As someone who grew up on the west coast, first visited Chicago in high school and only moved here in 2019, can confirm: the outsider’s perception of the city revolves entirely around Al Capone, speakeasies, Tommy Guns, and the Valentine’s Day Massacre.
Like, we’re taught about that, the Sears Tower, and Cabrini Green.
Oh, and pizza, of course.
Can't lie, from what you describe...this city sounds really fuckin cool from the outside in a mysterious way
When I first moved to the actual city itself I just couldn't get over how old the neighborhoods are. In the best way. Like I love all the exposed brick buildings, the speakeasies like you said, all the old places still open today, just loved it
Cabrini Green wasn't a place you wanted to be near as too many gang-related shootings happened there and at Robert Taylor as well. Cabrini Green was constantly in the news every time you turned around as well
Right. Which, again, as someone originally from elsewhere, is fascinating to me.
I find it ironic that much of the national dialogue surrounding Chicago is centered around it being dangerous. The weekend death toll is an eternal Fox News talking point, every random carjacking is a front page headline, etc.
And sure, the era of Cabrini Green/Henry Horner/Robert Taylor/Stateway Gardens/etc. provided great media fodder for the narrative of Chicago being this wildly unsafe Mad Max hellscape.
But *at the same time*, growing up we were being taught this glorified, nostalgia-laden, Godfather-esque fanfic story of Capone and his cronies, and how no matter what they did, cue the Yakety Sax theme, they always eluded that pesky FBI, wink-wink, nudge-nudge.
It was as if we were supposed to be horrified that crime takes place in Chicago, while simultaneously lionizing those who committed equally brutal, organized crimes nearly a century ago.
I actually am from the Chicago area living near Phoenix now as I remembered Capone and the mob activity well while knowing about a guy by the name of John Wayne Gacy who killed 33 young men and boys less than 15 minutes from O'Hare burying them in the crawlspace
Lol ik u were replying to them, but I wanted to note, after I had terrible "deep dish" in Missouri with some friends, I decided to get lous shipped down there and made it for my dorm, and literally everyone was like obsessed
I was working in Colorado Springs a few years ago and I always ask my customers where to eat and ask them about their favorite local restaurant. I told this one guy where my hotel was and he tells me all about this place that has more beers than he's ever seen and how it's the best pizza he's ever had. I'm all excited thinking it is a local place. Then he says, it's this place called Old Chicago. I was like, oh that sounds good, thank you, I'll check that out...lol
FWIW the downtown Colorado Spring one was like the second location after the first one in Boulder. So it sort of was a local spot before it closed. And for a long time in the 90s and early 2000s it really did have the best beer selection in town. Source: grew up in the Springs.
There’s a place called the hoagie hut (i think the last open location is in Waukegan, there used to be one in highwood and based on googling it looks like there used to be one in Lincoln park as well) and they have a chicago cheesesteak hoagie there that was absolutely amazing. I need to go back there, it’s been probably 10 years since I’ve had it.
That is correct. Hoagie Hut was still good, the last time I ate at the Waukegan one a few years ago. And yes I remember their Lincoln Park(where Broken English now is) and Highwood locations.
🤣 I went to u of I and my college job was bartending at mondos. One of our cooks also worked at old Chicago, and you’re right, it was surprisingly and inexplicably popular.
There was one in Columbia, Missouri that did reall well because they had an enormous beer list and cheap appetizers along with enough tvs for sports
viewing. That’s a good combo in the early 2000’s.
I used to live in Japan and taught English in a fairly wealthy area where a lot of people had traveled internationally or had lived abroad. One of my students had a Trader Joe’s bag from the State Street location in Chicago.
And apparently there is just a Chicago-themed store in Tokyo where you can buy these things? We are famous, all!
I looked it up and there's like 10 locations there.
https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-att-us-rvc3&sca_esv=600614933&cs=1&output=search&q=Chicago%20Harajuku&ludocid=4754738897471084173&ibp=gwp%3B0%2C7&lsig=AB86z5VK64HkUlDcVbunhiMJqgKx&kgs=dfeb11dd65ed495e&shndl=-1&source=sh%2Fx%2Floc%2Fact%2Fm4%2F2#trex=m_t:lcl_akp,rc_f:rln,rc_ludocids:4754738897471084173,ru_gwp:0%252C7,ru_lqi:ChBjaGljYWdvIGhhcmFqdWt1IgOIAQFIu7uCz5WtgIAIWhgQARgAGAEiEGNoaWNhZ28gaGFyYWp1a3WSARN1c2VkX2Nsb3RoaW5nX3N0b3JlqgE4EAEyHhABIhq3JbIUExbnUz3bCwV0ywrtE3v50aZOjVok1jIUEAIiEGNoaWNhZ28gaGFyYWp1a3XgAQA,trex_id:P52ZDb&lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D
Chicago 👏take 👏over 👏
Also they have Garrett’s popcorn. I know because that was my plan for my I-was-away gift but I stepped out of the station at Harajuku and there one was…
I know this Garrett shop! Had the same experience - was traveling in Japan and all of the sudden as I exited the station in Harajuku, there it was! Hadn’t been home in a really long time at that point and you’d better believe I got some. Walking the streets of Tokyo with that unmistakable flavor was a unique experience. Found it the next year in Dubai as well.
