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Best Corned Beef Hash In Chicago

Best Corned Beef Hash In Chicago
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  • Best Corned Beef Hash In Chicago

    Post #1 - July 20th, 2008, 5:29 pm
    Post #1 - July 20th, 2008, 5:29 pm Post #1 - July 20th, 2008, 5:29 pm
    I love corned beef hash. Going ot for breakfast on the weekends gives me a chance to sample a number of places and their corned beef hash offerings. A few months ago, I invited Steve Z to meet me for corned beef hash at the Melrose Restaurant and decided, at that time, that I would spend the next few months sampling some of the offerings available around Chicago.

    From that sampling, I developed the following list of places that I consider to be excellent places for corned beef hash as well as some that weren't so excellent. I apologize as I am not a picture taker. So, you have only my written dissertation on this critical subject

    Here are my contenders:

    Stella's

    Oh, how I love Stella's. Such friendly people and, mostly solid food. Unfortunately, Stella's relies on canned corned beef hash on its breakfast menu. It is nothing that one couldn't fix at home. It's on the mushy side, too. Stella's gets a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 n the corned beef hash sweepstakes - and that's because they are very friendly.

    Stella's Diner
    3042 N Broadway
    Chicago
    773-472-9040

    Yellow Rose Cafe

    This place was a bit of a surprise to me. The Yellow Rose is a small non-descript place located on Elston Avenue just north and West of Bryn Mawr. When one walks into the Yellow Rose one feels like he has walked into someone's home for breakfast. Obviously, most of the folks there are regulars as evidenced by the back and forth banter that goes on. The corned beef hash here is excellent, chunky with big pieces of slow cooked, shredded corned beef, big chunks of potato, onion and peppers. My only complaint is that it could have been a little more aggressively spiced. In terms of consistency, The Yellow Rose's corned beef hash is somewhat the same consistency as Patty's Ham Hash. Yellow Rose gets a 7 from me for fresh corned beef, but not quite enough seasoning. The corned beef hash at Yellow Rose comes with 2 eggs, potatoes and toast.

    Yellow Rose Cafe
    5640 N Elston Ave
    Chicago, IL 60646

    Original Pancake House

    I know that this is a chain which sometimes brings out the worst in LTHers. But, when you're really hungry as I was one Saturday morning leaving the Green City Market, you may find a pleasant surprise just like I did at the Original Pancake House. It seemed like my order there took forever. When it finally arrived, I was kind of disappointed because it looked canned with its fine, uniformed potatoes and ground meat. The good news is that it didn't taste canned. Instead, it had a garlicky, oniony flavor that indicated someone had put some TLC into its crispy preparation. It included a huge serving of corned beef hash, two eggs and your choice of dollar pancakes or toast. Original Pancake House gets an 7 from me.

    Original Pancake House
    2020 N. Lincoln Park West
    Chicago, Illinois 60614
    773-929-8130

    Patty's Diner

    Obviously, no one at LTH needs a further introduction to Patty's, a real gem of a breakfast place in Skokie. Like many of you, I have a hard time choosing anything other than Patty's ham hash as my entree. One morning, far the sake of this sampling, I opted for the corned beef hash. The corned beef at Patty's is real, served with big chunks of potatoes, onions and lots of salt and pepper. The ratio of corned beef to potato is a bit on the low side compared to other places sampled. Its not a bad corned beef hash. Its just not as good as the ham hash. Patty's gets a solid 8 for freshness and the use of real corned beef. The dish come with two eggs and toast at Patty's

    Melrose Restaurant

    Melrose makes its own corned beef hash in house. Fresh corned beef, onions, peppers, garlic and various spices are ground through a meat grinder to a somewhat fine consistency of hash. The texture allows for a crispy exterior without the meat becoming dry and tough as it does at some establishments that make a chunkier version. This offering is particularly well seasoned and tasty The CBH comes in two forms at Melrose: a standard plate including three eggs, hash browns, toast and fruit as well as a skillet in which they bastardize this most excellent of breakfast foods by covering it and a pile of hashbrowns with cheese and a couple of eggs. On a scale of 1-10, Melrose gets a very solid 9.

