Long an Albany Park hotspot for Von Steuben and North Park College kids, Charcoal Delights is simply an Albany Park/North Park institution. Family owned, Charcoal Delights has been in the neighborhood for longer than I remember and their grilled and broasted chicken cannot be beat. There are fast food joints and then there is Charcoal Delights. Greek owned, their menu is deep as a diner's carrying different kinds of chicken, sandwiches, a vast cornucopia of appetizers, desserts and though I didn't look I wouldn't be surprised if they had soup. The one tip I've learned over the years about Charcoal Delights is while the food is A+ fantastic (you've got to try the broasted chicken), don't use the drive-thru because it's far from fast food! read more

I have been patronizing this place on and off for roughly the last 20 years or so. God knows why! Back in the day 30 years or so ago they were a hole-in-the-wall joint called The Hot Dog Pit. That was probably the last time they were any good because they are crap now. Maybe they should go back to their roots. Their beef Sandwiches are terrible. You can tell they buy it cheap from some cowboy company. Their Chicken, which I just recently had is not any better than that garbage chicken called Pop*yes. Just an absolute gross aftertaste. The ŕest of their menu items burgers, hot dogs, Italian sausages are all passable but nothing to get excited about Accompanying their barely average food is that they charge an arm and a leg for it. No better yet add a kidney and a Pancreas as well. While I am an organ donor, it won't happen for their food. Being really cheap seems to be a standard for them. Get a meal with fries. Tiny bag of fries. Any good hot dog joint will give you a good sized bag full of fries and a couple of handfuls at the bottom of the big bag. This may be more of an effective business decision but the customer be damned! Customer Service has its ups and downs. They train their staff very well and have a nice system to get you your food quickly. But if something goes wrong like they charged you too much or screw up your order and your waiting till you have mushrooms growing out your ears, ha! barely a sorry is given. No money back, no complimentary fries, no discount for your time. Just a quick sorry and no fu*ks given. Boo! Dude it's a waste of time to eat here. Get a good dog at Chubby Weiners, a Bahn Mi at Two Brothers or Nhu Lan, Pizza at Jimmys, Chicken at Nicks Pit Stop, Burrito at Lindo Michoacan. These are all better alternatives and are all within a half-mile or so of Charcoal. Happy hunting folks! read more

So last night I was killing time driving around the Northside trying to figure out what to eat. Then I remembered this cute little place I had eaten at and really enjoyed. So I drove around some more because of course I couldn't quite remember but then there it was! It was like the clouds opened and behind the gates of heaven was Charcoal Delights! So I walk in and the place is empty except for 4 police officers. 3 Patrol. 1 Detective. They are sitting in the middle of the room stretched out with their empty napkins and cups spread out across the table. I mean they looked like four Al Bundys. Sitting in the chair, leaned back, legs wide open, beer bellies in the air, straws hanging from their lips...Yes people say hello to Chicago's Finest. Anyway, I order the charbroiled chicken sandwich with cheese. It was so juicy and yummy! Just like I remembered. However the fries were pretty gross. As I sat there eating them I kept gazing at the McDonald's across the street. Yum McDonald's fries..lol ok focus! So as I was enjoying my sandwich, one of Chicago's finest let out a very loud, very wet, very nasty BURP...All I could do was shake my head in disgust and try to finish enjoying my food. read more

I have given this place several chances to redeem themselves as people do say they enjoy it here, but my experience is very different. The food is always very bland and you can tell they only use the cheapest of ingredients. Staff are always very rude, it is as if you are always interrupting their personal conversations. They are more concerned about having fun at work than serving the customers. Very dated dinning area and not always clean. I've given up on these guys, will never return. read more

*urp* just got back from eating one of the best gyros in town at this awesome neighborhood fast food joint. The pita was fried/grilled until crispy, as was the very thinly sliced gyros off the spit. The tzatziki was fresher and tangier than a lot of other places, with flecks of fresh herbs (mint, I'm guessing). How McD's across the street stays in business is beyond me. (QueenJean I think I was helped by the cashier you're talking about--great lady) read more

