specializing in Neapolitan style pizzas. The space that holds Union Squared is small however the patio is large. When we visited on a recent weekend night there were a few people there but if it was in city proper it would've been packed. They have bags aka cornhole, and some butane fueled fire places as well as plenty of tables for people to sit and eat. The menu is small with pretty much just two options of salads and pizza.

Chopped Greek Salad 

A starter of Greek Style Chopped Salad was fantastic. I'm appreciating good salads more and more nowadays and this was one I could really adore. Nothing noteworthy as far as ingredients other than the fact they were fresh and and the whole thing was made really well. But that's now why we were here. It's the Detroit style pizza I wanted to try. What's that you ask? Well first off it's a square style pizza. What makes it unique and authentically Detroit is baking the pie in a heavy metal well oiled pan. That and the fact the sauce usually goes on top. Pepperoni is the preferred choice of locals in Detroit but that's not the only way people like it. It's crust should be well caramelized and have chew.

Pepperoni Pizza at Union Squared 

So how do the folks at Union Squared do? Pretty damn good I thought. Maybe not quite up to par with some of my favorite spots in Detroit but one of the better pizzas I've had of late. I thought this was worth the $24 pricetag which might seem a bit high out of the gate but it's enough to feed 3-4 people. The sauce was well balanced and the pepperoni curled well which is what it's supposed to do. Union Squared has a second location at Revival Food Hall but I never get near there. So I had to wait for it to get nice and head out to Evanston which I thought was worth the ride. Add me to it's fans.

Close-Up of the Crust 

Union Squared Pizza
1307 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(224) 714-3100
Website

Al's Deli

-The Sammy's of Chi

Today we turn back the clock and check out an old favorite amongst Chicago's culinary driven. Al's Deli has been an Evanston mainstay going on over 60 years (Since 1949). It's one of the original spots I sought out when this online food thing actually became a thing for not just me but ton's of others. I remember reading about it back in the golden age of LTHforum and have been a semi regular customer ever since then. Al's is truly a treasure in that once it's gone so is this style of deli.

Longtime locals favorite in Evanston

Al's labels itself as a French Deli. The current owners took over from their dad. Bread is delivered fresh daily and aside from sandwiches the soups and cookies are also popular. Having just visited Paris a couple months ago I finally felt what people mean when they say it's like a little piece of Paris planted in Evanston. The atmosphere here is as old school as anywhere as far as a sandwich shop can go. It's long and narrow and you get the feeling some things haven't been moved in years.

The Menu (click pics to enhance)

While I'm sure all of the sandwiches at Al's are fantastic I've pretty much always stuck to roast beef. The only question for me is which type of bread I want it on. I slightly prefer the French baguette but the seven grain isn't anything to be looking down on. While I typically only like bleu cheese dressing mixed with Buffalo sauce, I enjoy the combination of it with this fresh cut rare roast beef as well. It's probably the closest thing Chicagoland has to old school roast beef. The type that's made on-site and not in a factory across state lines. I don't make it to Evanston often but when I do Al's is an option.

Roast Beef on Seven Grain Bread

Al's Deli
914 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 475-9400
Website

Edzo's Burger Shop

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

May is National Hamburger Month and to celebrate we're doing all burgers all month long here at S'C'&C. It's only fitting that the first place to be showcased is chibbqking favorite Edzo's in Evanston. Located downtown in the one suburb I could stand living in (at a young age) Edzo's came onto the scene in the fall of '09 and has never looked back. The burger and shake shop became an immediate favorite with everyone from everywhere and is now one of E-Town's best food gems. When people ask me where the spot to go for a burger is, I tell them Edzo's and this report will show you why. Edzo's is owned by Eddie Lakin who's also (or was) a professional chef. I only say 'was' because Edzo's isn't going anywhere. It's simply fantastic.


an instant classic in downtown Evanston

Eddie trained at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and spent time at fine dining fancy's like Tru and also worked in kitchens overseas in Barcelona and Bologna. Anyone that works the kitchen in a fine dining establishment knows that it's non stop never ending days that can take up your entire time. As any smart man that likes to live life knows, that's not what you want. So when it was time to settle down as he started his family an idea came to mind. Much like me, Eddie is a food junkie, we love to hit up the locals favorite places wherever we are and so said Eddie "I'm going to start my own". When you grow up in Chicagoland you tend to eat at alot of Chicago style fast food places and we all have our favorites and they're usually the ones we grew up on. So he set out to recreate a place that is fun to go to and also great to eat at and the result is a grand slam. Walk off style baby, it's over! Edzo's has got the game on lock.


Edzo's has some of the best milkshakes anywhere

I mentioned how Eddie is a fellow food enthusiast and his idea for burgers was brilliant. When it comes to fast food, Chicagoland has it all, the best it gets, but we all know hot dogs and Italian beefs reign supreme. While theres so many great burgers to be had in the area, most of them are on the southside or in bars/restaurants. So Eddie decided to open his own place in the way of many great Chicagoland Hot Dog stands except the focus here is on the hamburger. He even documented the whole process and did all the right research. He settled on downtown Evanston which has clearly embraced him, his staff and their 'Gourmet' Chicago style fast food. Edzo's has been rewarded for their dedication with constant customers and I would go as far to say there arent but a handful of people who have only eaten there once. It's a winner for everyone.


