I was just at Hackney's after not going for a while since I don't live inthe area. Â Will I go back? No. Â the service was lousy. Â Our waiter left because his shift was over. Â Were we told? No. Â I had to ask where out food was and was our waiter was. Â Nothing is the way I remember it, especially the bread. Â The bread used to be a good dark pumpernickel. Â Now it resembles a brown white bread. Â I'm waiting to hear from the manager about the poor service.
Review Source:The food is terrible. Â Our server had zero personality and was borderline rude. Â Is this the best Glenview has to offer? Â For the sake of the residents I hope not. Â I'm not really a fan of chain restaurants, but go to Chili's or Applebee's or whatever you have. Â Just don't go here...yuck.
Review Source:Deeeeelicious!! Do I ever leave here disappointed??---NO!
The food is so scrum-didily-umptious!! My go to is the hot corned beef sandwich on dark rye bread!!!! FENOMENAL
I've never ordered dessert from here, but holy cow I'm thinkin next time I need to. In my most recent visit to this place, the table next to us had ordered a monstrous slice of chocolate cake plus some type of peanut butter cheesecakey-thing :000 they looked soooooo good.
I've been coming here since I was a weee-baby! It is assumed that all family events will be taking place at Hackneys, from rehearsal wedding dinners, First Communions, Baptisms, Birthdays, spontaneous get-togethers--you name it!---with my family, we always meet at Hackneys.
I love the family-owned/historic-charm type feel that this place and the atmosphere has to it. They certainly serve up a nice little slice of Ireland each time you come in. :)
Omg- I had for the 1st time.... Ruben egg rolls and omg they were amazing! Â This place is a burger and beer kinda place that is low key filled with all age groups. Â But omg these egg rolls must have been 10,000 calories but to just try them once is a must! Â I mean a Ruben is already filled with calories and fat then to stuff the Ruben in a roll in deep fry it.... A must try!
Review Source:It's nice of this Hackneys to hire people who obviously can't pass a GED. I have only delt with two younger men and they were both complete morons.
Good thing the food is good. Just save the hassle and go to the harms one!
When I asked if they had waffle fries, or cross cut fries the guy said "huh, what's that?"
When I asked for Au jus to dip my sandwich in the guy said "no. I don't know what that is."
When I told him it was meat juice to dip roast beef or prime rib in he said he had to check.
I asked if the soup had okra, "uuuggghhhh- I'm pretty sure it doesn't cause I have never heard of it" Â
I guess if he didn't know about another kind of French fries, he wouldn't know the vegetable okra either.... My bad.
I'll spare the nostalgic "Hackney's used to be" rant. The onion loaf is still fantastic but the burger I had was disappointing. It was cooked medium, like I had asked...but somehow it was completely dry and densely packed, as if someone had wrung it out like a wet washcloth before putting it on the bun. The few fries that came with it were cold, squishy, and bland. I'm wondering if they cooked the onion loaf and then picked up the rest from Denny's.
Review Source:Hackney's on Lake is a classic staple in the suburbs of Chicago with delicious food, and a great bar to order drinks at. The atmosphere is warm with a very very strong Irish environment. The restaurant is made up of numerous rooms, each with its own name. My favorite room is Circie's Circle, which is a circular room in the middle of the restaurant, right next to the giant bar. The patio seating is also a very nice place to eat on a beautiful day.
I have been coming to Hackney's for 23 years and I have never ordered anything other than the Hackney burger, medium rare, with cheddar on a bun. It is hands down my favorite burger on the planet. Hackney's onion rings are famous around the Chicago area, and let me tell you they are the BEST onion rings you will ever have. They deep fry their onion rings in the form of a loaf, and when you receive it, you have to pull them apart. They are not round like most onion rings, but stringy and golden brown. If you go to Hackney's you must order the onion rings, you would be doing yourself a disservice not to.
