The Disaster is why you go there. If you are really hungry, I'd go for the "Animal".
There is additional seating if you walk into the back thru the doorway on the right of the Kitchen area. It's okay, they wont yell at you. Some recent remodeling made it nicer back there.
Bathroom is in the basement, the stairs are by the entrance.
This is a high school kids' hang out. We were probably 2 of about 5 people in a jam packed Sarki's that were not in high school. Not that I didn't enjoy the young bloods around me - ah to be young and naive again!
So this place was HYPED up for me. I came with someone who had been visiting Sarki's since high school and had some great memories from this place and admittedly the cheesy hash browns were pretty good! But I was a tad disappointed with the bacon loretta, it wasn't as flavorful as I thought it was going to be and even with the veggies and cheese, could've used more seasoning and sauteeing. The french bread was a little too chewy and didn't really help the bacon shine at all. Had the bread been a little less stale and had I chosen chorizo or gone with a Disaster sandwich, I may have been happier.
But there's gotta be a reason why it's so packed all the time! I'll be back but to try something other than Loretta's (note that 90% of people who were there ordered a Loretta).
It's not that hard to make a ham and cheese sandwich. But it's hard to make them as good a sarkis cafe does. I'm out in New York now but when I come back to Wilmette, I'm almost as happy to see my family as I am to see this little shack on ridge road.
Waking up isn't the same when you know you have a Loretta waiting for you. And for only 6 bucks, who could resist. Just make sure you get there before the line of high school students stretches down the block.
(This review reflects my visit from 2010)
I used to love this dump, but i realize how unsafe they leave the meat next to the can of pops in the fridge.
the owner is drunk, hits on the high school girls, and i'll admit their service was top notch at one point, but the last few times i've been to sarks, it was awefulit took me 2 orders and nearly 1 hour to get a f#cking ham loretta!
Well the last review says it all regarding the sanitation standards. My 16 year old had an omelet on Sunday and he has been sick all night and still sick and could not to go to school on Monday. I had gone there with him last year and was a little horrified with the lack of sanitation in the place, but I guess he is young and will recover although he says he has been CURED of the urge to go to Sarkis again.
Review Source:Keep your party small. Â Leave the wife at home. Â Wash your hands at home. Â Do not go to the bathroom here. Â Do not look too closely to the food preparation or the cleanliness of the facility. Â Take the teens here to eat a weekend breakfast. Â Â This can be a teenager, hangover, stoner, haven. Â All the North Shore kids love this place. Â
I like the breakfast sandwiches here. Â They are great about special orders. Â To go orders are great too.
Loretta's or Disasters. Â It's eggs, cheese, mayo, vegetables, all loaded into a soft roll of French bread.
Don't forget the cheesy hash browns.
The servers here are friendly, and the restaurant itself is rather pleasantly quaint. Â It's a nice place to grab some breakfast in the early morning with a friend. Â Food-wise, you could find tastier dishes and coffee elsewhere. Â However, if you want big portions at a cheap price and longing for those old school diners in the Northshore area, Sarkis is the place for you.
Review Source:Been going to Sarkis since I was a little girl. Â My family and I loved it! My Dad used to bring home disaster sandwiches for us at least twice a month. Â Ever since Sarkis sold the food has become smaller and with less taste. Â Omelets are just ok and my all time favorite sandwich is now just a memory! Â
Miss the old Sarkis, this new version has tried and failed.
This is a REALLY hyped-up breakfast/brunch place, and I completely understand why. Back in the high school days, almost every teenager in the north shore that went out drinking Friday or Saturday night, would start off their following Saturday or Sunday morning by coming here for the hangover meal. I didn't mind all the greasy diner food, loved their cheesy hash.
I wouldn't recommend coming here with more than one or two people, since it's really packed inside. They do have seating area in the back if you have 4-5 people in your group, but that's pushing it. *Their ceilings are really short, so if you're a tall person around 6 feet, expect to be a little annoyed. They also have a small parking lot as well, and one or two benches outside.
My boyfriend took me here about ten years ago when we were home visiting his parents on Thanksgiving break. Let's just say, I have been dreaming and salivating over the memories of his ham and my bacon lorettas, and the well-done cheesy hash, ever since. True, the place reminds me of a mobile home. True, service is not the most awesome. But damn, those sandwiches are life-changing.
