gleam wrote:Still, it was a very good burger, and cooked exactly to spec, which is nice.

yes, agreed.

still love the onion loaf and burger on dark bread.

it's getting nice out, perhaps soon is the time to have a Hackney's LTH dinner at the Harm's location ?

--

I would add to a few of the recent posts above that the burgers at Hackney's are somehow less than the sum of their parts. Everything's fresh, cooked properly and of good quality but they just don't transcend. It's odd. I can't really put my finger on why they aren't more enjoyable.

I do think the onion brick is their best and most distinctive offering. I have a friend who, back in the day, would order them by telling the staff, "fry it, cut it in half, fry it again." His parents also had a 'house' account there, which made dining at Hackney's with him a total pleasure.

=R=

The magic phrase for the onion loaf is "loose and crisp"
That usually works.

Sweet Willie wrote:it's getting nice out, perhaps soon is the time to have a Hackney's LTH dinner at the Harm's location ?

I'm all up for that! But the weather doesn't look good enough next week. How about an evening the week of the 19th? Guess we should move over to Events and discuss.

Hackney's location on Printers Row is closing — but it will be back.
The restaurant and bar will serve its last customers on Monday, according to a Facebook post. But there will be a "new concept" at the restaurant, 733 S. Dearborn St., in January 2017.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016091 ... ew-concept

Mrs Willie & I dined at Hackney's on Harms yesterday for lunch. Hadn't been in years.

I ordered a Reuben being in a corned beef craving mode. Enjoyable for sure, as much as Edgebrook Diner, no but it sill hit the spot.

Mrs Willie had the French Dip, the dip being salty w/beefy bouillon is just how she likes it.

Fries were meh as usual, how I managed to NOT order a 1/2 brick onion loaf is beyond me, I rarely have such control.

I've always liked their slaw.

The place has really slipped but it's still a venerable, iconic institution, for whatever that's worth. And at least they pour very generously in the bar.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:The place has really slipped but it's still a venerable, iconic institution, for whatever that's worth.

Childhood warm & fuzzys can be strong, I grew up going to the Hackney's on Milwaukee in Wheeling, Mrs Willie grew up going to the Harms & Lake Ave locations. No doubt our being raised with Hackney's helps with our appreciation.

I prefer the location on Lake over Harms. I might go once a year. I still associate it with my childhood warm and fuzzy memories. A cut in half medium rare Hackneyburger takes me back decades in a flash.

I noticed last night that the south loop location that closed last year is now open as 'Hax - Hops and Hamburgers'

Considering they used to have one of the better craft brew menus in the area, the new one seems to be only the common midsize brew stuff. Sad, I always enjoyed the ambiance and off the wall beers.

https://eathax.com/

stoutisgoodfood wrote:I noticed last night that the south loop location that closed last year is now open as 'Hax - Hops and Hamburgers'

Considering they used to have one of the better craft brew menus in the area, the new one seems to be only the common midsize brew stuff. Sad, I always enjoyed the ambiance and off the wall beers.

https://eathax.com/

While I have no idea when or if I'll ever eat at Hax, interesting that they seem to be serving smaller burger patties, so it looks like you'd get a double to equal a Hackneyburger. But that also means it's probably less likely to get a bloody medium-rare thick Hackneyburger there. I also see the dreaded housemade ketchup - a trend I can't stand. As always; loose and crisp on the onion loaf please.

Ram4 wrote:As always; loose and crisp on the onion loaf please.

Waaaay back in the day, when I was a yoot, we'd go to Hackney's and my friend (whose family had a house account there) would order the onion loaf as such: "fry it, cut it in half, fry it again." I have to say it was a glorious approach.

=R=

Printers Row hackneys is no more. Now reopened as "Haks" this is evidently somebody's idea of achange for the better. Tables and booths have been replaced by picnic tables and couches hamburgers are small and somewhat greasy no more onion loaf , No more black bread. The Hackney formula was never really that complicated. Reasonably good hamburgers, fair pricing, comfortable seating good beers, onion loaf, black bread... how somebody could misunderstand this on every possible level is truly amazing .

stoutisgoodfood wrote:I noticed last night that the south loop location that closed last year

...

I had managed to stop by this location with family not too long before it closed.

