need help "rude" restaurant

My wife and I are coming to Chicago for the first time and have been told to go to a restaurant where they are rude to you on purpose. Can anyone tell me the name of this place and is it an enjoyable experience.

boink wrote:My wife and I are coming to Chicago for the first time and have been told to go to a restaurant where they are rude to you on purpose. Can anyone tell me the name of this place

Ed Debevic's is a corporate recreation of a 50's diner where the waitstaff mock insult the customers. Servers are, for the most part, actors and part of the shtick is they occasionally sing and dance. Ed's is geared for kids, both food and atmosphere.

The Weiners Circle is a hot dog stand where, after about 10pm, they verbally abuse the customers, especially those who have been drinking. It's a little less Disneyesque then Ed's, but still a put-on.

boink wrote:and is it an enjoyable experience.

That's a question only you, with the help of your therapist, can answer.

Enjoy,
Gary

Ed Debevic's
640 N. Wells St.
Chicago, Il 60620
312-664-1707

The Weiners Circle
2622 N. Clark St., Chicago
773-477-7444

Any "must visit places"?

4 places come to mind. For great ribs, I recommend Twin Anchor's. It's on the corner of Eugenia and Sedgewick(about 10 minutes, 2 miles north of downtown). I wouldn't say they're True BBQ ribs but they are great.

A second recommendation, depending on how much time you have here is The Maple Tree Restaurant down in Blue Island(about 17 miles south of downtown). They are known for their cajun food. Say hi to Charlie, the owner, if you make it down their.

Third, again, if you can get south, would be Fox's Beverly Pub. Skip (kid friendly)...well ok get the deep dish pizza while here, but also try the best thin crust pizza. This restaurant is southwest at 10000 s. Western Avenue (about 13 miles south of downtown).

Fourth, for a great Chicago style joint for a Chicago style hot dog, go to any Portillo's. There are lots of locations and I know there is one right around Ed Debevik's and The Hard Rock Cafe.

Most of all...have a great time in our wonderful city!!!
Tom
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boink wrote:Any "must visit places"?

What types of food do you want to eat? There are at least 100 "must visit places" in Chicago. I would highly recommend "Little" Three Happiness as one.

You might also want to check out these threads:

LTHForum Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards

and

1 week stay in Chicago-these restaurants OK or suggestions?

Both have many great ideas.

boink wrote:Any "must visit places"?

boink-- Hope you enjoy your visit to Chicago. I'd suggest that you have a great deal to choose from among this board's GNR (Great Neighborhood Restaurants) award winners. (See site headings to locate). What type of food/atmosphere/location are you and your wife particularly interested in?

You might actually enjoy the "kiddingly abusive vintage performance art" act from the Ed Debevic's staff, since it will be your first visit. We kind of liked it on our first visits lo these many decades ago. But it gets old. (Or else we got old. Or both.) I will say this: The last times we went (probably four years ago)--we were on foot in the neighborhood and it was convenient--the wait staff sensed our "don't mess with our heads, we just want a decent burger, hold the side order of abuse" vibe, and responded with friendly professionalism rather than the typical schtick. Those were pleasant experiences. In any case, whether you want the full "treatment" or just friendly competent service, I suggest you go at a slightly offpeak hour, like, not Saturday at noon or something. It can be a bit of a zoo. (But of course, maybe that's something you want, too.)

Though I remember somehow getting stuck outside Debevic's without any cash (can't for the life of me remember why) and trying to find the pay phone inside. Sometimes they don't know when to quit - I guess they had a "shtick" about the phone.

I suppose it's better than being screamed at by parrots at the Rainforest Cafe.

Many many years ago, before I lived here, I came to Chicago for a wedding. The day after the wedding we badly needed greasy food, and there was ED's, very near our hotel. I couldn't have been more taken aback-- I was blindingly hung-over, queasy, and I couldn't understand why these people were being so mean to me. (I had no idea it was an abuse-themed restaurant.) It wasn't a positive experience, and I ended up barfing in the bathroom. Maybe it's not so bad if you're not moribund, or even if you just know theat they plan to berate you, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Manny's offers some mild, bantering type abuse as you pass through the line. So if you like your abuse in 30-second bursts (plus want a better meal in general), Manny's is your choice over Ed Debevic's. Another advantage is that while all the jackanapes at ED's are really actors, at Manny's, they aren't acting.

If you are coming to Chicago for the first time skip ed's and go to the Billy Goat on Lower Michigan ave for lunch (only go to this particular billy goat, lots of history down there). Although you won't get verbally abused, you will only be able to order the "double chees" even if you don't want it. You will also take home a more authentically chicago experience vs some actor beraiting you.

I somewhat remember being abused at Dick's Last Resort some time ago.

http://www.dickslastresort.com/

It sounds like you may be referring to Dick's Last Resort.
My first and only visit there (shortly after moving to Chicago) resulted in mediocre food with none of the infamous abusive service I had heard so much about. Perhaps I didn't seem like a hapless tourist they could unload on.
You could probably do better at the Weiner Circle on a weekend night (the later, the better).
Chicago seems to offer many restaurants with perhaps unintentionally surly service (Lula Cafe comes to mind...)

JimInLoganSquare wrote:Another advantage is that while all the jackanapes at ED's are really actors, at Manny's, they aren't acting.

It strikes me that the recommended place for rude service might have been the now-closed Berghoff.

A couple months back my boyfriend and I went to get burgers at the Rosebud Steakhouse (192 E Walton, (312) 397-1000) and I was insulted no fewer than 3 times by our waiter. I don't think this is an intentional part of their customer service plan, but it's what happened. When he first came to our table he made a crack about my cell phone (at the time it was covered in rhinestones. Tacky, I know, but nothing for a server to mock a customer about). Later on, while we were eating our burgers he said that I was doing a pretty good job "for a woman." When I argued that I wasn't actually done yet, he told me I wasn't going to "win any eating contests."
I have no desire to go back, though the burgers were spectacular. If you want to eat like a king but get treated like the guy who washes the toilets, Rosebud's the place for you.

If you dine at Dick's Last Resort, you probably should put a sign on your back saying "steal my wallet."

I live pretty close to there, and often see people walking out of there with hats that look like condoms [seriously -- that is what the look like] and a generally confused look on their faces. They look like the lame antelope in a National Geographic special.

The area is pretty safe, but there are (as in any city) pickpockets, and they do look for the odd and confused.

I would simply never go in that place.

DML wrote:I live pretty close to there, and often see people walking out of there with hats that look like condoms [seriously -- that is what the look like]

Funny you should mention...





And no, that's not me.
But not only do they make you wear those stupid hats, they write stuff on 'em, too.

Seriously, don't go. All the food comes in buckets.