Fox E.
Yelp
Yes it has a rusty tin roof, and long lines, but it also has the best Chocolate Malt I think I've ever had in my life.
If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says
"15 miles to the Sugar Shack"
Sugar Shack, yeah, yeah
I'm headin' down the Chicago Skyway
Lookin' for the Sugar getaway
Headed for the Sugar getaway
I got me a shake, it's as big as a whale
And we're headin' on down to the Sugar Shack baby
I got me an ice cream, it cost about 2.20
So hurry up and bring your Sugar Shack money!
The Sugar Shack is a little old place where we can get love handles
Sugar Shack, baby (a-Sugar Shack, baby)
Sugar Shack, baby, Sugar Shack
Sugar Shack, (Chocolate Malt, baby, that's where it's at) baby
What to get: Chocolate Malt
What not to get: Chocolate Salty Balls
Why: Because they're only sold by Isaac Hayes in Colorado
Unequivocally and definitively, the 26th Street Sugar Shack is one of my absolute favourite places in the country. It may be the best chocolate malt I've ever had and I will come out of my way to Chicago to get this. It's up there with my favorite Chicago dog (Fat Johnnie's on the Southside) as the thing I get most often when I come to Chicago. Other than laid (ahem). I'm absolutely in love with it.
The problem is, I'm not the only one who knows how good it is... so a lot of times - especially in the summer but sometimes even in cold weather - there will be a very very long line here. But I'm no stranger to things that are very very long.
Still... You'd think since they're making all this money from making all these shakes for the longest lines in Chicagoan history, they could probably add a few staff members and a few machines and get those lines moving faster... but they don't. They respond to the massive popularity by just not having enough employees to cover it, and ending up with the longest lines you'll experience this side of The Trendier Bites Of The Big Apple. To the point where I have actually skipped my treat - several times - just because I didn't want to spend over an hour waiting for it. And that's after driving all the way here - only to see the line stretch down the block. Very unnceccessary.
They should funnel some of their funnel cake money into more staff and equipment. Get it. Get it.
But it's not one of those hipster places where you wait for an hour and then you wonder why the hell you waited. This is the real authentic old style incredible desert product (that's meant to say dessert, but you know, these shakes would be great in the desert too), that you're dreaming of. Unless of course you are a hipster in which case you should go get the Aubergine Aioli somewhere else.
The decor is hot pink (like my girl) and beautiful (like my girl) and the whole place is just a dream come true (like my girl). I'm looking forward to coming back (with my girl) and trying other flavors (other girls) of malts but I doubt anything will ever be better than the chocolate (than my girl).
So once you go Sugar Shack you never go BACK
If you're at Cold Stone, you're on the wrong TRACK
Try the Chocolate Malt, it's addictive like CRACK
In fact I'm moving to Chicago, lemme go and PACK
These are Malts that are worth having a heart ATTACK
If you don't know Sugar Shack then you don't know JACK
The best in Chicagoland - they should win a PLAQUE
I don't order only one, I always get a STACK
The malts are more soothing than an Enya SOUNDTRACK
I need these malts like planes need TARMAC
If this Shack was called Yakety Yak, I wouldn't TALK BACK
These shakes just fell from heaven, do they need an ICE PACK?
Chicago loves these shakes like Paris loved CHIRAC
Baskin is War Machine, but this is CHRISTY MACK
Haagen Dazs is frigid, this is NYMPHOMANIAC
There is no better Malt than the one at SUGAR SHACK
WHACK!