If you EVER need good fast greasy food (read: hangover), GO HERE. Let me name the reasons why Charcoal Delights will always have a fond place is my heart: 1.) THEY KNOW HOW TO RUN THE PLACE: You walk in, order, they give you a number, sit down, wait for a hot second, they bring your food, eat. You don't have to stand around waiting for your number to be called as all you can think about is how hungry you are and how your head kinda hurts. 2.) THE GRILLED CHEESE: bread. cheese. bread. more cheese. bread. I'm trying to be a vegan but it will never happen as I wont be able to end this grilled cheese love affair. 3.) LARGE PORTIONS: I never knew that a plate full of hashbrowns could bring such happiness to my life. 4.) THEY BUY LOCAL: Eli's Cheesecake! Vienna Beef! Please, help yourself and go! read more

I like this place. However, there must have been a mix up yesterday. They tried to charge me 50¢ for lettuce on my burger. No, I'm not paying for lettuce. This isn't McDonald's, so I left and ate somewhere else. read more

Overpriced but decent food combined with truly awful customer service. Food: Decent Chicago burgers and dogs type place. Nothing that will let you down but nothing you will remember forever. Prices: For standard Chicago burgers and dogs this is on the more expensive end of the scale. I got a medium coke, Cheeseburger and Cheese Fries and ended up paying around 11 bucks. Customer Service: I have been here a few times and EACH time have had a routine customer service issue turned into a big-time production. Employees are often rude, incompetent and incapable of admitting wrongdoing. The restaurant fails the minimum standards of customer service, like listening to an order, getting it right, displaying contriteness and greeting people. All of the these experiences in this review are from inside the restaurant, so cruddy drive-thru microphones aren't an excuse for consistently screwing up an order. I also am a native English speaker, and have received worldwide renown, fame and monetary rewards for my diction. They screwed up my order on my first visit to the restaurant. It was a simple order of a burger and fries that mysteriously morphed into a hot dog and ice cream. This was not a mere mixup, as in something the other table ordered. Upon checking my receipt I saw that they showed me as having ordered a hot dog and ice cream; a combination that I am thoroughly opposed to on philosophical grounds. So the person taking the order failed in their basic task of BEING THE PERSON TAKING THE ORDER. Correcting the order was left up to me as the employees steadfastly insisted that I ordered what they said I did. (As a person who had worked in multiple restaurants I loathe making customer service complaints. I will not however eat hot dogs and ice cream. In public at least.) The next time, I ordered a cappuccino. (Don't ask why but I did.) Instead I received a coke. Told them I did not order a cappuccino. They told me I ordered a coke. I corrected them. They tried to correct me. Wow. Finally, the owner came over. He was brusque, unapologetic and seemed as though he wanted me to apologize for wasting his time. Then they asked me to cough up more money for the cappuccino. Wow times two. This uninterrupted stream of incompetence happened again upon my next visit only insert cheese fries for cappuccino. This third time, I knew there was going to be trouble. Upon walking in the restaurant, the employee was disappointed at having to put down her smartphone. I must have interrupted an awesome snapchat session with that boy in Algebra who totally digs her for her brain. I approached the register. She stared blankly at me. I offered a hello, unsure anymore that I was actually in a business that served money for food. She then offered an annoyed hello that made me literally feel guilty. As I was ordering I noticed her attention wandering; she was failing to make any eye contact and actually began talking to other employees while I was ordering. Noticing this, I repeated my order THREE times; in plainly spoken English not in my usual morse code. Upon sitting down I discovered that, as I feared, she screwed up the order. I told the server that I had ordered cheese fries. She went back to the kitchen and came back out to tell me I had not. I told her I had. She then hurriedly went back to "order" the cheese. She brought out the cheese and then told me I owed an additional 2 dollars. I coughed it up (why I don't know) and she came out a third time to give me my change, which I had already told her to keep the second time. (It must be noted this person was nicer, if no more competent.) Summary: The employees are not schooled in the basics of customer service. I do not believe that asking an employee to say hello and listen to a customer's order is asking too much. I also do not believe it is too much to ask that upon discovering a problem; the employees should be contrite and act quickly to remedy the problem. I was only asking for the items I ordered. I was not asking for elaborate accommodations and specialty orders. Getting an order right is food service 101. (I know; I've worked in multiple restaurants. I am well aware of what is normal baseline customer service and what is considered to be going above and beyond. I wouldn't call this passable service by any stretch.) Note: 1 bad employee is not enough for me to give a bad review, but when every person I encounter in three straight visits is either rude or incompetent I consider that to be endemic, not an outlier. Not only are the employees not schooled in being polite and getting an order right, they conduct themselves in a manner that says "I don't give a blank and how dare you interrupt my day." read more