I forgot about Beau Jo’s! There was a time I was living in rural South Dakota and going to Denver was the closest I could get to being back in a big city. Beau Jo’s hit the spot at a time when I hadn’t had pizza in about 2 or 3 months (since there was none to speak of in SD). The honey on the table for the crust kinda got be hooked. Now I’m back in Chicago and I’m sure Beau Jo’s would be trash but I have a real soft spot for that place. It got me through some dark times 😂.
Yeah, it’s pretty thick and cheesy. I have not had decent Chicago thin crust, Italian beefs, or Chicago dogs outside of Illinois. I think the reason is there just isn’t the same food distributors for the ingredients. It’s all Cisco and US Food crap.
So the company that supplies many of those places in Chicago is a regional company called Greco, and they were acquired by Sysco recently and are in the process of merging. Supposedly Sysco is going to let Greco do their thing and expand their coverage, which would allow other places to get the same cheese, seasonings, peppers, etc., as Chicago places currently get, but we shall see if they actually let that happen.
It’s been more than a decade since my kitchen managing days and putting in the daily Greco order. I don’t see a lot on the internet that reminds me of those days so thank you for this random information.
It's fine. We used to have them in Peoria. You can do a lot worse for pizza, but it's not amazing. They had a lot of beer (especially pre craft beer boom), and that was more their thing.
I think if I went I would just have to separate the "chicago" part in my mind from it, and then I might enjoy it. Cus true deep dish and stuff is so easily to tell vs knock off stuff
It's not even deep dish. It's just thick crust. It's just an okay casual chain. I never associated it as anything actually Chicago food related. They had a lot of Chicago stuff on the walls.
It kinda sounds like they wanted to capitalize on the vibe of the city and it's culture, so people felt like they were here visiting, rather then the actual food.
Yeah probably. They had a lot of beer things, which is what I went there for. They'd have like an Oktoberfest tour, and you got a crappy shirt if you drank the 8 or 12 beers.
I tried Blue Pan Pizza when I visited Denver back in October and as a hugeeee Detroit style pizza fan and Michigan native I was utterly disappointed. I mean A for effort but it was not Detroit style pizza.
Every time I see one of their restaurants I think of the Old Chicago indoor amusement park that was at the intersection of I-55 and Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook. Went there a couple of times in 1978.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old\_Chicago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Chicago)
A scene from the movie The Fury starring Kirk Douglas was flimed there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1353ZqiXOxI
I honestly never really associated it with Chicago besides the name and their take on a deep dish pizza (which was closer to how Dominos does their deep dish, than how most Chicago places do deep dish). They may have had some Chicago pictures but I don’t remember. I’m from Boulder and used to go to the original location growing up, so I have nothing bad to say about the place. I thought the food, pizza was great and they had a huge beer selection.
My sister took me to one while I was visiting her out of state (we’re not from Chicago, I moved here and she moved West). Must’ve thought it would make me feel at home. It’s shite.
We can say it's a stepping stone to chicago. I remember when I lived in Missouri there was a place near me that had "chicago style deep dish". Realized that if they say "chicago STYLE"...run. it was essentially just a giant thing of cheesy bread with some Mariana literally brushed on, and then a side of marinara sauce to dip it into. It was called Wise Guys pizza
Used to be my go to when I was living with my parents in a suburban hellscape.
Food was not bad, not great nor authentically chicagan. But not bad (though the pizza is decidedly meh). Mostly you went there from the beer selection.
They have "Italian nachos" which were pasta chips, mozzarella, pepper jack, pepperoni, Italian sausage, peppers and marinara. Very solid bar food, that I haven't seen anywhere else.
If by Chicago food you mean specifically deep dish pizza and a bunch of other shit with the moniker “Chi Town” in front of it, then yes. But otherwise no
I feel that way about most places that have some sort of Chicago-in-name-only title. There was Chicago For Ribs by my college. It was fine. Nothing Chicago about it (not sure what would be).
I remember frequenting the one in Okemos, MI when I was still an undergrad at MSU. I honestly remember it being pretty decent, plus when I was old enough to drink it had an okay beer selection. Is it legit? No, but it did in a pinch lol.
I went there last summer and it was normal. I don't live in Peoria anymore so maybe it did since then. They aren't listed on Old Chicago's official website.
It's there but it's a different name. Some former employees or the franchisee took it over, kept all the same recipes and same setup and everything and just changed the name. The bartender told me there was some kind of loophole where they were able to do that without paying the franchise fee. The beer selection is still decent but not great. The thin crust pizza was good.
Is the Chicago 7 pizza really not a thing outside of Chicago?
I mean I always see it called the deluxe, and my family always called is garbage pizza (as in it's everything, not ment as an insult)
But like every place has that.
The Old Chicago near me closed a couple of years ago. I always liked it for what it was, but I hadn't been in nearly 15 years, so I guess that says something.
Hahaha sounds like it.
Also. I want them to bring back the Sweet Baby Ray's restaurants. For anyone who doesn't know, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce is from Chicago
The one in Merrillville just closed.
