By TJ Murphy ‘20

If there’s one thing that Chicago doesn’t like to mess up, it’s food. With such a diverse city with a rich history, there are a lot of traditional foods throughout the Chicagoland area; one of the most famous being the Chicago dog.

A few weeks ago I noticed a new restaurant in the recently refurbished Evergreen Plaza called America’s Dog & Burger. The bustling crowd caught my attention and I was curious what the big red “AD&B” stood for. I decided to investigate.

Before leaving the house I called up Ryan Rice, a local food connoisseur and Brother Rice senior, who said, “I’ve been looking forward to trying this new restaurant for a while now and I’m glad I finally have the opportunity.”

The restaurant was crowded; this felt like a promising sign that it was good, but it made the wait extra-long. While waiting in line, I wanted to hear what others had to say about their food. Benjamin Cox, a Mt. Greenwood resident, said “The food is pretty good for the price and I might make this one of my regular restaurants.”

After hearing this, I was excited to get eating which made the wait a little quicker.

The service wasn’t the greatest, but it was apparent that they were still adjusting to working in a new restaurant.

I ordered a Chicago dog and a bacon cheddar burger. I was hoping that it would knock me out of my socks, but it did not live up to my expectations.

It mostly tasted like an average hot dog you would get from a street vendor. It wasn’t bad, and the ingredients were fresh, but it lacked flavor. The burger was much better, and it had a really tasty secret sauce, exclusive to AD&B.

In my opinion, there are many better places to eat at that are tastier and have better service. For burgers, I would recommend Five Guys; it is more expensive, but it is much quicker and it fills you up more. For hot dogs, I would recommend Portillo’s; the quality is very high and it is quick and cheap.

When asked about his jalapeño jack burger, Ryan Rice said, “I would definitely come here again, but I’m not sure if it will become my go-to,”

I’ve heard very mixed reviews about AD&B, and I would recommend it to all, especially because they have a lot to offer for everybody.

I would have to give this restaurant a solid 7 out of 10.