Even though we had visited during 'primetime' (Saturday dinner time) the place was empty. The food and drinks were not all that bad leading me to think it might of been location?

Maybe this pub style from the past has been replaced by all of the new super burger places?

I wish them luck with the rebranding.

The building which once housed the Lake Zurich Hackney's on Route 12 burned down last night.

Hax's web site says that they're closing this week.

https://eathax.com/

Apparently, Flaco's that part of the same empire will remain open. The news is that Gordo's Ice Cream place will reopen in the spring, but it is in the same space as Hax, so I'm not sure how that would work.

Each October my girlfriend has a conference at the Chicago Hilton & Towers so for three nights I have my own little staycation or eatcation as I like to call it. The last two years I ended up going to Hax (only a couple blocks walk) to watch the Cubs lose in the Wild Card game to the Rockies and then two weeks ago to watch the Bears humiliated by the Saints. It's clear that Hax and my sports enjoyment do not mix. As for the food - there was a little Hackney's in there and at $2.95 for an order of fried onion strings, that was a great deal. They were sort of like the real thing, but not quite. Anyway, the staff were nice people to hang out with watch the Bears lose. I didn't care for the fast casual modern but cold atmosphere clearly aimed at the local college kids. It's been way too long since I've been to the Hackney's I grew up with and still prefer on Lake (over Harms).

Ram4 wrote:Each October my girlfriend has a conference at the Chicago Hilton & Towers so for three nights I have my own little staycation or eatcation as I like to call it. The last two years I ended up going to Hax (only a couple blocks walk) to watch the Cubs lose in the Wild Card game to the Rockies and then two weeks ago to watch the Bears humiliated by the Saints. It's clear that Hax and my sports enjoyment do not mix. As for the food - there was a little Hackney's in there and at $2.95 for an order of fried onion strings, that was a great deal. They were sort of like the real thing, but not quite. Anyway, the staff were nice people to hang out with watch the Bears lose. I didn't care for the fast casual modern but cold atmosphere clearly aimed at the local college kids. It's been way too long since I've been to the Hackney's I grew up with and still prefer on Lake (over Harms).

Is there an actual connection with the Hackney’s family or someone just cashing in on the name similarly?

Panther in the Den wrote:Is there an actual connection with the Hackney’s family or someone just cashing in on the name similarly?

If you weren't busy keeping tabs on "ethnics" you might of thought to Google.
https://eathax.com/about/

G Wiv wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Is there an actual connection with the Hackney’s family or someone just cashing in on the name similarly?

If you weren't busy keeping tabs on "ethnics" you might of thought to Google.
https://eathax.com/about/

DD.jpg

So it was just a name change. Same burgers.

I would think they would of at least reconceptualized a touch.

Thanks for looking it up!

Panther in the Den wrote:

G Wiv wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Is there an actual connection with the Hackney’s family or someone just cashing in on the name similarly?

If you weren't busy keeping tabs on "ethnics" you might of thought to Google.
https://eathax.com/about/

DD.jpg

So it was just a name change. Same burgers.

I would think they would of at least reconceptualized a touch.

Thanks for looking it up!

Yeah they can claim it's the same burgers and onion strings but I didn't feel they were exactly the same. Maybe it was the atmosphere.

Ram4 wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:

G Wiv wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Is there an actual connection with the Hackney’s family or someone just cashing in on the name similarly?

If you weren't busy keeping tabs on "ethnics" you might of thought to Google.
https://eathax.com/about/

DD.jpg

So it was just a name change. Same burgers.

I would think they would of at least reconceptualized a touch.

Thanks for looking it up!

Yeah they can claim it's the same burgers and onion strings but I didn't feel they were exactly the same. Maybe it was the atmosphere.

The burgers were nothing like the original, and indeed they'd changed some time prior to the name change - likely part of the cause of the downfall. Some people just can't leave well enough along.

Was the Printer's Row Hackney's not popular anymore before they rebooted it? If so, it was a last resort to try again with Hax for the younger people going to college in the area and local residents.

Ram4 wrote:Was the Printer's Row Hackney's not popular anymore before they rebooted it? If so, it was a last resort to try again with Hax for the younger people going to college in the area and local residents.

I did visit before the reboot...

Friday night during prime time.

We were the only ones there.