Review Source:Ah Sarkis. The staple of Chicago's pseudo-northshore. Let me paint a picture. Small, loud, lacking in seating, overrun with photos of previous guests, crappy bathrooms. To counter that, here's the food: large portions, affordable, made-to-order, customizable, greasy, orgasmic. What an amazing juxtaposition!
Sarkis is a breakfast place; catering mostly to the teens of the New Trier locale. It's filled with what the latest trendy clothing is and many, many borrowed cars of parents. If you can set all that aside, you'll discover a lovely, greasy spoon made with heart and soul of owners who just want to serve good food. Any omelet is to die for. The cheesy hash browns are amazing (p.s. white cheddar). Let's just say that this is not a place for the weight-conscious, but it's a great diet-spoiler option. Check 'em out. If you're lucky, you might even get to sit at one of the two booths and not have 20 people on your lap (=
If you come here expecting a full service breakfast and clean tables then you will be dissapointed. Yes it has been closed down for health violations, yes it is greasy and dirty but it will always have great food. This place is known for its fast service and cheap prices, everything being around $5. Order the bacon loretta with cheesy hash to cure a hangover or the french toast if your just coming in for a regular breakfast.
Review Source:Not worth the hype surrounding it. Â This is one of those places that again, is resting on it's laurels. Â Apparently there was some old owners or something, but I don't know anything about that.
I feel like this place is good no matter what if you went to New Trier or Loyola or had friends who did. Â From what I've surmised, it's definitely the high school or when you're home on break from Indiana University thing to do. Â I feel like it's only fun because of the company and memories you've had there and on the intoxicated nights before.
I did not go to high school in the suburbs, nor did I have any drunken binges. Â That's probably most of the reason why I don't "get" this place.
The food is just average greasy diner food. Â The lorettas are in fact good and great for a hangover. Â It smells in there. Â The facility is also in dire need of some maintenance. Â All that being said, yeah, I'll go back but it's just a "whatever" sort of place in my opinion.
If Ugg Boots and North Face jackets annoy you, do not frequent this place on weekends. Â Prices are cheap and you leave full. Â That's about it. Â The parking is nice, I will say that. Â Overall just another hyped place.
It's all right. I can see the appeal of this place. Heck, it's appealing to me every now and then. Straight up greasy diner food. I always eat at the counter and up there I get barely passable service; I can't imagine what it's like when you're at a booth, or when the place is full of kids. I avoid it on the weekends, as all sane advice suggests.
Seriously guys, you'd have to be mentally challenged to consider the food here a work of art. "Hangover food" is an apt name for it, because I could slap a hungover frat guy to life and he'd be able to put this together. Hell, I'm pretty sure I could cook this stuff wasted. It's just dead simple. The hash is out of a box and how hard is it to make an omelette? When I was young, drunk, or both, the food here is the kind of stuff I'd make after opening the fridge and deciding I didn't have enough ingredients to constitute a real meal (read: the "disaster" class of dishes with cut peppers, tomato, and onion covering some meat and bread).
Like I said, I've been here a lot and I still like it but there's clearly a lot of fanaticism in the reviews here and I think 4+ stars is really for places that might have some wide or unique appeal, which this doesn't have. There are thousands of places like this everywhere.
Okay, fine. I'll cop to it: the place is full of high-schoolers from GBN and NTHS. Here's my question: why do you CARE?!
Seriously, whatever. I think we all know from the moment we enter that this is a dive diner. If you are expecting golden service, then I think you just are terrible at understanding your surroundings. This place is what it is and it does what it does exactly how someone with reasonable expectations would expect. It does diner food, it does it cheap, it does it with a minimal amount of service, and it does it decently well.
The bacon loretta is for real, and if you're tricked by the signs saying "World's Best Omlette" then you, my friend, are gullible. Everyone who has been here knows exactly what they should be ordering and the answer is: BACON LORETTA.
I'm not a fan of disaster sausage but at least I didn't expect filet mignon when I ordered it.
Get the bacon loretta, shut up about the service, and enjoy your greasy (delicious) diner food surrounded by high schoolers. You signed up for this, and by God it's what you're getting!
Went back to Sarkis for breakfast and finally tried a Loretta... Of course, couldn't let my chorizo go, so a chorizo Loretta it was. Â The BF gets a bacon Loretta, and it looked awesome. Â I think next time, I'll add an egg (GASP!)
