Good CHEAP loop dining option - Courtway Restaurant

First, this place is in a time warp. From the servers, to the decor, to the prices: You can tell it has been around for 17 years. I do have to say the food is quite good, and when the when the price is factored in, it is that much better. It is essentially a coffee shop/diner that has some good daily specials. In my two visits I had breaded pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and veggies with chicken tortilla soup and the second visit was a grilled cheese with corned beef and fries with cream of chicken soup. And while I have not tried it, I heard the turkey club sandwich is excellent. I can also vouch that they have the best rolls in the loop (at a diner), and on Fridays they add cinnamon and a bit of frosting.
The best part of this place is the bill for a meal + soup usually ends up around $6-8.

There also seems to be a coupon for 50% off one entree with purchase of a second on their website (and I am still amazed they have a website)

Jamie

Courtway Restaurant
29 S Lasalle
Chicago, IL 60603-1507
http://www.courtwayrestaurant.com/

Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good deal for the Loop. When I used to work in the Loop 20 years ago, I used to go to a cafeteria in the lower level of an office building on the west side of Clark near Washington. There was a cafeteria you walked through with a tray and they usually had pretty decent daily specials uber cheap. Or sometimes to a little deli on the second floor of the Mallers building (5 S. Wabash), for great soup/sand. I have no idea if either place is still around. I doubt it. Does anyone know what I'm referring to?

There is a place in the Maller's building called Mallers Restaurant, I stop there every now and then. They are not uber cheap. It's an Ok place for the loop, breakfast IMO is better than lunch. I'm not a fan of processed cheese, and that is what I found on my rueben, so I don't order anything with cheese there anymore. I've never had dinner there but its BYOB.

nicinchic wrote:There is a place in the Maller's building called Mallers Restaurant, I stop there every now and then. They are not uber cheap. It's an Ok place for the loop, breakfast IMO is better than lunch. I'm not a fan of processed cheese, and that is what I found on my rueben, so I don't order anything with cheese there anymore. I've never had dinner there but its BYOB.

I believe that the place closed two or three years ago. At least that is what I heard from restaurant.com from whom I purcahsed some of their gift certificates.

jlawrence01 wrote:

nicinchic wrote:There is a place in the Maller's building called Mallers Restaurant, I stop there every now and then. They are not uber cheap. It's an Ok place for the loop, breakfast IMO is better than lunch. I'm not a fan of processed cheese, and that is what I found on my rueben, so I don't order anything with cheese there anymore. I've never had dinner there but its BYOB.

I believe that the place closed two or three years ago. At least that is what I heard from restaurant.com from whom I purcahsed some of their gift certificates.

No ture. It was open as of two weeks ago when I was in the building. I did not eat there, theugh

Steve, was it a Jewish deli type place? I don't think the one I went to was even open at dinnertime.

Cogito wrote:Steve, was it a Jewish deli type place? I don't think the one I went to was even open at dinnertime.

I think it was more of the Greek Coffee Shop style, IIRC. Like I said, I didn't go, but had some business in the Mallers Building and noticed people getting off the elevator to go there as well as a some signage in the lobby.

Cogito wrote:When I used to work in the Loop 20 years ago, I used to go to a cafeteria in the lower level of an office building on the west side of Clark near Washington. There was a cafeteria you walked through with a tray and they usually had pretty decent daily specials uber cheap. Or sometimes to a little deli on the second floor of the Mallers building (5 S. Wabash), for great soup/sand. I have no idea if either place is still around. I doubt it. Does anyone know what I'm referring to?

I used to go to the Mallers Building Deli in the 1970s and still have fond memories of it. I think it was on the 3rd floor. If you took the stairs instead of the elevators (with elevator operators) the stairwell door read "3th Floor." It was a good all-around deli/lunch counter but I almost always ordered the chopped liver plate: a huge oniony mound with two perfect potato pancakes and a pickle. Things like cabbage soup and corned beef sandwiches were also good. It was a cool old room, with windows looking out onto the Wabash El. In the afternoon after the lunch crowd thinned, old jewelers from the building would gather over coffee, loupes jammed in their eyes, passing around diamonds for inspection. When I returned to Chicago in the late '80s it had been remodeled and the food was only a shadow of what it was before. No more chopped liver plate and the sandwiches weren't anything special. I think it continued to spiral downward through other ownership changes. It made me sad to visit.

