Love Merichkas! Garlic poor boys are what they are famous for but let me tell you about their baked cod! Literally the best ever! Excellent service!! Ask for Becky!! Family owned and operated!! You won't go wrong! read more

Prices are rather steep for what you get. If you're an out of towner...go. For the rest of us...make it at home! read more

Omg. Absolutely not!! I have not been to Merichka's in a long time. Now, I know why. The food is way over priced way bland and way boring. This food sucks. I do not understand the hype. read more

Poorboys are a bit overdone, fries were bland. Will only order takeout from now on as everytime I go here, kids are screaming and running around ruining it for everyone. read more

A Legendary restaurant from the 1930's with a throwback decor. Known for the Garlicky Poorboys that'll keep vampires away for days. After years of grabbing grub here I still find it to be a neat place. Offering up a little of something for everyone. Not many places like this left anymore. read more

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Old school in every aspect. Regulars love the poor boys, but fried chicken, burgers, all good! Onion rings are Very Good! One small order is enough for 2 good eaters. read more

I had high expectations.. the poboy was a greasy chicken tender on a bun. Nothing else to it. I was greatly disappointed

Been going here for 30 years. Never have gotten anything outside of the regular poor boy and chicken poor boy, and don't need to. The onion rings are really good too. read more

Very tasty food and treats Great drinks and fun atmosphere with friendly people. They have a very good menu selection.

I grew up in the neighborhood of this restaurant and when I'm in the area, always go there. Yes, I love the poorboys, but they now have poorboys with chicken breast instead of chuck steak and very good. They also make a salad dressing and I buy a bottle for home, it's similar to Western or Catalina, but better. One of the unspoken gems is the homemade soups. Always great and gives you the feeling that grammar spent the whole day preparing it! I've also had the baked cod which was cooked well, not dry and tasty. Merichkas calls the ala carte items, "plates" which includes salad, choice of potato and a cracker basket. The dinner includes 3 radishes and are good, but if you go the dinner route, prepare to bring home the entree! Service is fast to start and wait staff check on you regularly. Merichkas was/is a family owned restaurant, named for the original Merichka. It was opened in 1933 IIRC. The red and white checked tablecloths began when they opened and are still part of the decor. They have renovated some of the restaurant as in making it handicapped accessible but the ambiance is homey, and old school. Just what I need sometimes for peace. read more

Excellent EXCELLENT food. Only went once so far but can't wait to go again. I love garlic the more the better for me so this place rules!!! Had the Yodel burger with American cheese and sautéed mushrooms. OMG!!! Heaven in your mouth. Home made soup was great as well. My husband had their porterhouse steak which he said was very good and my cousin had the po' boy which she loved also. They have a menu full of meat choices which I really like cause I am a carnivore. Next time I want to try their breaded mushrooms. Their onions rings and garlic bread superb. We will go back soon. For me it won't be soon enough. read more

100% not worth the hype. I had high expectations based on how much local people love this place. Service was poor plus the food was pricey and greasy, no thanks all around. read more

Very good flavor and an excellent comparative value! Salad with the homemade French dressing was terrific. Relishes topped this off. Steak was good and prepared as expected. Nice touch was the onion rings a a few slices of their excellent garlic bread. I'll be back. read more

our first experience with Merichka's was in March 2022. We were not impressed at that time but I always give a restaurant a second chance. Unfortunately the second time was no better than the first. We decided to try the po boys that everyone raves about. $14 for a plain sandwich with no "fixings" other than a few pickles on the side. Fries or any other sides were extra. I had the chicken (not spicy) my husband had the spicy however it was NOT spicy. Honestly, I don't know what the attraction is. We've given it two tries, we will not go back. read more

Who doesn't like this place? It's an area classic. You gotta get a poor boy, some garlic bread, and leave full as hell. There's a reason it's been around for almost 100 years. read more

Extra Garlic Butter for me please! Poorboys are a staple at this place. Very good,and well worth the price. Double baked potatoes are to die for. If they ever replace the red checkerboard table cloths I would go berserk. Lol..Great place for a Family dinner. A+++++++++++ read more

Of course their signature garlic butterine poor boys but also the traditional atmosphere of high quality service as well with everything being of high quslity. read more

There's a reason why this place has been open over 90 years. House salad dressing is amazing. Po boys amazing. Fried chicken better than anything. In a world where you sometimes read a menu and think "what does that mean?!" Merichka's takes it back to basic really great food. read more

Food was bland , dry and tasted liked it had been frozen. Ordered hamburger sliders .

