Illinois Bar & Grill

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

Ever had that hankering when you just need a big, juicy burger and nothing else? We all get it, even vegetarians, though they wouldn't admit it, get it. Lucky for the people of Archer Heights they have had Illinois Bar & Grill at the corner of 47th and Kedvale. Many people that are lifelong 50+ year old Chicagoans will tell you that the IBG is a real Chicago bar. In fact some of my oldest food memories come from IBG when my uncle would take us here when we were kids for their ginormous greasy burgers. Back then it seemed like these bad boys were the size of a medium pizza. I remember not being able to fit it in my mouth and so the bartender would cut the burger into pizza slices for the youngsters so we could eat the thing. If Illinois Bar & Grill sounds familiar to out of towners its probably because they also have a location at Midway airport and a recently closed down location on Taylor St. But if you want to get the real thing and experience the real atmosphere of where it all started then you need to visit the 47th St. location.


You can miss it in an instant

Illinois Bar & Grill is an old school southside bar with the same set of regulars who been going there for decades. The regulars will be seated at the bar controlling the remote watching whatever is on TV and there will be a bartender and a grill cook. Usually the place is pretty empty but never totally empty. There's always a few people be it solo or a group who are enjoying IBG greasy grub. Whats on the menu? I couldn't tell you except for the fries and half pound monster burgers I spoke of above. People go to IBG for one of two things: 1) to get piss drunk and 2) to get a burger. I imagine some people do both one and two. When you want a monster burger in Chicago its available over on 47th St. Its hard to eat a cheeseburger and fries if your solo and not a professional eater but I recommend getting an order of fries regardless. The fries pictured below easily serve 2-3 people and are some of the best fries alongside a burger your going to find. All the better that burger is legit.


fresh cut twice fried fries

Illinois Bar & Grill has some real old school character but the real reason people stop in for a glass of old style is the cheeseburger. Over there they been doing it the same way on the same greasy top since they opened. You'll get a half pound patty they throw on the greasetop cooked perfect with crispy edges, throw it on an oversized bun then load that with a bunch of grilled onions, two slices of cheese and the option for pickles and tomato. In the end you get a mega burger that would make Homer Simpson switch his regular hangout from Moe's to Illinois Bar & grill. Don't be afraid to use 7 or 8 napkins from the roll on the table next to the ketchup and mustard. They're there for a reason. I have never had a chance to try their breakfast but I could almost guarantee the sandwiches are good. One day I'll let you know if you don't find out before me.


Regular cheeseburger from Illinois Bar & Grill

Overall Grade: A-

Strengths: the best thing it has going for it is the price and size but without a juicy patty and the right condiments to accompany it I could care less about either. Instead IBG does it perfectly and I cant think of a better burger that's going to leave you stuffed no matter what. Like the rest of the good old school joints around the country they stick with what they've been doing since day 1 and that a big time burger. Extra points for the perfectly fried fresh cut fries and the load of grilled onions that takes the burger to the next level.

Weakness': There's really nothing not too like. the burger will get messy but what do you expect from an oversized giant? Unlike some stingy places these days they leave a whole roll of paper towels and as said above the price is right.

Illinois Bar & Grill on 47th*
4135 W 47th St
Chicago, IL 60632
(773) 847-2525
Website
*Also a location at Midway Airport

Beef with hot from Tony's Subs

--Got Beef? Italian Beef

Tony's Subs in Deerfield puts out what I feel to be the best Italian beef in the Northshore. I first read about this place five maybe six years ago in a magazine article about chefs favorite places to eat when they aren't working. A well known chef mentioned that she loves Tony's and cant enough of the homemade Italian beef when shes not in the kitchen. She went on to call it the best beef in Chicago. Like I always do when I hear that and its a place that I haven't been to I make a mental note and put it on my to beef list. Tony Viti opened his sandwich shop more than 44 years ago in his hometown of Deerfield. There was a time when Tony operated six locations of the sub shop including outlets in North Chicago, Libertyville, Highwood, Waukegan and two in Deerfield.