    Melrose Restaurant
    3233 N Broadway St
    Chicago, IL 60657
    (773) 327-2060

    Sally's Pancake House

    Bad service and average food seem to be the hallmark of Sally's. The corned beef hash was canned and was one of the most expensive of those I sampled. Even canned, it came to the table mushy and with no crisp exterior. Skip corned beef hash in favor of pancakes at Sally's if you bother to go at all. No points given.

    Sally's Pancake House
    5454 N. Harlem Ave.
    Chicago, IL 60656
    773-631-8966

    Glenn's Diner

    I have recently fallen for the delicious food at Glenn's. Especially its daily selection of fresh fish. Given their attention to detail, I had great expectations for their corned beef hash, especially since they feature it in their Gonzo breakfast special. Glenn's variety of corned beef hash is canned. But, they do go to the trouble of picking it up with some extra onions, peppers and garlic. And, they do fry it really nice and crisp. If it wasn't for that, Glenn's corned beef hash would compare to Stella's. instead, Glenn's gets a 3 from me.

    Glenn's Diner
    1820 W Montrose Ave
    Chicago, IL 60613
    (773) 506-1720

    I'm interested to hear other opinions or notes of other places that may make an excellent corned beef hash.

    I'm open to hearing new and better suggestions. It seems to me that Chicago would be a really great town for corned beef hash. Maybe I'm missing some really good places here.
    Last edited by YourPalWill on July 20th, 2008, 7:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #2 - July 20th, 2008, 7:39 pm
    Post #2 - July 20th, 2008, 7:39 pm Post #2 - July 20th, 2008, 7:39 pm
    Great topic, great post. CBH is very dear to my heart and palate. I'm always a bit nervous about ordering it for fear of either a sad, damp, canned version, or, just as disappointing, some gussied up high-end interpretation unworthy of the name.
    I suspect we may differ on the salient characteristics of the Platonic ideal. I noticed that you frequently refer approvingly to the presence of large chunks. There I must demur. While I don't necessarily want it put through a grinder, I do think that a successful hash depends on a fine enough dice to allow all the various flavors and textures in the dish to get very up close and personal with each other. An equally important function of the fine dice, for me, is that it allows the grillman to mash it down with a spatula and give the whole thing a beautiful crust. When I get hash in large chunks, there is almost never a good crust on it and one gets many a forkfull with just a hunk of CB, or a slab of pepper, rather than the ideal meld.
    My former go-to hash was at the now defunct Manny's Pancake House. I've actually forgotten the exact locale, but it was just west of Clark and the L tracks at about School St., a spit from the equally defunct Organic Theatre, and I used to live nearby and walk over on Sat. mornings with my eyes closed. Huge breakfasts for almost no dough, served by great waitresses in old fashioned coffee shop uniforms.
    I believe that Nookies used to do a decent version, but it's been many years. Also, the recently departed Augie's.
    It's good to know that Melrose does a decent job. I've never been a huge Melrose fan so I tend not to think of it. Just a bit too crowded and a bit too pricey to make the effort for.
    I too, had hope for Stella's, and also came away disappointed.
    I don't really have a hash-house to call my own any more.
    Seems to me that A&T Grill would be worth rolling the dice on, though I haven't tried it.
    Good to know also that the Pancake House does a respectable job. We're often at Green City Market and if the crepe line is too long, the boy gets really hungry and off we go to the Pancake House. I've had a few better than expected breakfasts there. Will try the hash next.

    Do keep up the search and send dispatches.
    "Strange how potent cheap music is."
  • Post #3 - July 20th, 2008, 7:51 pm
    Post #3 - July 20th, 2008, 7:51 pm Post #3 - July 20th, 2008, 7:51 pm
    Interesting. When I make it a home, Mark. I tend to get some thinly sliced Boar's Head which I mince, the combine with frozen potatoes O'Brien, extra onions, peppers and garlic. It's about a 2:1 meat to potato ratio Then a mix in a healthy dose of my own southwest seasoning mix because I love the smokiness of the chipotles in it. Its non-traditional, but works pretty well on a lazy weekend morning. Plus there are alway quick leftovers for breakfast during the week.
  • Post #4 - July 20th, 2008, 8:50 pm
    Post #4 - July 20th, 2008, 8:50 pm Post #4 - July 20th, 2008, 8:50 pm
    Not being a red meat eater, I have sought out and found Turkey Hash in some of my travels, but haven't found any here. Any ideas?
  • Post #5 - July 20th, 2008, 9:01 pm
    Post #5 - July 20th, 2008, 9:01 pm Post #5 - July 20th, 2008, 9:01 pm
    I don't know of a place that specifically serves turkey hash. And, this may belong in shopping and cooking. But, the link below is to a fantastic hash I first had at Mesa Grill in New |York and have made many tines in my own kitchen over the years, The recipe calls for chicken. But, turkey would work much better in it.