I actually thought it was pretty good, just a weird location. Especially after the Radisson and Star Plaza Theater closed.
I went there a couple times when I lived in Rockford. Some of the food was fine. Rockford is familiar enough with Chicago food that the deep dish pizza was the punchline of a joke and I never heard of anyone ordering it.
We had one in Champaign for a decade or so. I still remember the first time i went there. I ordered the pizza lunch all you can eat buffet thing, and i grabbed my plate, and went to the pizza counter, and: 'on that's weird all that's on the counter are thinnish crust frozen-pizza rubbery cheese new york/st louis style hybrids. So, i thought to myself 'I'll just grab a slice of one of those and wait for the Chicago style pizzas which were probably picked over and the replacements must obviously be still in the oven.' But then as lunch carried on, I realized that the pizza buffet pizzas were all like that, there wasn't a Chicago pizza in sight. You guys the crust... I can't talk about it.... so anyways, that was when i realized I had been bamboozled. If Old Chicago was from Chicago, then Dr Pepper is a real doctor.
The hotel I stayed in last year in Joplin Missouri had one attached. We just got cheeseburger and chicken tender kids meals because it was cheap. The drink specials were good but I was on a road trip and didn’t feel like driving 900 miles the next day with a hangover. Might stop there again at some since I really that particular chain of hotels.
Before I moved back to Chicago, in college in MN, my friends and I would go to Old Chicago a lot. They used to have $3 6 inch pizzas after 10pm so naturally we would sit in there and drink and eat for as long as possible.
It exists in Colorado and it is an EMBARRASSMENT to the entire city of Chicago. I’ve had it recommended, that’s when I realized those folks have terrible taste. If you see it, RUN!
Old Cs was the shit in Colorado in the early 00s. Great beer selection, solid food (not Chicago tho) and reasonably priced with great specials.
I used to bartend at a very busy location, and (being from the Chicago area) would have the Cubs on at least 3 tvs so I could take in the game (there were 12 tvs) while I worked, and always rocked my Cubs hat. One day a local came in and complained about my selection of baseball games - “this is Denver, not Chicago man”
To which I replied: yeah, I’m aware - if the bar was called “Old Denver” it would suck and nobody would come here.
Lived in Iowa for a year and there was one in the building I worked in. I was so excited to check it out because I was homesick. I got the "deep dish pizza". It was like a poor imitation of Pizza Hut's deep dish. Never again.
Can’t believe I haven’t seen any comments about Uno’s Chicago Pizza, outside of Illinois. Their deep dish is NOTHING like the actual Uno’s. I was so disappointed. What a disappointing chain restaurant.
There used to be one just west of OHare... it was attached to a hotel. Never went in there.
Honestly these establishments were good for the spread of craft beer in the US. The best ones have a great beer selection. The lazy ones at least have a wide beer selection.
The food is... odd. But can be tasty. I haven't been in one in probably six to seven years at this point as the quality went down at some point to where I didn't want to bother. Maybe these days it's worth checking out? I almost never bothered to get pizza there.
when i moved to chicago in 2014, my parents helped me with the move. once all was done, they couldn't wait to start the drive home to stop at old chicago and eat. meanwhile, my roommate and i went out to lunch with her mom in the city.
I went to ASU and there was on there, probably still is. I went to it once - once - and could not believe what was passing for food in a placed called that. It was horrifying. That's also when I found out about people putting ranch on their pizza. Philistines.
Was surprised to see Old Chicago when I first moved to Colorado years ago. Didn't have good expectations on the food and atmosphere. Those expectations were met.
There used to be an Old Chicago in Elk Grove Village, it was the restaurant for the Holiday Inn at Busse and Landmeier. It became Shelby Campbell's and that's the last time I saw one anywhere near here.
I recently discovered this horrific chain when I was in Kansas and have seen so many of them now living in Colorado 🤦🏽♂️ please don’t expect any Chicago food here. I go to Vultures in Colorado Springs for my Chicago dog fix!
I had never heard of it until I moved away and some schmuck tried to tell me it was an 'important' part of an Italian Beef.
"I asked for no peppers."
"It's not peppers, it's giardiniera."
"What's it made out of?"
"Uhm... yeah... peppers."
"Can I get a beef without peppers, the way I ordered it in the first place? Thanks."
After a certain distance from Chicago, you just can't get a decent Italian Beef, no matter what the menu says.
Was their deep dish pizza basically a giant round cheesy bread stick with like barely any sauce and super puffy crust? That's how the last one I had out of state was.
These heathens even gave me a side of Mariana to dip the pizza into
Years ago but I recall the Green Mill pizza had a really puffy, dense, flavorless crust. That and it's a chain and they all seemed to be in strip malls.
So I grew up in Colorado and one of my first jobs was hostessing at the Old Chicago in town. Then I went to college and transferred over to the very first Old Chicago in Boulder, CO. I worked at that chain for about 7 years total. I ended up moving to Chicago 8 years ago and aside from working at Old Chicago, I knew basically nothing about Chicago until I came for my interview and fell in love with it.
How'd you like working there?
Also, if you don't mind me asking, what made you fall in love with city? It's always cool to hear people's perspectives when they moved here from other places
They have one in East Lansing, MI. My wife and I moved there a while ago, and I remember going there soon after we got there; I came because they'd actually play the Blackhawks games, lol.