Here we are 43 years later and Tony and his family are still supplying the families of the area with the same great sandwiches as always. Unless your from the area, in which case you've been eating here since your childhood, you might not expect this sandwich shop next door to a Citgo to be anything worthwhile. The daughter of Tony recently opened a second location in Lakewood with her husband running it up to par with the one she grew up on.


a Deerfield, IL stop

Tony's menu is filled with a wide selection of both warm and cold subs along with soft serve for the kids which is a must when you have a place in the Northshore and you want kids to demand their ice cream and sandwich to their parents. One of the most popular sandwiches is the Launcher and it consists of salami, bologna, mortadella, ham and provolone cheese with a total of 19 slices of meat. When you walk inside you are immediately greeted by pictures of all the wonderful options to help make your choice a little easier. I have enjoyed the launcher but prefer the warm subs made with toasted bread and enjoy the meatball but nothing there is as good as the homemade Italian beef. Its a nice mixture of thin sliced beef and shredded beef with a gravy that has nice flavor topped with what may be store bought giardinara but it is still a good one.

What separates this beef from others is the toasted bread and it doesn't hurt that a large is a real mans size beef bigger than most out there. The toasted bread is an interesting addition to an Italian beef and it works for Tony's. I wouldn't want a beef from Johnnie's or any other place this way but from Tony's its a real treat. Long time customers also really like to devour an order of their air crisp fires. Different in that they bake them in a machine instead of deep frying them. They are good and taste like a light version of McDonald's fries.


large beef with hot from Tony's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 3

Score: 14/20

Tony's Submarine
1480 Waukegan Rd
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 940-7352

Originally posted at Whats your Beef?

Q's Pizza in Hillside

-The other Chicago-style pizza: Tavern Style

Q's Pizzeria located on Butterfield Rd in Hillside is a spot that is new to me but not so new to anyone from the area. As you can tell from my other pizza stops I am all about the tavern style extra thin and crispy style of pizza. The tavern style thin is a forgotten part of Chicago's pizza scene and there are only so few left. What remains a constant in all these Chicago taverns serving pizza is that most were started in the 1950's. Q's pizza is an old school Italian American Midwest style restaurant. They still start you off with the bread basket with the little packages of crackers, homemade spicy bread and breadsticks with cups of butter. These tavern style pizza places founded in the late 40's or early 50's aren't just limited to Chicago and seem to pop up all along lake Michigan and in the great lake states. You can be sure to expect some postings on other old-style tavern pizza stops of the Great Lakes region.


If they haven't changed the sign they probably haven't changed original recipe

I can pretty much tell upon sight if a place is good or not. I'm all about the old school (born in or before the 50's) family owned pizza spots that are fading fast. The lighted sign was the first sign that Q's was serious. Then we entered it had everything going for it. The bar had a bunch or regulars watching basketball who watched us as we entered knowing they had never seen us before. It was a nice sized place that could fit a good amount of people and it was about half full with parties of people from 2-15. Some people were dressed in nice suits, some jeans and shorts and lots of high school kids still in their baseball stuff that came straight from a game. Part of what makes a Chicago pizza tavern so good to me is the old school atmosphere and it was great at Q's. It is still owned by the original family and is the same now as it was then. So far so good.

When we sat down they had the old school paper place mat with the boxed ad's of local businesses, school and churches. Everything about it reminded me of an old school Chicago pizza tavern and Italian restaurant. Old school bread basket with crackers and breadsticks...check. Red and white squared table cloth...check. Old Style on tap? check. The only thing that was missing was the dim lighting. It was pretty well lit but that's no biggie for me. How was the pizza? well I must say it was just up my alley.


