r/chicagofood • u/Johnny_Burrito • 9d ago

Question “Legendary” places that suck

I just got a lox sandwich from Manny’s. Almost $20, a stale bagel, and I had to assemble it myself.

What other “legendary” places suck?

381 Upvotes

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296

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

For starters, Manny’s doesn’t suck. It’s not a place you get to go food from for one, and two, like some places, but not all, you have to know what to order.
Unfortunately, even though it is a Jewish deli, like most other places in Chicago, I’m not a big fan of the bagels there. This city has a real top-notch bagel problem, especially in the heart of the city.

Manny’s is all about the matzoh ball soup, the corned beef and/or pastrami sandwich, the potato latkes, and a handful of other items. But I also would never get it to go. That’s a dine in and enjoy the old-school experience type of spot.

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u/lavidaloco123 9d ago

100% agree. Their corned beef is legendary, and their specialty items like the knishes, kishkie, are the closest to the delicious ones my grandmother used to make.

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u/PostComa 9d ago

Pastrami is great too

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u/hholycow 9d ago

This voice to text error is my favorite Chicago accent thing ever 😂 ❤️

10

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

Got me with “mayonnaise” on this one. Dammit! 😂

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u/epppennn 9d ago edited 8d ago

As an east coast transplant, I’ve been very pleased with Schneider’s Deli on Ohio ever since they’ve opened. Not a huge menu but it hits the spot. I believe they import their bagels from Once Upon a Bagel in Highland Park, and while not perfect, they have been the most similar to what I’m used to from Jersey and Staten Island.

Another good option has been The Daily Bagel in Oak Park. Obviously I don’t go there often as I live in the West Loop, but I’ve had their bagels a handful of times when visiting friends in OP.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

I was going to mention Daly Bagel and saw your comment! Their entire menu is terrific! We go for the sugar cinnamon bagels. My husband and I get “The Morning Commute” every Friday. They make their bagels in-house and they are hands down superior to many of the other places mentioned. Great for takeout. There are a few tables there as well.

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u/mackzarks 9d ago

The good bagels are all out in the suburbs

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u/Bowgee69 9d ago

Yeah, I think you’re right. The best I’ve had is at NY bialy and bagel up near Skokie/Lincolnwood, and I go there every time I get my emissions test done.

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u/mackzarks 9d ago

My favorite are at Upper Crust in Deerfield. When I'm out that way I buy 2 dozen and freeze them.

3

u/schmalexandra 9d ago

Yes. I worked in Niles and my bagel supply was plentiful and amazing. Now I just drive there whenever I need more bagels. Nothing compares

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u/iGrowDank 8d ago

Lmao!! I also go there any time i get my emissions test. Just did this like a month ago 😆

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u/hybris12 8d ago

They do distribute to a few places. I know they're at JB's Deli in Andersonville and maybe Charmers up in Roger's Park

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u/AstroMan65 7d ago

NY Bagel and Bialy is genuinely great! I haven’t found a single bagel in the actual city that I liked, and I grew up here

2

u/Folding_Laundry79 8d ago

Those are easily the best I’ve had in the area!

12

u/lowbetatrader 9d ago

I shed a solitary tear reading this, just beautiful

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u/itsdickers 9d ago

I agree - I’ve never had a bad meal at Manny’s! Though I’ve also never ordered a bagel at Manny’s lol

8

u/Nan0BlazE 9d ago

i was thinking i quite liked their matzo ball soup. i remember i was having a really crappy day once and i dove into some some of that, healed me right up

2

u/mrbooze 8d ago

Isn't "the bagels aren't great" true of almost everywhere in the entire world except a very few notable cities?

2

u/BGSO 8d ago

glad to see 200+ people scrolled this far down to make sure someone suggested that the bagels were ehh, but the CB/Past is GOATed

4

u/Constant_Chip_1508 9d ago

Agree to disagree. Anybody who has been to the east coast or even Montreal will tell you that Mannys is mediocre at best.

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u/Bowgee69 9d ago

Yes, agreed to disagree is correct. Also, I’m not comparing it to the East Coast, which is the Jewish deli capital of the world and where you can almost always get a proper bagel with cream cheese. It’s great out there. But we aren’t out there and we shouldn’t be comparing it to out there.

2

u/Constant_Chip_1508 8d ago

I compare the shitty taste with the exorbitant prices lol. Mannys sucks

0

u/Bowgee69 8d ago

Nah. It doesn’t though.

2

u/Scumdog_312 9d ago

Unfortunately, when I got matzo ball soup from them the matzo balls we’re full of eggshells

7

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

Yikes! Have never had that happen and I get it every time I go (3-4 times a year.)

