Burgers in Northwest Indiana

Cathy2 and I made several visits to Northwest Indiana last summer and fall, exploring local food. We already made a few posts and hope to add more in the near future.

The area has some good burger places with a notable cluster on Indianapolis Boulevard in Highland and Hammond. Heading north on Indianapolis (there, Route 41) from Route 30 you'll first hit Miner-Dunn with its classic neon sign.



Miner-Dunn is an old business, serving burgers for almost 75 years.



Of course Cathy2 and I opted for the deluxe plate.



The burger typifies what I think of as NWI-style: large, thin, griddle-cooked, with crispy edges. The butter-fried onions and fresh-cut fries were very good too.



Sherbet, serving to sharpen the taste buds, was a pleasant end to the meal.

Not even a quarter mile down the road is another monumental neon sign, belonging to Johnsen's Blue Top.



The whole drive in, complete with car hops, is essentially unaltered since the early 1960s and will get its own well-deserved post. We went for their signature Big Ben, a large double cheeseburger with characteristic crispy edges (though not as pronounced as Miner-Dunn's or Schoop's).



This is a very satisfying old-fashioned burger, nothing fancy.

Continuing on Indianapolis to Hammond you'll come to one of the Schoop's chain.



This is actually the one at 1449, farther north on Indianapolis (the one at 7235 is in an ugly shopping center). Schoop's is another old NWI business, started in Hammond in 1948. There are currently over a dozen Schoop's scattered around the area. To me this burger epitomizes what I think of as NWI-style.



I think you can see the crisp edges, very crunchy, almost lacey. Different than almost any in Chicago, I like these burgers a lot.

There will be a separate post on the Coney dog emporia of Gary but I'll briefly mention a couple burgers here. This is one I had at Charlie's Coney Island in Gary.



This chili burger, with everything, was a very nice griddled diner-style burger. I don't know if I'd make a special trip for it though.

And here's a chili burger from Koney King in Gary.



More about Koney King later.

We already posted on Madvek's but I'll include a brief mention here. Madvek's serves loosemeat burgers, not often seen around here (I don't believe they're terribly common in NWI either).



I was pleasantly surprised with my first loosemeat sandwich. Next time I might be brave and order a loosemeat with chili and kraut as one of the regulars always does.

Gary is a wonderland of urban blight with many spectacular abandoned buildings in various stages of decay. Here's City Castle, presumably a White Castle knockoff, on Broadway in downtown Gary. I wonder how their burgers were.




I'm sure this barely scratches the surface. I'm hoping we'll be told we missed the 5 or 6 best places.

Miner-Dunn Hamburgers
8940 Indianapolis Blvd
Highland IN
219-923-3311

Johnsen's Blue Top Drive In
8801 Indianapolis Blvd
Highland IN
219-838-1233

Schoop's (many locations)
7235 Indianapolis Blvd
Hammond IN
219-845-7090

Schoop's (many locations)
1449 Indianapolis Blvd
Hammond (Robertsdale) IN
319-659-7030

Charlie's Coney Island
2490 Broadway
Gary IN
219-883-2117

Koney King
4601 Broadway
Gary IN
219-887-1843

Madvek's Doghouse
6923 Calumet Av
Hammond IN
219-932-1060

City Castle (closed)
SE corner of Broadway and 11th
Gary IN

ReneG, great roundup!
Count me as a big fan of the Schoop's burgers - especially the one in Michigan City, IN. I did try the one at the Hammond location - this was several years back - and found it not as good.
There is a mom and pop diner/burger place in Merrillville but it became rather avoidable.

I just never liked those burnt edge Schoops/Culvers/Miner Dunn type of burger.A treat used to be when my dad would take me to Maid Rites near Hammond High school as a kid.I didnt know there was another place in Hammond that made the loose meat burger.I dont think NWIndiana has much going for it for hamburgers,fortunately a stones throw over the state line is Redamaks in New Buffalo.Its fresh ground chuck with some steaming involved in the cookingo no burnt crusty kind of thing on it.The hype turns off some people and those longggggggggggg lines in the summer makes everyone shake their head but overall its still a good burger.The Cafe Nuzretti in New Buffalo makes a pretty good burger and is actually a good and reasonably priced place to eat also.It gets a big local following in the "off season".

We are big fans of Schoop's. There is a franchise in Illinois on Route 30 near Western Avenue in Chicago Heights. The burgers are all handmade and I'm quite fond of their cheeseburgers. I also think their fries are very good.

Suzy

sazerac wrote:a mom and pop diner/burger place in Merrillville but it became rather avoidable.

