Moody's Hamburgers

Saturday afternoon Mrs. JiLS and I stopped into Moody's for a late lunch. I'll keep it short, as Moody's is as Moody's does, but I wanted to make public the following observation: Moody's will serve you a hamburger cooked exactly to whatever level of doneness you specify. I asked for medium rare; I received medium rare (pink to red and cool in the center). I know a major complaint of many folks posting here and elsewhere has been the recent tendency of restaurants to cook all burgers to medium well or above to avoid eColi issues, regardless of your order, and we all know how that influences the taste. So, just for the record, you can get a properly cooked burger from Moody's. And I felt no ill effects whatsoever (from the burger; the pitcher of Michelob is another matter for which I can blame only myself and the Mrs.)

HI,

It is really a good piece of news to know where to go for hamburger cooked to YOUR specifications.

Last spring, I was at a country club for lunch with friends. We all ordered hamburgers cooked medium rare. We all received thoroughly cooked hamburgers. We inquired with our waiter what he had in his notes, he reconfirmed medium rare. We all showed our hamburger interiors, which didn't seem to impress him. We asked, "Is it really considered service to pretend to accept our order for medium rare, then simply cook it any style you want?" No answer. We paid our bill, tipped reasonably and will never return.

Now was the hamburger meat lean or fatty? Fatty hamburger makes a better tasting hamburger. I think the missing element in many hamburgers, including Hackney's, is a shift from fattier to leaner hamburger. Certainly they are responding to dietary demands, but it is also causing longstanding customers to walk away who remember the way it was.

Moodys Pub
5910 North Broadway Street
Chicago, IL 60660
773-275-2696

Thanks again for the tip!

I'll say Moody's burger meat is relatively fatty; not gooshing out grease, but certainly not low fat -- probably somewhere in the 15% to 20% range.

I don't know....I think their burger is pretty greasy. The bun absorbs a lot and becomes kinda "shiny". I like Moody's for the outdoor garden and that it's pretty cheap, and my neighbor, but I've gotta say it's not the best burger I've ever had. I wish it was charred. Just my 2 cents.

I agree that Moody's isn't the best burger around, but I think it's a perfectly good one.

Does anyone know if they grind their own meat? That might account for their willingness to cook rare. Much safer than pre-ground.

Nostalgia note: the old Third Rail in Evanston. Long gone - used to grind their own meat daily for burgers. Also made a damn fine anchovy-based salad dressing. It was my favorite student lunch place if I was going to splurge just a bit. Anyone remember it?

The Third Rail and The Spot for pizza.Either on Foster or Noyes.

I don't know....I think their burger is pretty greasy. The bun absorbs a lot and becomes kinda "shiny". I like Moody's for the outdoor garden and that it's pretty cheap, and my neighbor, but I've gotta say it's not the best burger I've ever had. I wish it was charred. Just my 2 cents.

Although I've never been in Moody'd kitchen I did hear a rumor some years back that Moody's burgers were deep fried.This may account for the lack of char on the outside of the burger.

John

The comments "wish it was charred" and "deep fried" surprise me. Moody's doesn't have a "kitchen" so much as it has a huge, glowing, choking, Medieval looking charcoal grill that takes up the back corner of the inside dining room and fills the bar's dingy interior with soot and unbearable heat in the summer time. It's wide open for all to see.

When I go to Moody's it's because of the onion rings, burgers are the side dish. Crabby waittress last time.

Moody's has a wonderful large beer garden, one of the best in Chicago. There are almost certainly better burgers in the city, but there is no better place to eat a burger cooked to your liking outside for under eight dollars. Onion rings cost extra, and are well worth it.

Now I'm starting to get a hankering.

Keep eating,
J. Ro

I can't let all of these fond comments about Moody's be posted without recounting my recent lunch there.

I ordered a burger and a salad. The salad was inedible; the lettuce brown, the carrots [or whatever the garnish thing was] shriveled, the cherry tomatoes [all 3 of them] either under-ripe or over-ripe. [And, yes, I know you don't go to Moody's for the salad, but is it too much to expect competence?]. The salads were sent back. My burger was barely adequate, cooked more than I asked for, the garnishes on the burger were also aged and inedible. Bun was stale and crumbly, too.The friend I was having lunch with made the mistake of ordering the steak sandwich. It was gristly and inedible. After an attempt to get a better one, he gave up and got a burger [which was no better than mine].