Hackney's is a classic institution in the Chicago area. Â The original location is not too far away on Harms and they have a location in the south suburbs. Â Unfortunately their fourth location in Wheeling has recently closed. Â I've been to the other locations and this one is my favorite. Â
The menu is pretty basic and the burgers tend to be the draw here. Â They aren't necessarily anything special but they are a solid burger with your traditional options of cheese or bacon. Â They've always been cooked to order and I've never had to send one back. Â The meat is tasty, though again, not necessarily anything special. Â For an appetizer the onion loaf is good. Â They have a good selection of beers on tap and the prices are good. Â Service is reliable and efficient. Â
The decor of this place is definitely dated with tons of wood paneling and wall decorations. Â That said, it's a reliable three star that's good for lunch.
It sucks to give one of my favorite places to eat in the burbs only 3 stars, but they've just lost it a bit over time. Â It's tough to keep something going for decades on end, but also understandable.
The burger here has just gotten worse over time. Â Forget about everything else on the menu that is and always has been mediocre - you come to Hackney's for the burger and you most likely order it on the dark rye bread. Â It's rooted in Irish history, so the dark rye makes the most sense if you want to order the go-to thing. Â It's just not what it used to be.
What IS good about Hackneys? Â I absolutely love the atmosphere. Â It's so cozy, it's so different, it's so unique. Â I love the location, it's only like a mile off the expressway at Lake Ave. Â I love that they have like 10 different rooms. Â Each one has it's own flair, I like the second one to the right down the hallway. Â I forget what it's called, but it's one of the better and more cozy ones.
Oh, and they have a KILLER caesar salad.
I also love that Hackney's is like a rite of passage for living in suburban Chicago. Â I grew up on the edge of Chicago and Lincolnwood, and although I "technically" was from Chicago, it really was very suburban.
Hackney's is most fun, to me, in the fall and winter. Â It's just got that feel. Â I love it around the holidays, like thanksgiving and Christmas. Â I feel like I'd go visit my parents house, go to an early dinner at Hackney's, maybe hit up Homer's on Green Bay afterwords, and go home and watch a John Hughes movie. Â It's so, so nostalgic, and that's what's going to keep me coming back.
It's out of a bygone era, and I just loved going there when I was growing up. Â One of about ten memories I have, of the one grandfather that was still living as I was a kid, is in the basement of this place. Â It was a really fun new years eve party that my mom's family had. Â Someone gave us a box of party souvenirs, because whoever was assigned to have that duty in my family that year, forgot them. Â I'll always remember it.
In summation, it's so quintessentially suburban Chicago that the food could continue to get worse, and I'm sure a good number of people would still patronize. Â Hackney's is Hackney's, and it's white picket fence in the best way possible.
Looking for a burger later in the night, we decided to go back to Hackney's after a few years of absence. Other than a few menu changes, it looked and felt exactly the same. A little dated, a little boring. You can tell they have regulars who have been coming here for years. Possibly generations.
We ordered the fried onions. Not bad. Kind of like a less greasy onion blossom. We also both went for the pretzel burger. Bread was a bit stale, but not bad. The main problem I has was with the burger. Super bland. I had to add salt, which I almost never do. The meat itself seemed like it was of good quality. Good thing too because my medium rare burger was almost completely rare. Blooooody. The bottom of the bun was almost soaked through red.
Might be a few years before we come back. Not because it was terrible, just bland burgers in a dated environment. It's Hackney's though, you kind of know what you're going to get.
I've always dreamed of the Hackney's hamburgers when I was a kid. Stopping there was an event for summer. We used to stop there on the way back from visiting my aunt.
It's funny how such things consume your thoughts when you're a kid.This was one meal in which we were sure to "clean our plates".
The french fries and onion rings was a perfect addition to the hamburger. Not too soft, not too crisp, they're always perfect, with ketchup on the side, of course.
I went there yesterday for the first time in years. The menus looked at the same.
