To all my foodie friends, I officially have a NEW #1 STEAK SANDWICH! Their legendary Poorboy--steak, melted cheese, grilled onions and hot garlic butter--was phenomenal. Simple, old-school and absolutely delicious. I've eaten my share of steak sandwiches over the years, but Merichka's now sits at the TOP OF MY LIST! read more

Merichka's Restaurant - Steakhouses Near Me - Crest Hill, Illinois

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One of the last old school steak houses you will find. From the salad to the baked potato to the old world, attentive service - it was such a treat. We had steak and shrimp and lived every bite! read more

The best po boys around! Get the steak and spicy chicken po boys with American and extra garlic butter! So good and has been a staple since I was a kid. Just as good as I remembered read more

Merichka's Restaurant - Spicy chicken po' boy with American and a steak po' boy with American with a side of garlic butter and onion rings - Steakhouses Near Me - Crest Hill, Illinois

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My husband found this old school restaurant that was established in 1933 with high Google ratings that was conveniently located on the way to the Rialto Theatre where we were headed for a concert. So we tried it. Merichka's serves good food with good service in a non-fancy kind of restaurant. It has various dining areas and a small bar. The room we sat in was nondescript with not one decoration on the walls. The multiple ceiling fans were running so I froze all throughout dinner. I didn't get our server's name, but she provided good service and was engaging. She always came back to check on us. The other staff we encountered was thorough in delivering food and removing dirty plates. We started with cocktails, a bourbon neat for him and an old-fashioned for me. My husband enjoyed his bourbon, however my old-fashioned was Wisconsin style which I didn't enjoy. We shared the mushrooms as a starter - I have to admit they were perfection! The portion was generous and the crust was perfectly crispy without being greasy. I think we missed the boat, though, because we didn't order the onion rings, which looked sensational. Dinners come with a relish tray and a couple sides. The relish tray had cottage cheese, a bean salad and a pasta salad. Again, generous in size. My hubby had a steak with fried shrimp for dinner and his sides were a salad and twice baked potato. He ordered the steak rare because he didn't trust that it would be cooked to medium rare. He was right to go rare because it came out a little pink. I opted for the baked cod for dinner with a salad and twice baked potato. My cod was 12oz and was moist and flaky. I didn't even put a dent in my dinner because I was full from the mushrooms and relish tray. We ended up bringing most of our entrees home. I'm glad we tried this restaurant out, but honestly even though the food was decent, I didn't enjoy the bare bones atmosphere and being uncomfortable throughout dinner because the fans were on. If you like a supper club without the frills, I think you would like this place. read more

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Fantastic atmosphere with a warm and welcoming vibe. The food was delicious, and the service was excellent from start to finish. Definitely a great place to visit! read more

The poor boy was a little overcooked same as the fries, for 28. And some change i expected and remembered it being alot better, I was a little disappointed. Its been 20+ years since the last time I ate there I guess it'll be another 20+ years before I return, its kinda sad. read more

A classic legend in the area. Definitely a favorite for many families. Theyre known for their poor boy sandwiches but everything there is pretty good. read more

love eating at merichka's. they have the best onion rings. their chicken is great also. best place to eat in joliet. read more

Great atmosphere and food. Had a great time there and prices are reasonable. Would definitely recommend!!

It's been awhile since I have visited...I forgot about the long wait. It is worth it. This poorboy sandwich is tender and delicious. I loved the twice baked potato and relishes. The restaurant is not fancy, but who needs fancy when the food is so good! It's a nostalgic place that I can't wait to visit again! read more

Great food. The Yodel burger is fantastic along with the waffle fries. The service is good.