The service was surly [even before we started sending things back] and the beer list, in this day and age, is a joke. Just the bigger domestics on tap, and nothing much in the bottle selections.

The afternoon was beautiful and feeding the sparrows was fun, however.

As we were leaving, I remarked to my friend that I hadn't been there in about 10 years, and now I remembered why.

For all their shortcomings, if you want to eat a burger outside, head up to Hackney on Harms.

Giovanna

Seemed like a good night to head somewhere cozy. We hadn't been to Moody's in ages. First, the good: the onion rings (not greasy at all, crispy, just right.) They have added a veggie burger ( a plus for me as a non-meat eater.) Not the best I've had, but with some Cheddar and fresh sauteed mushrooms, pretty good. Smoke free! Service was pleasant. And finally, a pretty cheap night out - 2 burgers, one with fries, an order of onion rings and 4 draft beers - $32 before tip.
The not as good - husband's requested medium burger came out on the rare side of medium-rare. As I've gathered from other recent threads, burgers not cooked as ordered are becoming quite a common occurance around town of late. Also, the burger buns are not to my taste - super-soft.
The beer list may have changed slightly since Giovanna's post - they did have Beck's and Berghoff Dark on tap. No bottled beer at all. And FYI, they still don't take credit cards - cash only.
Oh, and the desired coziness factor was acheived - love the fireplaces and dim lighting.

LynnB wrote:And FYI, they still don't take credit cards - cash only.

I found that inconceivable, after all the times I've been hauled there over many years. So I called and asked.

Moody's Pub does not and has not ever taken credit cards. They do have a handy ATM though.

-ramon

Moody's is my summer retreat. The burgers always seem too thin to come out anything below medium, but that's the style (more of an old fashioned or early fast food affair), and with their wonderful fries and onion rings, it's the taste of August for me.

Also: their sangria is an insane deal. Perhaps inauthentic, but very flavorful, with half a jar of cherries, a liberal splash of booze, and it is something like $10 a pitcher (which will buy you less than one drink at many places in the city).

The last time we went their "handy" atm was down the street at Dominick's. And LynnB the whole state of Illinois is now smoke free.

Yes grant, I'm aware. I only mentioned it as an extra positive for me there because it was on my list of places to avoid as being particularly smoky, especially on weekend nights. I wear contacts and heavy cigarette smoke bothers my eyes.

Last time I went (three weeks ago or so), they had an in-house ATM.

It was awesome to eat a big burger by a fireplace on a cold day, watching football.

Some places can be smoky because of the cooking, too.

I agree with the posts here- Moody's will cook your burger, however you order it. I love the cabin atmosphere and the fireplaces, but I do also agree you don't wear your good clothes here because of the smell of grease that will not go away.

Also wanted to mention the salad here is crazY! HUGE! Cheap!

I haven't been to Moody's since the 70's. Any one been there recently(2011/2012)? If so, what's your opinion? How do their burgers compare to recent top rated burgers? Not looking for anything gourmet.

Thanks in advance.

Not quite that recently, but probably 2010. Two words: don't bother. It had been ages since I'd been and I remembered everything fondly. So we returned. Just not a great burger. Not even a good burger--mediocre consistency, dry, fair flavor (at best). Unless we hear of a major turnaround, we won't be returning.

Moody's is an annual Memorial Day destination for my cadre. We usually have enough people so that, after five or six hours, we've eaten our way through most of the menu. Gypsy Boy is right - the burgers are nothing special, although there's a strong possibility they're exactly the way they were in the 70s. The fried shrimp and onion rings are probably the "best" menu items, but everything's serviceable. If you go, go because the weather's nice and there always seems to be room outside.

We often go to Moody's while the outdoor eating season is in session, as they have one of the most enjoyable facilities for casual, bar food. The burgers are good, the onion rings are terrific and the service is quick.

Just remember that Moody's is basic bar food -- not to be compared with the more upscale and adventurous burger bars -- and you will probably enjoy yourself.

jimwdavis wrote:We often go to Moody's while the outdoor eating season is in session, as they have one of the most enjoyable facilities for casual, bar food. The burgers are good, the onion rings are terrific and the service is quick.

Just remember that Moody's is basic bar food -- not to be compared with the more upscale and adventurous burger bars -- and you will probably enjoy yourself.