The smells brought back those summer memories. But, disappointment...
The hamburger was excellent and the fries terrific. But, like they say, you can't go home again. The tastes and smells were quite similar but the experience, the joy of innocent youth and simple pleasures was gone.
Meh.
I ordered a black bean burger on a pretzel bun. Actually, I asked if I could substitute the pretzel burger with a black bean bun, but the waitress apparently didn't understand that. I mean, I just wanted some caramelized onions, man.
Anyways, the pretzel bun didnt taste like a pretzel bun (it was too soft and didn't have the slight sour taste one would expect from a pretzel bun). Also it was really oily. Ew. The black bean patty tasted like flavorless mush. Baby food tastes better. I mean really, it was honestly the most disgusting thing I've eaten in a long time. No seasoning, no texture, no thank you.
Fries were good, though it's pretty hard to mess those up.
I still really want some caramelized onions.
I feel bad for doing this, since I know Hackney's is like an institution in the Chicago Suburbs, but I don't understand the appeal. Â This is my boyfriend's parent's favorite restaurant so we go here often enough that I can say my disappointment is not based on just one visit. Â Hackney's is consistently disappointing.
While I love a good rare steak, I can't stomach rare ground beef, so I order my burgers medium well. Â Order your burger medium well at Hackney's, and you get an oval shaped piece of shoe leather. Â Adding cheese helps a bit, as does grilled onions, but who needs all that extra fat and grease? Â And speaking of grease, the only way to order the onion loaf and not have it soaked in the stuff is to ask the kitchen to "scatter" it for you. Â (which they will do for you without complaint because their staff is stellar and super accommodating!) The fries are just fries, and I don't like that they come in one big bowl at the table. Â I have tried a few other menu items and was equally unimpressed. Â The best thing on the menu? Â Coleslaw. Â But seriously, I can get a better and less expensive burger at the pub down the street.
Met up with some friends for dinner here. Â We all got some kind of burger...I had a bleu cheese burger which was fantastic...cooked how you like it served with fries and their cole slaw. Â Had Green River Soda with it....most of my other friends had the Hackney Burger which looked really good as well. Â Then for dessert we all had apple streudel with ice cream on the side...wow talk about tasty and delicious! Â
When I walked in I felt like I could have been in an old pub in Germany or the UK...they were all decorated for Halloween and fall...there is a very cozy feeling when you're in here enjoying the great food. Â
I'll definitely come back here if the opportunity presents itself....
Best meatloaf in town! Â The place is a landmark inGlenview and the food is consistantly good. Â Wish I could say the same for the service.
The burgers at Hackneys are pretty good size, you will not leave hungry. Â But the waitstaff is pretty much as old as Hackneys so be prepared to wait.
Growing up I always used to pass the one on Harms and wondered how the food was. Â Then I remember asking some people about it and having them rave about how fantastic it was, so I had to try it. Â I have to say I came up quite disappointed. Â
The service was super slow and basically we had to wander around the building to realize that they were indeed open, but just had no host to greet customers or direct them to the back of the building. Â I ordered some grilled cheese with avocado, which was worse than if I had stayed home and made it myself. Â It really just lacked any sort of flavor.
Let's get one thing out of the way - they make a great burger. No doubt about it.
Having said that, this particular location was a favorite but the last 2-3 visits have been terrible.
Aside from the wait staff being slow to respond they have messed up our order the last three times we've been there. Despite the woman I live with asking for her burger to be very, very well done it always comes out the same - medium well at best. You almost get the sense they are firing out as many burgers as they can and not cooking them to order. We order grilled onions on the side every single time - nope, can't remember that.
The fries are much better here than the Printers Row location (not sure why there is a difference but there is).
Did they jack their prices up over the last year or so? Sure seems like it.
Finally, I love old people ... actually my family is filled with great old people. Just know that this location is a hot-bed for seniors so take your time getting in, out and moving throughout the dining room. Old people are cute and all but they just don't all have that lively spring in their step anymore.
