Cheeseburger cravings. Looking for Chicago area recs. Wheelchair accessible.

I have a craving for a cheeseburger and am looking for a place other my beloved Poochies. A place that does a great medium rare. And is wheelchair accessible.
 
Thank you.

If I recall correctly, you are in Palatine, not far from me in Des Plaines.  Have you ever been to Paradise Pup?  They've been featured on the Food Network, have been named one of Chicago's best Cheeseburgers by the Chicago Tribune (the only one under $10, BTW), and they've been lauded by WLS's Steve Dolinsky and CLTV's "The Cheeseburger Show".  Plus, they have been awarded a Great Neighborhood Restaurant award by LTHForum.com, Chicago's most reliable and food-centric website.

The burgers are absolutely brilliant!  Medium rare is a no brainer for these guys.  The burger is served on a challah (a braided Jewish egg bread) style roll with your choice of toppings, including real Merkt's Cheddar Cheese Spread  (you can even get the Merkt's on you fries)!

Now the drawback: While Paradise Pup is wheelchair accessible, it is a very small operation with only high counter seating inside and picnic tables with fixed benches outside.  Plus, because they are very small and very popular with such limited seating, there is usually a long line out the door starting not long after they open and lasting almost until they close at 5:00.

I don't know the details of your situation, if it is you or a companion who uses the wheelchair, but you might be better off waiting until warmer weather to check out P.P..  Also, again depending on the specifics of your mobility, you might be better off getting an order to go.  If I'm not mistaken, I think you can also call in or FAX your order to save time waiting in line.

Hope that's helpful.

Buddy

Paradise Pup
1720 S. River Road
Des Plaines  IL  60018
(847) 699-8590

I didn't know you could call ahead. Thanks!

Chris, the owner of Poochie's in Skokie does an excellent char cheddar burger with grilled onions. Eddie, the owner of Edzo's Burger Shop in Skokie will flat griddle or char grill a fine cheeseburger. Gus at the Wiener & Still Champion is known for his massive cheeseburgers. Most Chcicago burger joints use a 1/3 lb patty and char grill them. To experience my absolute favorite style and flavor cheeseburger, you'll have to escape to Kenosha and Racine Wisconsin for a 30's style, flat griddled, greasy, 2.5oz delight. The Spot Drive-In and Big Star Drive-In, in Kenosha have been serving up cheeseburgers for over 60 years. Both are drive-in's with car hops, so you enjoy eating in the comfort of your car. The Big Star Drive-In opens in the spring. Kewpee's, a diner with counters and tables in Racine, my home town, serves fresh, hand pattied, flat griddled cheeseburgers for $1.75 or double cheeseburgers for $2.95. Top that off with one of their home made root beers or a hand dipped malt ($2.50) with some krinkle cut fries and your heart will be skipping all the way back to Chicago. Wheelchair accessible.
Fresh burgers off the griddle at Kewpee's in Racine, WI.

CSD

hackneys plus an onion loaf

Buddy, I'm not near Palatine. Currently I'm in the Skokie area.

CSD, Edzo's must have moved. I see them listed in Evanston.

phatphil, ummmm onion loaf!

I'm sooo hungry!!!!!

Tt,

Sorry, I thought your profile indicated a Palatine location.  Anyway, Des Plaines is not that far a drive for a good Cheeseburger.  Also, CSD knows Edzo's is in Evanston, he just made a slight error.  Edzo's is a new business and has never been located in Skokie.

Buddy

Just curious but why not go to Poochies?

Perhaps one day there will be an Edzo's In Skoka Raton?

guspas


Just curious but why not go to Poochies?

You're a real diplomat Gus.

Tastytoo, what Gus meant to say was, "Why not go to Wiener and Still Champion in Evanston?  I mean, c'mon, they've got great burgers and quite possibly some of the best French fries in the greater Chicagoland area."

That's what Gus would've said if he wasn't such a bashful fellow.  So I'll say it for him.

Buddy

Wiener and Still Champion
802 Dempster St.
Evanston  IL  60202
(847) 869-0100

guspas, we've been there 4x's in a three week span. Plus I'd like to try other places to see what I'm missing and try other things in addition  the cheeeburger. Places that have great(crispy)fries and onion rings are a plus. I'm looking for the hidden and not so hidden gems.

I've heard great things about your place. Fried bacon and fried pickles. Yummy! Can't get that at Poochies.
 
Buddy, I missed your above post. I thought WASC is not wheelchair accessible. We could do carryout but prefer to dine in. Food doesn't always travel well.

I don't mean to put him on the spot, but I'm guessing Gus could answer that question.  It's been a little while since my last visit to WaSC, so I'm not sure if it is wheelchair accessible or not.

Buddy

I did purchase a folding ramp a few years back for wheelchair access.  I'll take a look for it since its prolly somewhere in the storage area.
 
And thanks Buddy for the kind words

That's great. guspas. No one has offered that to us. We're use to hearing that we cannot be accomodated. Or the place is accessible but there is no handicapped parkiing available because of the snow  being plowed into or dumpsters in the handicapped spots.

I am also interested in Italian beef, meatball sandwiches, Itlian sausage, cheesesteaks and pork chop sandwiches. I am on a beef and pork kick. Usually at home I prepare vegetarian meals and like to eat these other items outside of the home. One member of our group does not eat red meat but will eat chicken, turkey, fish or veggie burgers.

Buddy, or anyone else, have you recently eaten at Charcoal Delights and if so, are they still good? We stopped there once because it is close to the airport. I liked the place but am not in that area often.

Charcoal Delights does a decent business considering they are surrounded (within a one mile radius) by Paradise Pup, Mr. Pup, The Choo-Choo, Brandy's, and every chain burger joint known to man, including McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Steak & Shake, and, by the beginning of this summer, Culver's (Yay).

Charcoal Delights would not be my first choice among the named independents, and wouldn't even rank above Culver's or Steak & Shake as far as I'm concerned.  To me, their burgers have that "processed" taste you find in many indpendents who aren't focused on quality.  They taste like a low grade frozen patty as opposed to Paradise Pup's fresh, hand formed burger.

After Paradise Pup, I would go to Mr. Pup for their extensive menu, very reasonable prices, and their amazing steak fries.  In fact, a burger from Paradise Pup coupled with an order of Mr. Pup's fries would be the perfect burger meal for me.  Unfortunately, by the time I picked up from both places and made my way home, I don't think either item would hold up very well to the travel time.  Hmmm, maybe if I send Mrs. Roadhouse to Mr. Pup for the fries while I go to PP for the burgers, and then we meet in the middle at home we might just have something...

Buddy

The guys at A Hamburger Today have become my go to for finding the best burger when I am out traveling. 

Here is a link to the Illinois section, where most of the burgers tend to be from Chicago. Hopefully this helps.

This is a good spot on Paradise Pup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL9hvMRTMb0

Thanks everyone. We haven't gotten to try many new places yet because of multiple hospital visits. But hopefully soon. Any new recs would be appreciated. We most recently went to Charhouse Delights in Morton Grove. We loved the burgers. I usually went for breakfast but have tried a few other things. I also like the chicken sandwich and gyro, the Italian Beef was just okay.

Tastytoo

We're use to hearing that we cannot be accomodated. Or the place is accessible but there is no handicapped parkiing available because of the snow  being plowed into or dumpsters in the handicapped spots.

I sure sympathize with that one, I run into the same thing. Almost hate to go out in the winter because of this.
 
I'm quite a bit further west from you but I have had great burgers at Stockholm's and Old Towne Pub, both on Rte 38 in downtown Geneva. My cheese of choice is the blue kind!