The food is delicious. Our waitress was wonderful. The restaurant is bigger than I thought and was pretty busy for a Tuesday night. I will definitely be going back! So glad we finally went after so many people raving about it. read more

Merichka's Restaurant - Shrimp, wagyu sirloin and huge double baked potato! - Steakhouses Near Me - Crest Hill, Illinois

I just came from my first visit Merichka's. Loved it. I had the single grilled pork chop. It was thick cut, perfectly seasoned and served a hot grill type platter. I got the twice baked potato with it. Large enough to be 2 potatoes. That came with applesauce plenty of butter, The salad was just the standard lettuce with croutons, but the blue cheese dressing made it special. If there was one small thing, I'd say they need to label their handicapped entrance better and maybe put another sign near the main entrance. I didn't know they had one until I was leaving. I'm old and find stairs difficult, but a few of them aren't impossible. I would have used the handicapped entrance if I had known it was there. But thank you for a great Sunday dinner! I'll be back. :) read more

My Cousin introduced me to this place and I love their poor boy sandwich. Probably the best poor boy this side of Illinois. I highly recommend it read more

What a long standing great place to enjoy something unique: The poor boy sandwich. The garlic butterine is the secret sauce that makes the sandwich out of this world! Anytime we're in the area - we ALWAYS go here! Are you gonna stink like garlic - yes! But so worth it!!! read more

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My husband grew up going to Merichka's and talks about it and Cemeno's often. It's not a trip home if we don't hit up both. Merichka's feels a little like going back in time - it's comfortable and inviting, and the service is stellar. If you have time, go sit at the bar and have a beer. It's a good time. And then, enjoy your steak poor boy with garlic butter and more garlic butter. It's delicious, and I love the spicy chicken poor boy as well. Their relish tray, salad and onion rings also aren't to be missed. read more

Still coming back when I'm in town! This place is so nostalgic for me. It's a chill atmosphere with great servers and bartenders. You cannot go ring with a po boy or a yodel burger. It is true that you shouldn't talk to anyone face to face after eating one due to the garlic butterine, but the payoff is so worth it! And, honestly, all of their food is delightful! Big recs for Merichka's! read more

Merichka's Restaurant - Yodel burger! - Steakhouses Near Me - Crest Hill, Illinois

Great food, excellent soup with usually three Different kinds homemade, great draft beers And excellent service. read more

My kids and I when there last night. The food was disappointing. The meat and the poor boys had lots of fat. I have been going to mauritius for many, many years. I have never had a bad poor boy.Until last night. The bloody marys were terrible very sweet. Come to find out.They put sweet and sour sauce in it. The part biotender was very nice, very good. He made me one without the sweet and sour sauce.It was wonderful. It's sad to say I think that's the last time I will go there. read more

Everything was just good. I have to say I'm not a big garlic guy. I Had a steak poor boy it was good. Son had the breaded chicken sandwich & said it was pretty good. We shared the small onion rings (says serves 2-3, I'd say 3-4) Could Only finish 1/2 the sandy & 1/2 the rings. Bill was over $40 b4 tip for 2 sandwiches a small ring & 2 sodas read more

Merichka's Restaurant - Steak port 6 oz. Poorboy Steak with Cheese - Steakhouses Near Me - Crest Hill, Illinois

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Been coming here 70 years! Steak Poorboy with garlic butterine and double baked potato!!!!! read more

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I had the yodel burger, it was decent. Definitely soaking in garlic. The sides were a surprise not my type of thing. The service was good and come out at a decent time. We went at a big group (10+). Even on a Sunday there was still open tables. The bathrooms were clean and the restaurant was clean. read more

If you want to treat yourself or come for a special occasion without breaking the bank, this is where to come. Not cheap, but oh so good! We previously took my Mom for her birthday and she got the most delicious surf and turf meal. She got the porterhouse and added a lobster tail ( 8 oz tail for $28). I've been wanting to start a diet and for my last meal before starting we went and I ordered a 12 oz ribeye with the lobster tail ( ($60 wasn't bad for what you get), and its the best quality lobster tail served with sizzling hot butter! The steak was amazing, cooked perfectly. The salad was also very fresh. Love the creamy garlic dressing. They serve the steaks with delicious garlic bread and onion rings. Yummmmmmy! No pictures unfortunately. Sorry. read more

Split a dinner plate with my husband w/ po boy, double baked potato and salad (plus a relish tray) and it was plenty of food! Especially love the garlic sauce on the sandwich, you must try it! Very welcoming server and old school vibe. Plus the price was outstanding for the amount of food we got. The house dressing was a tad sweet for me, but other than that, all-star meal! read more