MMMM. Â This is a tasty burger. Â And I eat a lot of tasty burgers, because my fiancee is a carnivore, which makes me a carnivore, too. Â I washed it down with a Domaine Dupage from our friends at Two Brothers because this location specializes in local brews. Â You might still be able to get a Sprite if you like.
While Hackney's also has a five dollar milkshake, I did not try it - they don't put bourbon in it or nothing.
Still worth a stop.
In college, our dorms were located directly across the street from this place downtown Chicago. And, while living in that spot for almost two years, I barely went. Prob cuz I was a broke ass college student. LOL
I started off my meal with the pre-requisite onion loaf. My bf explained that this was the mecca for the onion loaf. I didn't quite know what to expect. Would it be onions mushed together and dense like meatloaf? No, it was sliced, fried onions that had been conjealed and shaped into a loaf. That comes in a half or full-order option. They offered ranch and bbq sauce as dipping options. I selected the ranch and the bf ate it with ketchup and musturd, ew. He informed me "back in the day" they used to only offer a mustard sauce. MMM K.
Anyway, the two times I had been there pre-yesterday, I always seemed to be drawn to their burgers. My two faves: the Inside-Out Burger and patty melt. They bake freshly baked buns and rye bread and they are soft and chewy which compliment the burgers which are juicy and cooked to perfection (your way). They also have a pretzel roll, which is an upcharge of .50. I'm definitely getting the inside out burger done that way next time!
The Inside-Out burger's name insinuates exactly what the title means. All the toppings that would be on top of the burger are now stuffed in the center-- cheddar cheese and bacon bits! Yummy, ooey gooey goodness. Â It comes served with french fries and homemade slaw (mayo/horseradish based). We split the burger and went on our merry way with full bellies.
I like Hackney's, and will most likely be back again. I think next time I'll venture out and try the fish n chips.
Hackney's is one of those local restaurants that people in the area swear by (most likely due to the familiarity of the decor and/or the homemade taste of the food.) Â But it gets to a point with any one of these types of restaurants where you have to wonder if the experience matches the hype. Â After going here on a handful of occasions for lunch, I can honestly say....eh.
The first thing I noticed about this place is the massive senior citizen population. Â I mean, it seriously rivals that of an Old Country Buffet. Â Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you're going here expecting a laid back drinking hole to watch the big game with people your age (give or take 30 years), think again.
The food is ok, but definitely not what it was built up to be. Â The Hackneyburgers are sub-par and even the famous "Inside Out" burger couldn't take my taste buds to a new level. Â The Fish and Chips were greasier than a baby oil wrestling contest at Hooters and the homemade cole slaw is always served in a (mysteriously) soggy cup.
They do earn major points for having Green River on tap (because seriously, who has Green River on tap anymore??) and they also have a pretty decent beer selection. Â The service has also been generally good and they hook you up with as many fries as you can eat with the purchase of a sandwich. Â All-you-can-eat anything is usually a booyah.
So I guess if you have family in or near Glenview, by all means swing by and see what it's all about. Â If not, don't make it a stop on your next road trip. Â You might be disappointed.
Oh, Hackney's. Â You are the place the Cunninghams would frequent if they lived in Glenview.
I've been to breakfast, lunch, dinner and a really good Bat Mitzvah in the basement and the charm never gets old. Â However, based on other reviews, I get the impression that one person's "charm" is another person's "place for old people." Â Who cares, so what.
Besides the food - grilled cheese! Â Thanksgiving-style turkey sandwiches! onion loaf! - and drink - Green River! - Hackney's offers such amenities as a game room for the kids and a cigarette machine for the grown-ups.
