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Ed Debevic's the kind of place you go to for crude entertainment. If you're sensitive, don't go. You might get your feelings hurt. I saw a kid almost cry, and the dad had to explain, "He's joking. It's okay." Poor kid.
If you're open to this type of humor, you'd have a great time. The staff may be rude, but that's the type of service you're paying for. They also dance on the counter tops every hour on the o'clock. Great performance.
The food though is only mediocre, but as I've mentioned before, you come here for the entertainment.
Went here for a 13th birthday party this past weekend. I have to say, I went in with very low expectations, based solely on the Yelp reviews below. The restaurant was extremely crowded and I could tell upon entering that this place was not my "type," given the ridiculous amount of teenagers and little kids crowding the entryway. Clearly a tourist trap.
Almost everyone inside is wearing a paper hat, which is sorta funny, and sorta lame. And yeah, the wait staff is purposely "rude" to you, which is also half funny/half lame. They also do dances and act obnoxiously in general. But it's not really that much different from the annoying bunch of rugrats that are running all over the place to begin with.
...But I digress. I was here for a party, and we were situated in the "Elvis Room" was in the back. The decor was also as gaudy as expected. I wasn't expecting much from the food, but I was pleasantly surprised with the cheeseburger.
All in all I think the place actually exceeded my expectations, but that may only have been because we had our own private room and didn't have to deal with the angry mob in the main area. Our waiter was rude, but not overly so, which might disappoint some while leaving others relieved.
If you live in Chicago, there really isn't any reason to ever go here. The food was fine, but not good enough to get me to deal with the atmosphere again.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The last time I was at Ed Debevic's may have been the 80s. I heard it's slid since then.
Every kid should go here at least once. If you're looking for a fun time at a diner, go here. "Novelty" is the keyword. The food USED to be pretty darn good, but I have heard of slippage in 20 years. Still, I don't know for certain.
This is your classic and ultimate 50s throwback diner. Kitsch, kitsch, kitsch, with baskets of great juicy greasy messy burgers and nice soda fountain drinks. This is where my mother showed me what those "phosphates" she talked about having as a kid were like (although they may not serve them anymore, looking at their online menu). This is where I discovered that hey, I *like* malts.
Anyway, we'd come to Ed's for a blue moon burger and a double chocolate shake, double chocolate malt, black cow, or cherry coke. It was always a good time and I have fond memories of just hanging out with mom, her telling me things about life in Chicago and the way things *really* worked (I learned about Daley, the CPD, and aldermen there) and having good conversations. Why not share that with your kids, too? Or your S.O., or best friend? And when they start pressing you to get out if you're done, just smile and roll with the character of the place. (Or order another drink and/or a big plate o' cheese fries. :-)
If this is your first time in Chicago...you have to go to Ed Debevics. Be forewarned...it IS a diner...but not your typical one.
From the moment you set foot into Ed's...you will be transported to the 50s during the heydays of diner eating. The decor is reflected accordingly....and so are the server's outfits.
Order your favorite burgers and shakes...which are quite good. But what I do love are their fries (a VERY close second to McDonald's...what can I say?). And their shakes...very creamy and good. And don't forget to save room for some dessert...which includes all sorts of pies and ice creams to satisfy your cravings.
And if you are lucky, you will also get to see them perform a dance routine on top of the counter. It's actually quite entertaining! And as far as the service goes...the waiters and waitresses may sometimes give you attitude as part of the performance...which can be quite entertaining.
And get there early on Friday and Saturday nights. There can be a wait...and may be significant.
The food here is just like any other diner. Similar menu and the food taste about there. What stood out here is the service, the décor, and the set up of the diner. They try to be really mean and rude to you so expect that. The wait staff can get loud, roudy and they have to dance on the bar tops. It's pretty fun/funny! If you don't mind being embarrassed, treated badly, and enjoy watching the wait staff embarrass themselves by having to dance on the bartops, totally come to this place! I enjoyed it! It was pretty fun! I didn't have to be nice to our server and I demanded to get my ketchup bottle, my soda refilled, etc. Overall, I had a pretty good experience. I'm not sure if I'll come back though.
