As a child my friends and I used to always go to “Herm’s” for a dog, cheese fries, and to play video games. In fact we came here for the atmosphere as much as we came for the food. Family owned and operated by the Shane family, this is a place where they truly remember your name, or at least your face. Unlike many good hot dog joints, there is actually room to eat at “Herm’s”. There are actual booths and tables and not just counters. The walls are covered with art depicting Chicago sports and their heroes.
The menu is not your typical hot dog place either. Sure they have dogs and burgers, but the menu actually covers salads, deli sandwiches, pasta, ice cream, and even tacos. Hot dogs and polishes are the required Vienna beef variety while the Italian beef is homemade. With a menu this large I would love to say that everything is great, but there are some average items. Burgers are ok, a little thin, and not as good as they once were. Tacos are a nice addition but the ground beef is over seasoned and is definitely not the shining star of the menu.
So what are the best things to try? Italian beef is a favorite here. Thinly sliced beef and homemade gravy nestled nicely on a soft French roll. While I love my beef with hot peppers, they actually serve up the best sweet peppers around. Many places give you a big hunk of pepper in your sandwich, but they actually chop them into thin strips so you can taste your beef and not just a big slice of sweet pepper. Another favorite is the boneless rib sandwich. This is not “Mc Rib”. Tender pork nestled on crusty French bread topped with barbeque sauce, and I love to add a little raw onion for some bite. “Herm’s” is actually one of the few places around that serves a char salami sandwich. Unlike “Poochie’s”, their salami is sliced thinner and charred darker, very good but not quite the standout like the one from “Poochie’s”. Other good choices are dogs, polishes, and gyros.
One area that they really excel at is their sides. Cheese fries are a top choice because they are covered in a wonderful cheese sauce and not real cheddar. I know that sounds crazy, but real cheddar clumps up too much for cheese fries, so processed is better here. Jalapeno pepper puffs are also a winning choice since the peppers are chopped fine and swimming in cheese and then fried up nice and golden brown. Last off is my favorite, nachos! Tortilla chips loaded with cheese sauce and covered in jalapeños! No, it’s not fancy, but it is good. It’s especially good in an age where movie theaters no longer pour cheese onto your nachos, but rather give you a measly cup of luke warm cheese that’s usually too small to fit your chip in! Pizza puffs and fried mushrooms are also safe bets.
For dessert they offer up shakes, malts, and soft serve. When it’s time to pay you get another special treat, math geniuses! The cash register here is used to hold money only and not for any adding of your bill. The Shane brothers add everything up in there head and give you the total. Don’t trust their math? Add it up yourself and you’ll see that they’re right every time! Overall “Herm’s Palace” offers up mostly good food and good atmosphere for reasonable prices. Most items are between $2 and $5, with nothing even reaching $9. Overall rating ** and ½ out of ****.
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