We were craving hot dogs on a Sunday and since none of our usual stands were open, we headed to Lulu's. Service was really quick and friendly. Just make sure you have cash, otherwise there is an ATM in back. The hot dogs were typical Chicago style dogs while the fries were a tad undercooked for my liking. I would like to frequent Lulu's, so hopefully they can cook their fries a little more next time.
Review Source:The first time I tried an italian beef I did not see what the big deal was. Â Then I came here and tried it and it was AMAZING! Â Also, the customer service there was awesome and they were helpful and great people! Â Place was clean and food was awesome! Â Glad I went there and I will remember it for future trips to CHI. Â Must visit and do the italian beef with provolone and the spicy peppers.
Review Source:Good for a quick fast food bloated artery bomb but nothing that special. Their fries are good. Ribs are good, chicken wings are actually really good, but the creepy mural on the side of the building makes me want to say, thanks but no thanks. Also, I have been standing in line and def felt like I was being mean mugged, and I was. This is directly across the street from the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center and I think that bad energy fucks with the qi in this place, namaste.
Review Source:Lulu's is great. The main reason for their greatness is the staff. Â They are all super friendly, and when they take your order, they repeat it in a really loud voice to the cook, even though he's like, 1.5 feet away. Â It's much more fun that way though, which I'm sure is why they do it. Also, the main guy who is usually running the register looks JUST like Rahm Emanuel. As for the food, I can say that the hot dogs and the burgers are de-lish. Fries, not so much. They're kinda wriggly and not that great. Cash only, parking lot next to it, dining room is kinda like a cafeteria and has lots of posters from the 90's up. Â All in all, a solid 4 stars! You guys are great!
Review Source:I have such love for Lulu's I can't even describe it properly. Â This place is old school in the absolute best of ways. Â The service is prompt, funny, and from guys who take the time to get to know their customers in an unobtrusive way.
They've got a huge menu, and if something's not up there, if you beg, they can probably come up with it. Â Honestly, this lunch-counter (and it's totally a lunch-counter place) is MY hot dog stand in the city. Â Their food is cheap and good, but what really ups the experience is the staff. Â I've been coming here off and on for twelve years, and I'm always remembered and greeted with a smile and an inquiry about what's going on in my life.
Chicago's neighborhood hot dog joints are really where it's at, and this one will always be mine!
(They are cash-only, but there is an ATM in the seating area. Â They also have a parking lot, and are super-accessible.)
Pros: The hot-dogs...well they taste like hot-dogs. DELICIOUS. Â The employees are suuuper nice. The hot dogs come with a healthy serving of fries. Â Also tried the ribs here. I usually don't like ribs, but i ate these with joy.
Cons: Some of their customers are creepy. Don't go there alone if you are a female, you will get stared at...hard.
Note: its not on leavit St. its on the corner of Damen and Taylor.
After a couple of decades of never giving this place a chance, I am glad I finally tried it. Â
This is an old-school, dated, joint with perhaps the coolest guys working behind the counter in Chicago.
Most of the napkin dispensers were empty and there was only one ketchup cup, but I asked for these items and they were promptly restocked. Â
The customers range from the gritty to the white collar worker, there was a nice mix on the day I was there, from those going to hear their punishments at the juvenile detention center across the street to those prosecuting them. Â
I had the cheeseburger with fries, I stuck to a basic item since it was my first time. Â It was good, nothing out of the ballpark, but good enough to have again. Â I had my cheeseburger trimmed with onions, pickles and mustard, wow, were those onions strong and plentiful. Â I had to remove about half of them, so next time I will ask for easy on the onion. Â
Cash only, but they have an ATM in the spacious seating area. Â They have one TV in the dining area, it was on the Cub's game. Â
When I am in the area and I am hungry, this is my spot. Â And a big reason has to do with the great attitude of the guys working there.
Fast food & friendly service at its finest. Lulu's has the largest assortment of fast food choices that I have ever encountered. They only accept cash, however they have an ATM conveniently located inside. One evening I came in and totally forgot to get cash. As I cried to myself a "damn, I don't have cash on me"...one of the sweet young guys offered to take care of the bill. As a strong, independent woman, I kindly refused and walked over to the ATM. I always look forward to eating at this place and catch some laughs with the guys. The guys are always friendly and never have an attitude. Come in and grab a bite to eat!
Review Source:Al's watch out--this beef is the real thing!! Â Lots of meat great hot peppers and who could not add the friendly counter staff---they know the neighborhood and know their patrons--have gone back several times and they always seem to remember--and who could not love the views!! Â LOL Â Â Hot dog special is my second favorite, but they have specials all week long.
