Hillside
Chickies Beef

Chickies Beef

1801 S Wolf Rd, Hillside I-60162-2110, United States

Pizza • Italian • Burgers • American


"It's been about 5 years since I had a beef at Carm's, the predecessor to this restaurant on the corner of a strip mall in Hillside. I was interested to see how Chickie's would stack up against that strong competition. The short answer is pretty freakin' well. I remember enjoying Carm's, but I don't recall any specifics which would allow direct comparison. Suffice it to say that my beef from Chickie's today is among the best I've had (thought not quite at the level of Jonnie's, a few minutes to the northeast). The beef was juicy and nicely seasoned. The bun stood up to the beefy assault well without being overly chewy. Fries, which I ordered extra crispy, were plentiful and a steal at a buck and a half. The new owners didn't spend much to upgrade the decor from the previous tenant, but I'm cool with that. It has a retro appeal with vinyl white and red checkered vinyl tablecloths. Just think how quickly cloth tablecloths would get stained with the tasty beef gravy that soaks these sandwiches. I can respect practicality. My main niggle with Chickie's is the nature of the giardiniera. They are clearly not working from the Chicago style hot giardiniera playbook here. There isn't any diced carrot or cauliflower to be found instead you get an entirely green mixture of what seems to be peppers and celery. It wasn't bad, but I'd prefer something a little more traditional on my sandwich. By no means will it keep me from coming back, though. The quality of the beef itself was excellent."