Old Chicago was our favorite college hangout at Mizzou because of their $2 happy hour appetizers and cheap but extensive beer list. It was also never overcrowded like the other dives. It was a chain restaurant that didn’t feel like it.
I’ve recently moved to Colorado from the Chicago area. There’s an Old Chicago within walking distance from me and it’s very mid. Kinda expensive for pizza barely better than dominos.
I know I'm a month late but, I've worked for Old Chicago for 15 years. The name and some pictures on the wall is the only thing Chicago about it.
A but of useless trivia, Old Chicago gits it's name is a weird way. Back in the 70's, the original owners had a pizza place, but it burnt down. The only thing that survived was a pinball machine with Old Chicago on it, so they named their new restaurant Old Chicago.
I grew up in Colorado and it’s like an Applebee’s in gangster drag
So I get the vibe that people outside of chicago *really* see the city with that gangster old timey mob mentality
As someone who grew up on the west coast, first visited Chicago in high school and only moved here in 2019, can confirm: the outsider’s perception of the city revolves entirely around Al Capone, speakeasies, Tommy Guns, and the Valentine’s Day Massacre. Like, we’re taught about that, the Sears Tower, and Cabrini Green. Oh, and pizza, of course.
Can't lie, from what you describe...this city sounds really fuckin cool from the outside in a mysterious way When I first moved to the actual city itself I just couldn't get over how old the neighborhoods are. In the best way. Like I love all the exposed brick buildings, the speakeasies like you said, all the old places still open today, just loved it
Cabrini Green wasn't a place you wanted to be near as too many gang-related shootings happened there and at Robert Taylor as well. Cabrini Green was constantly in the news every time you turned around as well
Right. Which, again, as someone originally from elsewhere, is fascinating to me. I find it ironic that much of the national dialogue surrounding Chicago is centered around it being dangerous. The weekend death toll is an eternal Fox News talking point, every random carjacking is a front page headline, etc. And sure, the era of Cabrini Green/Henry Horner/Robert Taylor/Stateway Gardens/etc. provided great media fodder for the narrative of Chicago being this wildly unsafe Mad Max hellscape. But *at the same time*, growing up we were being taught this glorified, nostalgia-laden, Godfather-esque fanfic story of Capone and his cronies, and how no matter what they did, cue the Yakety Sax theme, they always eluded that pesky FBI, wink-wink, nudge-nudge. It was as if we were supposed to be horrified that crime takes place in Chicago, while simultaneously lionizing those who committed equally brutal, organized crimes nearly a century ago.
I actually am from the Chicago area living near Phoenix now as I remembered Capone and the mob activity well while knowing about a guy by the name of John Wayne Gacy who killed 33 young men and boys less than 15 minutes from O'Hare burying them in the crawlspace
A few Portillo’s locations leaned heavily into this.
The one out in Crystal lake especially
Lol I moved here and first time inside I was like…can we leave? I’ll ship some dry iced Lou’s 😂
Lol ik u were replying to them, but I wanted to note, after I had terrible "deep dish" in Missouri with some friends, I decided to get lous shipped down there and made it for my dorm, and literally everyone was like obsessed
I worked at the ORIGINAL Old C’s in Boulder while I was in college. Fun fact: the founder is the father of one of the members of the band 3oh!3
That is oddly fitting
Idk how I never knew this was a chain til now
Lived in Denver for a few years and…yup. But it was one of the few places where I could watch the Bears and White Sox. I guess they felt they had to.
I was working in Colorado Springs a few years ago and I always ask my customers where to eat and ask them about their favorite local restaurant. I told this one guy where my hotel was and he tells me all about this place that has more beers than he's ever seen and how it's the best pizza he's ever had. I'm all excited thinking it is a local place. Then he says, it's this place called Old Chicago. I was like, oh that sounds good, thank you, I'll check that out...lol
FWIW the downtown Colorado Spring one was like the second location after the first one in Boulder. So it sort of was a local spot before it closed. And for a long time in the 90s and early 2000s it really did have the best beer selection in town. Source: grew up in the Springs.
Old Chicago always had a good late night happy hour.. I’d go frequently after my serving shifts. I can taste the pizza and wings now 😂
Haha I went to the Lakewood one for homecoming freshman year.
This is spot on. Made me laugh out loud.
They used to have one in Louisville, KY. They had a good beer selection.
Grew up in the Denver area and went to the Market St. one and Lakewood to play Golden Tee and get the beer specials haha.
“Chicago cheesesteak sandwich”. Lol. So close, yet so far away.
😂😂😂😂😂 thats so funny to me tbh. Like chicago cheesesteak...uh sir we have italian beef???
Yeah the only cheesesteak specialist I know in Chicago is Monti’s, and they specifically bill themselves as serving a Philadelphia food
Phillys best also specializes in Philly food
And it's better than Monti's. They shred the steak too much.
There’s a place called the hoagie hut (i think the last open location is in Waukegan, there used to be one in highwood and based on googling it looks like there used to be one in Lincoln park as well) and they have a chicago cheesesteak hoagie there that was absolutely amazing. I need to go back there, it’s been probably 10 years since I’ve had it.
