The Works Southloop

They have good gyros. I stop in every couple weeks, it’s always in and out. Oh, and their gyro omelet is great! Packed with all sorts of vegies, it’s very inexpensive for the amount of food you get.

I love everything about this place.
Their breakfast special is unbeatable AND tasty.
The owner is nice and friendly. The gyros are the best in town.

The Works is a few blocks from my office so when my colleague wanted Gyros and I wanted a burger we went here. It’s what you;d expect really. The food is good and was reasonably priced. The owner served us and was courteous which often is not the case is these kinds of places. Next time I’m in the mood for a burger or Gyro I’ll come back.

based on some of the reviews here, just went for lunch. After waiting 20 minutes for a gyro sandwich, my hopes were dashed with a very average sandwich. Chips were good and as described elsewhere. I’ll give it one more shot but if its that slow again for a super basic order, fuhgeddaboudit.

Pretty good gyros here! They make their own chips also, which are a bit spicy but great. Good prices at lunch and the line moves quick.
if you are really hungry get double meat, and prepare to be FULL.

Most of my coworkers love this place. I’ve heard nonstop great things about their burgers and fries. I tried the bacon cheeseburger today and it was only ok. The fries were kinda cold and mushy, the burger the same, by the time I got it back to the office and I’m only about a block away. Sorta typical price for burger, fries and a drink in the Loop ($ 7.50). They do have pretty kick ass guacamole though! My coworker gets it on her burger and just for the guac I’d go back.

More than a year later, I’m not sure if it’s the economy or simply the fact that the quantity seems to be gradually declining with each return. The quantity alone has knocked it down a star but the quality of the materials seem to remain consistent.
Outside the quantity of the gyros meat, toppings, and the chips, the taste seems to remain consistent which still is nothing to write home about as the only redeeming factor to it all is the chips.
What kept me coming back was the one time that it was spectacular, the meat had a nice crunchy texture to it, the bread had a soft buttery taste to it with the topping just over flowing. But, sentimentality and hope can only carry you so far.
With that being said, I must sadly say that my next return will be during better times to see if the quantity returns or seems to remain the same as in these times in the economy.
Please, please do not become the place I want to return to but doesn’t give me a reason to do so!

When I want gyros for lunch this is the place I visit. The gyros is average but delicious and consistent. I always get the tzatziki sauce on the side because restaurants just drown the meat in it and I also pass on the tomatos but add giardiniera. They gyros is a bit greasy and the addition of the giardiniera definitely makes this a messy lunch but it hits the spot every time.
The club sandwich is also delicious as is the patty melt, cheeseburger, and Italian combo. Nothing to write home about but plenty to Unilocal about.
Skip the fries and go with the homemade chips. They are thin and crispy and dusted with enough spice so you know it’s there but not enough to scare any of the I-don’t-like-spicy-food types.
Service has always been great. They sometimes get a little frazzled when it’s busy but they always make your order right if they accidentally mucked it up. They guy knows I really like the fries and has occassionally thrown some extras in when I order. Great people.
What else can I say? The Works simply works.

I didn’t realize how much I liked this place until I thought they were gone. I was prettty distraught for about two minutes when I went there and found it closed. Luckily I found it had just moved around the corner and it made my day. Their burgers are pretty good and the breakfast is solid.
What I won’t forget is the day I chatted with the owner while waiting for my food and he gave me an extra side of chips. I passed them along to a coworker, who loved them and decided to go there himself. Now that’s just good business, Mr. Works.

*** ²⁄₁₂ — They have moved to Franklin Street Just north of Van Buren in the old Taco Fresco space ***
3 stars for the food and an additional star for the owner and the service.
Do you ever have one of those days where you don’t know what in the world you want to eat? Do you ever have a hungover day where vitamin G is your only friend? The works hits the spot in both instances.
This is my go-​to spot when I’m craving a gyro and don’t have the time to venture over to Greektown. $ 7 and change for a huge gyro, fries, and a drink.
What makes this place so pleasant is the owner. He’s always there with a smile and some friendly chit-​chat. Like Seinfeld with Baboo’s Pakistani restaurant, I want to see this guy succeed. Sometimes a smile and a friendly word make the difference in where I spend my money.

