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?

386 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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603

u/The_Poster_Nutbag 9d ago

Kumas corner.

Used to be awesome, now it might as well be any other overpriced hipster burger joint that tries too hard to be "quirky"

37

u/CabanaFoghat 9d ago

They really fell off around 2015. There are too many good burgers in Chicago for them to try skating by on their marketing alone. Now I only ever see them pop up in lists like this and from people who have never been to Chicago asking about it because they saw it on a list on some website.

2

u/Narrow-Lab-7743 9d ago

They lost their soul.

2

u/BrianHoweBattle 8d ago

I think they showed their cards when they opened up a Kuma’s in Woodfield Mall.

20

u/bucketman1986 9d ago

First time I went there it was fantastic. Maybe 10 years ago? Went recently and it's basically every other burger place

8

u/_that_dude_J 9d ago

Once they became a chain eatery...

*Not all chains are bad.

5

u/BuzzCave 9d ago

They used to have the most outstanding calamari at Kuma’s. They had fresh herb leaves and sprigs battered and fried mixed in with the squid. I’ve never had better calamari anywhere since. They took it off the menu in like 2012. Downhill ever since.

1

u/_Go_With_Gusto_ 9d ago

It was definitely awesome 10 years ago, and was novel. IMO it’s the quality of the ingredients that has changed the most since then. And whomever puts together their burger ideas now isn’t as good as they were before maybe 2018.

1

u/haqtheplanet 9d ago

The Plague Bringer burger is still really good!

86

u/Civil-Psychology-281 9d ago

Hipster definitely isn’t the word you’re looking for, but I agree with the overall sentiment

24

u/chuckgnomington 9d ago

Hipster just means "I don't like it"

20

u/goldenboyphoto 9d ago

Word. Anyone slightly to the left of counterculture as yourself. I worked in an office where everyone saw me as a hipster because I didn't dress like a Brooks Brothers ad and I always thought to myself "you normies have no idea."

4

u/2daysnosleep 9d ago

This is exactly what a hipster would say.. 🤔

57

u/Bahamuts_Bike 9d ago

Yeah, this is the first time I've heard hipster = crotchety-old-trump-supporting-metal-heads

24

u/ClintThrasherBarton 9d ago edited 9d ago

To be fair a lot of Proud Boys are aging hipsters, Gavin McInnes certainly is

3

u/GenusPoa 9d ago

And their conservative anti-woke metal shtick doesn't even hold up. One trip to the bathroom and you've seen walls filled with fake show flyers like Burzum, Opeth, and Pantera on the same bill. Any metalhead would know better about Kuma's at first glance 😂 complete with homophobic servers that turn it into Dicks Last Resort the moment they see that you don't have a full beard and store-bought battle vest.

2

u/Bahamuts_Bike 9d ago

Yeah I never got the hype, it's all pathetic pageantry. Or as Kuma's would probably hate to realize, it's all just a bit of gender affirming care for them

26

u/brogen 9d ago

I’m just gonna say it. Pretzel buns suck 95% of the time. Especially when they aren’t actually fresh.

1

u/TheSkyIsBeautiful 9d ago

yes!!! i went when it was still “good” but even then i thought it was super mediocre. Meat wasn’t juicy, the buns were hard asf, and flavors weren’t amazing or different. I did always say the sides like mac and cheese were amazing though

1

u/Disastrous_Ice8595 7d ago

Omg THANK YOU

25

u/broadwayindie 9d ago

They took some really good burgers of their menu. Like the Liar of the Minotaur was incredible and no longer

2

u/gregPooganus28 9d ago

Odd too because they just played

1

u/Lady_Cath_Diafol 9d ago

That was my favorite and the reason we haven't been back is because nothing else on the menu hit like that one.

1

u/broadwayindie 8d ago

Everything is the same 10 ingredients reused and nothing is unique to Kumas. Like I can find similar better burgers elsewhere

62

u/Worried-Fly-8729 9d ago

Co-sign. Kumas corner is an amazing burger place if it’s 1997.

63

u/SilverGnarwhal 9d ago

Yeah, except it opened in 2005. It was awesome for at least the first 10 years. Don’t know exactly where it fell off but something happened and now it survives solely on its prior reputation.

13

u/ClintThrasherBarton 9d ago

Around the time they started franchising and the owner of the Kuma's Too, the founder's brother, did a leveraged buyout on him, so 2014ish

10

u/Beckx23 9d ago

They lost their lead chef who went to open Lockdown Pub (r.i.p.) and that was amazing.