"What are you doing here?" the woman with the crazy scarf and big glasses screamed at me and my party. The look on the little girl's face who was with us was priceless as she couldn't understand why this person was yelling at us and throwing hats and straws our way when we had just been seated.
"Sit down. Shut up and order", she barked at us. Hey- maybe I should get a job here where I could blow off steam after a tough day at the office. "Not you", said she when one of the small boys attempted to place his order. "You!" she said pointing at me with her pen while chomping on her gum.
Not my regular kind of place for sure- but every time I have kids in tow (ages 6 through those troublesome teen years)- this is the place we go for with all the belligerent yelling, straw throwing, hat wearing, server dancing, receipt throwing and mediocre food- comes an experience that kids just love! Thank heaven the food comes out fast so your visit is usually about an hour of cacophony.
I've learned that there are a couple of things on the menu that are grownup friendly- the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and their chili. Save room for dessert at the brownie melt is calorie worthy as is the "world's smallest sundae" that comes with a souvenir glass.
They have beer and wine though as much as I always want to have a drink while I'm there (maybe it will ease the pain of me being there?) I always have little ones in my charge (why else would I be there?) so I always stick to the soda.
If you don't see them on your first visit- know that there are video games up front as well as a photobooth ($5 for two strips) Love that the booth talks you through the whole experience and you have a choice of color, b & w or sepia colored prints. Another big hit with the kids.
Valet parking runs around $8 for two hours. Depending on how into their role your server is- it is either amazingly fun for all to hear what comes out of their mouths and to watch them dance on the counter or on a table or it is an effort to understand just what they are attempting to do.
No matter. We all look ridiculous in our hats, wondering what atrocity is to come next and eating food on mismatched plates. And all Ed wants you to do anyway is "Eat and Get out". And so we did. Until the next time.
Visited my brother in Chicago and my cousin and I saw this place on food network. and we were right around the corner from it so we just went there to get some dessert.
service sucks, but its supposed to be that way.
my cousin's boyfriends hand got all dirty from his cookie ice cream sandwich and he was going to wipe his hands on our server for not giving us any napkins, but he didn't. he should've, but he didn't.
I did not really have the desire to go the this place ever. The only reason I ended up there was because my Dad and I attempted brunch at Yolk on a Sunday on Wells and the wait was obnoxious. Not to mention, we were on a timeline since my Dad had to catch the train back to MI.
Ed Debevic's was down the street so I figured why not try it out. I was hungover and diner food sounded alright. Much to my surprise, the menu was so small. IHOP has a better menu. I had the Route 66 Burger and it was just o.k.
The servers act is really stupid. It would only be funny if you were in middle school. My dad and I were hungover and my Dad almost wanted to punch the servers for yelling haha.
I probably won't go back unless it is for a milk shake because those did look good.
Note to self, 'Don't take your uber sensitive mother here, even though you explained their act to a T, even though you asked her over and over if she's certain about going to a place like this, even though you made a long trip out to pick her up, and asked her again if she was certain that she wanted to try this place.' Because it isn't a good idea! A 'Sensitive Sally' will not like the treatment, and will probably complain about how rude the servers are..."HELLLOOO!!!"
Anyway, I don't mind it, as I know what I'm in for when I go there. It's all an act, and you have to enjoy it in the spirit in which it is given, or don't go there. The food is pretty mediocre, but the meatloaf is, well, just better than mediocre. Parking is $8, and the photo booth at the front of the place is pretty cool. If you haven't tried this place yet, and you GET what the deal is there, and will not leave offended, you should try it for the experience.
Oh yeah, and for my birthday, I want a sundae that's bigger than one bite! WTF, it's my birthday for God sake...THANKS Eddie Debev!!!
This place is good for a one-time-thing. The first time I went, I was young, so I barely remember anything except for the milkshake I had. The next time I returned I was just shy of 21. You must have a good sense of humor or at least a sassy attitude to enjoy it. The rudeness is their shtick, so you need to go in knowing that, or you may be offended.
