Great Hamburgers - Hopscotch in Franklin Park

I have lived in Franklin Park for over 30 plus years and sadly Franklin Park never really had any great restaurants until now. I used to leave Franklin Park and drive to the city for the great restaurants.. FINALLY... I dont have to do that anymore. I am writing this because I am so proud that Franklin Park now has at least one great restaurant to dine and drink at....... I dont work at this place nor do I have any investment in it... It is because of sheer joy and pride that FINALLY Franklin Park has a place worth mention and I don't want anyone to overlook it.... I am ecstatic that FINALLY a good restaurant has come to Franklin Park..

I think this place has the best hamburgers in the area...not too far from Rosemont and OHare. Hopscotch is located at 9743 Franklin Avenue, Franklin Park, IL...just across the street from the Franklin Park Metra Station...

They have Build-A-Burger with over 40 plus toppings. I had the Gouda and Bacon Burger and also had the Pesto burger. Both are outstanding. I want to go back and try their hot and spicy burger. Their meat comes from Black Angus Farms in Wisconsin. The buns are pretzel buns so they don't fall apart when the meat juices are absorbed by the bun. They come with Garlic and Parmesan fries which are quite tasty.. And on the other scale.....is the more refined Rack of Lamb which is probably one of the best I have had anywhere...even Greektown. Who knew? This is a first.....Rack of Lamb in Franklin Park. I can not believe it.

Prices are very reasonable too. Of course they have a lot of beer and whiskey but I go just for the food. I really do like their food a lot. I am just so happy that I don't have to drive into the city for a change. I hope this trend continues. The suburbs are now becoming a dining force to reckon with.

https://www.facebook.com/HopScotchBar

not sure why they don't put their menu in a more obvious spot ...it is under photos on their facebook page.

I live in Schiller Park and I can agree with Jane, "better" dining choices in the area are slim, unless you want to wander to Rosemont.

I started going to Hopscotch when they were just a bar. They have a great beer/whiskey selection and their prices are reasonable.

I haven't been for the food yet, but I look forward to it!

Thank you. It bums me out how my neighborhood and the other towns around me have been struggling for so long...We want them to do well.

This area for whatever reason is in some kind of geographic bubble.. We are close to major expressways, trains, and the airport...but no one really travels to Franklin Park or the other towns nearby. I know for a fact that people who live in Franklin Park never eat in Franklin Park... they all go to Chicago, Oak Park, Rosemont or Oakbrook. That makes me angry...because these business in our own backyard are overlooked by even the people who live in their town.

I want that to change and so that is why I am posting. I know the owner of Hopscotch would never advertise and relies on word of mouth. But sometimes that is not enough. Also the owner of Smoked on Rose who has a long career in the food and hospitality industry took a huge risk on locating his business in Franklin Park...hoping that people would stop by. But again Rosemont is only 5 minutes away and people will go where it is geographically convenient. I truly think it is a image and perception problem. I wish this would change.

Here is another review by the media... a local township free newspaper...about Hopscotch. It gave a great review of Hopscotch.

http://www.peopleandplacesnewspaper.com ... op-scotch/

It is interesting because until Hopscotch was actually reviewed and mentioned in our local paper,,most of the residents in our own neighborhood did not know they even offered great food. They would drive by and dismiss it as just another bar and drive by and not give it a chance.

That is so unfair to a business. so that is why I am so passionate and vocal about spreading the word....because of this whole phenomenon.

jane franklin wrote:Thank you. It bums me out how my neighborhood and the other towns around me have been struggling for so long...We want them to do well.

This area for whatever reason is in some kind of geographic bubble.. We are close to major expressways, trains, and the airport...but no one really travels to Franklin Park or the other towns nearby. I know for a fact that people who live in Franklin Park never eat in Franklin Park... they all go to Chicago, Oak Park, Rosemont or Oakbrook. That makes me angry...because these business in our own backyard are overlooked by even the people who live in their town.

I want that to change and so that is why I am posting. I know the owner of Hopscotch would never advertise and relies on word of mouth. But sometimes that is not enough. Also the owner of Smoked on Rose who has a long career in the food and hospitality industry took a huge risk on locating his business in Franklin Park...hoping that people would stop by. But again Rosemont is only 5 minutes away and people will go where it is geographically convenient. I truly think it is a image and perception problem. I wish this would change.

Hi Jane,

Thank you for your background, it really is quite interesting.

When LTHforum was founded, all posts from northwest Indiana were sent to 'Beyond Chicagoland.' Yet towns like Whiting and Hammond were as close to Chicago boundaries as Evanston and Oak Park. I had to reorient my own thinking about this region, because it did feel like the end of the EArth.

