Budacki’s Drive In

I liked this place, it was relatively cheap (although you would kind of expect that considering there is no indoors place to sit or anything) and relatively good. I dont think its anything to rave about, definitely does not deserve to be on TV, but it deserves 3.5 stars. The reason I rounded up and gave it 4 stars was because they carried a good veggie burger (or at least thats what my wife said) so its always nice to find a place like this that has a good vegetarian option (other than the fries and mozzarella sticks — which were also both good). Be warned — the spicy chicken wings were very spicy. I am mystified by the whole chicago hot dog thing, coming from NY I thought they were just ok.

Tasty food, I like their shakes, Italian beef, and gyros. Prices are pretty good as well. Staff is usually pretty terse and just there to take your order and throw you your food, but whatever I guess.

This place is your best bet for tasty, Chicago-​style fast food in this area. Don’t bother with Wendy’s or Byron’s. The burgers are just as good as Five Guys, if not better. Service is very fast, they are never understaffed. Prices are fair for the quality you’re getting.

I have been a customer for about 30 years. I remember going after school at McPherson to get a $ 1 bag of fries and to put my quarter up on the Street Fighter machine that use to be there. The owner Mr Lee was always kind to the herds of kids that would loiter in his place.
Budacki’s is an icon in the neighborhood. A hold over from way back before the neighborhood completely changed starting in the late 90’s. Sure, I still go in for the nostalgia of the place, but it’s more than that. The hot dogs are some of the best in the city. From personal experience, I can vouch that Mr Lee and his staff have consistently made quality dogs, burgers and wings for the last 30 years. I’m sure it’s been much longer than that, but I only started eating there in the mid-80’s.
The buns on the dogs are always perfectly steamed. The toppings are always fresh. The dogs are never sitting around losing flavor. You salt your own fries and they even have celery salt out if you like an extra sprinkle on your dog. Just a damn fine hot dog that never lets you down.
As for other items, I believe Mr. Lee’s son an owner of Crisp, so you know the wings are on point. They even started selling the bulgogi rice bowls at Budacki’s. Pizza puffs, beefs, burgers, gyros all the Chicago food staples are all made fresh and hot. All items are inexpensive. They’ve raised prices since I was a kid but not by much. I think a «letter A» special, two hot dogs fries and a can of pop, was around $ 3-​$ 3.25 when I was a kid. Now it’s about $ 5 or $ 6. A lot of places charge $ 3.50 for sub-​par dogs now, but Budacki’s keeps it real.
Anytime I have visitors in from another city, I send them here and no one is ever disappointed. People that use to live in the neighborhood still come in from miles away. One of the last times I was there, I ran into an old classmate that came in from Waukegan. My brother, who lives in Florida now, has to eat here at least once when he’s in town. This goes to show you that people love Budacki’s. Yes, nostalgia is a factor, but we keep going back for the delicious food and the friendly service. Always recommended!
Thank you Budacki’s for always being there and always being good to us!

I dont always like a drive in but when i do, I will surely give 4 star rating.
When it comes to rating a restaurant, I prefer more to give 4 star because for me, if you give that perfect 5 star and someday you might regret it because a place may lack something in the future so for me its better to give 4 star.
Now, budacki’s not that far from the office. So they have this nice and good location.
Food is always warm, this is very important. They should maintain this one and the cleanliness must be maintained too.

Can’t beat Budacki’s with a stick. 2 dogs w/​fries under $ 5, delicious mozzarella sticks and fried mushrooms, great burgers. Now serving Crisp wings as owned by the same family. Go often enough and they’ll remember your usual order with a smile. Cash only and there is an ATM.

I’ve been eating here since I was a little boy. The food is delicious and the price is fair. You can’t beat that!

Had the hot dog combo consisting of a fine hot dog with ample trimmings, good portion of superb fries and a soft drink in a can. The owner, a Mr. Lee, served me and told me he had been there for 35 years. This is the way hot dog stands should be, traditional.

I wonder if I grade such neighborhood joints on a curve — cash only, an impressive claim of $ 1.50 transaction fee for the ATM, and some counter seating. The no-​nonsense proprietor took orders and expedited solid American food — hot dogs, pizza puffs, slim McDonald’s-style fries. Everything was good and Budacki’s is probably a blessing to all those who live in a three-​block radius.

Small place, great for a quick bite on the run.
The hot dogs were soooo very good I wished I had two stomachs :)

«Family owned since 1980» which is nearly as long as I’ve been coming here, voluntarily and not. Pretty sure there are pictures somewhere of Mr and Mrs Lee holding me in diapers, so don’t expect an unbiased review from me.
Today though was my first time back in probably a decade and Mr Lee didn’t recognize me as he took my order of something that wasn’t on the menu back in the day: the Seoul Steak Bowl, Budacki’s take on Korean bulgogi. I got it to-​go, along with a small bag of my kryptonite (fried mushrooms). The meat bowl was great, tasted the same as mom used to make except she didn’t use green onions, on top of sticky white rice. The shrooms came with two mini tubs of a spicy orange dressing with the pepper seeds still in it (homemade then?).
It was all filling and awesome and I’m eager to follow up on the recent reviews singing the praises of the greasy standards. Hell, I might even try something off the veggie menu at some point.
Glad this place is still around (I remember #2 too fellow Unilocaler) and glad that the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood (and sure, Bourdain) likes it too. Give it a shot if you’re in the area.

