Baba's Famous Philly Steak

I usually go to baba's on 51st but it was closed and I remembered seeing this location. I have gone to a lot of baba chains, 51st, 71, 71st and stony, cchills, cal city, and then I had the dumb idea to stop here. Prior to this visit most of the other places were on point. I will say you need to watch some places because they may not season the food right or leave out certain veggies.

Ok, now for the review. This place sucks a$$, feet, dog crap and anything else that would make you gag. Everything except the lemonade(wasn't that good) was horrible. We had a super steak(chicken and steak mix) disgusting. I couldn't take a second bite. My boyfriend, who's a human garbage disposal, thought I was being picky. He took a bite and threw it in the trash. My boyfriend had hot wings and a cheese cake. He ate it but complained the entire time.  He ridiculed me the rest of the night. Overall, I wouldn't advise anyone to eat here.

So the lemonade is amazing! Its slushy and comes in tons of flavors. Not only is there a piece of whole fruit on the top, but there is also a chunk of lemon in the flavor of your choice. Having said that, um, it doesn't taste like lemonade. Its like a slushy fruit drink with a hint of lemon, which you taste because of the chunk of lemon in it.

To be honest I wasn't particularly impressed with the steak and cheese. I only get mayo and ketchup on it... so maybe its better with all the veggies. But it was kid of bland and the meat wasn't juicy. But, they do have some ridiculous value meals that would make going tottally worth it. You can get any combo of 2 burgers, italian sausages, or chicken patties with fries and a drink for 4.99$.

Ill update when I get that meal:)

Overall, go for the lemonade. And if you need a quick bite to eat, stop by Baba's.

Bubu's, Bobo's, Babi's, whatever, are knockoffs of the real thing.  The original Baba's franchise (and it's trademark infringing brethren) is a city institution.  

While a steak and lemonade joint, it kind of offers neither.  The "steak" is philly cheese, and the lemonade is basically a slurpee.  (Speaking of which, why aren't there any 7-11s on the South Side?)  The cheese steak (or chicken) is goooooood:  way too much steak, grilled onions, peppers, and mushrooms, and gooey white American cheese.  I really like the American cheese in particular.  There's nothing fancy about this staple of modernist processed food, but it's still underused today.  The super philly requires some room in your stomach, but it won't make you feel sick.  (That's a  huge plus for Chicago fast food--what the heck is Portillo's doing to screw up my stomach for the rest of the day?!)

The "lemonade" is mixed lemon juice with the syrup of your choosing, ranging from watermelon to blueberry.  Aside from the list of flavors, it's basically your generic slushie, which does go well with the burn-your-mouth food on offer here.  An added bonus, though, is the fresh fruit wedge on top.  Nice to get some Vitamin C at a fast food joint!

Aside from the steak and lemonades, the place has an exhaustive list of fantastic deals on any Chicago-style fast food you've ever had.  $4 for 2 big, juicy cheeseburgers (with onion rings, tomatoes, lettuce on top); $3 for two great hot dogs; $5 for a small perch dinner; $6 for a small Chicken tenders dinner; $3-5 omelettes; $4 gyros platters--there's no end to that menu.  And you won't hit ten dollars without getting a large tenders dinner, or a steak ($8) + lemonade ($1.50) + something else.  And the $2.50 milkshakes are wonderful.  Decent fries come with anything, and come with ketchup, BBQ sauce, or salt n' pepper (definitely go BBQ).

This is my ideal location, right on King Dr and very chill, with street parking right outside any time of the day.  All take out, and they'll give you a good styrofoam container, so you can eat on/in your car without leaving grease across your hood.  Cash only, but with an atm inside.  It's the cheapest good option along King Dr in this part of town, so it's definitely worth a stop.