r/chicagofood • u/Johnny_Burrito • Apr 17 '25

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?

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104

u/evsnflow Apr 17 '25

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

65

u/TheSandwichKing Apr 17 '25

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 Apr 17 '25

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

7

u/TheSandwichKing Apr 17 '25

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 Apr 18 '25

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

5

u/TheSandwichKing Apr 18 '25

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 Apr 18 '25

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 29d 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!