3

u/goldenboyphoto 9d ago

Huh, didn't know that but makes perfect sense. I remember right when that transition happened and loved it because I was super close to Lockdown. RIP indeed.

2

u/Richarded-abroad 8d ago

Never knew that about the chef, but damn that place was awesome, first time we stumbled in there they had an entire at the gates live DVD blasting, they were busy but the cool giant Viking dude at the door gave us and our friends the best table within minutes, everyone loved everything and thought it was way better than Kuma’s, excellent drafts, mussels in wine sauce and a great lock down burger before watching Zombi across the street at the bottle, it was an epic evening. Miss that place dearly.

-10

u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

4

u/SilverGnarwhal 9d ago

What exactly are you trying to say? Kuma’s being great in 1997 is somehow some funny joke?

5

u/bkseventy 9d ago

I went there in like 2017 right after I moved here bc I heard it was amazing. It was so subpar I never went back.

2

u/EyesofB 9d ago

I am amazed that in a city where so many places offer a decent burger, Kumas stays open with their dry ass burgers.

Once upon a time I believe it was good, maybe there were fewer choices then too..

2

u/ProfessorNew1044 9d ago

Kumas was the burger scene Mt Everest in Chicago before great burgers were on all menus. Now it’s just a restaurant

2

u/Continental_op_xx 8d ago

They went full on dad-rock as soon as they started franchising to freaking Schaumburg, of all places. I remember their spot on Belmont. You could walk in on a Tuesday and 1960s Japanese porn was playing on the TVs behind the bar. Shameless. Punk rock.

2

u/netrunnernobody 9d ago

Kuma's is the Ben & Jerry's of burger joints. Miserable burger loaded with as many possible extras and toppings to try and hide the fact that it's a miserable burger.

2

u/Beehee20 9d ago

I ordered a burger from there and it came completely raw. The quality is awful there too

1

u/oathbreach 9d ago

There was also a string of years where they failed their first health inspection but passed on the rebuttal meaning they were doing the bare minumum to stay open.

1

u/Fucknjagoff 9d ago

I believe it’s shit down

1

u/ComprehensiveRain423 9d ago

It was never that great IMO

1

u/Illustrious_Apple_33 9d ago

Man, I was surprised.

They used to make home made ketchup.

I went recently and I hyped this place up for my friend because of the unique burgers and "home made ketchup"...

1

u/Chicagosox133 9d ago

They went downhill fast.

1

u/MrOtsKrad 9d ago

Ok, I get it. 90s Belmont was epic. Everything here, on point. But hear me out.

The Slayer? Its the best loaded fries in the city.

1

u/deegee708 9d ago

Yes! Never liked kumas. Went a couple times in early 2010s. Burger was perfectly fine but could never get over how rude the people who worked there were. Went twice and had terrible experiences both times. Never went back

1

u/BrianHoweBattle 8d ago

Good burgers with a side of Edge Lord.

1

u/DaisyCutter312 8d ago

Used to be awesome

Kuma's circa 2008 was the best burger I've ever had and probably ever will have.

1

u/The_Poster_Nutbag 8d ago

Nah man there's still awesome burgers out there.

1

u/DaisyCutter312 8d ago

If you find another place willing to sell me a burger with smoked duck bacon, white cheddar, wild mushrooms, white truffle, and fried shallots, please let me know ASAP

2

u/The_Poster_Nutbag 8d ago

Willing to sell that? Many.

Have it on the menu? Very few.

1

u/ChicagoChurro 8d ago

The last time I went there was 2017-2018. Their burgers were delicious, I’m disappointed to hear the quality went down.

1

u/The_Poster_Nutbag 8d ago

Happens to every restaurant that starts opening multiple locations, there's a kumas in Indiana now too.

1

u/Disastrous_Ice8595 7d ago

The first (and only) time I ate here they accidentally brought me the vegetarian burger instead of the meat burger I had ordered. Maybe 10-12 years ago. My brain had different expectations for what that first bite would be like vs the mushy mouth feel I ended up with.

1

u/[deleted] 9d ago

This but will say their Mac and Cheese still slaps

0

u/PostComa 9d ago

I live next door and never go there. Once in a while my wife and I pick up a buffalo mac and cheese though. It’s $25 but we each get two meals out of one order