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It had been a couple years since we've been and my husband have always enjoyed the poorboy! We kept it pretty simple. I got a hamburger, my daughter got a chicken sandwich and my husband got the poor boy. My hamburger was severely overcooked, my daughter's chicken sandwich was fine. The biggest issue was there were so many pickles on everybody's plate that the whole food on every single plate was saturated with pickle juice so the french fries were soggy just overall wasn't a great experience. Our server was wonderful and nice lady and the atmosphere is nice there, but the food definitely wasn't something we would go back for. read more

Best filet i've had in a restaurant and excellent service! I travel to Shorewood once a year for work and I will definitely be stopping here each time. read more

Merichka's Restaurant - Sweetest server ever. Perfectly cooked filet. garlic bread was to die for. - Steakhouses Near Me - Crest Hill, Illinois

Ate there last night. Just bad. Had a pattymelt that was dry, marble rye was burnt, had little cheese. How do you screw up a pattymelt? Been eaten them my whole life and never had a bad one until Merichkas. Fries were not even cooked. It's like they took them out of the freezer and let him thaw on the counter and then served him on the plate. Other party had the chicken poorboy. Meat was dry and tough, and flavorless. The bread was over soaked with butter garlic. This was our 3rd visit in 2 years and all three were subpar. Had their "famous" poorboy first two visits, and the sandwhich definitely deserves that title. It was a very poorly made sandwich, meat was very tough and overdone anf flavorless. Now looking at previous reviews, should have know better. I dont doubt, back in the day this place was good, but seems its become a thing of the past. I always give restaurants three chances if my first or second was below expectations in hopes things would be a better experience next time around. That being said, Merichka has three strikes and I will not visit in the future. read more

Ive been going there for over 40 years and held events but recently their customer service has been horrible. Purchased a poorboy and there was no meat on it. When I contacted Ryan and Mary Kay they were willing to remake the sandwich but said their policy is not to provide any courtesies for any inconvenience that you incurred. I live 30 minutes away and Ryan didn't offer an apology and told me to take the sandwich or you get nothing. We have spent thousands of dollars with this business. It was 10 of us that night so we all will no longer be patronizing this business and will tell all our friends and family. This business believes that customers don't matter when they make a mistake. They will be losing tons of business over a simple sandwich and they said that's their policy. read more

Merichka's Restaurant - Sandwich missing the meat! Horrible customer service - Steakhouses Near Me - Crest Hill, Illinois

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The food was delicious and a good portion for the price. The ambiance was so nice it gives a definite homey warm feel it was not at all what I expected I would definitely go back. read more

I've already reviewed this restaurant. Twice I got the poor boy and it was tough hard to chew. I don't believe it's the restaurant that it used to be. I will give them credit for their homemade salad dressing though. read more

Visited a classic for the holidays. The restaurant was super clean and the holiday decorations were cute, so ordering holiday themed drinks was a no brainer. It was fun. The onion ring appetizer came out and they were excellent and rather large. The crunchy crust added a great texture to the onion as you bit down. The onion rings are well worth the $11 price tag and can feed a family of 4-5 with no concern. My husband ordered the Yodel burger that he heard rave reviews on and I almost did, too, till he added on the potato and salad. His burger was now almost $23. Seeing that, about $5 more got me a big ol' steak instead. I ordered a ribeye that came out very rare/raw. There weren't even grill marks on the steak. The server was pretty inattentive so it took a while for her to come around and take the steak back to be grilled properly. When the steak came back, it was a beautiful looking steak with a ton of juice on the dish. It had no seasoning on it whatsoever, so I just sprinkled the appropriate amount of salt and pepper on it and it tasted great. The twice baked potatoes were a little dry but they were still good. The crunchy potato skin was filled with mashed potatoes and then topped with a crunchy cheese topping. My husband didn't like it, I was in a nostalgic mood, so I felt they were pretty good. My husband was not pleased with his burger. He questioned if he had a burger because it isn't a typical burger. My friend ordered the pork chop and they really enjoyed it. I can honestly say that the grill marks on the chop made me salivate, it looked good. I truly don't understand the buttereine that they add to almost every meal choice. I avoided it because it didn't sound appealing. The bread may have had buttereine on it, I tried the bread and it wasn't my taste, so it was left alone. Big picture, I ordered a drink and a soda. My husband ordered a soda. So, three drinks, two meals, and an appetizer was $93 before tip. The food was ok but you are definitely paying for the 80 years worth of nostalgia of this restaurant. read more