OH MY GOD IS THIS STUFF GOOD. Â
Perfect greasy spoon food. Â I was SAD that I couldn't finish my sandwich. Â Literally SAD.
Again I say, cinnamon coffee, and plenty of it. Â Cheesy hash, mmmmm. (I would only ask for it well done next time.)
We also shared some french toast, which was borderline orgasmic, and I don't really even like french toast.
Just not the same since Sarkis left. Â I used to literally live in this place during high school and summers during college. Â Even after I moved to the city after college, I would find ways to get up north for a Loretta. Â Those were the days. Â Sark knew my name, knew my order, and the food was consistently good. Â When I'd finish off my hash browns, Sark would dump a fresh serving onto my plate just to make sure I got my moneys worth. Â It wasnt the cleanest restaurant in the world but as far as diners like that go it was pretty average on the cleanliness scale.
That all changed when it was sold. Â The new place sucks. The food is inconsistent, the owner is a tool, and the restaurant is absolutely filthy. Â The wait staff? Â I've seen cleaner looking kids at a Phish show. Â Does the Evanston Department of Health not know that this place exists? Â There are literally stacks of plates with 1/2 eaten food everywhere and food all over the floor. The quality of ingredients has gone down and prices have gone up. The place doesn't deserve to continue to use the Sarkis name.
This place is the classic hangover joint. I feel like all of New Trier, Loyola and Evanston know about this place and it is slammed with people all day long. I used to go to this place when I was in high school and crush two lorettas cheesy hash and a coke and feel amazing. Now I barely finish one and I always get home and feel like zzzzzing all day. The cheesy hash is unreal. If I could I would eat it with every breakfast.The lorettas are amazing no matter which one you get( basically a sandwhich with sausage or bacon with cheese and veggies).
The only thing I'm disappointed about is that the prices have gone up so much on the disasters. I used to get two with cheesy hash and a coke and it would be like 8 bucks total. If you get that now its $14 for breakfast.
Anyway, definitely gets the LEGENDARY status from me for good old sunday morning after a long night out!!!!
I wish I could give this zero stars.
The food is like any other so-so breakfast joint, nothing special. But the ambiance negates any positives the food had. Cramped, dirty, gross, smelly... I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.
It literally smelled like somebody pooped in there. Another North Shore hype that's simply not worth it.
We read about it on Yelp while preparing to shop in Old Orchard and sped on over for breakfast. Â We pulled up and I immediately wanted to love it; I heart dive-y restaurants. Â
The guy who was working the front area, directing people to be sat, yeah, he was super friendly. Â Nice guy. Â But our waitress was a hot mess. Â We had to beg her for more water and coffee. Â We had to ask for utensils when our food got there. Â She was the antitheses of attentive and helpful.
The food: ugh. Â It came out super fast and hot, I'll give them that. Â I ordered the bacon and American cheese omelet with hashbrowns and cheese. Â The omelet was possibly one of the worst I've ever had. Â It was esentially a large egg patty with some cheese and bacon melted in the middle. Â The hashbrowns were good. Â My dude ordered the Disaster and he gave me a bite. Â If I had ordered that, this review might be a 3 or even 4 star review. Â The bite he allowed me was delicious. Â But that omelet, yuck. Â
On top of it, $9 for an omelet that sucks and cheese topped hashbrowns? Â Whaaa?
It was full of high school and college kids. Â Make sense, I guess. Â My dude and I were laughing after we took out cash to pay our bill because all the receipts piled up in the machine had balances of less than $20 on their accounts. Â It made us feel rich.
OMG this place is crazy. Came here on a lazy Sunday and I came in and it was packed...of 16 year old kids.
I got the disaster and my husband got the animal. It was both good and filling. Its not the best breakfast I've ever had but for the price it's great.
I don't think I'll be coming back soon to dine in... I mean brunch to me is calm and comfy with good food not crazy with hormonal teens surrounding me.
I suggest going here for take out unless you're a 16 year old girl then you'd probably want to dine in and rub elbows with Justin Bieber wannabes.
still the best hot sauce.
Both the quality of the food and the service have gone down hill. I am always hearing stories about how big of a prick the manager is. The old staff and former owners made this place worth the clogged arteries.