Q's thin with sausage

I loved everything about this pie and it had some good crispness to it and was cracker thin which is becoming less and less available in my experiences. I thought the crust and dough was some of the best of the best as far as this style. The cornmeal gave it a nice texture and taste on the bottom. There wasn't too much sauce to make it soggy and the sauce wasn't all that tangy and the sausage was good but also the weakest link. It didn't have quite as much flavor and fennel in it as I like but it was still better than most places sausage. The pie at Q's might be the best Chicago style thin outside the city limits. I really enjoyed and will be back plenty this summer to watch some Cubs games with the locals and have a beer or three with my tavern style pie.


Chicago style thin slice


Q's Pizza has risen close to the top of my list

Rating Scale 5/5

crust: 5
sauce: 4
toppings: 4
Crispness: 5

Score: 18/20

Q's Restaurant & Pizzeria
4841 Butterfield Rd
Hillside, IL
708.449.7488
Menu

Skirt Steak Chimichurri

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

Its that time of the year again and grilling season has officially begun. What a great weekend coming up in the wide world of sports. We got game 7 of the greatest first round series in NBA history with the Kentucky derby and one hell of a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton going head to head. Its not the weekend to do hardcore grilling or BBQ that's going to keep you away from the TV. So with that I bring to you an amazing meal that can be made in an hour.

Skirt Steak Chimichurri with tato slices (serves 6)

4 lbs Skirt Steak trimmed and tenderized
1 container of homemade Chimichurri sauce from el mercado
4-5 Yukon gold potatoes
3-4 sticks of zucchini

~set oven to 375

~Spread the skirt steak with a little Chimichurri sauce and let marinate until ready to grill

~slice the potatoes into thin slices and toss them in olive oil and set in the oven. Make sure to check them every now and then and cook until crispy

~Set your grill making sure it gets hot

~cut the zucchini into sticks and toss with oil and salt and pepper

~Grill the zucchini and steak until done to your liking

~Spread more of the Chimichurri sauce onto each piece of steak and toss your cripsy potato slices with Chimichurri sauce

~Enjoy


Skirt Steak is always good and quick

Bulls win in another OT thrilla...Pacquiao KO's Hatton in a gripping gritty fight and consider putting West Side Bernie (30 to 1) and Chocolate Candy (20 to 1) in an exacta or trifecta bet for Saturdays derby. Enjoy the weekend.

Chix Teriyaki Potato

-Grubbing in Chicago (land)
Where the burbanites eat

Michael's Hot Dogs (now of Highland Park) has been a name recognized in Chicago since 1977. Back in the early 90's there used to be a Michael's in Lincoln Park and they were known for their jumbo dogs, charbroiled burgers and enormous salad bar along with those profile pictures of all sorts of children on the walls. The LP location eventually closed down but Michael's is still very popular in its Highland Park location. It fits well in HP as the website declares "Michael's was one of the first restaurants of its type to recognize a consumer demand for healthy fast food" Lord knows the real housewives of the Northshore need to eat healthy. When you enter Michael's there is a line for the typical burger fare and a line for the salads and potato bars. It had been years since I had a loaded baked potato from Michael's, whenever the LP location closed was the last time I had been but I did remember the cheese fries and loaded potatoes being good.


Michael's is very popular with people in the burbs

I finally made it to Michael's in the suburbs just recently and got to see if the chicken teriyaki potato is actually legit or if I was just young and dumb and didn't know any better. I can tell now you that its somewhere in between the two. For whatever reason they still taste really good and hit the spot on a cold day. The potato features the combination of the tato loaded with little square cut pieces of white meat chicken loaded with cheese and teriyaki sauce with sour cream on the side. This is a meal that for whatever reason works with me. I wouldn't recommend driving out of the way for one but if your in Highland Park and hungry then go for it. I also think it would be pretty darn easy to replicate this if not make it better at home.