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I went here once so I can't truly judge the food until I go back however, I had a great time. Good music and quick service! The food however was just ok. I got a poor boy which I've heard talked about so many times since moving to Joliet quite some time ago. It was very very chewy and just meat on bread. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was just not that good. Would love to give them a second try and adjust my edit until then it was just ok! read more

Heard so much about this Joliet landmark we had to try it. My wife ordered the steak poor boy sandwich that has made them famous. I chose the special of the day a breaded veal cutlet with mashed potatoes. The serving sizes were huge and could not be finished in one sitting. Although I was able to sample the steak poorboy which was amazing. Beware the garlic is what it is known for and did not disappoint! Bring breath mints for later . The veal was great and the mashed potatoes perfect for a family! Service was on wonderful. But the ambiance was northern Wisconsin supper club. Hilarious and the reason for age of the clients which seam to be retired! Enjoy! read more

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The burgers were kind of good The poor boy is delicious Service was good,main problem is the wait time to get your food. For us, it was about 20 minutes without it being packed. Bathrooms were clean floors were clean. There was even people vacuuming no noise. I would say this is a pretty good restaurant, Definitely a good classic style restaurant. Amazing! read more

Great tasting food. Reasonably priced. Attentive service. Ate in the bar. Best onion rings I've had ever had! I had the chef salad, which was plentiful but served on a plate, which made it difficult to eat without getting it on table and floor. Came from Indiana and hope to return in time. read more

One of my favorites and my family's! We've been coming here for over 30 years and it's never a disappointment! Obviously our highlight is the Poorboy! Ordered every time! Will always come by for a meal every time I'm in town! The service is always great and it's a very cozy environment! Thank you for years of memorable dining experiences! read more

I have dined at this restaurant for decades and the quality of food and service is amazing

I've been a long time customer of Merichkas for over 40 years, I've been noticing there prices creeping up, but nothing like this! I was there on Sunday September 28, 2025 at roughly 6:00 PM with two others guests. We all ordered there famous poorboy plates which what they are none for. Our total bill was over $95.00 dollars with no alcoholic drinks! And two of us were just drinking water. Never again will I be back, no wonder why the restaurant was half empty nobody could afford it. Cmon Merichkas learn from McDonalds and lower your prices, keep it up and you're going to be out of business, and it's starting to show that you don't have the customer base like you use too . read more

To be clear, I really wanted to rate this place higher but its pricy to begin with and the nickel & diming for every single thing was ridiculous. Want your sandwich on French Bread, $2.50 up-charged. Want lettuce, $.75 up-charged, want tomatoes, we'll that's another $.75 up-charged. Basically anything and everything is an up-charge. I felt like I was on Spirit Flight. The poor boy my wife got was literally a butter drenched garlic French Bread with Steak, that's it. You want cheese, onions, mushrooms...all cost extra. I got a "spicy" chicken poor boy, it was 2 dry chicken tenders on French Bread, that was dripping with butter and there was nothing spicy about it. I asked for lettuce and tomatoes...that was an up-charge! If you go, be prepared for the laundry list of charges. read more

We walked in with high hopes after reading all the positive reviews. What a disappointment! The green checkered table cloths with shamrocks were very cute and everyone was friendly. Our server did say the poor boy was the best, so we ordered 2. I asked for a salad which was ok just iceberg a few red onions slices and croutons with house which is like a Western or French. The sandwich was on a toasted French garlic bread, with just a chopped piece of meat drenched in garlic. No bread basket with the salad just bread sticks. I did mention the sandwich was dry ti the server and was offered garlic oil but I couldn't see how that would help me swallow a bite which required a drink of water to get it down. Maybe it was great at one time and it's nostalgic for some but I'd suggest a pass. read more