Pre-game grub near Wrigley Field

The wife and I just picked up a couple bleacher tickets for tonight's game, and we're looking for a tasty quick bite, since we want to enter the stadium around 5:30.

If you are looking for a real quick bite, I recommend Cafe Bacci, just north of the Addison Red Line stop. Very large slice of pizza and a drink for $4 (might be $4.50).

Twisted Spoke...if the burgers here are as good as at the original location, you'll be very happy.....and as a bonus, should be devoid of drooling drunks..

Twisted Spoke
3365 N. Clark St.

I am partial to the taco stand on Addison under the el tracks. It is nothing special, just a hole in the wall with fairly decent and generous tacos and burritos, plus good salsa. The carne asada and chicken are both good, and the al Pastor is very flavorful, even though they don't have a spit . If I am in a hurry before the game, I will get some tacos to go and eat them in the ballpark. But, if you eat there (they only have 5 tables) , they will bring chips and 3 kinds of salsa to the table, including a surprisingly fresh and tasty Pico de Gallo.

Uberstein is fairly new, a block south of Addison on Clark. Has some surprisingly good German food - PLUS an assortment of Hofbrau beers on tap. Served at the perfect temperature in the proper steins straight from the mothership in Munich, including full liters. German beer usually suffers during the transatlantic journey, but this stuff is fresh and delicious. Good way to treat yourself before swilling warm Dog Styles at the game.

Limited pre-game menu has spaetzle with gravy, potato salad, red cabbage, sauerkraut - according to the bartender, these are all made in house from the old family recipes of the mother of one of the owners. I believe him cause it tastes like it, the sauerkraut even had some pork bones in it. They get their wursts (the brats are weisswursts) and breads made fresh daily from local specialty suppliers. Excellent onion rings. They put a lot of effort into the food, it's certainly much better than it needs to be considering the slop you usually get around Wrigley. Not cheap, but very high quality. Get it while you can, they'll probably start cutting corners eventually.

Uberstein
3478 N. Clark St.

Was running late last night so wasn't able to take advantage of these fine recommendations. However, this is a sincere and strong warning: Do Not Eat the Hot Dogs Inside the Ballpark. Only after I took the Hebrew National out of the bun did it seem there was a suggestion of flavor, and I have had good Hebrew Nation in the past. The "onions" had to be reconstituted and they tasted more like lettuce than onions. I got the feeling that they had dumbed down the flavor so badly for the masses that they didn't really want you to have real onion flavor. Bland and weird, just like the ballclub. They've got cute names for the concession stands, but that can't disguise the fact of the terrible food. Combine that with 3.2 beer that I swear is also watered down...
Like the team, the Cubs should be ashamed of themselves for this food. In the building they are proposing next to the park, they should put in a big kitchen. Comiskey Park is immeasurably better than Wrigley in the food department.

vervante wrote:Was running late last night so wasn't able to take advantage of these fine recommendations. However, this is a sincere and strong warning: Do Not Eat the Hot Dogs Inside the Ballpark. Only after I took the Hebrew National out of the bun did it seem there was a suggestion of flavor, and I have had good Hebrew Nation in the past. The "onions" had to be reconstituted and they tasted more like lettuce than onions. I got the feeling that they had dumbed down the flavor so badly for the masses that they didn't really want you to have real onion flavor. Bland and weird, just like the ballclub. They've got cute names for the concession stands, but that can't disguise the fact of the terrible food. Combine that with 3.2 beer that I swear is also watered down...
Like the team, the Cubs should be ashamed of themselves for this food. In the building they are proposing next to the park, they should put in a big kitchen. Comiskey Park is immeasurably better than Wrigley in the food department.

They're serving Hebrew Nationals at Wrigley??? How disgraceful! What happened to the tradidinoal David Bergs?

vervante wrote:Was running late last night so wasn't able to take advantage of these fine recommendations. However, this is a sincere and strong warning: Do Not Eat the Hot Dogs Inside the Ballpark. Only after I took the Hebrew National out of the bun did it seem there was a suggestion of flavor, and I have had good Hebrew Nation in the past. The "onions" had to be reconstituted and they tasted more like lettuce than onions. I got the feeling that they had dumbed down the flavor so badly for the masses that they didn't really want you to have real onion flavor. Bland and weird, just like the ballclub. They've got cute names for the concession stands, but that can't disguise the fact of the terrible food. Combine that with 3.2 beer that I swear is also watered down...
Like the team, the Cubs should be ashamed of themselves for this food. In the building they are proposing next to the park, they should put in a big kitchen. Comiskey Park is immeasurably better than Wrigley in the food department.

I would have to agree with you on that. The brats and other sausages at Comiskey are night and day when compared with those at Wrigley. Plus you can get a marginally better beer at their "beers of the world" stand.

stevez,
I don't think it matters. They'll always find a way...

THey now serve the grilled hot dogs at Wrigley like they do at Cominsky. Just ask for a burned dog with burned onions, the add mustard and steal some jalapenos from the nacho venders. Life is good.