They also have divided the space into "rooms" with actual names. Â But throughout, there is dark plaid wallpaper and wood paneling you haven't seen in a home in several decades. Â There are also maps of Ireland and huge family reunion photos in the entryway. Â The maps are interesting for genealogists (my mom) and the photos are interesting for anyone who thinks the '80s were funny (me). Â
This is also the festive place to be for the holidays, when carolers and bagpipers roam through the rooms.
Win!
I've driven by this place so many times and never even considered going here because it looks like the type of place old people go to hang out. My friend asked me if I wanted to meet him and his wife there for dinner, so I said sure. I had no idea what Hackney's was until I drove up and noticed it was that place that I drove by all the time and ignored. And I turned out to be right in thinking it was a place where old people go to hang out! It looked like most of the people there were over 60 years old. So unless you have some fetish for old folks, this is not the place to go to meet people of the opposite sex.
I had a turkey burger and a Stiegel beer. Their beer selection is quite good for a place in the suburbs that mostly caters to old people. The burger was pretty good. Cole slaw was not very good. French fries were just ok... nothing to rave about.
So I'm giving this place a pretty generous 4 stars because of their deal after 8pm where you get any burger with any beer for $10. What a steal!
Hackney's burgers are good...maybe even great. That is really all it has going for it. People have been coming here for years and love the consistency in the burgers and onion ring loaf, so they do not care so much about the always-bad service.
I've been here a few times and always like getting the burger...today it was on pretzel bread (yummy). Our waitress was a little older and could not hear very well, but I was surprised by how fast she was working, until I realized we were her only table.
This is definitely an average burger place for someone living in the city, but a really good burger place for a suburbanite.
Went here for a birthday dinner. The onion rings? Lived up to the hype. For apps, I noticed the reuben egg rolls. Weird sounding, but definitely tempting. Since I had already gone with the onion rings those reuben rolls will have to wait until next time.
For the main course I had the Reuben sandwich. (Can you detect a pattern here??) The corned beef was fantastic. My only complaint is that their famous dark rye bread gets kinda soggy because the sandwich is so juicy.
On to dessert. I tried the snickers ice cream pie. It was homemade, and very good, but WAY too big for just one person not to share.
Hackney's is a good, solid choice for special occasions- I'm not surprised they have been around for so long!
I'm sure nostalgia is going to color my review, but here it is: Â I love Hackney's. Â I love the onion rings, I love the burgers and that they never change, I love the fact that they have like 8 rooms all with different names, and when they send you to one, the host/hostess at that room doesn't seem to have any knowledge that you were on your way. Â I love that I recognize the servers who have been there for years, and that Hackney's has maintained the same uniform from when I was a kid. Â I love that, on any given visit, I encounter at least one family with all generations from newborns to octogenarians.
Hackney's has added to their menu over the years, but I have never been here when I haven't had a Hackneyburger (my big decision is cheddar or Swiss) so I can't tell you much about the rest of the food. Â Seriously, though, why bother? Â This place was built on their burgers. Â Have one. Â It'll be good for you.
I have to say that I have been a fan of Hackney's for YEARS! Â We have tried several of their locations and always had a good time. Â But after today's lunch it will be a long time before I think about returning.
We arrived at this location at 11:30 for lunch and ordered the onion loaf and drinks. I have to say that part of the meal was good. Right before we received our appetizer my husband and I placed our lunch order. Nothing complicated, just 2 Hackney burgers medium rare with cheese and I asked for grilled onions on the side.
We finished our appetizer and the waitress stated that our burgers should be up in a few minutes. It was another 20 minutes before the food arrived. Both burgers were cut in half (like they always do) and both were well done. We sent the food back immediately. She left the fries which were only luke warm to begin with.
About 10 minutes later our burgers came back again, also cut in half and this time they were VERY rare...mostly raw. At this point we were done...we asked for a manager who comped our soda and onion loaf and apologized.
I just can't figure out how, if the burgers are cut before they leave the kitchen, they can't get it right...it only shows me that they didn't seem to care about quality.
