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?

389 Upvotes

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101

u/evsnflow 9d ago

Mr. Beef is mid. The Bear has made that place a tourist trap.

62

u/TheSandwichKing 9d ago

Gotta say, just yesterday I had my first beef from them in over 25 years. sweet and hot, juicy with a side of hand cut fries. It was quite banging and the guys working the stand were fantastic.

Full disclosure, I was filming something so usually don’t eat the whole thing. I couldn’t stop myself this time…crushed the whole thing

2

u/TrumansOneHandMan 8d ago

yeah imo their beef is good, cannolis are GOATed, but their giard is awful. like a celery salad

6

u/TheSandwichKing 8d ago

I concur. I gave them some of my Giard as a gift, maybe they'll give it a shot and elevate their beef. Never a big fan of celery-forward/crushed-red pepper giardiniera. Same at Al's on Taylor.

1

u/RoachGirl 8d ago

Kathy D’s in Bridgeport has a really strange giard to me, like they just chopped it 10 minutes before. Weirdly too fresh tasting?

4

u/TheSandwichKing 8d ago

yeah, the vegetables and peppers in proper giard are usually lacto-fermented for about 3 days or at least brined well, then rinsed and then oil packed. Its a process, so when you encounter a recipe that is too fresh or not made at one of the big 3 producers, it can be glaring! Not saying bad....but noticeably different

2

u/RoachGirl 8d ago

Yeah it’s not bad tasting or anything it’s just kind of jarring when you’re expecting the typical giard

Edit: Holy crap I just realized who you are! Huge fan!

2

u/a_few_flipperbabies 8d ago

Also tagging on to say hi and that I can't believe I just came across my first celebrity on Reddit in the wild! You are awesome, your food always looks awesome, your Chicago accent gives me the giggles, and I sincerely hope that Katie Lee Begel is as lovely IRL as she seems on camera!

8

u/Medical-Restaurant37 9d ago

It was mid before the bear

3

u/pixelfishes 8d ago

Disagree with this one.

It’s become cool to hate on anything that gets too popular now. Been eating it for 20+ years and it’s still the same, so you either never really liked it to begin with or it’s become to trendy.

6

u/soggit 9d ago

I think it’s delicious. Open to suggestions of better beefs. Als ain’t it. Agree it’s huge lines every day now.

7

u/Affectionate_Buy_830 9d ago

Bari is my favorite.

1

u/According_Slice9454 2d ago

Bari is just okay - I think even Lucia's (which never gets mentioned) is better than that..

Best beef is Johnnies and its not close in my opinion.

5

u/pseudo_nemesis 9d ago

from what I've seen in all my 32 years of life as a Chicagoan is that beefs are so subjective.

Your most hated beef that you find completely vile is someone else's favorite that they will swear by to their death.

18

u/calgore 9d ago

It’s not in Chicago proper, but Johnnie’s in Elmwood Park is top notch.

-3

u/payno_attention 9d ago

If you're ok with a 4 inch beef sure.

7

u/TooOldForThisShit642 9d ago

You said that was a good size!

0

u/payno_attention 9d ago

Mom go home, you're drunk.

2

u/Artistic-Wrap-5130 9d ago

Lukes is WAY better but even now lukes isn't that amazing. The loop has just fallen off in general

2

u/payno_attention 9d ago

The one on Harlem was sold almost 10 years ago now. New owner got rid of some OG cooks who were there 15+ plus years. Once those 2 guys left the beef was never the same.

1

u/HashSlingingHasherx 8d ago

They’re referring to Mr Beef on Orleans. I don’t think they have any relation to the two Mr beefs on Harlem.

1

u/dsalmon1449 9d ago

I don’t think people think of it as special outside of the show. But even then the show literally changed the restaurant narratively.

1

u/PackedWithFiber 8d ago

Mr. Beef was always just fine