Mister J's

Mr. J's in Chicago is one of those spots that lands squarely in the "it's just okay" category. It's not going to blow your mind, but it also won't leave you regretting your choice. The ambiance is pretty standard, leaning towards a casual, no-frills diner feel. You won't find any trendy decor or unique design elements here; it's clean and functional, perfect for a quick, unpretentious meal. The service is usually prompt and efficient, getting your food out without much fuss, though don't expect overly warm or memorable interactions. They get the job done. Now, for the food. We tried a couple of their popular dishes. The burger was decent, cooked to order with standard toppings, but nothing that made it stand out from a dozen other places. The fries were hot and crispy, which is always a plus. We also sampled their pizza puff, a Chicago staple. It was exactly what you'd expect: a deep-fried, crispy shell filled with molten cheese and savory sausage, satisfying in a greasy-spoon kind of way. It was edible and hit the spot for that particular craving, but it wasn't anything elevated or particularly memorable compared to others around the city. Portion sizes are generous, so you definitely get your money's worth in terms of quantity. The prices are fair, reflecting the straightforward nature of the food and experience. Mr. J's feels like a dependable fallback when you're hungry and nearby, but not somewhere you'd go out of your way to visit. It's perfectly average, a reliable spot for a quick bite without any high expectations.

Quick stop for some fries at Mister J’s Dawg “n” Burger. My biggest complaint is the panhandling going on in front of the restaurant. They are open late on the weekends for late night cravers.

I love this classic restaurant which I think it's been here almost 60 years I always order the Gyro,however the Italian beef looks amazing as well as the Chicago dogs. I like the Gyro a lot it's one of my favorites. This place has been around forever and is an institution. Is there a hot dogs are great just remember to ask for the blue relish they don't always put it on there.

There’s just something about that spot you and your friends always end up at after a night out—and for us, this is it. The chicken tenders are crispy perfection, the burgers hit every time, and somehow it always tastes like it was made with actual love (probably because it was). The people here are the real deal—so kind, so welcoming, and always happy to see you no matter how late it is or how chaotic your group may be. It’s comfort food with heart, and it’s become more than just a place to eat—it’s part of the night. Honestly, we couldn’t ask for anything better.

The food is amazing, but for some reason, they rather have a door opened than use the A.C.

Decent choice to grab a Chicago dog. Recommend a hot dog with everything on it. The buns are not poppy seed though and the pickles are chips instead of spears which makes it more difficult to eat.

I mean every word I say in this review. I wouldn’t eat this food if I was on my death bed and it cured me. I wouldn’t eat this food if I was on an island and needed it to survive. It legit taste like toes

Quick stop for a Chicago dog, they really make these chunky, huge pieces of tomato and pickles. You will get messy for sure. It's counter service and they have small indoor seating area. Hot dog was good just very messy.

Food was pretty good. Service was pretty decent and very nice, and the ambiance was not too flashy but just enough to show what they serve.

It's your typical divey, greasy burger joint. Menu on wall with pictures. You order at the counter. There is seating but most people were doing carryout. Food was kind of what you'd expect from a place like this. However, it was super pricey for what you get. And the fries were pretty...inedible....so I ended up using a lot of ketchup. Also - you have to ask for anything extra since the only things sitting out by the soda machine are lids, straws and salt/pepper packets. A bit stingy with the napkins even after multiple asks and had to ask for the ketchup, etc.

Came here upon the recommendation of a friend who was a student here in Chicago many years ago! I walked here a little early around 11:45pm so it was not full! It's halfway clean & dingy! I guess works well with the downtown Chicago vibe! This place is located right opposite Loyola University I ordered a #15 special Philly steak sandwich which came with fries & drink for a grand total of $16.74 plus tax The guy who took the order was very helpful and quick! The order was received within 10 to 15 minutes the Sandwich & Fries were fresh & hot!! The taste of the sandwich was NOT spectacular but fair! I have had much better Philly steaks before The sandwich roll was fresh and the meat was cooked well with all the fixings although I felt something was missing not sure what! I hope to be back here again someday soon!

This place been here for a while. Good Chicago dogs, fries and burgers. Staff knows what they are doing so the food comes out fast. Prices are reasonable for Gold Coast. There is a small dinning room with 4-5 tables Overall solid greasy spoon and a staple to our Windy City

First hot dog since childhood. Really good. Small place fast service bustling no matter what time of day you visit. Service is quick and friendly. It was obvious that I wasn't a Chitown native when I held up the line trying to decide what to order. See ya next time Mister J.... You've found a friend in me!