Chix Teriyaki tato

Michael's Chicago Style Redhots
1879 2nd St
Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 432-3338
Website

Descendants of the Italian Beef

-Got Beef? Da Combo

Gimme a hot Juicy combo and a gravy bread please. The Italian Beef is such a big part of Chicago's food culture that it has a few descendants that are also very popular on Italian Beef stands menus. The almighty "combo" is made by adding a piece of char grilled Italian sausage into your beef sandwich making it a combo. For those times when you’re just feeling like something a little different than your normal beef fix...but not too different. Every beef stand in the city offers a combo but one stands above the rest in my books. The beefs at Johnnie's are a favorite for almost everyone that has tried one and when they add a piece of perfectly spiced char grilled sausage, cooked in the open air over charcoal, it takes the sandwich to a different level. In fact I usually order a combo from Johnnies passing on the Italian beef.


Hot Juicy Combo from Johnnies


The almighty combo

If the combo is a bit too much meat for you then try a gravy bread instead. The gravy bread is just the bread of an Italian beef soaked in the gravy. It’s a popular side item at Italian beef and hot dog stands around town. Some people enjoy them plain and others like them with hot peppers while some places stuff fries inside. The best gravy bread in the city is found at Pop's which also has one of the better beefs. It’s more of a south side thing but they can still be found on menus across the city. As a teen I could easily eat four of these in a single sitting.


Gravy Bread from Pop's on Kedzie

Johnnie's Beef
7500 W North Ave
Elmwood Park, IL 60707
(708) 452-6000

Pop's Italian Beef and Sausage
10337 S Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 239-1243
Website

Louie's P & R Deli (Herrin, IL)

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-Salameats down South (IL)

You may remember a post I made back in October when I ate like a Roman King for two long, long days down in the IL, IN, KY Tri-State region. As if appetizers from the West Side Nut Club Fall Fest with a main course of Hog Heaven and a meat buffet for dessert in Owensboro, KY with some loose meats on the side wasn't enough eating for an extended family of 34 we needed more food. On day two it was time for a little change of pace from the BBQ...but not the pork. Louie's P&R deli in Herrin, IL is a local treasure that has been supplying the locals with their one of a kind salameats and other amazing homemade sausages and Italian sandwiches for a very long time.


Since 1968

Back in the 80's there were still a few Italian corner delis left in Chicago but by the late 90's and now in 2009 there are barely any left. From the moment we stepped foot in the deli I knew it was something special, something that has become near extinct in Chicago. The family that runs Louie's has been doing it the same way since day one and its all homemade. To my best knowledge the salameat sausage is an old family recipe that they have been using since before the store even opened. They stuff salami (maybe) and other meats in natural casing creating a very memorable sausage experience. If you look around the internet there is very little information about salameats. If anyone has any information on this amazing local treasure please leave me a comment with your knowledge of it. All I know is that these salameats sandwiches are five star roadfood eats. Got it? Good.


Side of the deli


Fresh sassage


Louie's signature sandwich: salameat served on fresh baked bread with mustard and onions

This sandwich pictured below isn't on the menu but its their famous salameat wrapped in pepperoni and prosciutto covered in homemade red sauce and served with a slice of provolone and peperochinni's on homemade fresh baked bread. You will call it the "Don Barzinini". The town of Herrin had a real Italian presence from the Italian immigrants who came in the early century for mining work and was my favorite little town on the trip. The Italian tradition can be felt pretty heavily in this small town of 12,000. Frank Sinatra was a performer at the city's recreational facility and loved to play bocce ball at the park. There were a couple pizza shacks that looked like they had been around forever, real old school looking with those red and white square table cloths and I just kind of knew they were good and I haven't even been...yet.


Holy Shat! Whats that you ask? The Don Barzinini special

Louie's P & R Deli
120 E Walnut St
Herrin, IL 62948
(618) 942-3394
Herrin Italian Fest

Fresh Fries

-Fried out on 420

It's 420 maaaaan. Yeah 420! Wait I forgot what was I saying? I'm hungry lets go get some french fries.