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobb ... index.html
  • Post #6 - July 20th, 2008, 9:31 pm
    Post #6 - July 20th, 2008, 9:31 pm Post #6 - July 20th, 2008, 9:31 pm
    Twisted Spoke.
    It's made with real corned beef brisket served crispy (or extra crispy upon request). And it's organic! They also have awesome bloody marys.

    http://www.twistedspoke.com/
    "We eat slowly and with gusto." - Paul Bäumer in AQOTWF
  • Post #7 - July 20th, 2008, 9:39 pm
    Post #7 - July 20th, 2008, 9:39 pm Post #7 - July 20th, 2008, 9:39 pm
    Manny's Coffee Shop does a textbook "old school" corned beef hash. No quartered red potatoes, no diced red and yellow bell pepper, no chopped herbs, no chunky "pulled" corned beef, no frills.

    Corned beef, potato, onion, and green pepper are diced small and full of flavor. They also do a respectable job with the eggs. Have yours with a toasted onion bialy.

    :twisted:
    If you aren't tasting, you aren't cooking.
  • Post #8 - July 20th, 2008, 9:57 pm
    Post #8 - July 20th, 2008, 9:57 pm Post #8 - July 20th, 2008, 9:57 pm
    YourPalWill, this is an excellent topic.

    Ham has always been the pork product that has eluded me a bit. Maybe I haven't had the good stuff but when I was a bacon-only pork eater, ham was the porcine item I never once longed for. That being said, when I go to Patty's, I've had the the corned beef hash. Teamed with old potatoes, it is a mighty fine hash (in quality, not, as you note, in consistency).

    I also agree with you about Glenn's. The one and only time I visited, it was brunch and this hash underwhelmed. I plan to go back for dinner only.
    Last edited by gastro gnome on July 20th, 2008, 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #9 - July 20th, 2008, 9:57 pm
    Post #9 - July 20th, 2008, 9:57 pm Post #9 - July 20th, 2008, 9:57 pm
    mss60614 wrote:Not being a red meat eater, I have sought out and found Turkey Hash in some of my travels, but haven't found any here. Any ideas?


    You could try The Lucky Platter in Evanston. They have a vegetarian hash and a smoked turkey version. I love the breakfasts there.

    http://luckyplatterrestaurant.com/break ... icago.html
  • Post #10 - July 20th, 2008, 11:01 pm
    Post #10 - July 20th, 2008, 11:01 pm Post #10 - July 20th, 2008, 11:01 pm
    I love Tweet's rendition. They actually start with house-made corned beef.

    =R=

    Tweet
    5020 N Sheridan Rd
    Chicago, IL 60640
    773 728-5576
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #11 - July 21st, 2008, 8:57 am
    Post #11 - July 21st, 2008, 8:57 am Post #11 - July 21st, 2008, 8:57 am
    Thank you for this post! I often have a hankering for hash but it's so bad for me I don't want to make it at home and have leftovers.

    I haven't been there, but I hear good things about Mac's Restaurant at 812 Higgins Rd. in Park Ridge.
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #12 - July 21st, 2008, 9:14 am
    Post #12 - July 21st, 2008, 9:14 am Post #12 - July 21st, 2008, 9:14 am
    Oh how this post makes me miss Hillary’s Urban Eatery. I loved their corned beef hash! But their hash was not for the fan of the crispy variety.
  • Post #13 - July 21st, 2008, 9:15 am
    Post #13 - July 21st, 2008, 9:15 am Post #13 - July 21st, 2008, 9:15 am
    Will,

    Thanks for the tour de force post. For completeness sake, I'd also add Jack's Restaurant in Skokie to your list as well as The Bagel. Both make fine home made versions, and I strongly agree with Evil Ronnie's recommendation of Manny's.