The food sucked, in my opinion. It's all typical diner food. However, I DID get a chinese chicken salad, which isn't your typical diner food, so I wasn't expecting much. I sampled my friends cheese fries and milkshakes and they were decent. The Green River was good and full of nostalgia.
I took three 15-year old friends of mine here the other night, so they had a blast arguing with our waiter. It was hilarious to watch, but I think I have outgrown the gimmick. I was slightly annoyed by the end of the dinner. Overall, I had a lot of fun laughing and taking pictures with our waiter, Bubba. Upon us being seated, he threw our hats at us (Multiple times), threw our straws at us, told me my drink order of water matches my personality, and walked away when one of my friends started to talk to him. Our food came out relatively quick but I suspect that was only because they were closing in half an hour.
I doubt I'd come back anytime soon. It's fun for younger people and those who can take the attitude, though! It's entertaining and different, but I'd rather not be abused by my servers from now on :)
Typical diner food, nothing special in that arena. But their summer wheat ale, from a local brewer, was DELICIOUS. My friends and I flipped out over it. After marching in three July 4th parades, we were also very dehydrated to begin with (= drunk)
Kind of amusing "rude waiter" gimmick. Not worth going back for, but maybe if you're with kids. They seemed to really get a kick out of adults acting like 4 year olds.
At one point a waiter straight up dropped an entire plate of food. Now THAT made me laugh, not their little tweety bird dance.
would be 3 stars, but boy was that ale something...
Ed Debevic's is a run of the mill diner with a faux Chicago attitude; i.e. boisterous and rowdy. They are known for their ultra rich desserts and milkshakes. The other food is standard diner fare; greasy burgers and hotdogs, various chicken platters, homestyle sidedishes such as mashed potatoes and french fries, large salads and the requisite choices of steaks.
The waitstaff is trained to be loud and aloof with the customers. While we were there, one waitress was trying to harrass a group of cheerleaders, but they were more confused than annoyed. I personally think they were told to act like the typical blonde cheerleader (airheads) ahead of time. One of the cute waitresses tried flirting with my brother, but he acted oblivious to her subtle advances.
For some reason, they have valet parking and a rotating front door. Not what I expected from Chicago.
Go here for the novelty atmosphere -- rude waiters that also occassionally dance on the bar -- and the fact that it's unique to Chicagoland. Foodwise it seems like pretty standard diner fare. It is a lively, busy, noisy place. At first I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the restaurant because I thought the faux-rudeness might be annoying, but it wasn't as disruptive as I thought it'd be and actually mildly amusing (though I imagine that can vary from waiter to waiter -- ours was blah-I don't care-rude). On a side note, it was extremely impressive when I watched one of the servers load at least 10 burger baskets on her arm and walk them over to the table (not mine).
You come to Ed's to experience a bit of cheesy, tourist fun. If you know there are going to be a bunch of families with reluctant adolescents donning the obligatory Ed's cap, screaming kids, long waits and some conventioneers looking to use their "We're Glad You're Here!" free dessert coupon you're set. You are ready for Ed Debevic's.
A few things had changed since my last visit to Ed's. The cherished black and white photo booth of my youth has been replaced by a digital one that gives you the choice of b&w, sepia or color strips. The quality is nice, but I really miss the old-school photos. On a Thursday night my server wasn't dishing out the sass that I love and expect from Ed's. Maybe she was tired. Maybe it was late. Isn't that an excuse to be a little bit more sassy with your customers though? There wasn't much dancing going on. A few lackluster servers stood on the counter but they weren't doing much dancing even with YMCA playing. In fact, there wasn't music playing at all. The DJ was conspicuously absent...
The wee one in my dining party still got a balloon. The waitstaff was great about cleaning up some of the spills from the toddler. Our cheese fries were ooey-gooey complete with bacon and ranch dipping sauce. Things weren't all bad, but I had high memories that Ed's needed to live up to. I'll go back again soon though. The BF was very jealous that I came without him and he needs to relive a bit of his nostalgia there too.