Welcome to the soon to be annual chibbqking's "fried out on 420" a round up of the best batches of french fries in the city with all sorts of styles to choose from, truly a stoners dream. These days everyplace that serves food seems to serve fries even the high end places have stuff like pommes frites with garlic aioli mayonnaise but most places just use the boring frozen spuds that have no flavor or character and for that matter just flat out suck...even if you got a serious case of the munchies. One good sign to a good roadfood style joint is fresh cut fries. It's takes a little more time and requires a little more work so at times this can be a clue to good food ahead. There are so many places with good fries that its going to take quite a few fry outs to get them all but here are this years winners.

The Winner for best fries in a Regional role goes to...


The New Orleans Style Cheese Fries from Toon's Bar & Grill: fresh cut fries buried in a mix of real cheeses and melted under a broiler

The winner for best fries in an International role goes to...


Athenian Room's famous Greek Athenian fries

Here are the 2009 fried out winners for way above average fries


best fries with a first class Italian Beef: Chickies


Go just for the fries and nothing else, they're that good: Michael's in Oak Park


Best old school tasting fries: Sammy's Red Hots


Best cheese fries during the day: Murphy's Red Hot's


Best cheese fries late at night: Wieners Circle fries


best cheese fries when inebriated after 3a: TBP #2


Best curly fries in the country: Fred's Burger's (Burlington, WI)


best stoners creation with the use of fries: Horseshoe from D'Arcy's Pint (Springfield, IL)


Most unique set of fries: Max's Ghetto Fries


best combo of meat/potato (fries): 'tato dog from Gene & Jude's

You know your hungry.

Bibimbap & Baseball

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the real Cubs fans eat.

Last week I pointed out where the Sox fans eat so now its the home teams turn. The past 25 years Wrigley Field and its neighborhood of Wrigleyville has turned into a tourist trap zone and is now filled with nothing but fashionable bars and shops carrying Cubs gear with ticket outlets inside. If your going to the game with family/friends you have already spent a couple hundred bucks before you get inside and pay for food and beer by the time your done and go home you've spent five hundred bucks. Gone are the days when kids could sneak under the metal turnstile and get into a game for free and watch some bad daytime baseball and eat for free for entertaining the drunken bleacher bums. As a real Cubs fan knows you have to make some sacrifices if you want the ultimate goal of a good baseball team. The neighborhood may of lost most of its character and along with it many locally owned businesses like restaurants and bars but the Northside now puts out a consistently good team that people expect to make the playoffs and win now. While most of the neighborhood is nothing like what it was in the 70's and '80's having gone the way the corporation there are a few things that remain the same. There are better eating options than Harey Carey's and I'm here to tell you where.


a real locals type spot in Wrigley is rare these days

Hamburger King aka Chester's has been serving the people of Wrigleyville with affordable tasty breakfast/greasy spoon comfort food for over 25 years. This is a place that everyone goes too on any given day you can be dining with one of 100's of regulars, Cubs fans, cops, crooks, students, anyone that works for the city, yuppies, hippies, musicians, industry people, artists, families, day laborers, seniors and there's always someone who still comes back despite moving out of the neighborhood to the suburbs 15 years ago. Located at the corner of Clark and Sheffield it blends in with a liquor store and barber shop and if not for the neon Chicken teriyaki noodles sign it would be virtually unrecognizable. Hamburger King has already been mentioned here as the ultimate spot to kill a hangover and its a great place for the yuppie drunks of Wrigleyville to have. As mentioned in the previous post the burgers are a tasty rendition of the '30's style burger and the breakfast is great for a pregame meal and people love the comfort food like the chopped steak, pork chops, roast beef and gravy and meatloaf but the star of the show is the Oriental lovers part of the menu.