I'm sitting in front of Merrillville's Panera Bread right now and a mom/pop diner/burger place would be a nice alternative this very minute.

i'm in Valpo/Merrillville/Hobart/Crown point almost twice a month. a decent lunch is really tough.. There's Schoops but... can't eat it all the time.

Dick's Restaurant & Tap

10808 Wicker Ave (US 41 and US 231)
St John, IN 46373


Old school establishment with the best bacon cheeseburger back in the day. French fries were crinkle cut and pretty decent.

I only ate at the bar side but they did have the coldest Miller Lite bottles in NWI.

They also had the relish tray for select dinners.

Went to Indiana to donate to the boats today. Instead of having my usual burger at Shoops on Indy., I went down to try the recently discussed Madveks in Hammond for a loosemeat. I have had them in Iowa and now in Indiana and my opinion is the same: They are a bland sandwich, which cries out for more than the usual mustard, catsup, pickle, onion, salt, pepper and a squirt of cheese. Hot sauce and peppers helped a lot. But, I think the way to go is, as advised above, the chili burger. I will try this the next time. I also had a soft shelled taco. A tasty four biter in which the loosemeat was seasoned with a zesty taco seasoning. The place is spotless and peopled with a very friendly staff. Who can say anything really bad about a place that gives free pop refills and puts out plates of free cookies for your post dining enjoyment.

I worked at the Highland Miner-Dunn one summer nearly 20 years ago. I had grown up about five blocks from there and had always loved eating there. I can tell you, from having worked in that kitchen, that EVERYTHING is homemade. From fries to pies, to onion rings and everything in-between, it's all made fresh on the premises. Even the roast beef is a real round that is roasted in an oven, daily (although I never figured out who gets a roast beef when you're at an ald fashioned hamburger joint). Good milkshakes there, too. And they do the flavored-soda, too, like vanilla or cherry Cokes, where the flavoring is added separately.

I really can't say a bad thing about the place.

thick wrote:Went to Indiana to donate to the boats today. Instead of having my usual burger at Shoops on Indy., I went down to try the recently discussed Madveks in Hammond for a loosemeat. I have had them in Iowa and now in Indiana and my opinion is the same: They are a bland sandwich, which cries out for more than the usual mustard, catsup, pickle, onion, salt, pepper and a squirt of cheese. Hot sauce and peppers helped a lot. But, I think the way to go is, as advised above, the chili burger. I will try this the next time. I also had a soft shelled taco. A tasty four biter in which the loosemeat was seasoned with a zesty taco seasoning. The place is spotless and peopled with a very friendly staff. Who can say anything really bad about a place that gives free pop refills and puts out plates of free cookies for your post dining enjoyment.

Rene G and I walked into Madveks after spending a few hours at Pierogi Fest on a very hot day. One of the missions of our trip was to locate Coney Dogs, which are Macedonian in origin. I estimated with a name like Madvek, there was a chance a Coney Dog lurked there.

While there was no Coney Dog, Madvek's was as you described clean and neat as a pin. Rene G noticed the loose meat sandwich on the board. We ordered one to share explaining we had already eaten at Pierogi Fest. I ordered a pop, which I quickly gulped down. The owner refilled it and I emptied just as quickly. She commented I must have been hydrated from the way I was drinking. She filled my glass several more times before I finally relaxed. It was a wonderful gesture, which I am glad is not unique.

The owner advised her husband owns the car repair shop in the rear. When he purchased the property, they inherited Madvek's. She left her job as a bookkeeper to run the restaurant herself.

Coincidentally it was not only time we encountered dual businesses on the same property. We came upon another automobile repair shop, where the owner on weekends rolls out his aquarium smoker to the parking lot for BBQ. It is not very far from Madveks. When not in use, you can see the smoker from the street. (Maybe Rene G can link an image)

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Coincidentally it was not only time we encountered dual businesses on the same property. We came upon another automobile repair shop, where the owner on weekends rolls out his aquarium smoker to the parking lot for BBQ. It is not very far from Madveks. When not in use, you can see the smoker from the street. (Maybe Rene G can link an image)

No problem, here it is. I was wondering what post (if any) that picture would fit into. A post on barbecue in NWI would be nice but unfortunately we don't have enough information. There are plenty of places, that's not the problem, but we haven't visited many yet. We didn't try Collins because that was after Madvek's, which was after Pierogi Fest. Actually if he'd had a slab ready we probably would have ordered one.

Collins BBQ, Calumet at Morris, Hammond IN

Rene G wrote:A post on barbecue in NWI would be nice but unfortunately we don't have enough information. There are plenty of places, that's not the problem, but we haven't visited many yet.

Opportunity is a beautiful thing. I'll bring the wetnaps.