The view of the inside from the back

Edzo's is a place where you can have your burger, your way and that's no BS unlike some other places who like to claim the same. Eddie used input from the local Chicago based online food community called LTH and checked out famous burger spots around the city and hit them up while on family vaca's in Wisconsin and other spots around the Midwest too. After receiving advice from burger nuts like myself and listening to what the people like he decided that their signature burger would be your choice. You see if I had to say Chicago had it's own style of burger I would tell you that burger is a big juicy char grilled (1/3 to a 1/2 pound) patty, tavern style, with the option of Merkt's cheese spread and grilled onions which are both a must. That burger is an option at Edzo's. Except there's also thinner '30's style' griddled burgers which start off as fresh balls of beef that are then smashed thin and cooked to crispy excellence. Eddie didn't leave everything behind from the fancy fine dining places he once worked at and they grind their own meat in house. It's excellent.

a view of part of the burger preparation station

Eddie took the best of both worlds when it comes to burgers. I love both styles as well as steamed and really anything that has good quality beef between a bun and I cant think of any other burger place around that has not one but two signature styles. Eddie didn't stop there though and also uses hand cut fries that come in a variety of options and they are all fantastic. One of the unique options available is 'old fries' which are the same fresh cut fries made in house except crispy as a cracklin'. Instead of being soft on the inside like the regular fries these are fried again leftovers that didn't get served after initial frying. You gotta love how instead of serving actual old cold fries to customers, he takes them and makes them even better by frying them again. You cant go wrong either way but if you like crunchy chip like french fries then try them this way. I always go with the giardineria or Merkt's cheese as a topping but aside from those two and of course plain they offer them buffalo style with sauce and blue cheese, garlic fries, truffle fries and ten ways total in the end. Shout out to my guy stevez from LTH who combined the old fries with hot peppers (giardineria) and created one of the cities best eats.


Cheese fries made with Merkt's cheddar spread, a Chi Town tradition


'Old Fries' with Chicago style hot peppers from Edzo's

My visits to Edzo's are always what Eddie was envisioning they be when he got the place started and that's fun. You can almost always expect a line but it's not like this isn't a good thing, you know all the legendary spots usually have a line but don't worry because it moves fast. Eddie and his staff treat the customers as if it's a fine dining experience making sure every last second of your visit is a pleasant one. You cant find this kind of hospitality combined with gourmet fast food at may other places and as if all that didn't make it amazing, the price is right too. As you enter you take your place in line and can grab a menu and take a look at the days special milkshakes menu while you wait. Edzo's offers up unique options like a Nutella blended beauty as well as one with cola and a few Mexican influenced winners as well. Tables are come and go but they really got a great flow here and one will pop up before your food is ready. You place your order with Eddie who seems to know everyone which proves what I was saying up above, once you go once, your guaranteed to go back. After your order you walk down to the burger station or wait at your table for your name to be called when ready. The action is at the grill. Check this video below.


Amazing how you can get burgers smashed or charred...and I luv it!

If you ask me which is the way to go at Edzo's, I'd simply say "I don't know" and that's because it's all good baby. When doing his research before opening up Eddie realized how much people love their burgers served the old school smashed way. It's how almost everyone did it back in the day but sadly has now almost gone away completely especially in Chicagoland. You take a fresh 4 oz ball of beef and throw it onto the griddle and let cook it for a few minutes and then take something heavy and flat like a spatula and smash the ball into a patty like that seen in the video above. The result is a simple taste that takes you to heaven. It's a damn shame so many places use shortcuts when it's not all that hard in the first place. You just gotta love what you do and that's the case at Edzo's. I always get my '30's style' smashed burger a double so the meat to bun ratio is perfect. I prefer mine with just pickles, mustard and grilled onions and while the flavor combo may be simple, it's simply succulent.


Double griddled cheeseburger from Edzo's

I think the 8 oz char grilled burgers there are as good of a char burger as your going to get anywhere. The meat is fresh ground and full of flavor and they cook it to your request. If you like pink in the middle like I do, you get it your way if you want that. Burgers arent meant to be too fancy and when they are they usually don't live up to their elegant looks. Edzo's offers the only toppings you need which is the usual assortment of veggies as well as different cheeses including cheddar spread and of course fried eggs and bacon. So you make your style of burger your way and when I'm doing a char burger I need Merkt's on mine. When you combine the char taste from the beef with the cheddar spread and grilled onions you get greatness and Edzo's char burgers are glorious. The only complicated part about eating at Edzo's is choosing what kind of burger your going to go with. Read on.


Edzo's char grilled cheddar burger

Is there anything more mouth watering than a patty melt when you need one? When I get the cravings for a melt I just need to get to one like a crackhead needs crack. I'm happy to say that I now know that Edzo's is the best hook up in town. That's because I finally tried one and I was ecstatic with it. They offer the option of either style patty but you gotta go with the 4 oz griddled one as this is the traditional way of making them. While some may claim a patty melt isn't a burger, I say boo hoo! It's a beef patty in between bread which is related to the bun. It's a burger damnit.


Edzo's All American Patty Melt...Perfection!

Just like the previous two burgers everything in a melt molds together to make something that tastes great. The combo of a griddled greasy burger with sauteed onions and melted cheese in between a couple slices of rye bread is something special. At Edzo's, as is the case with everything else simple yet special, they take the patty melt to another level. I'm getting hungry and cranky as I write this so I have no fancy words to describe this stunner except this is Patty perfection my friends. So if you love burgers as much as I do then let me tell you, Edzo's is where it's at. Check it out.


The insides of Edzo's perfect patty melt

Edzo's Burger Shop
1571 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-3396
Website