2008 Woodie Awards
Chicago Reds—fast food off the mainstream
Restaurant review
Brian Moser
Issue date: 10/24/02 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
At Chicago Reds, the walls were blue and yellow with shirts and posters hanging on them. The booth seats looked more like park benches. The order counter looked more like that of a McDonald's. The weirdest part was that the person taking our order looked like Silent Bob from the movies like "Chasing Amy." I got the hint that this was more of a fast food place than a regular sit down restaurant.
The menu consisted of a plethora of hot dog variations such as a Chicago dog. It also had the standard hamburgers, fries, and onion rings. The intriguing thing about the menu was the gyros, which I don't see at any other fast food chains. I decided to try the Chicago dog along with a hamburger, a large fry and a large onion ring order. The wait was about 10 minutes—not bad considering it was busy.
I first dived into the Chicago dog. The bun and hot dog were excellent, but I didn't like all the other junk that drowned the dog, like onions, relish, peppers, tomatoes, and a pickle. The hamburger was just like at home, which made me homesick for a moment or two. The fries were quite bland, but they were perfect for dipping in ketchup. The onion rings were the highlight of the visit—extremely scrumptious. Overall, I thought the place wasn't any better than a McDonalds or a Burger King. For a good fast-food hit and something out of the mainstream, Chicago Reds is your fix.
The menu consisted of a plethora of hot dog variations such as a Chicago dog. It also had the standard hamburgers, fries, and onion rings. The intriguing thing about the menu was the gyros, which I don't see at any other fast food chains. I decided to try the Chicago dog along with a hamburger, a large fry and a large onion ring order. The wait was about 10 minutes—not bad considering it was busy.
I first dived into the Chicago dog. The bun and hot dog were excellent, but I didn't like all the other junk that drowned the dog, like onions, relish, peppers, tomatoes, and a pickle. The hamburger was just like at home, which made me homesick for a moment or two. The fries were quite bland, but they were perfect for dipping in ketchup. The onion rings were the highlight of the visit—extremely scrumptious. Overall, I thought the place wasn't any better than a McDonalds or a Burger King. For a good fast-food hit and something out of the mainstream, Chicago Reds is your fix.