    Jack's Restaurant
    5201 Touhy Ave
    Skokie, IL 60077
    (847) 674-5532

    The Bagel
    50 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr
    Skokie, IL 60077
    (847) 410-8788

    The Bagel
    3107 N Broadway St
    Chicago, IL 60657
    (773) 477-0300
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #14 - July 21st, 2008, 9:53 am
    Post #14 - July 21st, 2008, 9:53 am Post #14 - July 21st, 2008, 9:53 am
    The Twisted Spoke website is blocked by my work, ha ha ha.
  • Post #15 - July 21st, 2008, 10:09 am
    Post #15 - July 21st, 2008, 10:09 am Post #15 - July 21st, 2008, 10:09 am
    Blame it on the porn and eggs, Shaggy.
  • Post #16 - July 21st, 2008, 10:26 am
    Post #16 - July 21st, 2008, 10:26 am Post #16 - July 21st, 2008, 10:26 am
    mrbarolo wrote:Seems to me that A&T Grill would be worth rolling the dice on, though I haven't tried it.
    I have, and it isn't. Pauline's does a good CB Hash.

    Pauline's
    1754 W. Balmoral
    Chicago, IL 60640
    (773) 561-8573
  • Post #17 - July 21st, 2008, 11:17 am
    Post #17 - July 21st, 2008, 11:17 am Post #17 - July 21st, 2008, 11:17 am
    Maybe we should put together a Hash-A-Thon.
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #18 - July 21st, 2008, 11:18 am
    Post #18 - July 21st, 2008, 11:18 am Post #18 - July 21st, 2008, 11:18 am
    d4v3 wrote:
    mrbarolo wrote:Seems to me that A&T Grill would be worth rolling the dice on, though I haven't tried it.
    I have, and it isn't. Pauline's does a good CB Hash.

    Pauline's
    1754 W. Balmoral
    Chicago, IL 60640
    (773) 561-8573


    Pauline's falls into the very chunky school, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your tastes. Personally, I prefer a more homoginized CBH.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #19 - July 21st, 2008, 11:19 am
    Post #19 - July 21st, 2008, 11:19 am Post #19 - July 21st, 2008, 11:19 am
    Pie Lady wrote:Maybe we should put together a Hash-A-Thon.


    Feel free to organize one if you want to.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #20 - July 21st, 2008, 11:39 am
    Post #20 - July 21st, 2008, 11:39 am Post #20 - July 21st, 2008, 11:39 am
    That sounds potentially fatal. Especially if you like, as I do, the poached or sunny side eggs on top.
    "Strange how potent cheap music is."
  • Post #21 - July 21st, 2008, 11:41 am
    Post #21 - July 21st, 2008, 11:41 am Post #21 - July 21st, 2008, 11:41 am
    stevez wrote:
    d4v3 wrote:
    mrbarolo wrote:Seems to me that A&T Grill would be worth rolling the dice on, though I haven't tried it.
    I have, and it isn't. Pauline's does a good CB Hash.

    Pauline's
    1754 W. Balmoral
    Chicago, IL 60640
    (773) 561-8573


    Pauline's falls into the very chunky school, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your tastes. Personally, I prefer a more homoginized CBH.
    Funny, the chunkiness is precisely what I like about Pauline's CBH. What I didn't like about A&T's CBH was that it was too mushy.
  • Post #22 - July 21st, 2008, 11:51 am
    Post #22 - July 21st, 2008, 11:51 am Post #22 - July 21st, 2008, 11:51 am
    I particularly like the CBH at Hot Spot, a breakfast/lunch spot near Armitage & California. It is hand-made, chunky, and served piping hot right in a skillet. Probably my favorite thing on the menu; other things do not always live up to the menu hype, but never had a bad order of the hash. Recently they had a special that was a latin-style hash with cornbread "croutons", black beans, chorizo and other veggies & many at my table enjoyed this, along with those that stuck with the original version.

    Hot Spot
    (773) 276-0115
    2824 W Armitage Ave
  • Post #23 - July 21st, 2008, 12:43 pm
    Post #23 - July 21st, 2008, 12:43 pm Post #23 - July 21st, 2008, 12:43 pm
    This is insane. . i was going to post a similar topic, as well as a "Best Hash Browns" thread.

    I've been a a recent addict of Jack's in Skokie (on Touhy), repeatedly going there for a surprisingly tender and moist corned beef sandwich and a side of my favorite hash browns in the city.