Review Source:It had been eons since I'd frequented Lulu's but I made it a point to do so one sunny fall afternoon, famished after running a laundry list of errands. I had been craving a burger and spotted the words "Paul Bunyan" in the corner of my eye as I strolled in to Lulu's. The Paul Bunyan is a double burger served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese served on French bread. For the massive burger, a side of fries and a medium iced tea, the damage to the pocketbook was only a mere dent of about $10. If you're looking for a little less to gorge on, try one of their combo specials.
Review Source:I went to try out Lulu's on my quest for the best Italian beef sandwich in Chicago and Lulu's gave me a pleasant surprise. I was expecting it to be a place where the hot dogs are good (which they are) and everything else kinda sub-par but I was wrong. The beef was so fresh and juicy. The sandwich was stuffed with beef, not like the skimpy ones you see at Al's Beef. The seasoning was amazing. The service was great as well. They remembered us when we came back the next day to feed our addictions. They also have a hot dog special with two everything hot dogs and fries for under 5 bucks. Who can beat that!? I will definitely be returning many more times. I am no longer going to waste my money at Al's (or leave with greasy hands because Lulu's has a bathroom unlike Al's). Lulu's here I come! One word of warning... they sometimes close earlier than 1 am on the weekends... I learned the hard way and had to settle for a burrito on Friday :(.
Review Source:For years my buddy has been recommending restaurants and they always seem to fall short. FINALLY, he suggested a winner with Lulu's.
Lulu's is housed in a free standing building with its own parking lot. The dining area is quite large and clean. While busy on a weekday lunch, I was surprised the place wasn't jammed. It's in the area of several hospital complexes with many people.
I ordered a beef-sausage combo, fries and a diet coke to absorb the excess calories. The combo sandwich was delicious and served on fresh Italian bread with sweet peppers. I'm not an Italian beef person, but this was excellent. The fries are of the standard frozen variety and just so-so.
My sandwich was wrapped in a DQ (Dairy Queen foil wrapper) and our drinks were served in out-of-state surplus paper cups. I really like it when a restaurant does this. In this case I think it means they care more about a fresh, quality product than a pretty monogrammed box, wrapper or cup.
The staff was friendly and engaging. They remembered my buddy, what he usually eats and joked about his girlfriend being absent. You won't find this banter at a chain store restaurant--only at a mom and pop.
There's one bathroom that's faithful to a fast food dive, but it was clean. I wish this joint was closer as I would come on a regular basis. I hope to be back soon though and look forward to trying something else from their extensive menu.
Nice job Lulu's!
Reasons I keep going back -
1. service - the staff is very nice, a little old school (being called Sweetie or Baby won't get ya anything extra in the tip jar), but it's a mom-and-pop/family owned spot, and I'd rather support that than a McDonalds or BK any day.
2. reasonable/reliable - more bang for your buck. Bigger and meatier portions than a chain for around $5ish.
3. the yummy catfish sandwich...and it comes with fries
You gotta be kidding me. A grilled barbecued turkey leg with a mountain of fries (and garlic bread) and a drink for less than $4.89. Â This is 2010, Baby, what's the catch? There is no catch!
Ya' just gotta boogie down to Ogden Avenue.
One of my jobs has me down in that neighborhood for long stretches on Saturdays. Today's breakfast was their 2 hot dogs (trimmings and fries) for $4.00. Perfect way to start the day.
Dinner was this turkey leg dinner. Now I will try anything at a restaurant - anything. But the idea of a turkey leg meal for 4 bucks seemed too good to be true... or was it...
I sat and waited for just a few minutes and was pleasantly surprised when I was handed my white Styrofoam container of heaven. This leg was succulent and delicious - not gamy and dry like a turkey can be.
I - uncharacteristically - savored each bite (as opposed to wolfing it down like starving urchin). It was culinary highlight of 2010 (so far).
The guys that run LULU'S are old-school guys from the neighborhood. They are polite and friendly - in a gruff kind of way. Everyone knows everyone and asks about the family.
It is rare - these days - to be treated so well in a hot dog joint (except Donald Duk's on Ashland - but that is a different story) .
These guys were like old buddies who were cooking your dinner.
I have only one complaint is the seating areas has tables with affixed chairs - they do swivel out - but they are not built for tubby diners like myself. I had to do a little shimmy-shake to get into the comfort zone to enjoy my meal.
They have regular specials - price busting deals - great service - awesome Chicago-centric art/photos on the wall. Â
If you haven't been there yet - yo ureally gotta get in there.
I'll see you there...