Older restaurant but had delicious food. Burgers and double baked are too die for! Great staff, quick service and plenty of parking. One of my favorite places to eat. 100% recommend this establishment. read more

Always great food and service. Yodel burgers are great and some of the best onion rings around

I purchased two poor 'boy sandwiches and some onion rings and paid over 40 dollars, today (02/11/24) I received a small bun and a thin sliced of chicken very salty, and the second sandwich was beefsteak, and the bun was smaller too. But tasted fair. I have always been happy with their food, I haven't had a meal from them in several years, and drive two hours, to be unsatisfied. I won't return. read more

Nice family owned restaurant, this place have been there for years, so I've been told, and the food is really good!

The food is fantastic and the service is top notch. Great for families! Highly recommend the poor boy with the garlic butter, delicious! My favorite thing is the twice baked potato! read more

We had gone here a few years back, and my husband remembered that the onion rings were really good. I think it was the fellowship of family that made me. Enjoy myself there. We went back today and nothing had any salt or flavor. We got the fried chicken and I got the spicy fried chicken and a salad. The spicy fried chicken was, to be perfectly honest, dry, and had very little flavor. The salad was lackluster with iceberg lettuce and not much else in it. My husband got the fried chicken, but to me it didn't really taste like anything. I think they forgot to use salt and perhaps garlic. It would be a good place for people who need to eat low sodium! We did like our waitress, however. She was nice. read more

Love their onion rings and soup homemade and very good. The beefsteak sandwich not my thing but other options. Would keep going back for onion rings split pea soup was very good read more

I LOVE this place so much! My go-to is the Poor Boy with cheese, a double baked potato and an Amaretto Stone Sour. Any time I get a chance to eat here, it's a real treat! Highly recommend!! read more

When you're looking for a great steak sandwich in Joliet....don't miss Merichka's! I had been by the place several times and never stopped. The talk of the town is all about the Garlic Poorboy....and who doesn't like a steak drenched in garlic? Well I do...so I finally went...and SO glad I did! This restaurant has been here for years and is best known for it's garlic steak sandwich plate. The plate comes with your choice of potato, salad, and crackers. My table also had a the center cut pork chops, chicken 1/2 plate, yodel burger, and a plate of the most amazing onion rings....battered just right and fried to a perfect crispness. Not 1 complaint could be had! The portions are big and hearty...not to mention OH SO garlicky good! The meal was fantastic, service was attentive and the atmosphere was inviting. I can't wait for my next trip to Chicago so I can stop in again for another meal! ***was here again on 7/23/2018 and YES the sandwich is still amazing, however on this trip, my sandwich was drowning in garlic and butter sauce. A little less would be great. The onion rings needed a little more time in the fryer, and the yams (they did tell me they were from a can) are directly from a can; no heat, no flavor, no bueno! As this wasn't the best visit, I still enjoyed the sandwich and the company and will return again. read more

I've never felt more mislead by reviews in my life than I did after I tried the "famous" steak poor boy at Merichka's. You know a sandwich isn't good when your first thought after eating it is "well that's $15 I'll never get back." Oh boy, where to start! Well, this "famous" sandwich, deemed the best poor boy ever by many reviewers, is just a piece of long tenderized cube steak on garlic bread. No seasoning, no cheese, toppings, or sauce. Just meat and bread. They are relying solely on the garlic butter on the bread to give the sandwich its flavor, but it does nothing to make it taste any better. It's just flavorless and disappointing. You can get toppings or cheese added to the sandwich but for something like $1.50 each! And you are already paying $15 just for the sandwich. No fries, onion rings, salad, nada! That's all sold separately if you want it. Im really confused as to all the good reviews for such an underwhelming sandwich. This place is one and done for me. read more