The funny thing about writing reviews for Unilocal is that I’m slowly evolving from a creature of habit to this weird person who’ll jump at a chance to try something new — if only for the chance to «get another review written». So when my co-​worker said «I was thinking about trying that ‘The Works’ place we pass sometimes» I immediately jumped at the chance and I believe also made a comment out loud about how I’d be happy to get another review written…
So we make it there and the place is rather barren of décor. Which isn’t always a bad thing, but the right environment can really turn a mediocre meal into a wonderful event — likewise a crappy environment will detract from your eating experience. We had to wait in a short line to order, which gave us enough time to ponder what to attempt on our first visit. I saw that they had chicken tenders, but they did not offer them as part of a combo meal (that I could see) so they’d have to be tried on another occasion. I went with the Bacon Cheeseburger, no tomato, grilled onions.
They get 20 points for correctly removing the tomato. They get half-​credit for thinking that thirty seconds on a grill can turn raw onions into grilled onions by definition of «touching a grill», but it was better than just raw onions. They get a thumbs-​down for placing the condiments on the bottom half of the bun, which is just a burger taboo in my book. They get a gold star for the bacon, which was thick and crispy — though it was almost to a point of being too hard to simply bite through, which knocks it down to just a silver star. Also, a wag of the finger for taking more than 10 minutes for our two burgers. Even so, I have to say that the fries we were served were downright excellent and almost award-​worthy, which is impressive coming from a man with such rigid standards for his fried potato items.
*calculates the score*
It’s ultimately a 4-​star place on first impression. I’d have felt better about it if I weren’t so distracted by the fact that my co-​worker and I seemed to be the only patrons of the establishment who didn’t appear to be in the field of construction or some other city job. We didn’t see any other office-​types there. Is it because the food is greasy to the point of being «comfort food»? Is it because the place happens to be near a construction site and we just missed the office-​type lunch crowd? It was all puzzling.
I must make a note to return some lunch break and try the chicken tenders, as well as the pizza puff, and re-​evaluate their french fries to make sure the golden wonders we were served today were not a simple fluke.
I got my eye on you, «The Works»…

We all have those days when we just want a greasy burger and some french fries, but we want them to be good. The Works unfortunately is just mediocre. The fries are room temp as they’ve been prepared early for the lunch rush and sitting out getting soggy by the second. The food isn’t bad, but it isn’t great. And for the prices I was expecting more.

If you’re looking for a deliciously unhealthy lunch option, The Works is your place.
The owner is friendly, they surprisingly take credit cards (seems like the kind of place that wouldn’t) and the food is consistent. Their Philly cheesesteak is good, the gyros decent, burgers meh and the chicken fingers are AWESOME. I am salivating at the thought of them (make sure to ask for a side of ranch).Their hot sauce is really good and the chips are great as well. They also have some decent breakfast options, including a ham/​cheese/​egg sandwich that is delish and huge (and a great hangover cure).

Went there twice, I believe.
The first time, I ordered a chicken sandwich, which was fine. I would order chicken sandwiches there again if I were to ever go back, because…
The second time I went there, I ordered a gyros sandwich. My dad always told me that he doesn’t eat gyros because of what it does to his stomach. I, apparently, do not eat gyros at The Works because it does similar, nasty things to my stomach, causing me to need to go home early from work due to an upset stomach.
If you go there, be sure to get one of their healthier seeming items. It might not make you ill.

It’s reallly a Deli and Catering Restaurant but I like to go there for my pizza puff and cheese fries. They have all kinds of salads, fruit trays, and all the sandwiches like burgers, beef, gyros etc. All the good stuff.

Excellent lunch spot in the south loop. It’s a fast food joint that serves up great burgers, gyros, beefs and much, much, more. Check out the freshly made potato chips instead of fries. They also serve breakfast for the early to rise crowd.