I was staying at the nearby UIC campus guest housing for an interview. I had no idea where there was any food so I just started walking west. Little did I know, if I had walked a little east, I would have eventually hit the Italian and Greek neighborhoods. Instead, I came upon this shanty hole-in-the-wall. It seems like this place came straight out of the 80's. All the decor was outdated, but it had a nostalgic feel to it. Although it was probably way past its prime, I decided to give it a shot because most good local places aren't particularly flashy in appearance. I ordered the double Italian special, which came with fries and a drink and the food came out in about 10 seconds. I sat myself down in a completely empty dining room and saw a very sad looking sausage with various toppings. It was greasy and didn't taste great, but at that point, I hadn't eaten in almost a whole day so I could have eaten anything. The fries tasted like the oil had been reused for a long time. As I was just finishing up my Italian dog, I overheard some people referring to me as "oriental." I guess that's how I knew I was on the wrong side of town. I quickly finished up my fries and left. It was an interesting experience and kind of weird, but don't think I will return for a second try.
Review Source:I find it interesting all the cups here are from restaurants that are not Lulus. Â Hmm. Â Food here is greasy and but ok. Â I'm a fan of the pizza burger, but beware, they pile on enough garlic powder on it to kill you co-workers with your breath. Â The garlic actually stings as you as you chew. Â But that burger is delicious. Â Prices are reasonable. Â I prefer the "Twister" (curly) fries, which take a bit to cook up. Â The normal fries are just fine. Â I can't comment on the dog, as sadly, I like plain dogs, so its always a waste of money for me to order a Chicago dog, unless its like one dollar. Â Minor gripe though, the shakes are thick, like frosties, they don't whip them soft, for either broken equipment or speed reasons I imagine. Â If you feel like frosty though, this is the shake for you. Â This place has long lines, but moves them out quick, eat in area is bigger than you expect as well. Â Lots of us civil service type workers eat here for lunch, very working class type of place.
Review Source:All the articles appearing in metropolitan Chicago publications about hot dogs prompted me to get to this fabled hot dog stand again. LuLu's has been around a long time. How can an 'insider' tell? Its street address is on Leavitt St. But Leavitt St. doesn't run by it any more. It was cul-de-sac'd a half-block north. LuLu's is now on the southwest corner of Ogden Ave. & Taylor St. Another way you can tell it has been around a long time is go inside and notice a reproduction of a Chicago Sun-Times readers' responses to one of Pat Bruno's fast-service-restaurant articles. It dates from 1983. You should recognize a familiar name represented thereupon.
Was it a good hot dog? Yes, it was. The size here has always been the 'tens'. It was the best hot dog value in the city. Back in 1983, _not many people_ knew about it.
Back then, the standard was a branded David Berg hot dog. David Berg ultimately was bought out by Vienna Sausage Mfg. Co., and whatever brand hot dog is being served here now is unknown to me. (It may even be not strictly kosher.)
Is it still the best hot dog in the city? Sorry, no. But the bar has been raised considerably in the subsequent years. Lulu's is _still_ one of the best hot dog _values_ in the city. Two hot dogs will now cost you $3.25. The french fries are still institutional, but they're well prepared, and you get a reasonable quantity of them. (I won't spoil this review by otherwise mentioning other hot dog stands where it seems the amount of french fries you get with the "special" are strictly rationed to try and compel you to buy an additional order.)
There are now a number of other entrees, including hamburgers, shrimp, catfish, perch, and chicken offered in a combination special. Amazingly for the neighborhood, there is a free parking lot aside. It is open until 11:00 pm on Monday - Thursday, 1:00 am on Friday & Saturday, and 10:00 pm on Sunday. Another aspect which has changed over the past quarter-century is that in 1983, I would not have attempted to walk the four blocks from the Blue Line "L"'s Illinois Medical District station [Damen exit]. The westbound #12 Roosevelt bus jogs north to Taylor via Damen along this span. The #38 Ogden | Taylor bus serves here, but only during weekday sunlight hours.
Hungry and looking for a place with all the gritty feel of a Chicago detective story? Â
Lulu's is pure Chicago - hot dogs ('everything' does not include ketchup which every Chicagoan knows!), Polish sausage, Italian beef, and meatball sandwiches - served up fast and hot. Â There's plenty of parking and a large dining area that's kept clean and tidy.
Everyone from cops on the beat, docs from nearby County Hospital, neighborhood locals, and university students file in and out of Lulu's for good, inexpensive, authentic Chicago west-side dining.
Hours:
Monday - Thursday 10A - 11P
Friday and Saturday 10A - 1A
Sunday 10A - 10P.
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