This place is a total tourist trap (yes, I am a former local - grew up in the area), and the food is pretty much crappy diner food. However, it's also pretty fun. The servers are entertaining, the service is prompt, and this is pretty much the only place you can go where you can see your waiter or waitress dance on the bar. This isn't a restaurant I'd frequent over and over again, but it's definitely an experience. Be warned that the wait for a table can be extremely long during peak tourist season, and they don't take reservations.
Yuck! I had the Atomic burger & my friend had the Route 66 Burger. The Atomic burger was supposed to be spicy and not a hint of heat or spice. As far as the actual burger, it had NO taste whatsoever. Neither my friend nor I could eat half of it. I have never tasted such nastiness. Seriously, Burger King's hamburgers have more flavor. Fries were cold and soggy and the kid's chicken fingers had obviously sat for a couple hours. Whatever, it's a tourist trap, it's for kids, blah, blah, blah...but come on, the food should be at least edible. Our server was cool and the 5 year old was amused but definitely not worth $50 for 2 adults and 2 kids.
Craptastic. That's what I think about Ed's. I had an amazing opinion about this place until I tried it again. I wanted to show my sister, an out of town visitor, some of Chicago's uniqueness; Ed's was the wrong choice.
When we sat down we got the gimmick, but then heard the server not only complaining about being there on Friday night, but also bitching to the hostess about getting double sat. Even if you are supposed to be rude as a product niche that is unacceptable product behavior. I should tip you when you complain about having to serve me? Let's have a wake up call. You are a waiter, serving people is your job. You should be happy to have customers that want to tip in this recession.
As for the food, it was atrocious. The side bar items were soiled and empty and my blue cheese burger had something on it, but it was not in the blue cheese family. It resembled a sauce that would be the love child between mayonnaise and mold. For a $9 burger I don't think expectations of actual blue cheese crumbles are unacceptable.
Either way Ed's managed to cross itself off of my list.
The server really made this experience. If you go, request Vega$--yes, Vega$ spelled with a money sign. He looks a little like a young Bill Murray and despite the policy of making the servers talk down to all the customers, he chatted jovially with us the entire time and provided excellent service. I requested extra pickles in place of fries and he came out with about half a jar of pickle speers as well as pickle chips...may seem inconsequential to some but I was flattered and impressed.
The food is just what you'd expect-average diner food that if you ate every day would give you a heart attack, but every once in a while is just what you need.
But seriously...ask for Vega$.
If you are in, like, 7th grade you will really enjoy this place. Otherwise, skip it. It's regular diner food (except over priced and aimed at tourists) with waiters that insult you. Not funny insults either, or mean ones, just kind of lame.
I'm not big on gimmicky things in Chicago, but I suppose I enjoyed going here. I had the giant chili dog, which was fairly good and had "real" chili on it... But Portillo's is better.
Fairly amusing and our waiter was actually nice, but some of the schtick is just eh.
Needed to grab food at night while in downtown Chicago, and my friend recognized this place from back in So Cal. Apparently, a bunch of these restaurants closed down and there only 2 left: this one and another in Illinois outside of Chicago.
Ed Debevic's was...interesting. Our waitress made sure to let us know where the exit was in case we didn't like their attitude. She then proceeded to put hats on our heads. After our orders, she snatched the menus from us, saying that she didn't want us to try to steal them. I ordered the big chili dog with fries and a vanilla shake. The wait was quite long and I think my dog was sitting in the kitchen for awhile. The chili dog was huge and the shake was not bad. Fries were pretty bland. I'd say it was fairly typical diner food. At least the portions were decent.
Eating here was sort of an experience. When we were eating, a table higher than us to my left was asking for ketchup from the counter to the right of us. The worker there started to throw ketchup packets over there and they ended up short, landing closer to us. Later on, the servers stopped serving and started to dance on the counters to entertain us customers. It continued on when one of the servers got on the mic for a song.