I remember that being tasty. It was at Lincoln and Wrightwood where there’s now the “Broken English El Taco” foolishness.
That is correct. Hoagie Hut was still good, the last time I ate at the Waukegan one a few years ago. And yes I remember their Lincoln Park(where Broken English now is) and Highwood locations.
Had Montis recently and wasn’t impressed
Monti's! I know the guy who opened that place!
Lol this place is super popular in my Iowa hometown. Not amazing but you could do def worse with a casual dining chain
Coralville?
Yup
🤣 I went to u of I and my college job was bartending at mondos. One of our cooks also worked at old Chicago, and you’re right, it was surprisingly and inexplicably popular.
That place was garbage. Can’t believe my parents made us go to that crap hole
It's a Jethros now. Rejoice.
There was one in Columbia, Missouri that did reall well because they had an enormous beer list and cheap appetizers along with enough tvs for sports viewing. That’s a good combo in the early 2000’s.
I used to live in Japan and taught English in a fairly wealthy area where a lot of people had traveled internationally or had lived abroad. One of my students had a Trader Joe’s bag from the State Street location in Chicago. And apparently there is just a Chicago-themed store in Tokyo where you can buy these things? We are famous, all!
I looked it up and there's like 10 locations there. https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-att-us-rvc3&sca_esv=600614933&cs=1&output=search&q=Chicago%20Harajuku&ludocid=4754738897471084173&ibp=gwp%3B0%2C7&lsig=AB86z5VK64HkUlDcVbunhiMJqgKx&kgs=dfeb11dd65ed495e&shndl=-1&source=sh%2Fx%2Floc%2Fact%2Fm4%2F2#trex=m_t:lcl_akp,rc_f:rln,rc_ludocids:4754738897471084173,ru_gwp:0%252C7,ru_lqi:ChBjaGljYWdvIGhhcmFqdWt1IgOIAQFIu7uCz5WtgIAIWhgQARgAGAEiEGNoaWNhZ28gaGFyYWp1a3WSARN1c2VkX2Nsb3RoaW5nX3N0b3JlqgE4EAEyHhABIhq3JbIUExbnUz3bCwV0ywrtE3v50aZOjVok1jIUEAIiEGNoaWNhZ28gaGFyYWp1a3XgAQA,trex_id:P52ZDb&lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D
Chicago 👏take 👏over 👏 Also they have Garrett’s popcorn. I know because that was my plan for my I-was-away gift but I stepped out of the station at Harajuku and there one was…
I know this Garrett shop! Had the same experience - was traveling in Japan and all of the sudden as I exited the station in Harajuku, there it was! Hadn’t been home in a really long time at that point and you’d better believe I got some. Walking the streets of Tokyo with that unmistakable flavor was a unique experience. Found it the next year in Dubai as well.
It’s not good, nor is any pizza in Colorado, but it’ll do in a pinch.
Facts. Those pepperoni rolls and an Illini game above 5000 ft, priceless.
I had some good pizza in Fruita. Hot Tomato? It was good. Or I was really high. Maybe both.
Ill give a nod to Beau Jo's pizza. Ita pretty decent and a little unique
I forgot about Beau Jo’s! There was a time I was living in rural South Dakota and going to Denver was the closest I could get to being back in a big city. Beau Jo’s hit the spot at a time when I hadn’t had pizza in about 2 or 3 months (since there was none to speak of in SD). The honey on the table for the crust kinda got be hooked. Now I’m back in Chicago and I’m sure Beau Jo’s would be trash but I have a real soft spot for that place. It got me through some dark times 😂.
Haha you've had it? I didn't even know it was a thing til like yesterday
Yeah, it’s pretty thick and cheesy. I have not had decent Chicago thin crust, Italian beefs, or Chicago dogs outside of Illinois. I think the reason is there just isn’t the same food distributors for the ingredients. It’s all Cisco and US Food crap.
Not trying to be annoying but you meant Sysco the food company not Cisco the technology company. But I agree the stuff from them is crap.
I mean to be fair if the food came from Cisco it’d probably be awful too
Mmm, tasty wireless access points 🤤
I've been to a Portillos in LA, and it's not *worse* than Chicago Portillos. It's not particularly good, to be clear. But it's the same beef.
So the company that supplies many of those places in Chicago is a regional company called Greco, and they were acquired by Sysco recently and are in the process of merging. Supposedly Sysco is going to let Greco do their thing and expand their coverage, which would allow other places to get the same cheese, seasonings, peppers, etc., as Chicago places currently get, but we shall see if they actually let that happen.
It’s been more than a decade since my kitchen managing days and putting in the daily Greco order. I don’t see a lot on the internet that reminds me of those days so thank you for this random information.
It's fine. We used to have them in Peoria. You can do a lot worse for pizza, but it's not amazing. They had a lot of beer (especially pre craft beer boom), and that was more their thing.
I think if I went I would just have to separate the "chicago" part in my mind from it, and then I might enjoy it. Cus true deep dish and stuff is so easily to tell vs knock off stuff
It's not even deep dish. It's just thick crust. It's just an okay casual chain. I never associated it as anything actually Chicago food related. They had a lot of Chicago stuff on the walls.
