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Manny's Coffee Shop

1141 S. Jefferson St., Chicago, IL - (312) 939-2855
Posted By Michael Stern on 5/18/2006 2:54:00 PM
Manny's Coffee Shop and Deli is at the edge of Chicago’s loop, not far from where the everything-goes bazaar known as Maxwell Street once thrived. Maxwell Street is tame today, but the restaurant Manny Raskin opened a half century ago fairly bursts with the personality of downtown Chicago. A big, cafeteria-style eatery frequented by cops and wise guys, politicians and business people, and cured-meat lovers from the distant suburbs, Manny’s is one of Chicago’s grandest eating experiences.

"Step around for corned beef!" calls Ken Raskin, Manny’s son, to the hundreds of customers who crowd through the line at lunch hour, "Step around for sandwiches and latkes."

Corned beef sandwiches are Manny’s signature dish. Gino Gambarota, Manny's corned beef man for the last ten years, will cut the meat the way you like it -- lean, fatty, or regular -- but he will not cut it thick. "The art of cutting corned beef is to cut it as thin as possible, and against the grain," Gino says. His slices are shaved so thin they verge on disintegration; but they stay intact and miraculously succulent.

Handfuls of this magnificent meat are stuffed into sandwiches so large that many customers eat one half and take the other back to the office. When a diminutive woman in a business suit asks Gino if he can make her only half a sandwich, he sasses back, "Lady, this isn't Highland Park!" (Highland Park is a hoity-toity suburb on the North Shore.) The sandwiches get made and sold so quickly that during busy mealtimes Gino always sets up four or five ready-made with a potato pancake on the plate, so customers in a hurry can bypass the hot food at the beginning of the cafeteria line and nab what they want without fuss at the sandwich counter. No prepared sandwich remains on the counter longer than forty-five seconds before a customer speeds past and pulls it down onto a tray.

There is a huge menu beyond corned beef, including daily specials by which many Chicagoans arrange their culinary week. Monday, count on corned beef hash, stuffed green peppers, and breaded veal chops. Wednesday is the day for chicken pot pie or turkey drumsticks and mushroom barley soup. Friday is fried smelts, perch, and macaroni day. Thursday is a thrilling day for oxtail stew aficionados because Ken Raskin can make only a limited amount, which usually sells out by noon.

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Scorecard

5 - Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace
Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace
Corned Beef Sandwich
Matzoh Ball Soup
Blintzes (1)
Apple Slice
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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

For $9.95 you get a massive corned beef sandwich with a single potato pancake on the side and, of course, a couple of dill pickle spears.
"For $9.95 you get a massive corned beef sandwich with a single potato pancake on the side and, of course, a couple of dill pickle spears."
Michael Stern





No human jaw can stretch wide enough to eat this pile of corned beef between slices of bread like a normal sandwich. We watched it sliced, and it was still good and warm when we slathered on the mustard and started eating with knife, fork, and fingers.
"No human jaw can stretch wide enough to eat this pile of corned beef between slices of bread like a normal sandwich. We watched it sliced, and it was still good and warm when we slathered on the mustard and started eating with knife, fork, and fingers."
Michael Stern


Beyond its delicious flavor, the joy of a corned beef sandwich at Manny's has a lot to do with Gino, the man who slices the beef and piles it into bread with the sleight-of-hand of a master magician and the wise cracks of a stand-up comedian.
"Beyond its delicious flavor, the joy of a corned beef sandwich at Manny's has a lot to do with Gino, the man who slices the beef and piles it into bread with the sleight-of-hand of a master magician and the wise cracks of a stand-up comedian."
Michael Stern


This is an oh-so-sweet pastry known as an 'apple slice.' It was good but, frankly, we were a little jealous of tablemate Bill Daley, who got vanilla pudding and declared it 'the real thing!'
"This is an oh-so-sweet pastry known as an 'apple slice.' It was good but, frankly, we were a little jealous of tablemate Bill Daley, who got vanilla pudding and declared it 'the real thing!'"
Michael Stern


When Manny's opened near Maxwell Street just after World War II, it took over a space that had been a restaurant called Sunny's. To save money on the sign, proprietor Jack Raskin simply replaced the SU with MA ... and Manny's was born.
"When Manny's opened near Maxwell Street just after World War II, it took over a space that had been a restaurant called Sunny's. To save money on the sign, proprietor Jack Raskin simply replaced the SU with MA ... and Manny's was born."
Michael Stern


Matzoh Ball Soup: a wonderful way to begin a meal, especially on a cool day.
"Matzoh Ball Soup: a wonderful way to begin a meal, especially on a cool day."
Michael Stern


Manny's sells blintzes by the piece. One or two make a side dish for meat; three or four, with sour cream and apple sauce, are a dandy meal.
"Manny's sells blintzes by the piece. One or two make a side dish for meat; three or four, with sour cream and apple sauce, are a dandy meal."
Michael Stern



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