This was reversed by another poster Rene G and I actively visiting this area and posting about it. Compared to some regions of Chicago where clusters of restaurants and active posters live, gathering new information was like shooting fish in a barrel. Today, I occasionally go to NWI, though there are regular reports from there. What was once a personal crusade has been taken up by others.

Some years ago, I went out to LaSalle County for an event. I learned there was competition between restaurants and taverns over who offered the best fried chicken. I posted what I knew, then eventually a poster who lives out there has made it his mission to report on fried chicken. Anyone who uses this board can quickly pull together an impressive list on fried chicken in minutes, then head west confident of an excellent meal.

Based on a few comments, I expect to head out to Franklin Park sometime soon. All any area needs is an active poster to highlight good food. What is good food is subjective as well, because what I like you may not.

I expect to go to Franklin Park sometime soon, thanks to you, Jane!

Regards,

Thank you so much. I am glad. A lot of people don't even know Franklin Park exists and hopefully this will change.

I have lived the majority of my life here and have seen its struggles...I just want it to get a fair shot as far as its restaurants go. There aren't many but the few that are here are good and the trend is that more are coming here which I hope continues.

@jane franklin: Jane, in my humble opinion, Franklin Park is home to the best Italian sub in Chicagoland, and anywhere for that matter- Al and Joe's. Having grown up in the area, I've had subs from all the best places in Chicago, and when it comes to Italian subs, nothing beats Al and Joe's. That place is as old school Italian deli as you can possibly get. It's a neighborhood institution, and everybody from my family to everybody else's family has been eating there for entire generations. The only place that is on their level is Alpine in nearby Elmwood Park, but Al and Joe's still wins against their Italian sub, too.

I know this will not be popular here on LTH, but it's just my own opinion, and that of a lot of neighborhood people from Franklin Park, Schiller Park, and Elmwood Park. In the sub world, places like J.P. Graziano's and Bari get all the love because of their crusty breads as opposed to the softer bread used at Al and Joe's and Alpine, but the meats, cheeses, giardiniera, and vinegar and oil mixes are flat out better at both Al and Joe's and Alpine. Both Al and Joe's and Alpine use a sharper aged provolone that is far superior to the blander standard provolone used at both J.P. Graziano's and Bari on their Italian subs. But what really sets Al and Joe's apart from everybody else is their housemade "secret sauce," which essentially is their family Vinegar and Oil mix that they have been selling by the bottle for many years. And when your bottle runs out, they will refill it for you for a small charge. I've never had a vinegar and oil mix that good on an Italian sub anywhere else. It truly is that unique.

And when it comes to bread, I like the softer Gonnella bread used at places like Al and Joe's and Alpine. To me, the true test of the quality of the Italian sub rests with the meats, cheeses, giardiniera, and vinegar and oil mixes- not the bread. Before everybody starts knocking me for favoring Al and Joe's over everybody else, the Mr. G at J.P. Graziano's is my other favorite sandwich in Chicago, but not because of the crusty D'Amato's bread. I love the meats and the sharper aged provolone that J.P. Graziano uses on the Mr. G as opposed to the blander regular provolone on their Italian sub.

Again, the old school, neighborhood charm of Al and Joe's should be celebrated in every regard. Places like this just don't exist much anymore.

Everybody should head out to Franklin Park and discover both Al and Joe's and Hopscotch. But if you're going to Al and Joe's, the lunch line is very long every day with people from just about every walk of life- neighborhood people, O'Hare workers, families, city workers- you name it, they are all there in line for their Italian subs. Order over the phone ahead of time, to you don't have to wait in line. And always get a bottle of their "secret sauce" i.e. vinegar and oil mix.

Yes ... I love Al and Joe's. That is another fabulous restaurant that really doesn't get that much attention from outside the local area. I guess we have all these really great secret places that only the locals know about.

Just overall in general Franklin Park, Schiller Park, River Grove, and Melrose Park just plain don't get a lot of press from the dining/foodie public. They are overlooked. For whatever reason, maybe because they are blue collar type of neighborhoods they just don't get a lot of attention. Perhaps it is just plain snobbery. Maybe people think these areas are some type of bad neighborhoods or ghettos... I don't know... why more people don't come to try out all the great places in these neighborhoods.

Maybe because these places don't advertise and just go by word of mouth. I know I never read anything about Al and Joes.. Maybe if they did advertise or if more people wrote about it...it would become even more popular than it is now.