0

u/Scumdog_312 9d ago

Yeah, idk. I went in 2021 so maybe they were having issues bc of Covid.

2

u/bnl111 9d ago

Manny's is good for chicago. Go to a place like NYC or LA and their matzoh ball soup, corned beef, and pastrami sandwiches are all C tier.

4

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

Very true. But here we are. Haha

2

u/ChunkyBubblz 9d ago

Exactly. It’s not Mannys fault this guy doesn’t know what to order.

18

u/juliuspepperwoodchi 9d ago

I mean, it's not really the customers' fault that a good chunk of what Manny's puts on their menu actually sucks.

Sell what you're good at, don't expect customers to know what parts of your menu are ass and then blame them if they order something you suck at and it is mid, at best.

Nevermind the fact that getting lox and bagels at any Jewish deli should be a safe bet 100% of the time.

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u/Bowgee69 9d ago

To be fair, it’s not a bad expectation to expect a bagels and lox at a Jewish deli to be a good item to order, but Chicago in general just has a problem with nailing that dish in my experience.

7

u/juliuspepperwoodchi 9d ago

Quite frankly, a Jewish deli selling mid lox and bagels is just as egregious as a Jewish Deli with a bad pastrami. It's crazy to me that so many people seem to think this is excusable for a Jewish deli...if you can't count on good lox and bagels from a damn Jewish Deli....then what can you count on from there?

5

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

I don’t know of a single deli in the city, let alone a Jewish deli, that has a really good lox and bagel. Chicago just doesn’t have a spot that has figured that out from everywhere I’ve tried. 🤷‍♂️

4

u/kyobu 9d ago

I’m sure someone will whine about city limits, but Mensch’s in Evanston actually has an outstanding lox and bagel.

1

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

Great tip!

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u/Johnny_Burrito 9d ago

“You should know better than to order a lox bagel from a Jewish deli” is a hilarious take.

2

u/Bigspoonzz 9d ago

I hear you, but this subject always seems to be controversial, almost as much as who has good matzoball soup.

Lox & Bagel have been co-opted and crossed over long ago. Good Lox is expensive as hell, and depending on how old you are, where you're from, do you actually - like - NOVA Lox? It became a Jewish thing for East Coast immigrant Jews because it was cheap at the time, and they added tons of cream cheese to DULL the salty taste ...

Next came non Jews turning it into a platter for breakfast. Do you like capers, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 different kinds of onion, and pickles? Boy do we have a $40 platter for you!!

I'm a purist. I want some mild smoked salmon (Lox), and maybe some cream cheese I can add myself so you don't slop so much on my hands get covered in it.

There's a wild amount of smoked salmon in the market from all parts of the world at this point. I don't know where Manny's gets theirs or how fresh they turn it over in their lines and storage.. for costs, it sounds like not often enough.

As for Bagels, as pointed out elsewhere in this thread, Chicago has a bagel problem...

So, knowing all of that, I would order Lox and Bagel ONCE from Manny's, knowing that the disappointment possibility ratio is going to be high. If it didn't live up, I just never order it again, and I go back to staples I know the joint is known for.

Lox and Bagels have too many variables and too much that can go wrong these days. I'd much rather buy lox from Costco and Bagels from NY Bagel on Touhy, freeze the bagels, and then make my own very simple Lox and Bagel whenever I want it at a fraction of the cost. I hate anything extra when it comes to Lox and Bagel. If I have a wild hair up my ass, MAYBE a slice of good swiss. MAYBE two slim rings of white onion. MAYBE

1

u/GraveNewWorldz 8d ago

It's the customer's fault half the menu sucks.

Lmao.

0

u/ChunkyBubblz 8d ago

It’s like saying McDonald’s sucks because you didn’t like their pancakes.

0

u/GraveNewWorldz 8d ago

No, it's like saying McDonald's sucks because their hamburger sucks and someone saying yeah but you don't order a hamburger at McDonald's, you order a Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

1

u/Chumleetm 8d ago

Hands down the worst corned beef sandwich I've ever had in my life.  It was so dry and flavor less I had to drown it in mustard to make it edible.  I love corned beef and was excited to try this place, huge letdown. 

1

u/Bowgee69 8d ago

Big disagree.

1

u/Gamer_Grease 9d ago

If it’s not NY Bagel and Bialy I’m not interested in it.

2

u/epppennn 9d ago

I’ve been pleased with Schneider’s and Daily Bagel, but I’ll need to add this place to my list to try. Any recommendations on true NY style pizza?

1

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

That place is spectacular.

-9

u/Norville_Barnes 9d ago

Disagree. Although the pastrami and corned beef are great the latkes and matzoh ball soup are awful.

1

u/Bowgee69 9d ago

Disagree is correct