    I would imagine that the combination of their great hash browns and their home made corned beef would be nothing short of a religious experience. In the name of all that is holy, I will go there soon and try their CBH.
  • Post #24 - July 21st, 2008, 6:06 pm
    Post #24 - July 21st, 2008, 6:06 pm Post #24 - July 21st, 2008, 6:06 pm
    Hash & Hash-A-Thon. Sounds like a law office. Hmmm. Jack's does come up twice. I'll have to think this over. What say you, fellow posters?

    mrbarolo wrote:That sounds potentially fatal. Especially if you like, as I do, the poached or sunny side eggs on top.


    Tut tut, poached eggs are healthy, what with the lack of butter-frying and all.
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #25 - July 21st, 2008, 7:47 pm
    Post #25 - July 21st, 2008, 7:47 pm Post #25 - July 21st, 2008, 7:47 pm
    A few weeks ago I had the CBH at Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe. It was sublime. Definitely hand made, and with smoked corned beef.

    Suzy
    " There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
    - Frank Zappa
  • Post #26 - July 21st, 2008, 8:26 pm
    Post #26 - July 21st, 2008, 8:26 pm Post #26 - July 21st, 2008, 8:26 pm
    Suzy, you have me thinking. Hash made of Chuck's Mexican pot roast. Oh man, I may need to get an order to go this week.
  • Post #27 - July 22nd, 2008, 10:29 am
    Post #27 - July 22nd, 2008, 10:29 am Post #27 - July 22nd, 2008, 10:29 am
    My personal favorite Corned Beef Hash in the city is Johnny's Grill in Logan Square. It isn't house-made but it comes from a tube. But to me, it just tastes right. There is something about most homemade attempts that are simply too chunky and often quite bland (Hot Spot's version I had most recently and didn't taste like much).

    At Johnny's you get a large portio of CBH, 3 eggs, toast (their Greek toast is my fav) and really good hash browns that are made in house for about $6.

    Johnny's Grill
    2545 N Kedzie Blvd
    Chicago, IL 60647
  • Post #28 - July 22nd, 2008, 3:09 pm
    Post #28 - July 22nd, 2008, 3:09 pm Post #28 - July 22nd, 2008, 3:09 pm
    The best corned beef hash I’ve had ever is at Tre Kroner. In fact most of their breakfast items are amazing. The hash is made with fresh ingredients, yet the corned beef is a mixture of crispy bits with moist chunks. With most corned beef hash that is made with real corned beef I've noticed they try to leave large chunks of juicy corned beef and they don't crisp much of it. It's flavored very subtly with rosemary. It is salty, but not too salty, as corned beef has should be. I get mine topped 2 with a (perfect every time) soft poached eggs, which ooze down into the dish to make the perfect balance of textures. Second would have been HUE's (hillary's urban eatery) corned beef hash which was more like a corned beef hash soup, but they've been gone for a while.

    Tre Kroner (open and serve breakfast 'till 3)
    (773) 267-9888
    3258 W Foster Ave
    Chicago, IL 60625
    swedishbistro.com
    Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.

    -Mark Twain
  • Post #29 - July 23rd, 2008, 1:47 pm
    Post #29 - July 23rd, 2008, 1:47 pm Post #29 - July 23rd, 2008, 1:47 pm
    I am hesitant to chime in on this one, since I am definitely not an aficionado of corned beef hash. But for what it's worth, I really enjoy the version at Eleven City Diner. In fact, it's pretty much the only thing I enjoy about that place. However, I can confidently say that it's the best version I've had in Chicago, as it is the only version.
  • Post #30 - July 23rd, 2008, 3:09 pm
    Post #30 - July 23rd, 2008, 3:09 pm Post #30 - July 23rd, 2008, 3:09 pm
    berryberry wrote:I am hesitant to chime in on this one, since I am definitely not an aficionado of corned beef hash. But for what it's worth, I really enjoy the version at Eleven City Diner. In fact, it's pretty much the only thing I enjoy about that place. However, I can confidently say that it's the best version I've had in Chicago, as it is the only version.


    Well, I hope it's now better than the pulverized mush I had about a year and a half ago. They've improved considerably on some of their items over time (omelettes for one), and I hope this is indeed a case of them paying attention to another important component of diner breakfasts.
    "The fork with two prongs is in use in northern Europe. In England, they’re armed with a steel trident, a fork with three prongs. In France we have a fork with four prongs; it’s the height of civilization." Eugene Briffault (1846)

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