After celebrating my husband's birthday on Friday night and consuming most, if not all of the beer, etc. in the Chicago-land area, we were in desperate need of good food in a cozy setting. I had a hankering for a Hackney's patty melt, and the man wanted an onion loaf, but what we didn't want was to make the drive to the South Loop for Hackney's, and then I remembered that they have other locations. We looked them up and the Glenview spot was closest to us. Off we went on a Hackney's adventure.
We arrived around 6:00 on a Saturday night, and it was about as crowded as you'd expect. This location is an old house..an old HUGE house that is seemingly never ending once you step inside. This place is completely old school inside, and I completely loved it..wood paneling, low lights, cozy booths, and a sweet bar area next to the Victoria room that will fo shizzle be my hang out spot. I'm pretty sure that other than the young children who were there dining with family, we were the youngest people in the joint, but, you know what? It was really nice. It's the kind of place where locals go on a weekly, if not daily basis, as we witnessed much happy greeting in the cozy bar area. They even have a small game room by the front door which is great for kids and adults alike.
Our waitress, Rosalind, was attentive, sweet, and very funny. We placed our drink order and apps, and she recommended that my husband's onion loaf be prepared well-done, and what a great recommendation it was. The loaf was nice and crunchy with no soggy parts, and perfect for pulling apart and consuming. I ordered the reuben rolls, and was skeptical as my only experience with these has been Maders in Milwaukee. What, you ask, is a reuben roll? Oh, just a bit of crazy goodness that you'd think would make you hurl, yet it's quite the opposite. Diced corn beef with sauerkraut, wrapped in a won-ton wrapper served with 1000 Island for dipping? Ohhhh, ain't NOTHIN wrong with that. Â And, these babies are huge so plan to share.
We split an 8 oz. patty melt on dark rye with american cheese and mustard, and a side of their delicious slaw. NOTE: it's even more delicious if you put the slaw right on the burger..yum. Sadly we had no room for desert, but wound up staying for another round (iced tea for me) and enjoying the Brewers game with the locals. And the longer we stayed we saw more people our age wander in.
Hackney's in Glenview is one of those places that feels like home. The setting is warm and inviting, the staff is friendly, and the food delicious. I can see many fall and winter afternoons spent here enjoying a mug of Hofbrau and watching the Bears.
This is the kind of place that your grandparents would like, and the exact kind of place that my husband hates with wood paneling on the walls, tall booths and mirrored beer signs on the walls. Â Unfortunately for him, we were in the suburbs and I wanted a burger, Hackney's was nearby and I remembered that they had good burgers from when I lived up there years ago.
The burger was good. Â Not great, but very good. Â They're quite adept at getting them to the right level of doneness, while maybe erring on the slightly rare side which is A-OK with me. Â We also ordered a half order of onion rings, which is actually one of those onion loaves. Â Good god, by the time we got out of there I think I had my saturated fat quota met for the month. Â And one rip roaring case of heart burn. Â But that's what I get I guess for being full of baby but trying to stuff in the double no-no of fried and onions.
I think people who grew up with Hackney's like it a lot more than the rest of us. Â No way is this the best burger ever, let alone in the city. Â But it'll get the job done if you need some fatty beef on a bun.
Like many things in Suburbia, this Hackneys did not knock my socks off . The decor reminded me of an old hunting lodge - charming but not all that appetizing.
I was here with a group of six on a Wednesday night. . . we waited and waited for our seventh who never showed so I will give our waitress a patience point there. Â The onion loaf was tasty to start. . .but where was the sauce? Â That tangy shizz that adds even more cals to one big artery bomb? Â I missed it for sure.