I guess this was a place to experience since it's now an exclusive in Illinois. The food, however, was just okay and the service is not something I would look forward to coming back to. Entertaining, but I'm fine with normal service.
I know, I know, I shouldn't have stepped inside.
But my friend was hungover and needed something in her system, so we headed over to the counter to grab some rolls. As we were waiting, a waiter came over to us and screamed "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!?!?! GET OUT OF HERE". Yes, I know that's their shtick and idiots think it's hilarious, but we said "okay" and left. Why do people think this gimmick is funny?
How do I review this one? I study themed restaurants, so for the theming I give them 5 stars. The waiters are quite the performers, though I did think that they could have been ruder. I was expecting some F-bombs, but it was quite PG, or I should say G. The food: about average.
Built for tourists, run for tourists, priced for tourists, but not a bad burger.
Ed Debevic's hasn't changed in 20+ years. it's still a very commercial effort to recreate a 1950's diner. Still with the rude obnoxious wait staff to add entertainment value. The decor is an interesting assembly of 1950's decorations, worth seeing at least once. The menu actually has some good choices, lots of burger combinations. And they still make malts. You can skip the cherry pie - it's as bad as the cherry pie at cheap diners in the 60's. Our waiter tried hard to be offensive, but wasn't really. We felt sorry for him, bragging about working there for eight years. Get a life, buddy!
I just saw this place featured on some Travel Chanel program on the best diners in America and felt that I needed to give my thoughts on that.
This place sucks. The food sucks and the gimmick gets old real quick. You want a great, authentic, Chicago diner? Go to Standees.
Before we tried this place, I've been warned numerous times by a friend of mine (who knew that I'm very anal about service) - that this place is *meant to be* rude to their customers.
OK. So I kept that in mind.
Surely enough, our waiter was *different*. In a bad way. Was he rude? Hmmm .. you could say that. But rather than rude, I'd say it was more like abnoxious flirts. Really.
Move on to the food .. I ordered Sloppy Joe's - and to be honest, my ex bf made much better Sloppy Joe's than Ed's. We ordered bread pudding for dessert - and our waiter made it a 'deluxe' style (i.e. with loads of ice cream AND whipped cream). If not for the deluxe style, there was nothing special about the bread pudding itself. As a bread pudding lover, Ed's bread pudding was too densed and too hard.
So long, Ed .........
If you have annoying friend that thinks they're always right , take them here to put them in their place. It provided enough laughs to make up for the lackluster food. The food by no means is exceptional but its not terrible either.
If you can ask for a specific waitress ask for Lola. She's absolutely hilarious even if she acts like a word that rhymes with witch. When they ask you if you want ice cream say no unless you don't mind spending $3 on basically a thimble of it aka "the world smallest dessert." Also not a good place to go if you're shy or take things too seriously.
I just can't do it anymore ... the appeal for this place is gone, well at least for me it is. While I can't see locals making regular visits, luckily for this place, tourists and newbies will yearn to give it a go. I say go ahead and try it once but more than that and you are asking for it.
The food is just OK at best as there really is nothing special on the menu. With that being said, what is up with the prices for such mediocrity? I got charged 5 and change for what amounted to be a cup of chili - they say it is a bowl but I wasn't born yesterday! They keep this up and the customer will be the irate ones with the attitude and not the staff as their gimmick implies.
I'm basically giving this two stars instead of one for two reasons. One, tourists feel compelled to go there and I'm all for keeping them happy. Two, this place is next to Hooters which counts for something in my book!
Maybe if I was a 12 year old girl I would love this place.
Maybe if I was a tourist I would love this place.
Maybe if I had never been to a diner before I would love this place.
Maybe if the food actually tasted good I would love this place.
Maybe if I actually liked having crappy service, rude servers, and things thrown at me I would love this place.
Maybe if I enjoyed cheesy themed restaurants I would love this place.
However I am none of these things so you know what? THIS PLACE SUCKS.
