Step inside and you’re greeted by a small restaurant that maybe can seat twenty patrons. The wood paneled walls are covered with plaques covering the anatomy of the Chicago style hotdog and the history of the Maxwell Street Polish. The menu is your standard fair that includes dogs, burgers, Italian beef, gyros, and fries.
I visited “Duke’s” twice recently, and my first order was the double cheeseburger and a hot dog. Everything is made to order and my food was ready in about five minutes or so. I sit down in front of the hot dog plaque, so I have something to read while I’m eating. The plaque has a giant Chicago style hot dog on it and a description of exactly what makes a hot dog Chicago style. I look at my dog, I look at the plaque, I look back at my dog, and I wonder why my hot dog isn’t on a poppy seed bun? Why is there no celery salt on it when I asked for everything? While every hot dog joint in Chicagoland should know how to make a dog, it’s pretty sad when you have a “how to” sign hanging in your restaurant and you still make it wrong! Now the dog wasn’t bad, it did have every other requirement and was served hot, but one of the things that make our dogs so great is the bun. Unacceptable. The burger was next and it was topped with fresh lettuce and tomato but the meat was a bit rubbery. The thin beef patties were fresh and hot, but the meat quality just wasn’t very high.
On my next visit I decided on an Italian beef with hot peppers, a gyro sandwich, and fries. The beef was the first thing I tried, and it was very thinly sliced beef topped with peppers and nestled in a crusty yet moist French roll. The beef was tender, juicy, and a little bit bland. The sandwich had plenty of beef gravy on it but it simply lacked flavor. The gyro is next and this might be their best item. Thin slices of lamb are nestled in a warm pita and then topped with onion, tomato, and a creamy cucumber sauce. This sandwich worked due to the lamb being sliced right off the spit and the fresh tomatoes. Last are the fries which are thin cut and similar to the “golden arches”. They were crisp, hot, and just lightly salted.
Overall “Duke’s” offers average food and minimum seating. Unfortunately it wasn’t the hidden gem I was hoping for. With thousands of hot dog joints in and around Chicagoland you can visit, “Duke’s” is a trip not
woth making. Rating * out of ****.
Location
5237 Golf Rd.
Skokie, IL 60077
Phone: 847.966.5533
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