I opted for the buffalo burger because I wanted a leaner dinner (cancels out the loaf) but could never bring myself to steer far from a burger. Â Mike's sister ordered this as well and stressed she did not want it pink. Â I hear ya sister, pink buffalo insides don't thrill me either. Â I wanted a salad too but this was not a side option. . .even with an extra charge. Â Blast. I went with fries but when out meal came, I found out we all had "communal fries". Â Not a fan - I wanted my own stash. Â How was the buffalo? Â Pink, pink, pink! Â What the sniff? Â I still ate it since out meal time approached the two hour mark.
This Hackney's didn't do it for me (even with two tasty, non-wicked cheap glasses of wine). Â If I find my sorry bum out in this burbs again (wherever it may be. . .who knows? Â I am a suburbaphobe!) I will hunt for a new place to try.
This place is running on the fumes of its reputation among the previous two generations of locals. Â Hopefully it sputters and dies a rightful death as people begin to wise up.
I've been here twice for lunch on a weekday, and the service was slooooooow both times. Â It should not take 80 minutes from soup to nuts (figure of speech--we just had burger, side, and drink) even during the lunch rush. Â The first time that I came, I ordered a turkey burger and received, 25 minutes later, a regular burger. Â At that point, I simply ate it without complaint. Â Also, the waitress never came by to offer drink refills.
The food was mediocre.
Sorry, Baby Boomers--this place is past its prime, if there ever was one.
We received a door hanger promotion for buy one, get one free. As the expire date was fast approaching, we decided to dine at Hackney's, early on a Friday evening.
The parking lot is huge and fills up quickly. The size of the restaurant is deceiving, because there are many small rooms. The hostess asked us if we wanted a table or a booth and then told us which room to go into, so we sat ourselves.
The decor is dated--dark paneling, dark carpeting and dark furniture. Our waiter arrived quickly with a carafe of water. We started with a half-order of onion rings. A full-order is only a dollar more, but adds another 10,000 calories! Hackney's onion rings are delicious and of course, greasy.
We decided to split a Hackney Burger ("straight from our butcher") and a Chicken Cesar Salad. We casually mentioned to our waiter we were going to split our entrees. We were pleasantly surprised to see our salad arrive in two bowls and our burger, cut in half on two plates. I thought this was really nice service.
I asked for the burger to be cooked medium and it arrived medium rare. My wife doesn't like to see red, so she was disappointed. I was expecting to see a hand packed burger, but instead found it oval shaped and machine formed. It appears to have been cooked on a flat grille--not flame broiled. Still, it wasn't bad.
The Chicken Cesar Salad was excellent with fresh greens and plenty of chicken. It's servied with a muffin, which they halved for us, and Cesar dressing on the side.
Our waiter was very attentive, but not obtrusive. It was a pleasant dining experience. On the way out, there was a line waiting at the door and the parking lot was near capacity.
I had been to the Hackney's in the South Loop and remembered enjoying it, so when a friend and I were in the area and were passing by over lunch, we decided to give this location a shot. Â
This is completely an old-school restaurant: dark lighting, dark carpeting, etc. Â It looks like a place my grandparents always used to go (which was definitely the case here).
My friend had the reuben and was pleased, but not wowed. Â I had the chicken avocado sandwich, which had way too much cheese(and I LOVE cheese). Â The sandwich simply tasted greasy and lacked any other ingredients besides the chicken, avocado, and cheese to give it any kick. Â However, the fries were great.
I had to flag down our waitress for refills, but I still felt we got decent service - some other hostess/waitress actually walked by twice to ask how everything was going, which was surprising.
I'd probably come back for a burger, but the other menu items leave something to be desired.
I had seen this place on Guy Fieri's Food Network show (did I mention I kinda know that guy?) and it looked like they had faboo burgers. Â My mom was in town so I thought I'd take her there for dinner. Â
First off, the place is freaking HUGE. Â It goes on forever. Â I can't imagine that it is ever filled to capacity. Â I was just amazed at how big it was and certainly glad of the size considering all of the cars in the lot at 5:30 on a Monday night.