Yes, when I visit Chicago I am a tourist (at least at the time of writing this I am). Yes, I occasionally enjoy a restaurant with a gimmick, especially if it's one that i feel is one that works well. Yes, I am willing to rate a restaurant higher for a good working gimmick over having food that is pretty much just "on par" with other restaurants of its type.
Having said all that, I give Ed Debevic's four stars. Worst case scenario... you don't like their food and you can walk to the Hooters which is right behind the place (if it's still there) or to a Gino's East (yet another place I'm sure some locals will frown upon) which isn't too far away.
The snarky attitude provided by the waitstaff is a somewhat refreshing change from the types who typically bury their nose up your rear ends for a measly $2 tip. It helps a lot when you get someone who is particularly adept at their banter skills - if you can dish it out a lot of 'em will come right back at you which is fun.
You won't really find anything out of the ordinary on the menu here and it's not like it's particularly well prepared either. Burgers, meatloaf, and all of the typical diner favorites are here. Like I said, it's all just kind of "eh" as far as taste goes so don't come here looking for some award winning stuff.
For me, it's the fun atmosphere that does it. The waiters and waitresses dancing on the counter, the back and forth exchanges between patrons and staff, and everything along with it are what does it for me at Ed Debevic's. It's always on my list of stops whenever I'm in Chicago because, hey, I don't have crap like this near where I live.
This is definitely not a place to come after a stressful day of work by any means.I made this mistake once and i guess i scared our server by glaring at him because he totally dropped out of character and his voice was cracking. This is however a great place to take kids or have a party when you can enjoy the playful ribbing that you get from the servers.
The service is rude but that is to be expected however sometimes it is rather slow and this is not acceptable to me. In fact it loses a star due to this fact.
The food is mediocre but it is always the same, and if someone isn't used to a Chicago chili dog then they will think its great. I for one am not a fan of really anything on the menu, and I'm fat so I'm usually a fan of everything on every menu.
Come for the atmosphere,get a desert and then have your main course somewhere else.....oops reverse that, get desert here after you have eaten at a better restaurant.
Now I remember the name of this place! My husband and I will be returning to Chicago in February, 2008 and my friend asked me if I wanted to go back to this place. I really hated this restaurant and oddly enough, it had little to do with the food.
I don't really hate "theme" restaurants, but if anyplace ever tried to cram its "fun theme" down my throat with a toilet plunger, Ed Debevic's would be it! Maybe it's me, maybe I don't get it. But really, I found the waitstaff's act to be too "put on", not at all funny, and downright obnoxious. The thing is, the atmosphere is so forced here, that it doesn't let you forget it! You cannot even carry on a conversation here! You walk in the door and they're telling you that you HAVE to have fun here! The bartender was nice and my husband did enjoy their house brand of beer. Look, if I want to be waited on by an obnoxious waiter or waitress, I want one that's naturally obnoxious and not "faux obnoxious". Oh, and then the host sang, but if he ever entered a bad kareoke contest. he'd still come in second.
As for the food here, well it's okay. But seriously, what can you eat here that you can't eat at a real diner (you Chicago people call them "Greek Joints" I understand)? Trust me folks, Susan loves her diner food! But the sandwich I had here was acceptable but not much more. It was certainly NOT worth the 45 minute wait for a table. I've eaten at other diners in Chicago and have had much better food for much less money. And didn't have to pay to park.
"Mr. Sandman...bring me a dream..."
Walk into Ed Debevic's and it's as if you've stepped into the corner diner in 1955, Hill Valley from classic 80's film Back to the Future.
There's Elvis and Marilyn everywhere, 50's jukebox tunes, different kinds of shakes, malts, sodas, fries, and the waitstaff dresses up as classic 50's characters like "Buddy Holly". The food is great, this is an amazing place for kids. It's a nostalgia-fest and just thinking of it makes me want to move back to Chicago. I could live in this place. Seriously.
This is the kind of place you take a date to, and you share a giant sundae.
