Boston Blackies

FAIR WARNING TO FELLOW UnilocalERS — This Boston Blackies (Halsted & Armitage location in LP) is «Closed for remodeling» and has been for several months now. The 2 signs that have been hanging in the lonely windows for months now are completely laughable as there is obviously no sort of remodeling occurring. I venture to guess that while some of the other Blackies locations have remained open, this location is closed due to the fact that Blackies owner, Nick Giannis, is currently in a Chicago jail awaiting arraignment for his role in an alleged $ 1.9 million check-​kiting scheme. Giannis, along with his son Chris Giannis and restaurant manager Andy Bakopoulous, are all facing charges for fraudulent activity, issuing bad checks to Charter One and Washington Mutual Banks. (Source:
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If this location ever manages to re-​open, they need a complete overhaul on service… the service here was terrible when it was open. On one occasion, I had a server that barely spoke English (my friend actually ended up speaking Spanish to her to make sure she wrote down our orders right). On both occasions that I ate there, there was practically no one in the place (20% full, maybe) and it took close to an hour for burgers/​chicken sandwiches to come out. Totally pathetic. The only redeeming thing is that the food was actually decent.
For now — steer clear b/​c this place is «closed for remodeling»! Riiiiggghhhtttt… whatever you say, Boston Blackies.

I work near Boston Blackies. My colleagues and I were excited to have a new place to eat lunch. The food is good, but the service is absolutely terrible. English is the second language for everyone that was there the afternoon we went (maybe this is the problem, a small language barrier). My friend ordered the pulled pork sandwich the waitress asked her how she wanted it cooked, med rare, med, well-​done. What? My friend explained to her (the waitress) that is was bbq. My other friend ordered a salad with greek dressing on the side, I ordered a cheese burger with cheddar cheese, my other friend ordered a beer with his meal (veggie burger). I must note there was one other table in the restaurant the entire time we were there.
We waited 15 minutes for our drinks to come, we sat there for 15 minutes watching the waitress, manager, and bartender mill around, what they were doing I don’t know. We finally asked about our drinks (3 Cokes & 1 beer). We were then informed that they had to change the beer tap, what does that have to do with the 3 Cokes?
After 45 minutes (no exaggeration) of waiting for a pulled pork sandwich, a salad, a cheese burger with cheddar cheese, and a veggie burger the food finally arrived. The salad had the wrong dressing, and my burger had the wrong cheese and was over cooked, I ordered a medium burger, I got a well done with pepper jack cheese. How is that possible? Don’t forget there was still only the one table there the entire time who waited equally long for their food. Too bad the service absolutely sucks! I will not be back; Boston Blackies on Halstead needs new management.

Went there to celebrate a birthday. The hostess was really nice and helpful getting all of us situated at the tables together.
Got the Cowboy burger which was delicious. The burgers were huge but delicious. The steak fries were really yummy too. They have drink specials every night which was a huge plus.
They even gave the birthday boy a brownie with ice cream and whip cream on the house when they heard it was his birthday.
The music was awesome (top 40). I could have sworn they stole and played my iPod.
Had a great experience and will go back as soon as my waist recovers ;-)

Maybe I just don’t like Boston? Good Will Hunting was pretty good, but even Matt Damon wouldn’t trade his apples for these burgers (I don’t even know what that means). Anyways, If you advertise yourself as a burger joint, your burgers better be best (alliteration!), but alas, they were not.
Next time I get dragged to the Loop location during lunch, I’ll order something else, and write another review. Pinky swear!

This is a spot we go to frequently. The food is always good, but the service, particularly late night, is spotty…
BUrgers are good and the «Greek Fries» are a special order item that are not on the menu… they were nice enough o make them for me and they do it very well!!!

I have been in several Boston Blackies locations including the Lincoln Park, which is now my favorite place for lunch, dinner or just to hang out (could have couple more flat screen TVs for sports fans). I was there several times and love the atmosphere. Even though I am not a big burger fan, I can not resist their burgers and onion rings. Staff is very friendly. Last time We had a 7 people b-​day party, and the manager (Moka was her name if i’m not mistaken) was extremely nice and helped us with our unique surprise we prepared for our friend:)
Definitely worth checking out.

I have been here twice in the last 2 weeks, so clearly ‘Yay, I’m a fan.’
Both times we had great service, Gladys the first time was a lot more friendly and personable than the 2^nd person we had. But either way, they were fast and we always had a drink. I am a fan of their Chicken Philly with melted provolone cheese, grilled onions and green peppers, all wrapped in a thick pita-​type wrap. Yum! Comes with coleslaw which is healthier than the fries I would rather have. Their onion rings are crispy and shoe string small, served also with home fries or steak fries. Their home fries are OK. Shaped like potato chips, but taste like french fries.
Menu boasts plenty of burger and chicken option. I even saw a veggie sandwich offered. Something for everyone!

