Sammy's Touch

I have no idea why people seem to be falling all over themselves praising this place. I went there today and had a gyro, and not only was it overpriced at around $6, it was terrible. The meat was dry and lacked the right spices -- as compared to other gyro lamb meat I've had -- and the yogurt sauce was also ho-hum. They only tossed a few onions on it, and single half slice of tomato. I'm skeptical of all these gushing reviews given my experience there, but who knows, maybe this was a fluke.

So I'm an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, and it wasn't until this summer that I discovered this marvelous gem in a hidden corner of my lovely school.

Before I start, I would first like to point out that my rating system for restaurants in Hyde Park is highly relative in that a 5 at a Hyde Park restaurant will almost never equate to a 5 in any other part of Chicago, simply because Hyde Park is pretty dismal not only in its selection of restaurants, but also in the quality of food served in its restaurants.

Now that we have that clear, onto the food. Over the summer, I made several trips to Sammy's and had the opportunity to try a variety of their culinary offerings. From my trips, I have come to the conclusion that the two best things here out of the ones that I have tried are the burritos and gyros. The hamburgers are pretty subpar and the Italians ought to be avoided unless you're craving dry meat and peppers. Yet, although Sammy's is pretty middling at some of its offerings, the restaurant excels in its burritos and gyros. I assure you that you will be hard-pressed to find a better chicken burrito in Hyde Park, unless you go to Qdoba in Hutchinson Commons, but why would you actually set foot on the campus of "Where Fun Comes to Die?" It's also hard for me to express how amazing the gyros are here because they're damn amazing.

With regards to the ambience and what-not, I will concede that Sammy's isn't the cleanest joint in Hyde Park. Then again, neither is Harold's Chicken Shack, and that hasn't kept it from becoming a Hyde Park staple with its notoriously delicious and unhealthy fried chicken. If I had a penny for every student who's been to Harold's, I probably would still not be able to pay my parents back for my college tuition, but that's clearly besides the point.

I would also like to mention that Sammy's generally has trashy reality court shows on the television during lunch time, so for the weak at heart, I suggest you come prepared.

So why not give it a try? I promise you won't be severely disappointed. Also, did I mention that the prices here are dirt cheap and you get free soda if you have proof that you're a UofC student?

Awesome grease joint with free soda for UofC students. Try the burritos and the nachos, it's the best mexican food in hyde park (with huge portions) and it's not even what theyre known for!