I've been coming to Charcoal Delights for a while. It's very convenient since it is located right across the street from my job. The food is always fresh. My favorite is the turkey burger on the wheat bun. I also order soups and salad all the time from them. Never have I received brown lettuce or an old salad from them. My favorite soup is the cream of broccoli. Their soup is not to thick and not to watery. (just right) All in all, I will recommend this place. The only thing I will say is the price may be a little steep but it's worth it when you get good, fresh food. read more

Pros: Excellent, inexpensive Italian beef; good, hot, salty fries; even the salads are respectable. Best of all: they make their own giardineira. Cons: dour atmosphere, some pissy cashiers Overall: A reliable neighborhood standby, great for that unstoppable pre-menstrual/post-breakup beef jones. read more

This place has lost it's way. It was, at one point, the antithesis of mighty Mc Donald's across the street (they were once right next to each other) and that's what made them special. The owner back then knew they had to do something different; something special and that's where the charcoal came in which they still use to this day. My visit consisted of a half pounder medium rare for my wife and a gyros special for me. The gyros was off the spit and not pre frozen strips and the sandwich as a whole wasn't too big (about the size of my hand and not my head). Fries were good, not great (not fresh cut) and we ordered cheese sauce on the side which was surprisingly tangy and hearty, not watery and tasteless glue. The bad thing was the burg. The Swiss cheese was processed cheese and there were bits of bone and gristle in the meat. Yuk. The meat tasted weird too, like hamburgers grilled by an amateur in their backyard with too much lighter fluid. The restaurant itself was remodeled but there were hints of yesteryear and it felt a bit grungy with the mop and mop bucket sitting out near the order counter. Unfortunately they've lost their way and could learn from their neighboring domineering franchise; cleanliness and consistency is a must in order to keep your customers. read more

They donated a raffle prize to an event that I participated in today and they were right next door, so I figured I'd give them a little business. The menu is huge. They had everything from breakfast foods to burgers and dogs to pizza puffs and gryos. If I had seen italian beef on the menu (I'm not saying they don't have it, I just didn't see it on the wall sized menu) it would have been the ultimate Chicago food tour all in one place. I ordered the Scotty: a dog with the works and fries. They asked if I wanted everything on the dog, I of course said yes. They give you a number and someone brings the food to you; a nice little touch. The dog looks good, poppyseed bun, visible amounts of celery salt, and the relish is glowing green. I take a bite, no sports pepper. I just assume that they are smashed into the middle. I take another bite, still no pepper. I then use a fry to scoop the relish and tomato out of the way. NO SPORTS PEPPER! You can't say a hot dog has the works in Chicago without peppers. Overall the dog was good. The bun was a tiny bit too soggy from the steaming, but nothing to really worry about. However, the fact that they don't serve peppers annoys the bejesus out of me. And it wasn't an oversight on my dog, their menu states they don't have peppers. The fries also tasted like any generic fry out there. They easily could have been frozen and needed salt. My final gripe: they served my food on a styrfoam plate. The fries were in a paper container, the dog was in a paper boat, and the drink came in styrofoam. I'm really hoping they are CFC free, but it is still depressing to see a restaurant in 2012 still using that much material for something that could easily use less. read more