I think none remain but there were quite a few cafeterias on that stretch of Clark. Indeed that area was once known as "Toothpick Row." It's not much of an exaggeration to say the cafeteria as we know (knew?) it was born here. I'm not sure if it's the one you're referring to but my favorite was Old Polonia (I need to check that name; can anyone confirm?). Descending the stairs in an old office building, you were met with a large fake orange tree bearing bushels of fruit. At the steamy cafeteria line friendly Polish ladies would fill your plate with stuffed cabbage, meatloaf, mashed potatoes. A quick stop at the bar for a 50 cent Old Style and you'd have yourself a great cheap meal.

Cogito wrote:When I used to work in the Loop 20 years ago, I used to go to a cafeteria in the lower level of an office building on the west side of Clark near Washington. There was a cafeteria you walked through with a tray and they usually had pretty decent daily specials uber cheap. Or sometimes to a little deli on the second floor of the Mallers building (5 S. Wabash), for great soup/sand. I have no idea if either place is still around. I doubt it. Does anyone know what I'm referring to?

I used to go to the Mallers Building Deli in the 1970s and still have fond memories of it. I think it was on the 3rd floor. If you took the stairs instead of the elevators (with elevator operators) the stairwell door read "3th Floor." It was a good all-around deli/lunch counter but I almost always ordered the chopped liver plate: a huge oniony mound with two perfect potato pancakes and a pickle. Things like cabbage soup and corned beef sandwiches were also good. It was a cool old room, with windows looking out onto the Wabash El. In the afternoon after the lunch crowd thinned, old jewelers from the building would gather over coffee, loupes jammed in their eyes, passing around diamonds for inspection. When I returned to Chicago in the late '80s it had been remodeled and the food was only a shadow of what it was before. No more chopped liver plate and the sandwiches weren't anything special. I think it continued to spiral downward through other ownership changes. It made me sad to visit.

I think none remain but there were quite a few cafeterias on that stretch of Clark. Indeed that area was once known as "Toothpick Row." It's not much of an exaggeration to say the cafeteria as we know (knew?) it was born here. I'm not sure if it's the one you're referring to but my favorite was Old Polonia (I need to check that name; can anyone confirm?). Descending the stairs in an old office building, you were met with a large fake orange tree bearing bushels of fruit. At the steamy cafeteria line friendly Polish ladies would fill your plate with stuffed cabbage, meatloaf, mashed potatoes. A quick stop at the bar for a 50 cent Old Style and you'd have yourself a great cheap meal.

ReneG --

Bingo! Yeah, I used to take the stairs up to the Mallers Deli. I guess technically it was the third floor, but it only seemed like you were walking up one. That chopped liver plate was great, I used to get that too. Corned beef sandwiches, soups, and kosher dogs were other faves. I probably quit going there around 85, so I missed its transition into mediocrity. Too bad, it was a great joint.

And Bingo, again. Old Polonia is the place I was thinking about. Great spot as long as you knew what to get and what to avoid.

Brings back memories of Loop luncheons. Ron Briskman's Hideaway, that BBQ joint on Randolph in the lower level. There was a small Filipino/Thai/Chinese place just south of the L tracks on the west side of Clark that had a chicken breast in black bean sauce smothered in chopped hot peppers that was fantastic if you could take the heat.

Has anyone ever been to this exquisite diamond in the rough? Best Beef Sandwich in Cook County bar none.

What kind of beef sandwich is that? Italian beef? Cold roast beef? Hot roast beef? Prime rib sandwich? An entire rib primal, perched precariously on a slice of rye like the rack of brontosaurus ribs hanging tenuously onto Fred Flintstone's driver-side door just before whole car flips over?

Seriously though, all details would be appreciated!

I Do It Daily wrote:Has anyone ever been to this exquisite diamond in the rough? Best Beef Sandwich in Cook County bar none.

Nope, haven't been.

Ditto what Khaopaat said. What else would you recommend? I work nearby and have not heard of Courtway.

29 S La Salle Street
Chicago, IL 60603

Ronna

courtway is hidden, inconveniently located, cheap, reliable and old school. how could you not love (or at least appreciate) a place like this?

Anyone know if this is open on saturday? Have theatre tix, matinee, love to do lunch.

Seriously though, all details would be appreciated!

The kind of open-faced beef sandwich that you would get at a diner in Western Nebraska.

Shaved roast beef on top of two pieces of Texas Toast-like wonder bread slathered in gravy w/ mashed potatoes on the side (also slathered in gravy).

It was the Donald Fagen of Western Nebraskan open-faced beef sandwiches. Not a morsel of food was left after I was done with that bad-boy.