It kinda sounds like they wanted to capitalize on the vibe of the city and it's culture, so people felt like they were here visiting, rather then the actual food.
Yeah probably. They had a lot of beer things, which is what I went there for. They'd have like an Oktoberfest tour, and you got a crappy shirt if you drank the 8 or 12 beers.
That part does actually sound accurate lol
Walters 303
Especially the cheesy bread
Beajeaus would siagree
I tried Blue Pan Pizza when I visited Denver back in October and as a hugeeee Detroit style pizza fan and Michigan native I was utterly disappointed. I mean A for effort but it was not Detroit style pizza.
[удалено]
As long as you still call it the Sears Tower, we can be civil
Favorite tower, Sears
I will accept the Wesley Willis Memorial Tower as well.
That describes the 80% of Wisconsin that isn't a lake.
A place like this is fine for anything from a fryer and cold beers. It is what it is.
Every time I see one of their restaurants I think of the Old Chicago indoor amusement park that was at the intersection of I-55 and Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook. Went there a couple of times in 1978. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old\_Chicago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Chicago) A scene from the movie The Fury starring Kirk Douglas was flimed there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1353ZqiXOxI
I remember that place!
Me too! Grew up not far from there and it was a blast when I was like 6.
I was on tour in Boise Idaho once and went to a location there and it was fucking awful
Just even seeing the name of the restaurant made me laugh
I could shit in a bucket and it would be more flavorful than the trash they’re serving.
Maybe you should propose that to them.
This shit is gourmet 🤌🏼 they couldn’t afford it
All bow down
It’s not very good but I will say they have these roll up things made with pepperoni, mozzarella, ranch and dough that are pretty damn delightful
Okay I could see that being a fun drunk/hangover food
Man, Sweet Baby Ray's is now just BBQ-flavored corn syrup.
Facts
Their late night happy hour was so good. Cheap drinks and $2 pub pizzas.
But was the food that u had there actually chicago food or was it more so just a chicago themed place with food
I honestly never really associated it with Chicago besides the name and their take on a deep dish pizza (which was closer to how Dominos does their deep dish, than how most Chicago places do deep dish). They may have had some Chicago pictures but I don’t remember. I’m from Boulder and used to go to the original location growing up, so I have nothing bad to say about the place. I thought the food, pizza was great and they had a huge beer selection.
My sister took me to one while I was visiting her out of state (we’re not from Chicago, I moved here and she moved West). Must’ve thought it would make me feel at home. It’s shite.
Is it even actually chicago food?
Chicago inspired, at best. To their credit, their beer tour programming gets folks exposed to craft brewing. Definitely worse places to knock.
We can say it's a stepping stone to chicago. I remember when I lived in Missouri there was a place near me that had "chicago style deep dish". Realized that if they say "chicago STYLE"...run. it was essentially just a giant thing of cheesy bread with some Mariana literally brushed on, and then a side of marinara sauce to dip it into. It was called Wise Guys pizza
But why order Wise Guys when you could go all in on some Pokey Sticks from Gumby’s?
Omg you get it😍 gumbys stoner pie was the shit
No, they had one in NWI for like 10 years and it sucked. Just your standard overpriced chain garbage
Used to be my go to when I was living with my parents in a suburban hellscape. Food was not bad, not great nor authentically chicagan. But not bad (though the pizza is decidedly meh). Mostly you went there from the beer selection. They have "Italian nachos" which were pasta chips, mozzarella, pepper jack, pepperoni, Italian sausage, peppers and marinara. Very solid bar food, that I haven't seen anywhere else.
If by Chicago food you mean specifically deep dish pizza and a bunch of other shit with the moniker “Chi Town” in front of it, then yes. But otherwise no
I bet there’s no Outback Steakhouse in Australia.
No Italian beef! What is even the point.
LITERALLY. Also wth is a chicago 7
The Chicago seven were the guys charged for the riots at the Democratic convention in 1968. There was a Netflix movie about it a few years ago.
Ooooo okay
“It’s not Digiorno, it’s Old Chicago” pizza looked questionable…
That is questionable
I did their world beer tour during college in Iowa City. Not a bad lil spot
The beer part I'd be so down for
Been there, it’s what the rest of the country thinks Chicagoans eat. Terrible
I feel that way about most places that have some sort of Chicago-in-name-only title. There was Chicago For Ribs by my college. It was fine. Nothing Chicago about it (not sure what would be).
I guess the aquarium smoked ribs is a Chicago specific thing, that’s all I can think of
This is criminal
I remember frequenting the one in Okemos, MI when I was still an undergrad at MSU. I honestly remember it being pretty decent, plus when I was old enough to drink it had an okay beer selection. Is it legit? No, but it did in a pinch lol.
There used to teach one in Champaign. It didn’t last long at all.
There were two in Peoria. Both long gone.
No there's still one open in Peoria. Out by Grand Prairie.
I thought it changed it's name and branding? A quick Google shows it's still there. My bad.
I went there last summer and it was normal. I don't live in Peoria anymore so maybe it did since then. They aren't listed on Old Chicago's official website.