Solid dog. Great Italian beef with the sweet hot peppers. That was stupid good. Great little place with a wide menu and fast/simple service. Very clean inside despite the high traffic. Would eat again.

Great place for a quick lunch. I purchased the two hot dog combo which came with fries and a drink. Hot dog had great taste and fries were cooked throughly. Looks like they offer a a lot of combo options, would eat here again for good quality at a good price.

Food is so good, especially after a late night out. It's open late and offers a variety of options.

The burgers were great, but the staff was amazing! My buddy and I went there awhile ago and they let him run the grill!

Late night, after the bar kind of food ... quick and painless... make sure to get the pizza puff, cheeseburger & fries! The service was quick!

If you're in rush Street or downtown Chicago at 23 in the morning and you got the munchies place to go they close at four and you want some junk food I recommend get some of that cheesecake. It's the best in the city.

Wanted to try Chicago style hot dogs and Mister J's was close to my hotel. Ordered the 2 Chicago style dogs with fries and a drink for $12. The dogs were tasty, fries hot and atmosphere was interesting with a mix of locals, cops and me. Not personal but my honest experience

I love this place but y'all better start cleaning! what the hell! at least 3 dozen tiny gnats flying around.

My husband and I were visiting from out of town. We originally had a reservation for a restaurant later in the night, but we were so hungry we decided to cancel the reservation and wander the streets. We came across Mister J's and knew we needed to try the food. We were actually the only ones sitting the restaurant. It looks like most people take it to go. The food was delicious, and the people were friendly. It's exactly what we needed during a long day of travel and touring the city. We will definitely be back.

Worth a visit if you were looking for a local mom and pop shop, but this place is pretty expensive. 2 gyros, fries and a drink ran me $26 which is pretty extreme, especially for the size of the gryo (see picture attached). Food was good, but wasn't the best gyro I've had. I'd much rather take my business to Jimmy's Gyros and Grill in the Loop, but I'm at least glad I stopped in

Let's just say if you go here for a gyro make sure the meat spindle hasn't been sitting for hours with nothing cut from it aka burnt up outside. Needless to say I got a gyros plate with lots and lots of burnt dried out gyro meat...vomit. I will never go back.

We loved walking by this gem in the downtown/Mag Mile area. We were looking for some Chicago Style Hot Dogs and lots of places were closed on Easter Sunday. When we walked up, there was already a local customer waiting outside for the store to be opened up. He told us he has been coming to this place for 30 years. Once the restaurant opened we were greeted with a friendly smile and picked two Chicago favorites. The Polish and Italian sausage. Those Hot Dogs were just simply amazing and the price is very reasonable compared to restaurants in the area. Next time, when you visit Chicago, don't overlook this small locally owned spot that's been open for over 70 years.

Solid beef sandwich and dog. Workers are nice and can crack a joke. Love seeing that sign and stopping by

Quick and easy Chicago hot dogs. Nothing fancy - order and pick up the best dogs at the counter. Nicely grilled dog with mustard, onions, sliced tomato, hot pepper and relish. Doesn't get much better than that!

Can't believe no one has reviewed this place despite it being an extremely busy restaurant. Great food, fast service and they sell some surprisingly good cheese cake! This place is owned by a Pakistani-American gentleman and has been visited by high caliber sports celebrities. My favorite is their gyro burger.

Food. Number one with cheese. Chocolate Shake. Game over. Eat here twice a week. Yummy yum yam yom.

You know what, I loved this place. I loved it so much I went two nights in a row while I was in Chicago for a long weekend. I hadn't timed out my meals well enough so I wasn't able to really eat much before going to concerts in Evanston on those nights, and when I got back into the city, there wasn't much that was still open within walking distance to the hotel. Both nights I got the charbroiled chicken sandwich, which came with fries and a drink. They cook everything to order, including the fries, and you can watch them make it. The fries are crinkle cut which just hits the spot. Both nights it was fairly slow with just a couple other patrons aside from me, and it was nice that it was quiet. The staff were efficient and friendly, and walked people (probably drunk) through the menu who seemed confused. My biggest complaint is that they use styrofoam cups and containers. Bring cash as their system doesn't let you tip on a card.

Service lacking. Came for hot dog but the gyro looked better. Had to pay for drink refills. Better places in Chicago to get a hot dog, but food was hot and fast.

Love this place. No frills and great, fairly priced options. Great place to grab a quick bite!