Best fast food in chicago!
the people who work there are super nice and the owner Mr. Lee is the best!
been going there for years and the food is so yummy!

Five stars for a hot dog joint? As Bowie once sang in Queen B*tch, «you betcha!»
You can Gene and Jude, Byron and Superdawg all you want, however Buds hold a special place in my pure beef heart. Since grammar school (do they still call it that?) two streets down, my classmates and I would nosh on bags of fries (when we couldn’t afford a hot dog) and then the actual dogs when we became more adult-​like. The combination of the shack feel, smell of the Chicago Hot Dog and a root beer brings me back to those days of reckless youth and a pre-​gentrified Ravenswood complete with gangs. When I see the low rated reviews, I just think to myself, «more Buds for me!».
Purists may scoff at the no poppyseed buns, but the rest is pure Chicago; tomatoes, relish, onions, pickle, sport peppers, mustard AND the required celery salt stacked on the Vienna Beef sausage and adorned with golden fries and a can of soda for $ 5.25? Get outta town brotha! Even Anthony Bourdain proclaimed it better than a NY hot dog. Now you have to go; just don’t go all Hot Doug on me so that I have to wait four hours for a hot dog!

This place is legit. As some have mentioned, it is a little hole in the wall joint. But their food is on point. Ooo, hey… I think we got a slogan.
I’ve walked by Budacki’s so many times. There’s always a decent amount of people ordering from there, making me think that they must make quality food. I finally decided to try it and I could not be happier.
The menu is full of fast food items, which suited me fine since my Zumba class left me craving something not so healthy. Luckily, there were no salads in sight on the menu when I arrived. There was, instead, mostly fast food items, like burgers, subs, fries, wings, and hot dogs. There were also fun side orders, like mushroom poppers and chili cheese fries. There’s definitely something for everyone if fast food is what you’re craving. There are even veggie hot dogs and burgers.
I decided to get a gyro dinner because it’s not something you find at every American fast food restaurant. The employee taking my order was nice enough to really check with me if I wanted all the ingredients, and he asked if I wanted only one gyro or two. Judging from the pics along the wall, I went with just one gyro, knowing that I probably wouldn’t polish off two. Not sure how much it would cost for the upgrade, so to speak, but the place has really reasonable prices and if I were hungry enough I would have done it.
As for the food. Amazing! Piping hot fries, very tender gyro meat, on a warm and slightly greasy pita. The sauce on the gyro was excellent as well. I’ve had a lot of gyro, but I think this was the best. If you’re in the Ravenswood area, take some time to try this place.

Way better the second time around. Came here for lunch today and woah I feel like all the flavors were intensified since the last time I came.

So, to say there are TONS of yummy dining options in Chicago would be an immense understatement. That being said, our veggie/​meat eating mix of a family chose Budacki’s two days in a row! Food and service were ALL top notch! Our entire family LOVES Budacki’s!!!

Vegetarian alert! As a person who likes meat, but can’t, Budacki’s is a godsend in my life. It’s a fabulous greasy spoon and it has a plethora of vegetarian options. It has veggie burgers (black bean) and veggie hot dogs. It’s also pretty cheap. For $ 5, you can get a veggie hot dog, fries, and a soda. Also, it’s delicious!!! I’ve also had their chocolate milkshake and that is just divine.
The interior is not really anything to look at, but there are picnic benches outside for patrons to eat at.
Overall, it’s a great place for vegetarians at a very cheap price. Definitely recommend!

Not bad for a little hole in the wall. Just don’t go with a group of people if your intentions are to eat there. There isn’t any room, except for a few benches outside in the parking lot.
As far as the food goes: their hot dogs are pretty mediocre. Add sesame seed buns and they could be decent. The burgers are amazingggggg! Try them. So worth it. Their pizza pie isn’t bad either.
I would’ve given this place another star if they weren’t cash only. It’s 2015, people. Get it together! That atm in the corner doesn’t help. No one wants to pay a fee just for paying for their food. Blows my mind that a place that has been in business for so long still can’t accept credit cards.

Budacki’s, ah that name. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid growing up in the neighborhood which changed a lot from back in my day. But not this place, the place on Montrose and Damen which was called Budacki’s No 2. U see not too many people know or remember that Buckackis had two spots. Sadly the 2^nd spot is no more but the first one still remains and still serves up fast great local neighborhood hole in the wall greasy fast food for value prices. Their most popular combo? 2 chicago style steamed hot dogs with all the trimmings, fries and a can of pop (they have so many choices, they aren’t pepsi or coke biased) for only $ 5.25 tax included. Their gyros is great as well, chicken, and they even have this Korean dish called the Seoul Steak Bowl which needs to be tried. Want a place where u can get real change from a $ 10 bill? This is the place! Free parking too!
Oh and their double cheeseburger is great too, just that I go to Byrons which is a few blocks away for their insanely good burgers when I’m around my old neighborhood.

Fun fact: this place was featured in the movie «I want someone to eat cheese with»
Always a solid place to get a bite to eat right off the Damen brown line. For greasy and quick fast food this place gets the job done!
I try to get something new every time I go here. I’ve gotten the burger, Italian beef, and the gyro and they’ve all been great. The portion sizes are huge for the price, and most of their meals run about $ 7 (entrée, fries, and a drink).
Just remember: cash only (ATM on site).