an early morning at Hamburger King before an early season Cubs game

Hamburger King was once called Chester's when Chester himself manned the grill and from the stories I have heard no one treated his customers and employees better. No matter who they were, or what they did in this world, Chester always gave a great amount of respect to his customers. Just like the customers the times have not changed either despite the passing of Chester years ago. His wife Sonia stays up to par with everything and it is one of Chicago's most treasured eateries and a real character in the dining world. Its the type of place you would expect to find on a corner in Hawaii in an old WW2 vet neighborhood. The Asian part of the menu is the good stuff and the rest of breakfast is good as are the burgers but its all about the Asian grease fare. I would really appreciate it of all you people that go to the game to get drunk and be scene and "get a little sun" would at least fill your belly up at Hamburger King before the game. This way I don't have to see and smell your vomit when you puke in the third inning after too many Mai Tai's because you didn't eat anything and cant handle liquor to begin with. Eat here before the game and it will absorb the liquor for you.

Im talking to the people at the game who didn't know who Lou Pinniella was before he was the Cubs manager and couldn't tell you who the "Hawk" is or where Carlos Zambrano is from or what the score is. You just sit there in your Mark Prior jersey t-shirt, watch the game and try keep your iphone in your pocket, you don't need pictures, no one cares your at the game. Try and act like you've been here before, even if you cant remember it due the fact you blacked out on too many soco limes. Just behave properly or else you gotta deal with me. Got it? Good. Now onto the food. Let me introduce you to a few of my favorites.


Hamburger Aktagawa

As explained a few months ago this dish is the ultimate hangover cure. Hamburger King is a great place to go when one is high on life and or other things and this dish is the king for them. It was created by a regular who's last name happens to have been Aktagawa and is a huge plate full of chopped hamburger meat, eggs, green pepper, onions, bean sprouts and I add in mushrooms served with a side of rice and gravy and two pieces of white or wheat toast. I top off my ultimate hangover cure with the spice dust available at every table, plenty of tabasco sauce and a spray of soy sauce. Sure to soak up the shots from last night and to soak in the shots after a day of binge drinking in Wrigleyville.


Shichimi Togarashi

The seven flavored chili pepper spice dust which is popular in Japan works well with everything. The burgers and fries are great with a dash of dust added and its a must to sprinkle some spice on/in every dish. It takes everything up another level. I use it very liberally and put spoonfuls in my soup.


Chicken Yat Ca Mein

This is my go to dish during the winter months and the perfect pre-game food on opening day at the ballpark, which is always cold. The broth is Sonia's homemade special blend and the deepness in flavor makes it one of the best bowls of soup on a cold day. I'm not sure but I think the liquid mixture consists of a trio of homemade chicken, beef and pork broths. Inside the amazing broth are noodles, chopped green onions and your choice of chicken, steak or pork with a hard boiled egg. I always go with a chicken and load it with the shichimi spice mix. What a meal and what a steal at under six bucks. I learned that yat ca mein even has a history in New Orleans.


Chicken Teriyaki over fried rice

Hamburger king does a great rendition of the greasy teriyaki found at many diner/grills in Hawaii and Los Angeles. If you don't like ordering any of the items which names you cant pronounce and are totally unfamiliar with then I suggest you try some teriyaki. Its just what the doctor ordered after a long night of drinking or right before a long day of drinking at the game.


beef bibimbap

When it comes to finding a good bowl of bibimbap in Chicago than look no further than the King. I've been around town and tried many different places version of this popular Korean dish. None of them do it like HK. For those that dont know what they are missing bibimbap is a bowl of warm rice topped with sauteed veggies and gochujang (chili pepper paste) and thin sliced bulgogi all topped with a fried egg. The combination of the veggies, steak, rice and chili sauce is an amazing flavor and when you want it you just need it. It can get real fiendish and Hamburger King is the place to feed your need. Whenever I hear and read the hype and comments from people that comes when a place like Five Guy's or another Potbelly's is opening up I cant help but explain to them that its not another Panera bread that your neighborhood needs but rather a spot to dine at like Chester's. Its the places like Hamburger King that are the heart and soul of Chicago neighborhoods and at a time there were many that made up Chicago. These days its as hard to find place a like these as it is easy to find a Noodles and Company or Subway.

