Lunch In The Loop

One of the great things about working downtown is lunch. Unlike in the burbs, you have a limitless number of possibilities that you can choose to eat at on a workday. With that said it seems like after years of narrowing down the choices there are like five main places I go to lunch at every week. So, I will now offer Nick’s five favorite lunch spots in the loop and Nick’s bottom 5 lunch places in the loop. I am basing this on food quality and price. So, even though there might be places I like better, if the average meal is over ten bucks it is out.

Top 5

5. Bacci Pizza - Located on wells just north of Washington this pizza joint is filler. They give you a slice of pizza that is as big as Lake Michigan and a pop for five bucks. You cannot beat that price in the city. The pizza itself is good, if not great. It is not something I would ever order but is not objectionable either. All in all a really good meal for five bucks.

4. Jimmy Johns – Jimmy Johns has quickly become my favorite sub in the city. They have a couple of locations in the loop, but we usually hit the one on Jackson just east of Franklin. They make homemade bread that as soon as you open the door you get hit with the smell. Again, it is very reasonable and a quality sandwich. I suggest either the Maple Ham and Swiss or the Italian. Both are very good, plus the BBQ homemade chips rock.

3. Chicken Planet – A place I recently found and I cannot get enough of. You get a half a chicken, all white meat, a side, a pita and a drink all for six bucks. The chicken is grilled, not fried. It is loaded with spices and quite unique. It is located on Jackson and just east of Dearborn. There is not a lot of seating and it is a bit of a hole in the wall but man is the chicken good.

2. Perry’s – Perry’s Deli is a loop legend. It is located on Franklin, just north of Randolph. It is a bit of a hike for me but well worth it. As a big fan of the corn beef, I am here to say that Perry’s is the best one I’ve ever had. I’ve never had a bad sandwich there and trust me, that sandwich is a more than a sandwich it is a meal. They pile on the meat and fixings. On top of all of this they have a no cell phone policy, which makes the experience all the more enjoyable. Trust me if you like a good sandwich and you are in the loop you must try Perry’s.

1. Venice Café – I’ve been going to Venice for over ten years. I have probably eaten their tortellini over one hundred times, and I never get sick of it. Located on Jackson right across from the Sears Tower this Italian eatery is a treasure. Again, so many things to eat I don’t know where to begin. They also will add Tabasco to your pasta, on request, which really adds to the sauce. They also make a mean calzone and their lemon chicken is also really good. I am a creature of habit and I usually cannot tear myself away from the spicy tortellini but again, you cannot wrong with anything you order at Venice.

The Bottom Five

5. McDonald’s – If you eat McDonald’s for lunch and you work downtown you should be ashamed. There are way to many choices than for you to settle for their bland, un-imaginative filler. Sure, I support Mickey D’s because they are a Chicago company, but not at lunch in downtown Chicago. There is no excuse for that.

4. Big Herm’s – Big Herm’s is a grill located inside the Northwest train station. It is one of the worst places I have ever had the displeasure of eating at. I always thought there is no way to fuck up a hamburger, well I was wrong. Big Herm’s pre cooks the burgers in the morning than sits them in hot water waiting for the lunch rush. At that point they put them back in the grill to warm them up. They taste like an unflavored rice cake. Just a brutal place.

3. Burrito Beach – This is one of those pseudo new wave burrito joints, where there is not one Mexican person working. No burrito should have whole beans, shredded BBQ chicken and rice. To call this a burrito is a dis-service to an authentic burrito. You will find these monasteries littered throughout the city as urban yuppies that don’t know any better eat em up. Just a complete travesty.

2. Corner Bakery - Another corporate food hellhole. Now, I admit I have had the muffins in the morning and they are pretty good. However, since this is about lunch I can go off on this place. First off, it is a rip. I once had a bowl of soup, a sandwich and a bag of chips and it was $11 bucks. The sandwich sucked, the soup was bland and the chips were worse than Lay’s. Again, they are all over the city and the Yup’s love it. If you like crappy salads and tasteless expensive sandwiches than by all means enjoy.

1. Billy Goat’s - There is no one place more over-rated in the city of Chicago than Billy Goats Tavern. The SNL skit popularized this place in the 70’s. Also, Mike Royko was a big fan. Plus the owner’s father is the one who put the curse on the Cub’s in the 40’s. Well, once you go there you realize that this place is horrible. I’ve had a better hamburger at Burger King. It is a small thin burger that they put on a Kaiser roll so that you get way more bun than meat. You than have to pay up the ass for the privilege of having their burger. A tourist trap if there ever was one. Avoid this place at all costs.