Wow, did a previous reviewer certainly hit it on the head with her review of this place! Seriously, I cannot understand why this place is so crowded, why people consider this place fun. And I guess I just don't get the "theme" of faux rude help. Can't you get real rude waiters without a theme and for much less $$? When I was trying to order a drink, the guy was way overdoing it in his act of not understanding what I was trying to order.
The food itself is okay, but seriously, do you want to wait 30 to 60 minutes for a table so that you can eat food that you can get anywhere else? Believe me, the food here is unspectacular at best! There appears to be no specialty and nothing out of the ordinary here. Maybe this is a place to go to if you have guests from out-of-town, but Chicago has so many other unique restaurants that are actually WORTH waiting an hour for a table.
It's cheesy and touristy, but the milkshakes here are fabulous.
I came here with my little sister (who was visiting from Ohio), knowing ahead of time that it was that kind of themed place that attracted tourists. We'll go to Diner Grill for real diner food, but this was great for milkshakes, onion rings, and laughing at the over-zealous tourists who felt the need to be VERY audibly rude back to their fake-rude servers.
Bonus points to the DJ for referring to the staff as "Stainless Steel Dancers." Who needs solid gold?
I could live without the schtick - but it is kinda cute. The guys here are adorable and the waitresses are just cute enough that you don't feel guilty if you pig out.
After 20 some years of going to Ed's - the food is consistent. The grilled onions make the burgers. Their shakes are great.
It is definitely a tourist type place but my kids love it.
If you think you have reservations - you're in the wrong place.
I think that this place is truly a hit for those who understand that it's a departure from our common place sensibilities. This restaurant is full of faux rude servers who are being very attentive while they pretend to really not like their jobs. The attitude you get is equal to the attitude you dish. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
In a world plagued by politically correct cartoons, hate crimes and horrendous school shootings, Ed Debevic's does for restaurants what the movie Grease did for cinema. It's a departure back to a different time and a place where you can be loud, rude and a jerk and have fun with it.
Take your tourist friends. They'll love it. I know I did - both times I've gone. As they say at Ed's - If you liked it here come back; if you didn't, don't.
The shtick has kind of grown tired, but I guess that's what tourists are for.
The food is good, but I'm past getting "funny bad" service. It's not so funny, and the last time I was there, it was really really bad. You know, "not funny bad"? I don't know what the turnover at this place is, but it seems like the staff has grown so tired of acting like jackasses that they just don't care anymore, making this place nothing more than an expensive and bright Golden Nugget.
Oh, Golden Nugget has better coffee.
I remember about 20 years ago when this place was PACKED on the weekends. I got a kick out of the place and its kitsch and attitude. Now, the place seems empty all the time and being passed around between a few owners since Lettuce Entertain You, it has lost its edge and the rude server act is now stale.
Even the signage, designs, etc have become lame over time as they try to update them.
At least they still have the world's smallest sundae.
Ed Debevics, I fist went there when I was in middle school on a art trip after seeing forever plaid and doing a gangster al capone tour, hitting up the sears tower and other touristy things. Ed debevics, I just did not get when I was 13 why the waitstaff had to get up on the bar and dance the chicken dance to the YMCA. So I went back years later and understood that the waiters and waitresses purposely put on the rude gum smacking and attitude and have beehives, hornrimmed glasses or look like buddy holly. Ed debevics is the diner version of dinner and a show- the food is one step up from bar food and it's entertaining to see the staff and customers heckle each other in a fun way. If you lack attitude in yourself you will either be offended, not understand or be really bored quickly with this place. I played along and it was a fun night. After all their saying is "Eat and get out!"
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Streeterville
Category: Desserts
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Hot Dogs
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Coffee & Tea
These are the worst places in and around Chicago…
Places to take the kids! Or come with your…
When family, friends, and guests drop in to…
Places I'm almost ashamed of liking. edit: LOVING.…
The places and things that made me what I am…
What was I doing visiting Chicago in the depths of…
Places to go if you are dining with 6 or more…
The reviews aren't Meh, but the mediocre places…