I have driven by this place dozens of times but never near lunchtime so thru all the years, haven't had the chance to try it. Well, the other day, it was either CD's or Mickey D's, which is located right across the street. My *real* desire was to go with a McD's #1, no pickle w a coke; in fact my heart (and stomach) was set on that and truly craving it. Well, I opted for CD's instead, mostly b/c i had to check this place out, the one i'd driven by so many times. I'm gonna call it from the jump and state that this place is a Greek Diner in disguise, from the folks who run the joint to the Baklava, Gyros and assorted Chicken dishes on the menu, it definitely has some Greek influences. But I digress, I didn't come here for that, in hindsight perhaps maybe i should have, but rather came here for the standard burger and fries treatment. So I order up a single cheeseburger delux w fries and a coke, put the plastic number tent on my tray and wait to be served. Few moments later, my food arrives. It looks decent and smelled great. Burger: it was ok, I expected better but it was good enough. It was a standard pre-frozen, packed tight patty so you'll never achieve any sort of juicy deliciousness from that approach, but it was what was, a decent grilled burger at a mid-range restaurant...will I be back for that? No. Fries: very good, had to add a bit of salt & pepper to get some flavor out but they were hot and crisp. I also had a side of cheese but only dipped them in it twice as It was unquestionably just heated up Velveeta cheese, not my cuppa tea. I think it's also worth a mention that the coke was fairly flat too, and that makes for a bit of a disappointment right there, when, just across the street (yep, maccy D's) they have perhaps mastered the perfect icy coke, never flat always w a nice carbonated zip...omg, he just reviewed a Coke, get out!!! So, I think i'll be back though, even after my average experience. Why? Well, the Italian Beef the gent next to me was eating looked absolutely fantastic, i think he turned about 20 maybe 30 degrees *opposite* me t/o the meal as i'd been eying that little beauty (the sandwich, not him!@) a good few times. Also, they look to have a great char-grilled dog and that's something I want to give a shot to as well. Oh, and yea, the Gyro, those looked to be the absolute real deal too. read more

Well, almost an exact year to when I initially wrote my review for Charcoal Delights, finally tried their fried chicken! I thought it was great, and love like how at regular chicken fast food places(i.e. Popeye's, KFC, etc.), you get a biscuit with the chicken. I also like the choices of sides you can choose from(i.e. soup, baked potato, fries, etc.), in addition to the biscuit that comes with any fried chicken meals here. The soup I ended up getting(beef barley) wasn't bad either. The TV had the Cubs game on when I was there, which I thought was interesting(and confirmed my increasing suspicions that their TV likely wasn't always tuned to CNN, or news programs), though mostly stuck to my newspaper reading. Now back to ordering less greasy food items there, until whenever my fried chicken cravings come back! read more

to be honest... the 5 stars is simply for nostalgic value. all in all, maybe a 3-4. But I have been coming here ever since I was a kid and I went to high school down the street. As far as "fast food" goes, it's a little pricey... but then again, it's not always that fast. If you go through the drive through, expect to pull up and wait for the food a good 5 - 10 min. I am personally a big fan of the grilled cheese. And I don't know why... probably because it is cooked in more butter than I would ever consider using if I ever made it myself... so let's just call it a splurge and leave it at that. The staff is pretty nice... and very tolerant of the high school crowd that bombards them everyday around lunch and 3-ish. Definitely beats McDonald's across the street... well, let's face it, there is a McDonald's across the street from everything. read more

When Charcoal Delights announced their 40th anniversary a year or two ago, I realized that I've been eating there since their second year in business, back when they had a smaller building at the same location and called themselves The Hot Dog Pit. Couldn't tell you how many plates full of burgers, Italian sausage, Italian beef and grilled cheese sandwiches I've eaten there, or how many buckets full of their homemade BBQ sauce. The place isn't perfect (sometimes a "medium-well" burger is noticeably overdone and dry), but it's consistently good, which is why I keep going back. And not everything is the usual drive-thru fare. They make a pretty good Greek salad, which makes a nice supper on a hot summer evening. I plan on eating there for years to come. read more

Love the hot dog special! Classic Chicago style hot dog are the best and would encourage anyone to stop and treat yourself. read more

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I don't know why I like this place as much as I do. But I like it a lot. The portions are decent sized, without being overpowering. The food is good, without being overseasoned or overcooked. Everything about it is simply above average. It helps that it's one of the few places near my work. It also helps that it's a very easy place to go into over a lunch hour to sit, read, and have a good meal. read more

Going here forever. Remember when there were bar stools. Same original owner I think. Love the food. Will go here always.