Even though you went there for the food, you always left with a good experience. Not too mention the prices used to be amazing. Now...forget about it. Not worth my 15minute drive more than once every other year. If that.
I took away an extra star simply because of how disappointed i am in the change the business took.
"Stop looking at the menu, you're getting a Bacon Lauretta." Â Hungover as I was, and stubborn as I am, I ended up getting the bacon beast. Â This sandwich is not for the faint of heart, and though I walked in with a hangover, I walked out with a belly ache (in a good way).
This breakfast spot was amazing, the food came out in less than 5 minutes. Â The hashbrowns are great, and it is entertaining to watch the guys cool them like true pros. Â Though this one is a bit far out, I will be going to Sark's in the Park soon!
After passing ownership 3 times, and failing health inspections well over 50 times, Sarkis is still a solid hangover breakfast spot. I have been here way too many times, under the influence of many substances and at all different times of the day. Originally this was a trucker spot for people wheeling through, they were open late and every menu item came with a beer. Somehow, they have been adopted as the diner of choice by the Abercrombie, 13-19 contingent living in the surrounding suburbs. Not even in the same stratosphere as Bongo Room, this one is nestled closer to Hollywood Grill as far as quality. This is quick and dirty fast breakfast food. I recommend:
Bacon Loretta
Disaster Sausage
Veggie Omlette
Not eating here sober.
If you awake to find yourself in a strange part of Evanston and do not feel like dealing with the judging eyes of the le peep crowd, head over to this spot. Where the cooks are so tired of dealing with multiple generations of spoiled white kids, that if you order in Spanish, they will give you a shot of tequila.
Pretty darn good. Â Good cheeseburger. The cheese is like a mix of American and Velveeta. Â So melty and yummy. Â The hashbrowns are darn near perfect. Â Cooked with just enough onions to give them a good flavor, but not overwhelming.
If you're looking save calories...then you shouldn't come here. Â But seriously, don't get the "iced tea." Â It is Nestea Lemon in a can at 130 calories. Â
Hubby notes that he is pleased the omelettes are "old school style" meaning that they saute the veggies in a pan, then pour the eggs over it so it all mixes together. Â He proclaimed the omelette great and the coffee "acceptable."
The patio is dog friendly. Â The busboy brought out a container of water for them and the owner came out to pet them.
HOW does this place have 4 stars??? Honestly, the food is not that great, the environment is gross and cramped, and the manager is pretty awkward when he tries to small talk with you.
I went to Sarkis because of all the rave I had heard about this place-- "Awesome hangover food," "Its the best place to have breakfast," etc. etc. But honestly, the food was bland and it was nothing really special. I can only guess that this "restaurant" remains popular because its still riding on the tailcoats of its former fame.
Oh, and great hangover food? I guess someone could consider Sarkis to be good if they're not in the right state of mind...
Decent food, although my eggs were terribly undercooked. The Asshole that was running the place needed to be strung up from a tree and beaten with bamboo. Calling his staff retards because they made a mistake on some stuck up clowns order is not appropriate when there are children or customers in the restaurant. Next time I go I'm going to shove his telephone up his ass.
My girlfriend got the spinach omelette and it wasn't bad either, just undercooked.
This place has a very stressful environment and I will not be coming back. I left a dollar tip, not for the moron running the place but for his overworked and underappreciated staff.
Sarkis Cafe is really a tale of two restaurants, the one it used to be when Sarkis Tashjian owned it and the one it is today. Â
In the day, you went to Sarkis Cafe not so much for the food, but to observe the antics of its flamboyant, wacky, namesake owner, Sarkis Tashjian. Â It was Participation Theater at its finest. Â Sarkis was the star and you were a bit player in his production. Â The food was just a prop. Â I don't think anybody really thought the food was much more than that, but it was cheap and filling. Â It was your ticket to become part of the show. Â Most importantly, eating at Sarkis Cafe was fun! Â
I can almost guarantee, that were it not for Sarkis Tashjian and his almost cult following, the cafe would be only a distant memory today. Â The day Sarkis left, nearly 10 years ago, is the day the theater went dark. Â All that was left were the greasy props, the old scripts and a semblance of the original theater. Â
Today, I think Sarkis Cafe lives on mainly due to its nostalgic past. Â I can't think of any other reason why it's so popular. Â It's crowded to the point of being claustrophobic, the food is greasy beyond reason (cheese, sausage and bacon are good, but come-on) and the help can at times be indifferent. Â The theater is long gone as is the atmosphere and soul of the place. Â I'm sure the new Sarkis Cafe meets all of the health, safety and fire codes and it looks a lot cleaner, but it's not the same. Â It reminds me of a tiny theme restaurant trying to imitate the original. Â It never works. Â
The only thing that remains of the Sarkis Cafe today is the name. Â Yes, the menu remains largely unchanged from the original, but it wasn't that great to begin with. Â To be fair, the quality of the ingredients appears to be good and the menu does contain a few tasty, if not heart healthy, items. Â You certainly won't go away hungry.