Rene G wrote:Collins BBQ, Calumet at Morris, Hammond IN

Rene,

Very cool picture, I don't think I've ever seen an Aquarium style smoker being used outdoors.

I want one!

Enjoy,
Gary

I lived in Beverly, now in Orland Park. My mom's from Hammond and I can always remember going to the Schoop's on Ridge Road in Munster. The best way to have a Schoop's burger is getting it to go w/ the original "everything" (mustard ketchup, relish and onion). By the time you get home with it, the grease has permiated through the paper wrapper. Wow, I wish the Schoop's was still open here in Orland Park. Guess I'll take a trip to Munster for a burger and a growler of Three Floyd's Alpha King!
Charlie from the Maple Tree...when are you getting Three Floyd's back??!!

Cathy2 wrote:One of the missions of our trip was to locate Coney Dogs, which are Macedonian in origin. I estimated with a name like Madvek, there was a chance a Coney Dog lurked there.

Interesting, I never would have guessed that Coney Dogs were of Macedonian origin. Where did you learn this?

Cogito,

I learned about it at a Culinary Historians meeting, I wrote a post on the Coney Dog of Cincinnati soon after.

Regards,

Ah, that makes more sense. They claim it was invented by some guy from Macedonia who had a hotdog stand in Cincinnati. I thought you were implying that it was actually a Macedonian concoction.

Another loose-meat burger place is just down the street from Madvek's in Munster, IN.

Arnie's Dog House
8125 Calumet Ave
Munster, IN

Don't know much about their hours as they just always seem to be open when I want to eat there It's less than one mile off of 80/94 at the Calumet Ave. South exit.

Having grown up eating Madvek's, I was really surprised to try their loose meat a couple of years ago after moving back to the area. I think the meat has more flavor than Madvek's but... (you knew there was a 'but' right?)

The bread they use is horrid. And to top it off, its even been stale and hard around the edges a couple of times. To remedy this, I often do it as take out and bring it home to my own bread. Once, I even took my own french bread roll in with me. My son loves the hot dogs...don't think there's anything extraordinary about them myself but he likes them.

Still....not as good as the maid-rite in Peru, IL.

I love a good loose meat sandwich.

Debby

Hi,

So there is yet another loose meat sandwich in Hammond besides Madvek's?

When we were talking to Madvek's, we learned the evolution of the loose meat sandwich in Hammond. There was down the street a Maid-Rite, whose cook departed only to open a loose meat sandwich emporium nearby. What I am not certain is the time line, was it before or after Maid-Rite closed. What I am certain about is Maid-Rite sued the cook who walked off to start his own business borrowing their product idea. Madvek's also borrowed the idea of the loose meat sandwich from Maid-Rite, but having no other connection could not be sued. Now to learn there is yet another loose meat sandwich nearby is pretty nifty.

Years ago when I used to purchase and resell wildly divergent products. I was often hunting down items in the Thomas Register. You would find a relatively unique product, such as theatrical fire curtains. Maybe a few miles away was their competitor, which was always a clue to a disgruntled employee taking off to start his own firm with the new and improved (or maybe just taking off) ideas.

Regards,

The original Arnie's is/was on Indianapolis Blvd just off Five Points in Hammond (don't know if it's still there or not), and opened just after WWII. The one in Munster opened in the early '80s, and I believe there's a third location in Schererville very close to the us30/us41 intersection. The Munster store had an interesting handpainted mural on the wall in the dining area.

I haven't been to Arnie's in many years, and I don't remember them having loose meat on the menu, so this is something fairly new for them. I do remember them having really good chili dogs that came with so many fries it was difficult to eat them all. But Munster Gyros (at the corner of Calumet and Ridgeway, roughly 8300 block) started serving chili dogs shortly after Arnie's opened, and theirs were just as good but cost a lot less...

(oops...Five Points is where Calumet Ave intersects with Indianapolis Blvd, Phil Smidt's is also just off Five Points)

When you order the hamburger combo the staff at Arnie's *warns* you! "It's a loose meat sandwich, its not a patty" like its a bad thing!!!!

I'm not sure I'm thinking of the same Arnie's in Schererville as you...but was it in a strip mall east of the 30/41 intersection? I believe that one closed and has changed hands a couple of times. It's still a generic burger/dog/gyros place. I haven't been to 5 points in awhile as it takes me almost as long time wise to drive there from Dyer as it does for me to just take the highway into the city, but I'll ask a friend who works up there if the Arnie's up there is still open.