Came to grab food after the bars. They didn't know that one of us spoke Spanish but threw around gay slurs as they were making our food. Once the food was done they didn't speak to us but instead threw(slid) our food across the counter. Honestly subpar food and a lot of disrespect. Disrespectfully won't be back, thanks Update: Called to express my thoughts and the fact that they forgot half my order. They said okay and hung up.

Love love love this place. Great gyros and dogs. Good value. Friendly and quick service.

Overpriced with Great Service Gyro was not good/not done well enough Cheese for the fries were lumpy Place had a weird Odor.

Came to this place a couple days ago with a bunch of my coworkers. I've never heard of this place but the menu of this place is immense! If your coming here for your first time, you'll be staring at it for a while. Employees are usually bilingual which is great too! Food time does take a while for it to cook but it's made to perfection. It's definitely moderately priced, definitely great for something that's in the heart of the city. I definitely recommend this place! Don't expect to use a restroom here either, parking will obviously be a hassle.

Hands down some of the best burgers and fries you'll have. The place hasn't changed for years because it doesn't need to. It's everything you could ask for when you're just craving a simple juicy burger with some salty fries. Get everything on it and dive in for a meal the won't break the bank

We loved their hot dogs and pizza puffs. I am SO glad I got the pizza puffs because it's not something I've heard of, but it's now going to be something I add to my "foods I MUST have whenever I go to Chicago" list and it HAS to be from this place. Mainly because I have never seen it on any other menu.

Visited Chicago for a long weekend and had two different food tours. We were brought to this little restaurant on both tours, so we came here twice. Had the Italian Beef Sandwich both times - I guess it's a Chicago favorite! Really tender meat, but the bread was very soggy. The hot peppers was a great bonus.

Loved Mister J's. There is nothing quite like the Dagwood Special! Excellent fries. Always a treat when visiting Chicago.

Food is always good. Chicago favorite Been coming here for years. Everything is good. Great selection

Best place to get food after 3am! After a long day producing a concert inside of [phone company]'s store, we were desperate for SOMETHING to eat after our Taco Bell delivery wait was extended an extra hour. If you like meat, cheese, and potatoes this place is for you. The food was so fresh there were clouds of steam rolling off

Great hotdog and fries! Kind staff that catered to my subs. Very considerate. I will gladly be back!

I've been going to Mr J's since spring 1986 and by far it's one of the best places for burgers and hotdogs and the Italian combination is the bomb.

Over thirteen years since my first yelp review for Mister J's and at least 30 years from my first experience with their "char-grill" burgers and chicken. They're still the best, and probably one of the only few remaining, "char-grill" burger joints, still around in the Chicagoland area.  What a treat!!! Hopefully, they will remain for many more years and generations, to come!! get the "Dagwood Special."

Good spot for chicken fingers, chicken sandwiches, and a Polish! Service was fast and friendly. Chicken tenders & fries- 4.5 Polish with the fixings- 4.5 Charred Chicken Sandwich (light mayo): 5! French fries- 4.5 (very fresh and not oily) Lemonade- 4.5 (fresh) They are open late, and the service is fantastic!

Family owned business so they are so nice a friendly. Loved the Chicago dog!

This is a favorite for over 30 years The food is fresh, cooked to order and served really hot The topics are amazing and the pickles are amazing!

I have to say...the french fries here are PERFECTLY cooked in fresh oil with the right amount of crunch! The hot dog is nicely done Chicago Style as well-with the slices of pickle instead of a spear which is an interesting version. Hemingway 6 word review of the Hot Dog: Chicago style without a pickle spear! The burger, while cooked on-site when you order is what you might have had at school lunch growing up in middle or high school...beef...well a bit strange...however it was nicely dressed. (Would not order the burger again). Staff is hardworking and polite.

Needed a Chicago dawg- hit the spot. Unassuming, but perfect if you need a quick, cheap hotdog. Vienna beef.