Franklin Park also has a pizza restaurant, Grand Stand Pizza that has some great Pizza. But again not a lot of people outside the local area know about it.

I was just reading a yelp review of Smoked on Rose, another fabulous great new restaurant. A businessman from out of state was in the area for some business meetings and visited the restaurant. In his review, he stated that he eats out a lot at restaurants in the country and he thought that Smoked on Rose was one of the best in the country in his opinion . In Franklin Park....Illinois... But many in the Chicago area and even in Franklin Park don't realize it is even there.

I think it is time that this area gets some more attention from the foodie world.

Al and Joe's
10348 Addison Ave
Franklin Park, IL 60131
(847) 678-6788
http://www.alandjoes.com/

Here is info on Grand Stand Pizza. Great Thin Crust pizza.

Grand Stand Pizza
9718 W Grand Ave.
Franklin Park, IL 60131
| +1 847-451-1155 | info@grstandpizza.com

https://www.facebook.com/grandstandpizza

@jane franklin: You pulled the thought right out of my head concerning Grand Stand Pizza. Awesome thin crust pizza with sausage. In terms of the Franklin Park, Schiller Park, Melrose Park, Elmwood Park, and River Grove, you are absolutely correct about everything you said. And yes, snobbery does have something to do with it. These are the very blue collar neighborhoods I grew up around, and I was blessed to have grown up with Gene and Jude's, Johnnie's Beef, Al and Joe's, and Grand Stand Pizza. They are all institutions in their respective neighborhoods and for good reason- they all make some of the best food in the country. It may be blue collar food, but it's the food that stands the test of time. It's the food that will always be here long after the trendy, hipster places in other neighborhoods are long gone.

Again, great post about Hopscotch.

Speaking only for myself, I write about places I come across. If the time of day or schedule doesn't permit stopping in a neighborhood I may be driving through, or I don't think of exploring a neighborhood I haven't otherwise had a reason to go to, I can't write about those places. If your work or life doesn't take you to Franklin, Schiller, Melrose or Elmwood Park, that doesn't make you a snob. For most LTHers, it does make you want to detour or trek out to some pretty interesting places in search of the great finds of your fellow posters.

The reason I'm here (and I suspect others are) is to find out about exactly these places and share the ones that we may know of or come across. But by criticizing those who haven't been to your special places at the same time that you're telling us about them is kinda taking the fun out of it. You may not mean to be doing this but it would be a lot friendlier if you could tone down the critique of your fellow community members here and just enjoy bringing them this interesting information. I bet that if you planned a meal at one of these spots, you'd get some very willing participants. Hope to see that happen!

The GP wrote:Al and Joe's
10348 Addison Ave
Franklin Park, IL 60131
(847) 678-6788
http://www.alandjoes.com/

I'm glad to see some fresh discussion about Al & Joe's, which has been an LTHForum favorite for years.

I guess I come across as having a chip on my shoulder. This is only because when I do mention to people to come and visit restaurants in my neighborhood, I constantly receive a look meaning "I wouldn't be caught dead in Franklin Park". I always get an eye roll and a "yea right...I will be coming to Franklin Park soon" response. I can understand their skepticism because there are so many empty factories here.

I really do think it is snobbery. I have a perfect example of this. When Hopscotch and Smoked on Rose both first opened, I saw the magazine West Suburban Living at the library. This magazine is similar to Chicago Magazine as far as their dining and lifestyle section. I always thought Franklin Park was considered a western suburb so I would think this magazine would include submissions from Franklin Park. I sent them an email to let them know about Hopscotch and Smoked on Rose. I also sent them an email about our annual Railroad Daze Summer Festival which is really nice for train lovers. I sent several emails. Not once did I receive an acknowledgement. I contacted thru various methods... and no response. I thought well maybe Franklin Park is not in their territory but that could not be true...because they covered both Oak Park and Rosemont. .......so that to mean just means snobbery.

Or maybe it is just because the local governments of these towns do not really market themselves in a great and inviting way to outsiders. I think there is also some truth to this.

I also think it is because our area has become an economic "dead" zone. In the sixties and seventies, it was booming with industry and manufacturing. Then the economy changed and the far western suburbs became more popular and outsourcing and high taxes drove out manufacturing. So it is sort of stuck between the city and the far western suburbs. It is a rust belt with mostly Hispanic and eastern European residents which is cool because they all open mom and pop types of businesses.

oh well... that is why I am on this forum trying to get people to come here and try these places...because it seems no one else wants to take this area seriously as far as food.