8:30 on a Tuesday night. The place was nearly empty. The waitress took forever to check on drinks, food, and take our payment. I wondered why… then I went to the restroom and saw her sitting at a table with her friends, chatting away. Working or socializing??? I was a BIT annoyed.

Looks like the new Blackies is suffering on Unilocal because of the Lincoln Park locale wanting more than a great burger joint with awesome wings and fantastic homemade potato chips (I think they call them homestyle fries for some odd reason).
Rest assured, if you want burgers, wings, and fries, go here. If you want something else, try whatever competitors are down the street.

My first time at BB’s I went on a Sunday evening to watch the game. I was in the mood for a burger So I hit up the place to chill. The Bar has nice seating and the food was good.
The place was over staffed… but Service was excellent so I’ll over look that.

I’ve been here a handful of times and it’s pretty consistent: big portions at very reasonable prices but service that is less than stellar. You will wait to have your Coke refilled and you may never get that side of mayo. But the Frings basket (french fries and onion wings) are terrific and you’ll get a ridiculous amount of chicken fingers for like $ 6. The broasted chicken is excellent, but there isn’t a chance in hell that your waiter will actually know what is in the chili.
The inside is nice, although the booths are a bit narrow to comfortably sit a party of four. Takeout is a great option — delicious food, prepared quickly and in high-​quality containers so it travels well (and of course you get to bypass the problems with wait service). In general, this is a nice, neighborhood kind of spot (even though it’s a chain).

I have not been to the original location and am surprised to see Lincoln Park location. I got the Fire Alarm burger but it was surprisingly not spicy, even with the giardinera, it didn’t mean it wasn’t tasty just below the expectation of what I thought it would be. The chicken wings my friend had it with the parmesan peppercorn was delicious-​our waitress suggested it because they don’t carry ranch. Overall it seems like this place is decent but nothing too special, something like a local version of a Chili’s.

Boston Blackie’s touts themselves as burger specialists. Given that I’m a fan of the burger artform, I figured I’d give these guys a shot for lunch.
There’s a bunch of booths and a really nice bar, with a lot of framed 40’s era film noir-​ish prints hung on the walls. Well decorated for their theme, but it feels a smidge chain-​ish. There’s a few HD flat screen televisions, but I don’t know that It’d be enough to qualify it as a venue to watch major sporting events.
The hostess and bartender were warm and friendly, without being over-​bearing.
Which leads us to the burger. Hmm. Well, let’s deconstruct it. I ordered their signature burger, The Boston Blackie which is topped with bacon and grilled onions. I got it medium, and while the meat was appropriately juicy, it was surprisingly bland. There’s a definite lack of seasoning here. The bun a typical white bread with sesame bun… really, nothing special at all. The grilled onions were relatively undercooked, resulting in a stringy and tough product that didn’t really have a lot of caramelization going on. And probably the most disappointing part was that this 8 dollar burger came with a side of cole slaw instead of fries. Fries were an additional $ 2.40. While they do get points for presenting them in a miniature deep fryer basket, the portion was nothing special.
Overall, I’d have to say that I was rather disappointed with the quality of the burger at a place that purports to specialize in the dish.
Sorry BBs, but just having a respectable selection of burgers doesn’t cut it anymore. They actually have to be good too.

The other Unilocal reviews worried me but I still ignored them (often a regrettable mistake) and went to BB anyways. I think this location is great! I was over the Lincoln Park scene after living there 4 years for undergrad, however, compared to the original Illinois/​Streeterville location, I would go here any day. I love their burgers, but also had their steaming hot fried chicken with deliciously smooth mashed potatoes. Our waitress was attentive which made the night even better. Just a note for future reference: The bathrooms are downstairs near the entrance. I almost entered the kitchen and same with my friend… Yet, I bet the kitchen would be cleaner than the antique yellow-​cigarette smoke walls of the original location.

I was a little disappointed with my experience at Boston Blackies, supposedly known for their burgers. If it’s a mind blowing hunk of ground beef you are looking for, then continue looking.
My patty melt wasn’t bad, not by any means, but the best part was the sautéed onions and not the meat. Seriously, I can’t get over how good those onions were. I said to my boyfriend «This burger is alright, but those steak fries are awful» to which he replied, «Really? I think the complete opposite». He was not satisfied with his burger either, but a little more severely than myself.
Now here’s the part of Boston Blackies I didn’t like. The stairs. The stairs that lead downstairs to the bathroom. So glad I have working use over both of my legs, because I couldn’t see any alternative way to get to the basement. And somehow I managed to fall UP the stairs twice on my way back to my seat.
Not an awful meal, but it’s not what I wanted to remember my trip to Chicago. We should have settled for the numerous Sushi or Mexican places up and down Halsted.

