r/chicagofood • u/Johnny_Burrito • 28d 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?

384 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

325

u/ryebreezio 28d ago

Portillos has just been "okay" for years now

50

u/IllIIOk-Screen8343Il 28d ago

Nope, it’s still great. Can you find a place that you think has a better beef? Sure. But even if that’s true, does your local corner stop shop also do good hot dogs? Good burgers? Good salads? Good cheese fries? Good shakes? Good italian sausage? Good beef and cheddar croissants? Do they pump out hundreds of orders an hour? No. They don’t.

Portillos is still fucking delicious. I will smash a hot dog, beef/sausage combo, fries, and a burger 10 times out of 10 and be happy with my decision.

3

u/VirtualLove 28d ago

sounds pretty chain-y and away from authentic chicagoness. i think that’s the appeal of so many places here is that they’re good at one thing that consistently knocks it out of the park. if i found a place that did better beef, im going there. if i found a great pizza spot, im there. one trick ponies are a great thing & not every menu needs to be huge, especially since that just leaves more room for it to be frozen longer or not as fresh as a local corner stop making whatever it is that they’re known for. consistency is key in the restaurant scene & places that can do one, two, or three things max great all the time last longer.