Points for delicious food. Gyros are good and never dry. Their broasted chicken takes it for me. It is delicious. Reasonable prices. Service varied between slow and efficient depending upon how busy they are. Definitely worth a try. Also. Drive-thru is speedy and convenient. read more

Been going here since I was a kid... Best quality fast food for super cheap IMHO. Two scotty dogs with everything on em and your all set. The broasted chicken is absolutely amazing as well. All around this is a classic chicago fast food establishment. If you want want frozen assembly line food go across the street to McDonalds. read more

We came here last night for a quick (late) dinner. I wanted to do something with drive thru but we ended up eating inside. Go figure! When I walked in, it reminded me of Culver's for some reason. They give you these number table tents and they bring the food out to you when your order is up. When you order the special, it comes with fries and a soda. I have given up soda and they gave me a big bottle of water as a substitute. That was a nice touch! I had the Italian beef sandwich. The beef was lean and it was nice and juicy. Not dry at all. It came with fries but I couldn't eat them because my sandwich was so big. My dining companion had a fried chicken sandwich and it had cheese on it. It didn't look too appetizing but he ate it. Later on that evening he was complaining of a tummy ache. CD also serves up some custard (like Culver's). I would like to try that next time I'm in the mood for ice cream. This is a nice and clean restaurant that serves up greasy fare. The staff here are very friendly! read more

I have not been to this place in years due to a bad burger. Do you think that I learn? Nope. Thought I would give them a second chance after all this time has passed. The burger was chewy! Could not finish it. Lettuce and onion all cut up so that when you go to eat it they fall off. Maybe they did not want to be with the burger! Not worth the time, cost or calories. NEXT! read more

BEST DRIVE THROUGH GYROS EVER! They're great. And for 7 dollars the portion you receive is ridiculous! Highly recommend

Super affordable and great food! They have an amazing gyros as well with pizza puffs and Italian beef. Must try!

I love this place! They just have some of the best food you'll ever want in here! This place has chicken dinners they've got hot dogs polishes burgers gyros you name it! Salads soups coffee. You can go in here they have two nice comfy chairs and they used to have the newspapers in here all the time. But ever since the pandemic they haven't had the newspapers in here. They got a television in there that you can watch. It's a nice big huge TV and it's mounted up toward the ceiling. They got Wi-Fi in here. They got friendly service. That's a locally owned place. It's right on the number 92 Foster bus and the 93 California Dodge bus. The 82 Kimball home and is about two blocks away. And the brown line is about five blocks away. It's close to North Park University and about six blocks from northeastern Illinois university. It's open from early morning till late at night. So you can get your breakfast and your lunch and your dinner. So I come in here as often as possible. It's just real good food. read more

Charcoal Delights makes my life easier. Mom is a light eater and I can get her a 2 piece broasted chicken dinner and instead of taters she can get soup. For the most part all their soups are good. Add in the slaw and she can make 2 meals of it. Another great thing is you can get baked potatoes with various toppings. The potatoes are really good, not like many places I have tried. Of course, kudos once again to the drive thru. Like I said, they make my life easier!!! read more

I actual had my first Charcoal Delight experience at the other location off on Mannheim in Des Plaines I think. The Char Burgers and Chicken Delight are actual quite good, but on the pricey side of fast food. Fortunately your paying for quantity and quality so its not so bad. Portions are a nice size. Items that are cooked on the grill have that nice flavor you can only get from a charcoal. I consider this place on the higher end of the local Chicago area Greek-owned fast food joints. Interior is clean and well kept. Service is nice and they give you order numbers so you can wait at a table while you food cooks and then they bring it out to you. Its fast, but the food is made to order and hasn't been sitting around. The menu is large, not really Greek-diner large, but the selection is pretty good. The broasted chicken and chicken fingers are quite good here if you don't want to go the charred route. Broasted chicken is offered at many places and has a consistant nice neutral flavor wherever it is offered. It is quite crisp on the outside and tender in the center, it is essentially less greasy fried chicken. I believe "broasting" is a achived through a pressure frying machine and marinade that is sold to restaurants. Its available in many places like Charcoal Delights to supplement their menu. Food is four star, but I'm going to dock a star since the prices are a bit high and I asked to substitute anything instead of fries and they refused. Thats a bit rigid in terms of "customer service" so 3 stars. read more