That's where I was, at one of the carts in the concourse. The carts are too small and I guess I do have some sympathy for their small physical plant. I really don't think the onions are real; or that they are at least some mutant form of that vegetable. They were a huge distraction in the consumption of that hot dog. One thing I didn't mention was when I ordered, there were maybe 20 or 30 dogs on the grill and like a vaudeville double take, when I turned back around, there was a HUGE pile of dogs on the "grill" as if someone with a 55-gallon drum came and "restoked the furnace." In my long experience, Wrigley has always had a hard time even keeping the food hot, let alone offer any nuance to the hot dog experience such as a burned dog. I don't want to grouse, AngrySarah, but I just don't know of anything at Wrigley that is worth eating.

With all due respect to the other posters, you don't go to Wrigley Field (one of the last true historic ballparks in the country) for the food. Of course you can get better food at Comiskey/U.S. Cellular Field, the new Soldier Field, and a host of other venues.

Personally, I like the hot dogs at Wrigley, even the ones from the plain-old ordinary concession stands. As for the beer, I don't know that the draft beer is 3.2 or watered down (I highly doubt it); however, if you're in the box seats you obviously can buy beer from vendors who literally open a can in front of you.

I think two Wrigley concessions serve food comparable to U.S. Cellular:

1. The grill on the outside patio of the upper deck, which serves brats, Italian sausages and Italian beefs. They're grilled right in front of you and you can add your own banana peppers, chopped tomatoes and giardiniera. Would I consider it good outside a stadium setting, no. But very passable ballpark fare, as good as most of what I've eaten at U.S. Cellular. There is a "premium" beer stand across the patio (Amstel Light, Beck's, three or four others).

2. The polish sausage/foot long hot dog stand near the Addison/Clark entrance. Both the polishes and dogs are grilled before your eyes and they accommodate requests for well done. Lots of toppings are available--grilled onions, sauerkraut, banana peppers, chili, cheese (sauce), etc. They do prewrap the polish, and possibly the dogs, but you can avoid those and the resulting gummy bread consistency by ordering at least one topping. When you do that, they take a fresh polish/dog off the grill and put it on a bun right in front of you. I have a friend who orders a topping to avoid the prewrap and then tosses the topping. (Requesting a polish/dog off the grill without a topping causes confusion and discussions about whether the prewrapped are "the same thing;" better to pay for the extra topping and dump it.)

The best part of the polish/foot long stand is the boat of french fries for $5.50. About double the amount of fries you get from those cups sitting for hours under the heat lamps at every other stand in the stadium. And I believe, though I've never ordered it, you can have unlimited toppings on the fries without any extra charge. If they're busy, and they always are for the first few innings, your fries will be delivered fresh from the fryer or with only a minimum stay under the heat lamps. Here's the weird thing though: there's no salt. Last year, there was garlic salt, which you could add yourself if you knew enough to ask for it. This year the garlic salt container is gone. I've asked about three times and each time was told it's because of the sodium (!!). Not one server related this information with a hint of irony. One worker told me there is no salt at Wrigley Field period. I am curious to know if anyone has information about this bizarre phenomenon. There is also a premium beer stand just east (in the right field direction) of this stand.

Anyway, I find both these stands serve decent ballpark food. Heck, sometimes I actually plan to eat at the stadium. I do not visit any other concession stand in the stadium except to get beer or peanuts.

I know this post is late for the request of the o.p. but for a quick and light meal near Wrigley, our favourite place is Matsuya. Not written about too much here but it has received praise from some...

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=27253#27253
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=27256#27256

*

I'm grateful to Fast Eddie for the mention of "Uberstein", which sounds as though -- against all reasonable expectations -- it might actually be worth visiting. One of these days, after the baseball season, I'll check it out.

Antonius


Matsuya Restaurant
3469 North Clark St

Antonius wrote:I know this post is late for the request of the o.p. but for a quick and light meal near Wrigley, our favourite place is Matsuya.

Matsuya has a special place in my heart. When I first discovered sushi, it was one of the two places I went to at least 4 nights a week. I also liked their tempura tuna.

Ron A. wrote:With all due respect to the other posters, you don't go to Wrigley Field (one of the last true historic ballparks in the country) for the food. Of course you can get better food at Comiskey/U.S. Cellular Field, the new Soldier Field, and a host of other venues.

I guess I understand that logic, its sort of the same logic used to justify the team's ball play as well. I do not think having a historic stadium is really relevant to the quality of the food served.

I do agree with Fraggle, that the grill stands, like the one on the patio are far better than the other concessions.

stevez wrote:Matsuya has a special place in my heart. When I first discovered sushi, it was one of the two places I went to at least 4 nights a week. I also liked their tempura tuna.

Steve,

I'd add too that it has a nice 'neighbourhood' feel, despite where it is (in relation to Cubs games and the crowds), or at least it has in my experience.

They're also open late and Amata and I have gone there after Cubs night games, having eaten but one of the obligatory hot dogs* early on in the evening.

A

* IMHO bad dogs.

This is also a little late given the timing of the request, but I thought I'd mention Platiyo which often gets little recognition but which I think is one of the better restaurants in that immediate area. The food is generally solid and they always have at least a couple of pretty good moles on the menu. Just note that it does not open until 5:00pm.

Platiyo
3313 North Clark St.
773.477.6700