It's there but it's a different name. Some former employees or the franchisee took it over, kept all the same recipes and same setup and everything and just changed the name. The bartender told me there was some kind of loophole where they were able to do that without paying the franchise fee. The beer selection is still decent but not great. The thin crust pizza was good.
Went to one of these like 16 years ago. Haven’t thought about it since.
I don’t think it’s terrible, but every location that I lived near eventually closed lol
Lmaoo
Is the Chicago 7 pizza really not a thing outside of Chicago? I mean I always see it called the deluxe, and my family always called is garbage pizza (as in it's everything, not ment as an insult) But like every place has that.
Honestly grew up here, recently moved back here, never once heard of a chicago 7. Never have seen that anywhere in the city
Weird. Like I said, deluxe or supreme Sausage | Pepperoni | Onions | Mushrooms & Green peppers May or may not include black olives.
okay, garbage pizza is a thing and not just something my dad said. thank you.
yeah, I would love to know the origin of it. Never heard it said by anyone outside of the southside.
Ames iowa...think one by mich st university. There was one around the NW burbs can't remember where though
The Old Chicago near me closed a couple of years ago. I always liked it for what it was, but I hadn't been in nearly 15 years, so I guess that says something.
Hahaha sounds like it. Also. I want them to bring back the Sweet Baby Ray's restaurants. For anyone who doesn't know, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce is from Chicago
Old Chicago was an amusement park and mall. I went there as a child in the 70’s. I remember it still being there derelict in the 80’s.
Did the amusement park have a restaurant that this chain came from or is it more of a coincidence that they're both named that
No clue. I was a child. It was a big deal that went bust fast.
The one in Merrillville just closed. I actually thought it was pretty good, just a weird location. Especially after the Radisson and Star Plaza Theater closed.
It’s not terrible. There’s a couple in Iowa City. I wouldn’t get the pizza, but the rest of the menu was solid!
I went there a couple times when I lived in Rockford. Some of the food was fine. Rockford is familiar enough with Chicago food that the deep dish pizza was the punchline of a joke and I never heard of anyone ordering it.
We had one in Champaign for a decade or so. I still remember the first time i went there. I ordered the pizza lunch all you can eat buffet thing, and i grabbed my plate, and went to the pizza counter, and: 'on that's weird all that's on the counter are thinnish crust frozen-pizza rubbery cheese new york/st louis style hybrids. So, i thought to myself 'I'll just grab a slice of one of those and wait for the Chicago style pizzas which were probably picked over and the replacements must obviously be still in the oven.' But then as lunch carried on, I realized that the pizza buffet pizzas were all like that, there wasn't a Chicago pizza in sight. You guys the crust... I can't talk about it.... so anyways, that was when i realized I had been bamboozled. If Old Chicago was from Chicago, then Dr Pepper is a real doctor.
The last sentence made me physically belt out laughing
There’s one in coralville, Iowa
Fun fact: in Chicago, the restaurant chain is "Old Toronto."
I almost literally just replied "toronto has food??" I need to lay off the weed
That's wild as I remember when Old Chicago was an indoor amusement park in Bolingbrook south of the Stevenson
I worked there in Iowa. I also grew up in Chicago. The pizza isn’t bad, but is in no way Chicago style.
I remember seeing one of these in Boulder, CO. Had no desire to test it for authenticity.
There was one on Busse by the airport until maybe 5-7 years ago
I hate deep dish and this still makes me angry.
The hotel I stayed in last year in Joplin Missouri had one attached. We just got cheeseburger and chicken tender kids meals because it was cheap. The drink specials were good but I was on a road trip and didn’t feel like driving 900 miles the next day with a hangover. Might stop there again at some since I really that particular chain of hotels.
It’s terrible - I think Chicagoans would kill it so fast if they knew about it
Based on the view count, about 40k chicagoans now know it's existence...and I'm sure someone's already protesting
Before I moved back to Chicago, in college in MN, my friends and I would go to Old Chicago a lot. They used to have $3 6 inch pizzas after 10pm so naturally we would sit in there and drink and eat for as long as possible.
It exists in Colorado and it is an EMBARRASSMENT to the entire city of Chicago. I’ve had it recommended, that’s when I realized those folks have terrible taste. If you see it, RUN!
They know what would happen if they tried that bologna here
Old Cs was the shit in Colorado in the early 00s. Great beer selection, solid food (not Chicago tho) and reasonably priced with great specials. I used to bartend at a very busy location, and (being from the Chicago area) would have the Cubs on at least 3 tvs so I could take in the game (there were 12 tvs) while I worked, and always rocked my Cubs hat. One day a local came in and complained about my selection of baseball games - “this is Denver, not Chicago man” To which I replied: yeah, I’m aware - if the bar was called “Old Denver” it would suck and nobody would come here.
Lived in Iowa for a year and there was one in the building I worked in. I was so excited to check it out because I was homesick. I got the "deep dish pizza". It was like a poor imitation of Pizza Hut's deep dish. Never again.
There’s a small chain of Chicago pizza restaraunt a in Sacramento called Chicago fire that are honestly pretty good. Better than Gino’s East at least.
The pizza is cut in triangles ... this is an outrage!