Even before I had the sub par italian beef I would have given his place 3 stars. Do not ever get the Italian beef here. It might have been from the frozen food aisle at 7-11. I've never had a bad Italian beef till here. Moving past the disgusting Italian beef, the gyros here are good. Not a huge portion, but we are in a recession. I've had a burger from here and it wasn't remarkable. read more

I'm sad to report there was no delight in the steak sandwich only the smell of charcoal. They gave me a few strips of thin meat with gristle that had me reminiscing about that commercial "where's the beef" anyone remember that? Well I wanted to like this place but my hopes were dashed with the quality and flavor of the alleged "steak" sandwich. Now I've never been to jail but this sandwich would be what I expect to be served there. read more

Any place the has the word "charcoal" begins with a 3 star. This place is that and more. They ask you how you want your burger cooked. Diner food over REAL CHARCOAL. Yet what makes this place 5 star is the other attractions. Broasted (not fried) chicken and potatoes. Table service. Milkshakes. Baklava. CNN on the tv. Plenty of free newspapers to read. Free parking and drive- thru. This place is my source of temptation on the way home from class. read more

Worst $25 I ever spent. The steak sandwich that was on special was awful. Basically all bread and no meat. Literally just ate there less than an hour ago and I'm already hungry. Don't waste your time. read more

I come here for the patty melts, if you like patty melts- you gotta try theirs, the grilled onions, cheese,juicy beef and rye bread all blend together perfectly. I also like it that the place is open to 11 and 12am. The fries are the "good" kind- the fat ones and salty. The gyros are good, but not overloaded with meat. Don't care for their beefs.The chicken is ok, nothing out of the ordinary. Some times they have "deals" on different things/combos. read more

I have been eating at Charcoal Delights on Foster ave for over ten years and can honestly say I have never had a bad experience. If you're looking for tasty food prepared quickly, then this is the place. I've noticed the owners treat the employees like family, which makes for happy workers willing to work hard at their job to make happy satisfied customers. read more

They must have changed the beef, it tastes like a soyburger now and soy does not absorb that yummy charcoal taste.

I wandered in here while I was visiting my grandma at Swedish Covenant. Why was she in the hospital , you ask? Well, she had a heart attack, had an angioplasty, had a stent placed in her heart, and eventually got a pace-maker (she's doing very well). Oh, so after seeing all that, of course I decided to find the greasiest place within a square mile. Yep, it's greasy and smoky from the charcoal grill. I got the 1/4 LB burger meal with fries and a drink. The burger was topped with the fixins and hit the spot. Not the best burger I've had, but one notch above that flame-broiled whopper from Burger King. I wouldn't go out of my way, but it's a decent choice for the area. Let's hope it didn't clog my arteries too much! read more

First timer here. Note I typically visit a place before I give a qualified review,& this is only based on 1 item,.. but I know a good grilled chicken sandwich when I see it! prices a little high, but a good place to have in the area, with a big menu, & super nice staff read more

Charcoal Delights - Charbroiled chicken sandwich. That's a lot of meat!, & in a amazing wheat/grain bun - Hot Dogs Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Another place that I can't believe I haven't reviewed yet..... Although I do love me Charcoal Delights (probably because I live around the corner), I only gave it three stars because let's be honest, there is nothing special about the place. Good service, good food, reasonably priced. Maybe my problem is that I don't LOVE their cheese fries. Places always get 5 stars from me if they have great cheese fries. Charcoal Delight's are just...ok. They are no Portillos or even a Fradillio's. Don't get me wrong, their food is good. My boyfriend loves their Chicken Pita Platter. I've never not eaten everything on my plate. They do have something going for them...their shakes are awesome! Seriously awesome. But please don't yell at the girl behind the counter when you've ordered a chocolate shake and you see her put vanilla in the cup. They top all of their shakes with a little vanilla. Just ask my brother...he learned the hard way. read more

Charcoal Delights is one of my favorite burger joints.I try and go a few times a month. Its a Greek family owned place that's been there like 10,000 years. I think its funny that McDonald's is right across the street. I don't know how that McDonald's stays open. The burgers just taste so much better grilled with charcoal. Period. Really clean and nice staff as well. I highly recommend it. read more

Great cheap food, its nothing special. But if your in the mood for some greasy sloop, then this is it. Awesome gyros. read more