Big disappointment. Could be because burgers are supposed to be their specialty… and I was expecting an exceptional one. Maybe I should try one of the more established locations, as this was my first trip to any Boston Blackie’s.
The service was fine. No problems whatsoever… with exception of a forgotten side substitution. No big deal.
But the burgers… terrible! I’m just talking about the patty itself. I knew something was wrong when it arrived, and it was shaped so perfectly. Their burgers are full of some sort of yucky filler, so far as I can tell. I was expecting a «real» burger. Like one you’d slap together at home from some ground chuck or round. This burger had a very weird texture, and the seasoning was bad as well. My companion had a steak, and said it was less than mediocre. The «Spuds» appetizer (loaded fried potato skins) were fantastic. They have a decent selection of beers, and they were able to make me a cocktail with Meyer’s…a rather potent one I might add! I ordered a milkshake to go, and it was literally chocolate milk with whipped cream and chocolate drizzled on top. It was completely watery.
The bar-​stools and booths are comfortable, but the bad late 90’s alternative top 40 tunes were way too loud. Made me feel like I was at a TGI Friday’s or someplace more cheesy than this place is.
I can’t really recommend this place. But as always, I would suggest judging for yourself.

I LOVE BOSTON BLACKIES! I’ve been a regular at the Grand Ave. location for years and years. It is seriously one of my favorite places in Chicago. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I was wandering Armitage while my cat was being groomed and there it was — another location! I was even more elated when my favorite server from the Streeterville location (we call her «Ann Jillian» because she looks just like her) was working at this one!
All of that being said, the chili was just not the same. It came prepared the same way (in the taco salad tortilla shell with the tortilla chips) but not only did it taste different, but so did the tortilla chips! When you’re used to a certain product from a certain restaurant, it’s always a bummer to receive something different.
The restaurant itself was very nice and it seemed like a decent place to hang in the evening or on the weekend. The menu is three times the size of the Streeterville location which was pretty cool, but why change something that has worked so well for so long just a short ride away?
If you aren’t really into very small children or babies, this is probably a place you won’t want to consider. My roommate (who doesn’t even think that babies are cute) requested that we sit at the empty booth the furthest away from a screaming toddler. But throughout the hour that we were there, we simply became surrounded by them — at least four other young couples with kids. I kind of felt like I was on Southport.
Overall pretty good, though not as fantastic as the Grand location…

Okay. That is a word i will use a lot in this review. This place is just okay. kind of overpriced, and a little boring. I have had better burgers at fast food joints.
I used to really like going to the location downtown but after having gone to Kuma’s corner i have to say Boston Blackies needs to step it up. I mean charging extra for fries? weak. The choices of toppings leave a little to be desired as well. I went for lunch being that i work down the street, and will never go back. If I’m going to pay $ 16 fro a burger and fries it really needs to be better than just okay.

I love Blackies’ thick burgers and can’t miss the homestyle fries.
The new location has very pretty décor, but the seating is very tight. The bar is nice but if you want to sit at a table don’t come with a larger group. I was with two friends, and the three of us were placed at a small table for two; we were constantly jostled by the wait staff and other patrons on their way to and from the bathroom. We asked for water refills a few times and had trouble locking down a bus boy… when we did he refilled our glasses with Sprite instead. Our server himself was friendly and there was a $ 1 burger special on the Tuesday I visited. By the time we got up there was a line out the door!
I tried the chili on my recent visit and thought it was good. Nothing fantastic, so probably stick with one of the burgers. They now have milkshakes on their menu too.

Yes another location around town has sprung up for the Boston Blackies franchise! This time in Lincoln Park on Halsted right next to Tillis. It is hard to see as they don’t have a big Blackies sign anywhere so hopefully they’ll get one as it can be easy to miss this place unless you stumble upon it.
This place definitely looks like it is new as everything looks in order. A nice, clean and simple décor from the tables and booths to the bar area. I went for lunch and sat up on the bar area as the place was happening for lunch due to grand opening specials. Alex was my server behind the bar and she was great and very attentive. I was able to see that all servers were that way so it looks like they are certainly ready to handle the masses!
As for food, I can only go by my favorite burger that I ordered, the Oliveburger. It was yummy as was the cole slaw that came with it. Everything I saw seems very similar to their other locations so I think the food should be of the same quality.
There is enough TV coverage in the place so coming here during sporting events is good for enjoying a burger and a game. If you follow my teams, you’d enjoy the burger way more than watching the game. :-(