My Uncle, "You have never been to Merichka's."? I'm thinking, what's the big deal with a Merichka's? I must live under a rock. Merichka's has been an institution since the '30's. My friend's uncle was a butcher there. Think about it; a place that serves so many steak sandwiches, they have In House butchers. The cool factor increases when you stand outside and realize that Merichka's started in a house that has had several additions; it becomes more impressive. I love a restaurant that's stood the test of time and becomes part of the community. Thanks Merichka's. read more

This place is wonderful. The food is off the chain. Definitely would recommend trying it out .

Everything on the menu is fantastic. Very polite & cheerful staff who make you feel at home. One of the oldest restaurants in Joliet & one of the best! read more

Outstanding poor boys with Swiss cheese and dipped in juice. I've been coming here for a very long time and never disappointed

A Crest Hill institution. Everyone knows about the poor boys and onion rings but I have to give a shout out to the lunch specials. A good value for a fresh good meal. read more

Every Sunday I like to go out to eat with my family we would go out to eat for lunch I was looking for restaurants around me and I found Merichka's. So I checked the reviews the customers were delighted with their staff and food some of the reviews brought up how the food was perfect and how the staff made sure that everything was perfect for the customers. I decided to check it out since the reviews were good and how it was close by. When I had gotten the restaurant the waiter was very polite and made sure we had everything we needed. The tables were big so we were all able to sit at one and when we got there the tablecloths gave a nice professional look as the walls were decorated and I enjoyed the layout of the restaurant. There were quite a few steps at the entrance which made it a little difficult for my grandma but overall the restaurant was very welcoming and looked professional. The waiter was very polite and made sure we had everything. After he had brought us to the table he made sure we had drinks and he brought out bread and crackers while we waited for our food there wasn't a long wait it was about 10 minutes. I had ordered a salad but I had some of the ingredients changed from what the menu stated I had the meat changed as well as the dressing changed there were no issues with any of the changes. When my family and I received our food it looked amazing the food we ordered tasted amazing usually when I order a salad from a restaurant the meat is dry and it doesn't taste the greatest. My chicken was nice, not dry and the salad was perfect I had a side which was a double baked potato and it was perfect my family loved the place. The drinks were always refilled and if we needed anything the waiter was quick and made sure we were attended to. My overall experience with Merichka's was amazing. I would rate Merichka's 4.5 stars. I liked the professional feeling when I entered and how the design when I entered the restaurant. The prices were good and the food was delicious. I will definitely come back and try more of their great foods. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area that wants a delicious meal that isn't overpriced. read more

Best poor boy sandwich on the southwest suburbs. Was tasty, juicy and full of garlic butter. Double baked potato and onion rings were delicious. It's getting harder and harder to find restaurants serving the same great food for several generations. read more

Awesome food and good service! Love the poorboy, fries, double baked potato and onion rings

Everyone always rants and raves about this place? The food is decent, everything's loaded with garlic. So make sure you bring enough breath mints when you leave. Nothing special. read more

Passing by Crest Hill, and stopped by, the place looked huge and gave old school dinner look. Ordered the steak, medium well and was perfect, one of the best steaks I ever had. Old fashion sides, big portions and friendly staff. read more

Old school awesomeness is the best way I can describe this place. If you only go once in your life, get the poor boy. That's "poor boy" and no "po boy".... this is a sandwich that's native to the I-80 corridor through Will County. It's a heavenly creation of chopped steak, garlic bread, and something called "butterine" which I believe is some sort of margarine/butter combination. It's probably heart-clogging but utterly delicious and safe to eat on occasion. Place is located in an older part of Joliet. It's very dated inside- in a great way. The staff are just terrific and the rest of the food is good. The bar pours a good stiff drink. This place is old school in the best possible way. I can't wait to come back again. read more