Chicago has some of the best places to eat in the world, but Chicago also has some famous restaurants that, in my opinion, are extremely overrated.
“Top 5 Most Overrated Restaurants in Chicago”
5. Kuma’s Corner - Many cable food channels and celebrity food reviewers have stated that this was the hamburger that you had to have while in Chicago. Kuma’s is not bad, but it is not that great of a hamburger that you need to make any type of special trip to try them out. The wait times of an hour or two to eat there are also something that is definitely not warranted. The burgers are good, but in my opinion, nothing more than average in flavor. The restaurant is just popular because of the novelty of heavy metal and burgers named after rock bands.
4. Pizzeria Uno - Pizzeria Uno was always the place that people from out of town could not wait to go to for authentic Chicago Deep Dish. I never understood seeing long lines on a summer night, with wait times over an hour at least. When you would go inside, you would see an extremely small room that is very cramped. The pizza also was nothing special. It tasted like flavorless tomato paste on a huge hunk of bread, with hardly enough cheese or seasoning.
3. Portillo’s - Many people talk on social media about how they wish they could have a Portillo’s in their hometown or when they are in Chicago that is the first place they are going to. Portillo’s is extremely average fast food that is also extremely overpriced. You can easily spend fifty dollars on an order of a couple of beef sandwiches and fries. The lines are always long, no matter what location you go to. Portillo’s is fine for a quick bite to eat, but it really does not live up to the hype that so many give it.
2. Billy Goat Tavern - This Chicago legend has many people from all over the world flock to its main Chicago location on Michigan Avenue to try their famous hamburgers. What you end up getting is a hard kaiser bun with an extremely thin hamburger patty, with absolutely no flavor. The bread to meat ratio is so off that it leaves you with a mouthful of hard bread.
1. Au Chevel - This restaurant is the winner for the most overhyped spot to eat in Chicago, in my opinion. Bon appetit magazine named Au Chevel the best hamburger in the country in 2012 and the Food Network followed with multiple similar accolades. This led to minimum 3 hour wait times where people would line up outside the restaurant for a chance to try this legendary burger. I had the opportunity to try them out and the hamburger was average at best. They add an extremely fatty piece of bacon, that they claim is in house raised and butchered by them. They add a fried egg and two beef patties all for $17.95. Honestly, it tastes worth about half that. This place is definitely not worth the wait or the price.
This is my June list of the top 5 most overrated restaurants in Chicago let me know what you think is overrated restaurants in Chicago and suburbs in the comments section.
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