Bottom line, with the site of Sarkis pitching eggshells over his shoulder into the wastebasket behind him, the greasy handshakes and sloppy kisses a distant memory (not sure anyone misses that memory), I'm not convinced Sarkis Cafe has much to offer today. Â Unless of course, you want to go back just one more time and remember what life was like back when.
Note: If you're over 50, you might want to take a baby aspirin before you go! Â :-)
No no no no no no no no no.
This is an example of Yelp gone wrong. A 4.5 star average rating?! I left here feeling so cheated. I hate when internet persona's lie to me.
First of all, the food is nothing special. Omelets, egg sandwiches, bacon, hash browns, etc etc. The special grilled cheese with fried egg and bacon was far too salty. The special omelet was filled with veggies (good) but lacked fluffiness (bad) -- it was essentially a veggie egg pancake type thing. Not too exciting.
Second of all, besides water, they have no unsweetened drinks here. The iced tea is Brisk in a can, which is gross and full of evil syrups.
All that is fine. I can handle mediocre food and will happily drink water instead of sodas.
The environment though? I have never wanted to leave a place so badly in my life. They should call this place "Sarkis Hut w/ a side of high school sausage". Cramped with very little seating. Uncomfortably loud -- sounds coming from all around. FILLED with high school kids, as in, I had to squeeze through teenagers to get out of here. It is difficult to order* -- I've been to places smaller than this where they at least have a counter at which people form a line to order there food. It is even more difficult to pay for your meal.
* There is 1 man taking orders/bussing/taking cash/running around like a mad man and 3 people working the kitchen. They deserve a star all for themselves.
I just don't get it. I don't care how cheap food is. I will not fork over a cent for any place that makes so uncomfortable. Maybe all these rave reviews are from people who went to high school nearby years ago? But you know what? I've gone back to plenty of places that I loved in high school as an adult and realized that I was only enamored by them due to my young tastes and small wallet.
So, unless you want to come for the nostalgia factor, I suggest other people stay away. Please don't make the mistake that I did - but if you do, don't forget to write your review!
Well, let me start by saying that this place is nothing short of a dive. That was my first impression of this place when first eating here when I was little. Indeed, Sarkis was and still is a dirty establishment that has been closed various times in the past due to health violations. But even then, I still loved the original Sarkis Tashijan and his friendliness, just as much as I did his greasy grub that apparently cures hangovers.
But Sarkis himself is mostly a thing of the past that most reviewers probably don't remember. Sarkis Cafe has been under a newer and less friendly management for several years now (you can even catch the current owner shouting expletives on busier days). But don't worry, the quality of the food (and lack of cleanliness) hasn't changed at all.
Sarkis has several common breakfast items on their menu, but the real draw here is the "loretta" sandwiches here. My personal favorite item though, is a disaster sandwich with hash browns (note: a "distaster" is really a sausage patty that honors Sarkis' Armenian heritage). The disaster itself has consistently been terrific, but the hash browns are occasionally cooked a bit unevenly.
If you plan on coming here on the weekends, be sure to get here early, as the place is usually packed full of hungover teenagers by 11:00 am or so.
Food is excellent. And cheap. I love the Loretta in all its glorius forms ... and cheesy hash browns on the side. Delish.
However, the atmosphere absolutely sucks on the weekend when the place is overrun with local high schoolers. But that hasn't stopped me from going when I'm in the area.
I can understand why some reviewers may not be "thrilled" by the menu but there's more than food here: it enjoys a cult following, Sarkis is a local legend and its definitely a North Shore institution. It's about the experience.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