Debby

A little further afield (more like a three hour drive) is Mr Weenie in Peru, Indiana. I took a couple snaps, I'll post them when I get home.
Mr Weenie
(765) 473-6564
600 N Broadway
Peru, IN
(about a half-mile south of Rt 24)

It's a classic car-hop-only spot, with the menus on boards between two rows of roofed parking spots, and a number of novel items, including a Mexiburger (not a burger at all, but their chili sauce between two buns -- tasty with moderate spicing), both a Chicago Dog and a Wrigley Dog (not sure the diff), Tenderloin, etc. I ordered fried mushrooms, and they bread and fry sliced large shrooms, giving them the shape and size of McD's chicken nuggets -- a bit of cognitive dissonance there when my food arrived.

Cheap, friendly and classic.

[b]Arnie's Dog House, 1503 Indianapolis Blvd[/b]
[url=http://imageshack.us][img]http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8488/arniesdoghouseqy6.jpg[/img][/url]

It's still there, on Indianapolis a block or two south of Schoop's (isn't that Whiting?). We didn't know about the secret loosemeat menu or we surely would have stopped in. According to [url=http://www.viennabeef.com/culture/fame/item.asp?m=13&PG=1]this entry[/url] in the Vienna Beef Hall of Fame, Arnie's dates from 1961 (before that it was Wally's).

Did anyone know there used to be a Maid-Rite in Chicago? I don't know when it opened but it was on 57th Street in Hyde Park from the 1940's through mid '50s. I wonder if there were others in Chicago.

I was also surprised to learn that Miner-Dunn had an outlet in Chicago, on E 79th. I believe it closed in the late 1940s.

Actually that would be Hammond...the "fifth point" of Five Points is 114th Street, and the Hammond/Whiting line on Indianapolis Blvd is Atchison Ave (roughly 1800 block).

FYI, that part of Hammond is known as Robertsdale, and most people who live there will tell you they live in Robertsdale, not in Hammond! (There's another part of Hammond called Hessville which is similar in this regard.) Robertsdale and Whiting share the same 46394 zip code, which is why many people (including Vienna Beef!) consider this area a part of Whiting, since that zip code is listed as Whiting by the USPS...

[quote="JoelF"] A little further afield (more like a three hour drive) is Mr Weenie in Peru, Indiana. I took a couple snaps, I'll post them when I get home.[/quote]
Sounds great! I'm sure I'm not alone in looking forward to the pictures.

[quote="I"]I was also surprised to learn that Miner-Dunn had an outlet in Chicago, on E 79th. I believe it closed in the late 1940s.[/quote]
That is incorrect. The Miner-Dunn on E 79th was around well into the 1960s. There was another in Chicago as well, at 124th and Ashland.

You're absolutely right. It's not only Vienna Beef that thinks that stretch of Indianapolis Blvd is in Whiting. The takeout menu from Schoop's at 1449 Indianapolis (about a block north of Arnie's) also calls it Whiting. The zip code explanation makes a lot of sense. It's even more complicated than this outsider realized. Driving along Indianapolis Blvd from about 119th to 124th, you pass from Hammond to Whiting to Hammond to Whiting. Thanks for the correction; I have reworded my original post in this thread.

Rene, thanks for all of this info. Schoop's in Michigan City is now in heavy rotation for me. A really, really fine hamburger. For all of those In-N-Out lovers out there, you're going to recognize a strong resemblance in the Schoop's Mickey. Fries, however, are remarkably bad.

I also see a resemblance of Schoop's burgers to those at In n Out, but I think there's an even stronger resemblance to those at Taylor's Refresher in St. Helena (and its overpriced outpost in the Ferry Bldg in SF).

But I agree, awful fries, and it's been that way for as long as I can remember. The problem is that they think they are competing with places like Arnie's that offer mass quantities of fries with every hot dog or burger. I wish they would realize that they can justify higher prices for better fries without hurting their business...

Hi. I'm new to the board! Just wanted to add the best burger in NWI. It is Swing Belly's in Michigan City. It is located in the AmTrak Station as you enter the Port. Their menu contains a wide variety but the burgers are awesome. Made to order, My friend even had one rare! So JeffB if your still in M.C. Try this place it will beat the plain jane Schoops

Thanks. I'm in Chicago, but travel to MI frequently, so Michigan City is on the way. I've seen the place, and it looks cool. However, I'm partial to the fast food style burger when passing through. Plenty of fancy bar burgers here in Chicago, as noted elsewhere.

I have to say, while Chicago is short on great fast-food burgers, NW Indiana and SW Michigan are not. That doesn't jibe with MikeG's ethnographic migratory theory of burgers, but hey.

I'd long ago promised pictures from our Indiana trip this winter at Mr Weenie, Peru IN:
The sign out front:


The menu board:


Mexiburger and Fried Mushrooms:

We'll be passing through this area soon on our way to MI - is Miner-Dunn an "easy off/easy on" the Skyway or 94? Or can you recommend another destination?

Thanks!