Agree. This is one of my perennial go-often / don't post spots. Best beer garden in the city, ridiculously cheap sangria, average burgers, sizeable salad is wet out of a bag but comes with 3/4 cup of blue cheese and a pound of crumbled bacon.

I somewhat recently returned to Moody's after being away for many years. It was one of my haunts back in the 1970's or even before for a good burger. The burger was just okay. The restaurant was dark and unappealing so my son and I sat in the garden outdoors. I wondered what my son would think of it but he did not think much of it. A denizen of Logan Square, he looked at Moody's as a place time has passed, and one for old hippie parents most likely. Not Lulu-ish, not Longman and Eagle or Bang Bangish enough for him. Its sad to go back to somewhere remembering it fondly and it does not live up.

toria wrote:I somewhat recently returned to Moody's after being away for many years. It was one of my haunts back in the 1970's or even before for a good burger. The burger was just okay. The restaurant was dark and unappealing so my son and I sat in the garden outdoors. I wondered what my son would think of it but he did not think much of it. A denizen of Logan Square, he looked at Moody's as a place time has passed, and one for old hippie parents most likely. Not Lulu-ish, not Longman and Eagle or Bang Bangish enough for him. Its sad to go back to somewhere remembering it fondly and it does not live up.

Nice post. For a while I lived around the corner on Elmdale, and my go-to order was the sloppy joe, which was pretty special and heaping. I wonder if its gone downhill too?

For a long time I was mad at Moody's because my GF "trained" there for an entire week, without compensation whatsoever during "training week", and at the end of the week they simply told her she wasn't going to be hired---despite basically putting in an entire week as a server for no pay. What a scam! Yet I parted ways with that GF, as things go, and ended up with a sloppy joe every Sunday for a while there...

Marco wrote: Nice post. For a while I lived around the corner on Elmdale, and my go-to order was the sloppy joe, which was pretty special and heaping. I wonder if its gone downhill too?

For a long time I was mad at Moody's because my GF "trained" there for an entire week, without compensation whatsoever during "training week", and at the end of the week they simply told her she wasn't going to be hired---despite basically putting in an entire week as a server for no pay. What a scam! Yet I parted ways with that GF, as things go, and ended up with a sloppy joe every Sunday for a while there...

Marco-

I think the sloppy joe is still good. I get to Moody's somewhat regularly in the fall/winter as I play volleyball across the street at the Armory. A few of us will often split a sloppy joe. It's not the easiest thing to split, but we make it work. Moody's continues to be a good place to hang out on their patio on the warm nights or inside near the fire on the cool ones. It's not destination dining, but it scratches an itch.

The GP wrote:

Marco wrote: Nice post. For a while I lived around the corner on Elmdale, and my go-to order was the sloppy joe, which was pretty special and heaping. I wonder if its gone downhill too?

For a long time I was mad at Moody's because my GF "trained" there for an entire week, without compensation whatsoever during "training week", and at the end of the week they simply told her she wasn't going to be hired---despite basically putting in an entire week as a server for no pay. What a scam! Yet I parted ways with that GF, as things go, and ended up with a sloppy joe every Sunday for a while there...

Marco-

I think the sloppy joe is still good. I get to Moody's somewhat regularly in the fall/winter as I play volleyball across the street at the Armory. A few of us will often split a sloppy joe. It's not the easiest thing to split, but we make it work. Moody's continues to be a good place to hang out on their patio on the warm nights or inside near the fire on the cool ones. It's not destination dining, but it scratches an itch.

I didn't like the burger at all a couple of years ago on a casual date with a friend, but I've returned a few times after that (after I have already eaten elsewhere or at home) in the summer as the patio is one of the nicest in the city to while away a nice summer evening.

Walked into Moody's with the bride about noon Saturday, was greeted by two Viagra Triangle expats.


Was also greeted with the aroma of grilling onions, eau de l'oignon, one of my favorite scents.


Liked the crispy crunchy onion rings, satisfying even if not made in-house.


Cold draft beer, friendly professional service, comfortable seating, fairly priced, burger cooked to order. Bun a weak spot, slightly cold and a little dense, could have used a turn on the flattop, overall an enjoyable lunch.

Moody's count me a fan!

Note:
Very dark interior, even at high noon, hard to see and/or take pictures.