Jane,

You may want to consider editing the title of this thread to 'Food in Franklin Park.' Or if it is confined to burgers and related food, then 'Burgers of Franklin Park.' Mind you we have a thread devoted to the hamburgers of Wisconsin.

Regards,

HopScotch is adding Dogfish Head premium sausages. Infused with everything from matilda to a porter and stuffed with ingredients Habanero and Espresso, Fennel and Red Pepper, or Spinach and Feta.

I can see Fennel and Red Pepper but I don't know about the Espresso. Somehow Espresso and Sausage just doesn't sound right to me.

What do you think?

I am going to give Hopscotch a shot tomorrow night (Wed. the 24th). It seems there are three runs of the Pace #319 route which transfer directly from the CTA #77 Belmont route @ Belmont & Cumberland (and run all the way to the Bensenville train station), and which stop across the avenue from the venue.
Getting back is another story.
At 10:30 pm, I will walk to Franklin & 25th Ave, where I will catch a Pace route #303 bus north. It runs to the Rosemont Blue Line "L" station, where I will transfer to the southeast bound "L" and ride that to Montrose. Then I get to walk the two blocks west to the terminus of the route #54 Cicero bus (I've made this two-block walk a lot of times. ). Then I take this route south to Belmont.
If you want to join me there; I'll probably be sitting at the bar, perhaps staring down at my pink netbook computer.

My goodness after all that traveling to Franklin Park, I hope your visit was worth it. thank you for visiting Franklin Park. Not many people would make the journey, at least not by public transportation.

Word continues to spread about the culinary destinations of Franklin Park. Back in the summer, Kevin Pang of the Tribune tweeted about carnitas at La Conchita, a supermercado/taqueria a block east of everyone's favorite Franklin Park bar.



It's a nice little market, clean and well organized, with a taqueria tucked into a front corner. A couple tacos—one cecina, one carnitas—seemed like a good way to get acquainted.



The carnitas taco (on the right) was tasty but the meat was decidedly dry, as if it had been sitting around a while. Maybe my fault for ordering a typical weekend morning food on a weekday afternoon. Cecina, griddled to order, was terrific—beefy, mildly salty and pleasantly chewy. More lovely cecina beckoned from the meat case only a few paces from my table. La Conchita has a remarkably attractive butcher department, even by carniceria standards. If I'd been heading straight home I surely would have picked up some meat.

Taqueria y Supermercado La Conchita
9709 Franklin Av
Franklin Park IL
847-455-9110
http://laconchitasupermercado.com/ (Warning: be prepared for the La Conchita jingle!)

Looking for Date Night dining near Rosemont brought me to this thread.

My Bride and I do not mind bars, especially with good simple food.

Further research leads me to believe that they are no longer have a kitchen but rather are having the mediterranean restaurant next door supply the food.

Might be good? I was a touch worried that all the reviews were 5 star and raving about the food. Padded?

Might just end up at a steak house in Rosemont.

Panther in the Den wrote:Might be good? I was a touch worried that all the reviews were 5 star and raving about the food. Padded?

Hi,

I've met and interacted with Jane Franklin. I think your implication is wrong Enthusiastic, yes! Shill or anything like that, no!

Jane is certainly a Franklin Park booster. She certainly wants people to come and try their food, because any establishment needs customers to survive. She wishes for these places to survive, so she does not have to leave Franklin Park for a good meal.

That these places may have changed over time is certainly not what she wished. Perhaps she could have updated the circumstances, but many people on LTH fail to update on places that change or they lose interest in.

One of my favorite finds from the last few years came from Jane: Saturday morning pirogi sold from a Ukrainian Church on Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale just west of 355.

Years ago, I brought up Captain Porky from time to time. Over time people followed my breadcrumbs to his door. If I mentioned it only once and never again, it might not have had the impact.

I wish Jane Franklin would post more, because not much is really known about her area.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Might be good? I was a touch worried that all the reviews were 5 star and raving about the food. Padded?

Hi,

I've met and interacted with Jane Franklin. I think your implication is wrong Enthusiastic, yes! Shill or anything like that, no!

...

Regards,
Cathy2

No, I wasn't talking about reviews here as I believe them to all (well 99%) be trustworthy.

It was mostly reviews on the web.

No worries...

Hopscotch is no longer in business.

Hi Jane,

It looks like a business replaced them called "Sugar Skull". Have you visited them since the change? Do they still serve food?

Samziocl wrote:Hi Jane,

It looks like a business replaced them called "Sugar Skull". Have you visited them since the change? Do they still serve food?

I googled for you and it appears that they serve food. Limited with a Mexican flair.

Tell us what you think after you visit!