The 2009 Cubs

My 2009 outlook for the Cubs will be short and sweet, like I said I'm a real fan and at this point I know better than to expect a world series ring but I do like the teams chances in '09. The trade of Mark Derosa made sense at the time for one reason and one reason only and that was acquiring more young pitching to land the best pitcher in baseball. The Cubs never pulled off the deal for Jake Peavy due to the teams pending sale and now we lost one of best clutch hitters and got some players that mean nothing now for him in Derosa who was also a key part of the team off of the field. The addition of Milton Bradley is nice as long as he stays healthy (he's already aching) and the lineup is going to be the same team that lead the NL in Runs and a bunch of other hitting categories last year. The reason Jake Peavy would of been so huge on top of the fact we would have one of the best pitching staffs ever is it would allow Zambrano to start game 3 on the road away from Wrigley Field. The lineup is stacked and if it can finally hit in the playoffs it could only help to have a staff that is literally un-hittable. Jake Peavy would start game 1, Rich Harden game 2 (both at home) and Zambrano would get to pitch away from Wrigley which I think would make the Cubs the clear favorite to win it all. Cubs will and better win the division this year but without Peavy I'm not sure we can win the World Series. We will however win a playoff series this year...if not there's always next year.

Hamburger King
3435 N Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 281-4452
Note: Open for breakfast/lunch only
Menu

Nick's Drive In Gyros

--Got Beef? (and lamb)
KingT's gyro-tron

Welcome back to the gyro-tron, did you miss it? Next stop is the burbs of Niles and Nicks Drive In. I'm not sure exactly how long but Nick's has been in the area for some time and served at least a couple generations of people/families. Why its called a drive-in I have no idea, maybe because you have drive into the small parking lot hoping to find a spot. Nicks has a reputation of having the best gyros sandwich in Chicago and so I had to try it. Over the winter I took a ride to do some shopping at the Asian mega store Super-H Mart (HUGE Asian grocery store/mall great for your Asian ingredients) and grabbed lunch from Nick. Nicks menu is heavy with Greek specialties and Chicago gyro stand regular items. They feature rotisserie chicken, ribs, kebabs, hot dogs, Italian beef, hamburgers and of course gyros.


Homemade gyros is a good sign


mural outside

Nick's reputation for having the best gyros in the land of the gyros is due to their secret homemade family recipe that is prepared from scratch. Its nice to see a place that still does it the old school way. I would say that almost 90% of places order their cones from one of the many gyro companies here in Chicago. In case you didn't know: every single gyro manufacture in the country is based in Chicago. The big companies like Kronos make over 80 million a year and at least half of that comes from businesses in the Chicagoland area. That is a ton of pre-formed gyros cones around town. Its not as if these cones are inedible and in fact many places still put out great gyros that use these companies for their meat. Its all about the preparation by the restaurant your eating at.

Nick's gyros have a style all of their own due to the fact they are homemade. I made a few trips to Nicks since the time I was told to go and it has been a mixed opinion on each visit. When Nick's cuts the meat right off the cone and its nice and charred it is a very good mixture of lamb and beef with little bits of garlic in each piece. However on a few visits it had been pre sliced and no where near as crispy as my first gyro dinner there. The same time it was pre sliced the tomatoes and onions weren't so fresh and the pita wasn't warm. Maybe the 2nd and 3rd visits were off days or something but along with the ehh frozen fries and watery tzatziki it didn't live up to the hype and there wasn't enough sauce even when I ordered an extra cup. In summary when this place is on they are on and when they are off...they're off.


Nicks homemade gyros platter

Rating Scale: 5/5

Gyro meat: 4 (when its on)
tzatziki: 3
fries: 2
freshness of pita and toppings: 3 (at times)

Score: 12/20

Nick's Drive In
7216 N Harlem Ave
Chicago, IL 60631
(773) 631-5045
Website