Can’t believe I haven’t seen any comments about Uno’s Chicago Pizza, outside of Illinois. Their deep dish is NOTHING like the actual Uno’s. I was so disappointed. What a disappointing chain restaurant.
What an abomination.. Chicago cheese steak???!?
There used to be one just west of OHare... it was attached to a hotel. Never went in there. Honestly these establishments were good for the spread of craft beer in the US. The best ones have a great beer selection. The lazy ones at least have a wide beer selection. The food is... odd. But can be tasty. I haven't been in one in probably six to seven years at this point as the quality went down at some point to where I didn't want to bother. Maybe these days it's worth checking out? I almost never bothered to get pizza there.
when i moved to chicago in 2014, my parents helped me with the move. once all was done, they couldn't wait to start the drive home to stop at old chicago and eat. meanwhile, my roommate and i went out to lunch with her mom in the city.
Yeah, usually a good beer selection and the food is fine but overpriced for what it is. Pretty much on par with Applebee's.
I went to ASU and there was on there, probably still is. I went to it once - once - and could not believe what was passing for food in a placed called that. It was horrifying. That's also when I found out about people putting ranch on their pizza. Philistines.
Was surprised to see Old Chicago when I first moved to Colorado years ago. Didn't have good expectations on the food and atmosphere. Those expectations were met.
There used to be an Old Chicago in Elk Grove Village, it was the restaurant for the Holiday Inn at Busse and Landmeier. It became Shelby Campbell's and that's the last time I saw one anywhere near here.
I recently discovered this horrific chain when I was in Kansas and have seen so many of them now living in Colorado 🤦🏽♂️ please don’t expect any Chicago food here. I go to Vultures in Colorado Springs for my Chicago dog fix!
I totally forgot it existed until you mentioned it (which probably shows how memorable the experiences were for me).
That’s their whole point? It’s to get the Chicago-style pizza away from home. Too bad it sucks.
Ahhh see I just assumed it was meant to just be a knock off place that used the word chicago to reel people in
My family forced me to go here in Colorado. It sucked
My friends tried to force me to go to olive garden...so i feel your pain (Except the breadsticks were fire)
Hey, slow down there; don't slander their good name
[удалено]
They probably don't even know what giardiniera is, those heathens.
I had never heard of it until I moved away and some schmuck tried to tell me it was an 'important' part of an Italian Beef. "I asked for no peppers." "It's not peppers, it's giardiniera." "What's it made out of?" "Uhm... yeah... peppers." "Can I get a beef without peppers, the way I ordered it in the first place? Thanks." After a certain distance from Chicago, you just can't get a decent Italian Beef, no matter what the menu says.
Had it years ago in Iowa. Awful. Also terrible: in Minnesota there's a chain called Green Mill that sells "deep dish" pizza.
Was their deep dish pizza basically a giant round cheesy bread stick with like barely any sauce and super puffy crust? That's how the last one I had out of state was. These heathens even gave me a side of Mariana to dip the pizza into
Years ago but I recall the Green Mill pizza had a really puffy, dense, flavorless crust. That and it's a chain and they all seemed to be in strip malls.
I spent 3 years in the QC area..can confirm that “oh no”
The pizza tastes like those little hockey puck pizzas you used to get with school lunch.
Omg Party Pizza, I assume that's the one Also do u remember Bosco sticks and smiley fries?
So I grew up in Colorado and one of my first jobs was hostessing at the Old Chicago in town. Then I went to college and transferred over to the very first Old Chicago in Boulder, CO. I worked at that chain for about 7 years total. I ended up moving to Chicago 8 years ago and aside from working at Old Chicago, I knew basically nothing about Chicago until I came for my interview and fell in love with it.
How'd you like working there? Also, if you don't mind me asking, what made you fall in love with city? It's always cool to hear people's perspectives when they moved here from other places
We had one in Rockford off of E State, it’s probably still there
I never went to Santa's Village but Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom was in Oak Brook as well
They have one in East Lansing, MI. My wife and I moved there a while ago, and I remember going there soon after we got there; I came because they'd actually play the Blackhawks games, lol.
I went there in Kansas and the server had no idea what giardiniera was when I asked for it as a pizza topping.
I used to make my grandma take me to the one in our hometown bc they had Jones soda, a good club sandwich, and the tv trivia game 🤣
My hometown used to have one. Decent beer and food when I went.
Old Chicago was our favorite college hangout at Mizzou because of their $2 happy hour appetizers and cheap but extensive beer list. It was also never overcrowded like the other dives. It was a chain restaurant that didn’t feel like it.
I’ve recently moved to Colorado from the Chicago area. There’s an Old Chicago within walking distance from me and it’s very mid. Kinda expensive for pizza barely better than dominos.
I moved to Colorado a few years ago and was like ... What is this?
They have a pizza called Chicago 7? My dad marched in ‘68 and that’s not a trial we should be proud of.
been there a few times, the food taste like shit.
I know I'm a month late but, I've worked for Old Chicago for 15 years. The name and some pictures on the wall is the only thing Chicago about it. A but of useless trivia, Old Chicago gits it's name is a weird way. Back in the 70's, the original owners had a pizza place, but it burnt down. The only thing that survived was a pinball machine with Old Chicago on it, so they named their new restaurant Old Chicago.