Nicky’s Gyros
2050 Sibley BoulevardI’m not going to leave Chicago without getting an Italian Beef.
Yes, I could have gotten one at Soldier Field. There actually was a Mr. Beef location inside the stadium. I didn’t go look at the prices but I’m sure they were a lot.
I was pretty surprised at how easily we got out of the McCormick Place parking deck after the Bears game. There was a little bit of traffic but it really was only about ten minutes of back up and we were back on the Dan Ryan Expressway heading to where my car was parked in Calumet Park.
My brother and dad dropped me off then they continued down I-57 towards home. I had make my way back to Michigan, but first a stop for dinner.
I did a pretty rudimentary Google search for “Best Italian Beef’s on the Southside of Chicago.” I got a few good hits but one of them stood out as the winner for me.
I headed about 15 minutes from where I was parked to Nicky’s Gyros on the corner of Sibley Boulevard and Madison Avenue in Calumet City. The small, barn shaped sandwich shop is about half a block from I-94 (at this point called the Bishop Ford Freeway). I had to turn around a couple of times to get in to the parking lot because I missed it at first….the GPS directions made no sense as it wanted to turn the wrong way, U-Turn and come back but I eventually got in to the small parking lot which was pretty packed on this Sunday afternoon around 5 PM.
The restaurant is counter service with a big menu. It’s kind of a traditional Chicago sandwich joint menu with most of the items on an actual menu board hanging over the counter but then there are signs for other things placed all over the place. I scanned it all pretty quickly, but let’s be honest, I knew what I was there for.
I put in an order for an Italian beef with hot peppers and baptized plus a small order of fries. The cost came out to around $15 and I was handed a receipt with a number on it. It took a little less than ten minutes for the cashier to lean out of the counter to get my attention. She then handed a white paper bag that was already starting to fill up with grease.
I can’t eat an Italian beef in the car so I took a seat in the dining room. It probably used to be a pretty large dining room but now there is a big area with gambling machines right in the middle of it. There are less than a half a dozen chairs left and they, again, are pretty typical for this kind of restaurant. They’re not fancy and they’re not really comfortable but it’s a place to sit and eat.
Fries were first because I really like to let the Italian beef marinate in it’s own juices. I ordered the small size fries and it was a good thing I did. The portion was massive. The fries are frozen shoestring fries kind of similar to Steak ‘n Shake. There wasn’t a lot of flavor. These are the kind of fries that really benefit from ketchup but I don’t like ketchup. I put a little more salt on them then ate about half the bag before closing it up and taking the rest with me for the ride home.
The Italian beef was exactly what I wanted. The French roll was over filled with tender, juicy beef and a large helping of hot giardiniera. The bun was “baptized” in the gravy and it soaked every bit of it up. This thing was textbook Italian beef. Full of flavor in every bite and a little bit of heat from the peppers. The last couple of times I have been in Chicago, I’ve had kind of disappointing beefs but this one was fantastic. I’d expect nothing less from a shop like this.
Nicky’s Gyros was a little bit out of the way but it was a really tasty detour. Chicago sandwich shops are the best restaurants in the world. I’ll die on that hill. I love it when I find a place like this and it’s location right off the highway is pretty great. I really needed a good Italian beef to restore my faith in the sandwich and this one brought me to my knees.
SW Michigan Dining 