Lunching Old School: Madison Park Kitchen, Forest Park

Lunching Old School: Madison Park Kitchen, Forest Park

Madison Park Kitchen in Forest Park is a place for breakfast or lunch, old school style.

It’s a place where waitresses still call you “hon” in a very natural way.

It’s a place where waitresses (and it seems there are only waitresses here) sit down at tables with customers, who they talk to like old friends, and who they seem to care for like they’re everybody’s mom.

It’s a place where it seems many people at many tables know one another, and they stop by at each other’s tables before leaving, to chat and talk about their folks, their jobs, everyday stuff. This is kind of what I think many restaurants -- or coffee shops, small diners, etc. – used to be all about: socializing as much as getting your feed on.



It’s a place that has a menu that looks like hundreds of other menus you’ve seen, with all the standards (various combinations of eggs and sandwiches, burgers and fries) with a few things like panini thrown in to reflect more “modern” tastes. Despite the generally all-American vibe of the menu, the presence on the menu of spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) reflects another fine all-American tradition: the general and gentle domination of the small restaurant business by Greek owners and chefs.

Going with the patty melt was a good choice. This diner classic is a hand-formed beef patty – not a previously frozen hockey puck – topped with grilled onions and melted American cheese (a good application of this somewhat fake-seeming fromage).The bread is a light rye, which is a much more pleasant burger platform than a cheap white bread bun. This wasn’t some kind of ironic, post-modern take on a classic: it was the real deal, delicious and sloppy as hell. Looking at the bread soaking up the “juice,” I went for my fork and knife, but couldn’t bring myself to use those implements: I wanted to hold this big, warm and tasty mess in my hands.

The fries were, alas, frozen and not hand-cut, but this was like an 11 buck lunch, and what the heck, this is Madison Park Kitchen not Eleven Madison Park.

Madison Park Kitchen is not, admittedly, a destination place. People probably aren’t going to drive here from even as far away as Berwyn to have breakfast or lunch. They’re not going to drive from anywhere for dinner because the place closes at 5pm. This place is for the neighborhood.

Madison Park Kitchen reminds me of what restaurants used to be, before The Food Network and celebrity chefs; it’s a meeting place for locals, where the food is solid, not meant to be challenging, as comforting as a familiar face, with enduring charm.

7525 Madison St, Forest Park, IL 60130

going with the patty melt was a good choice. This diner classic is a hand-formed beef patty – not a previously frozen hockey puck – topped with grilled onions and melted American cheese (a good application of this somewhat fake-seeming fromage).The bread is a light rye, which is a much more pleasant burger platform than a cheap white bread bun. This wasn’t some kind of ironic, post-modern take on a classic: it was the real deal, delicious and sloppy as hell. Looking at the bread soaking up the “juice,” I went for my fork and knife, but couldn’t bring myself to use those implements: I wanted to hold this big, warm and tasty mess in my hands.


Madison Park Kitchen is not, admittedly, a destination place. People probably aren’t going to drive here from even as far away as Berwyn to have breakfast or lunch. They’re not going to drive from anywhere for dinner because the place closes at 5pm. This place is for the neighborhood.

sorry to disagree with you david: that patty melt and your description of the sociable atmosphere will very likely make me drive out to forest park to eat here. this is the kind of destination place i look for. joan

Call me when you're coming through, JJ.

David Hammond wrote:Call me when you're coming through, JJ.

my accupuncturist is in oak park, about 1/2 mile from freddies pizza. that is a great bonus. next visit, i'll have to plan it around madison park kitchen instead, and i will consult you about the timing. thanks, jj

I had lunch here about a year ago. My club sandwich was good and the waitress was nice, but my friend tried to order the Watercado salad without feta and they flat out refused to remove it. It was so bizarre. No explanation given either. That was about the only thing memorable unfortunately.

TCK wrote:I had lunch here about a year ago. My club sandwich was good and the waitress was nice, but my friend tried to order the Watercado salad without feta and they flat out refused to remove it. It was so bizarre. No explanation given either. That was about the only thing memorable unfortunately.

I find that kind of funny, but if I were your friend, I'd probably be annoyed.

It was funny in an "I can't believe this is actually happening" kind of way.