I used to live just a few blocks from "Dawg and Burger". I ate here waaaayyyyyy too much in the 90s! Today I was back in Chicago, so I had to eat here again. Back in the day, Mr. "J's" would often have a line from the counter to the front door, sometimes out the door! When you walked in, there were hand-drawn pictures of the meal deals in frames along the wall... #1 was a hamburger, fries and a drink... #4 was a fish sammich, fries and a drink... and so on. The guy working the close end of the counter would yell "Who's next?", and people would shout out what # special they wanted and the cook would start cooking the hamburger, hotdog, fish patty, Italian sausage, whatever. The fry guy never stopped cooking fries, and when a basket was done he would THROW them through the air, up against the sheet of glass that was part of the counter where the other cooks would finish making the sandwiches and along which the customers shuffled as they moved towards the register. The fries fell into a big stainless steel tray with hot lights over it. Somehow all this nutty chaos worked, and Dawg and Burger used to put out some pretty good street food at a good price! Used to. Today the place had 3 people in it. The glass wall where the fries flew is gone and worst of all the food isn't very good. And the prices are DOUBLE what they were in the 90s! My fish sammich, fries and a Coke was $9 and change!...and it just didn't taste very good. I hate it when old favorites turn bad. There used to be a few "Dawg and Burgers" around Chicago, this is the last one. It may as well be gone too.

Anyone giving this less than 5 stars is lame. It's the only late night spot this part of Gold Coast. It's a savior. Cheap, real fast food

My son and I were so excited to go to Mr J's after moving my granddaughter to her dorm at Roosevelt. It had been quite a few years since we'd been there, but we could still taste the amazing chicken sandwiches from there. SURPRISE, it was nothing like we remembered them to be. First of all, we always ordered our sandwiches on french bread (which used to be Gonnella). The bread is no longer Gonnella, which totally changed the support and taste the sandwich needed. The chicken breast are still grilled but they are not as big as they used to be as well. The prices certainly skyrocketed, but come on, 2 chicken sandwiches, 1order fries and 1 pop - ALMOST $24. It's chicken for Christ's sake!!!!!! NO LONGER VISITING THIS PLACE AND EVERYONE I KNOW WHO USED TO VISIT WILL KNOW ABOUT MY MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!!!!

I went there recently and noticed only a few people there. The kitchen was right behind them so you get a good idea of when your food is ready. They have a lot of greasy options to choose from and I got, of course, the Tenders. They came with fries but no drink for a total of $10.49. The service was pretty poor as they acted like low paid employees who only cared enough about work not to get fired. The tenders didn't take too long to come out and had a surprisingly decent taste. It wasn't as greasy as I thought it would be and even the french fries were a bit better than par. They were, however, a lot thinner than appreciated, as the picture should reveal. Every single tender I received was as thin as the picture shows. Also, there were only 3 thin tenders and two tiny additional leftover nuggets. The taste, to be fair, was actually good quality with a great balance of breading and soft chicken (as little amount of chicken there was). Combined with the lack of happy service and the decent quality of the tenders, I would choose Chick-Fil-A just one block south for better chicken or even McDonald's buttermilk tenders instead in the same area. Otherwise, if you wanna give it a go, it probably wouldn't be the worst experience. They were saved by the taste of the tenders and not much else.

This is a solid middle of the road late night dawg. It wasn't spectacular and it wasn't the worst experience. I ordered a #2 vienna and a polish dog. As a late night, after the bar.. I'll take it. However, I have to issues. The tomato & cucumber slices are too thin for my liking. The positive is that they stay open late. Seating is limited. I'll come back if it's late and I'm close.

You know that phrase, "Eat sh*t, Feel like sh*t"? This is the place. Absolutely the worst Chicago greasy spoon I've eaten in. To call this place a dive is an insult to other dives. We need a new phrase to describe this hellhole of crappy, unappetizing food. The shakes aren't real ice cream or even mixed. They're nothing more than cheap fro-yo mixed into a cup. The gyros meat isn't sliced off--it's scrapped off with an electric shaver so the meat looks like it's chipped. They consider a gyros sandwich a little pile of shredded meat, a few cut up pieces of onion, a sliver of tomato and a dollop of Tzatziki sauce thrown onto a pita. I took a photo to show how bad it was--it tasted even worse. The fries were bland as hell. Nasty, overpriced food and a gritty interior. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this place unless you're desperate.

Restaurant review Delicious grease joint! If you are craving burgers, gyros, or hot dogs stop by Mister J for your quick fix. Burgers made fresh to order with loads of topping with a friendly helping of fries. If you like beef, the triple cheese burger or the dagwood special hits the spot! The food is as good if not better than portillo's. The only downside is that the staff is not that friendly. This is a great place for quick and relatively cheap eat! Pro: burgers are cooked fresh on the spot, combo meal prices are reasonable. Opens to late hours. Free refills on fountain drinks Cons: CASH only, no credit card. Unfriendly staff. No bathroom! Hidden gem: Dagwood special 1/2 lb burger with fries only 5.99, 10% discount to moody and loyola students.