The service was pretty mediocre at best. Â They failed my water test. Â If I have to ask for a refill, you lose. Â At least they leave you with a carafe of water. Â Unfortunately, when you have four people, two of which drink like fish, it's not that great of a deal. Â
We started with the famous onion loaf. Â It was good, but it wasn't the food of the heavens like I had heard. Â I had gone in with the intention of ordering the inside out burger but I was lured into the turkey pot-pie special after seeing someone at another table eating it. Â Hubby ordered the blue cheese burger, mom ordered the mini-Hackney burgers and the bub ordered the chicken fingers with broccoli instead of fries.
Hubby liked his burger okay but said it was nothing to rave about. Â Son liked his food fine. Â I was soooooooooo disappointed in my pot pie. Â It was huge but a huge amount of blandness is not a good thing. Â I hardly ever put extra salt on my food but I put tons of salt and pepper on it and it still didn't help. Â Blech! Â It looks 1,000 times better than it tastes. Â Mom's burgers were a bit dry but pretty yummy. Â She gave me a couple since I didn't like my dish. Â The cole slaw is AWESOME and tastes great on the hammies.
I'll probably go back and try the inside out burger and maybe bump it up a star but the food wasn't great and the service was pretty lacking.
My perspective is different from many of the other reviewers, who've been coming here since childhood. Â Somehow I (and my husband) made it well into adulthood without visiting Hackney's. Â We've passed them many times, but until I read the raves on Yelp, I was never compelled to stop in.
So as a newbie, I give a solid 4 stars. Â True to the hype as far as burgers go. Â I had an unadorned Hackeyburger (no seasonings, no mushrooms - only cheese) that was perfectly cooked. Â True medium. Â I loved it. Â My husband also praised his bleu cheese burger - he said he tasted the bleu cheese in the burger, as well as what was atop the patty. Â
We had to try the onion loaf. Â We passed about 10 signs touting it on the way to being seated : no trans fat, they proclaimed. Â True enough, but there was enough grease to lube a car. Â I liked that they didn't overdo the breading - it actually clung to the onion, which had a nice sweet taste. Â But the grease overload forced me to stop after consuming about a quarter of it.
Overall, a nice atmosphere. Â I liked the dim lighting with the individual lamps on the tables. Â Big booths. Â Definitely a family place, and there is a preponderance of senior citizens who eat here. Â I'm fairly sure we were the youngest customers in the room, which never happens. Â Not a complaint, just a FYI.
Not a beer drinker, but my husband is and - for what it's worth - he said their beer menu was extensive. Â The food portions are big, so we were too full to try any dessert (although the Snickers ice cream pie sounded tempting).
We'll plan to come back in summer, when we can eat on their outdoor patio.
Alan was right about this being a North Shore tradition. For years, families have been going here to clog their arteries with the onion loaf and Hackneyburgers, and the formula still works today. This is a much bigger restaurant than all of the other Hackney's locations I've visited, so the wait for a table is usually not bad. A friend and I took our Loyola Academy Homecoming Dance dates here sophomore year. Yeah, we knew how to treat a woman even back then.
The corned beef and cabbage plate was always a winner- it was like being able to celebrate St. Patrick's Day all year round. Long live this North Shore classic!
Yeah, it's greasy and the service isn't exactly um, well, completely "together," shall we say, but the burgers are still the best despite not being deep fried anymore, and you cannot beat the onion loaf, extra crispy. Â I practically grew up at this restaurant and probably spent hundreds of dollars in my dad's quarters in the video game room here, if it's still there (I didn't check last time I was in).
I will always have the fondest memories of Hackney's. Plus the family of a really cool girl with whom I went to junior high school runs them and they're great people.
This place is like a maze. When I was a youngster I would get lost somewhere between the arcade room and whereever my family was sitting.
... I had my 21st birthday party here.
... We celebrated my grandma's life with over 50 people here after her funeral.
It's a place I love and will always hold dear in my heart.
(And the food kicks ass too.)
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