Grillers

Short Version: Seating area = 4 stars, burger = 3 stars, fries = 2 stars. Having to wait in government metal detector lines just to get to cash-​only Grillers = 1 star.
Long Version: Craving 1 last bacon cheeseburger before I start my annual diet, I found my way to Grillers for the $ 6 lunch special (bacon cheeseburger w/​fries and drink). Grillers is in the Metcalf federal building so unfortunately you need to go through the metal detectors to get to the food court. Not as bad as the airport, but not exactly ideal when you only have a 30 minute lunch break.
Maybe they’d be rated more/​higher if they were easier to get to. Bacon cheeseburger was bland, shoestring fries were greasy, and in the end it’s not worth the hassle — just my opinion.

I’ll stop here for a quick hot dog/​cheese stick fix when the mood fits me, or when the weather is incredibly horrible and I’m not willing to go further than a block for lunch. They offer the usual tasty stuff (but nothing to go out of your way for), like hot dogs, burgers, and my beloved cheese sticks. They have daily combo specials of a sandwich, drink, and soup/​fries for five or six bucks, too.
Unfortunately, they’re not too flexible. I was picking up food for the office and got a bunch of hotdog and fries combos, but they wouldn’t let me pay extra for a side of cheese. I had to separate one of the combos into a hot dog and order of cheese fries and ended up paying an extra $ 2 over the combo price just for some cheese. Also, once all I had was a $ 20 and I was almost refused my order because they didn’t have any change, and this was at 11:15 AM. They do run out of things frequently, and if it’s an item like the marinara sauce for your cheese sticks, they’ll let you know they’re substituting barbeque sauce after you’ve paid and waited for your food. Boo.
Just a quick note — this is in the Metcalfe Federal Building, so be ready to show ID and go through security before being allowed to get your eat on. The cafeteria seating was recently renovated, so think modern, with some flatscreens and loungy couches thrown in.

For only $ 6.60 you can get a pita sandwich, medium drink, and fries at Grillers. The service was fast, the food was fresh and delicious, and the sizes were enough to keep me satisfied (and a little overly full). The down side to this place is that they are cash only and they are limited in the amount of change they have. So try to bring exact change or use bills less than a $ 20. Otherwise, you may have to miss out on this delicious meal.
Grillers is located in a food court that has plenty of seating. The food court used to have more businesses but now the only businesses still standing is Grillers and Subway. Looks like Grillers is doing something right because the poor economy hasn’t tanked them yet! Must be the cash only policy. Smart move Grillers!

Grillers is cash only so my trip today was a treat considering I’m usually only a plastic purchaser. I had the veggie burger and onion rings. The onion rings are pretty standard, and certainly would have been better with tempura batter, but the veggie burger was very, very tasty. I got it with everything on it, mayo, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and ketchup, it was pretty perfect. The bun is large, making it look like this is the biggest burger you’ve ever had, and is fluffy, covered in ground sesame. Overall, this place seems great for its location. The only competition it faces right now is Subway, which gets old very fast. Grillers has a LARGE variety of choices so if they got a credit card machine, they’d really be bumpin.

Was very surprised and disappointed to find out that Grillers is now closed. While I didnt’ get there often, I always enjoyed their grilled chicken on a pita.

It isn’t many (any) fast food-​type places who happily customize an order — like making the fish sandwich on a Pita (fish portion is pretty large, processed some but much better than any national chain’s); a cheeseburger w/​no bun, italian beef w/​no bun (it goes into a stryofoam burger box) AND they have unsweetened iced tea. It is hard to find drinks w/​o sugar and w/​o artificial sweeteners (besides water). Calling ahead to pick up or eat there is great. The man who takes the orders and is the cashier should teach his customer service skills to lots of others who deal w/​the public. Don’t let the guards/​metal detectors be a turn off — I think of it as eating in one of downtown’s safest places. The updated eating area is a pleasure — excellent for meetings and conversations. French fries must have improved over the last year or so — hot, well cooked and tasty.

En garde Gold Coast Dogs, Grillers offers a strong intra-​Loop challenge. Grillers has positioned itself inside a federal building, beyond some metal detectors and armed guards, but that shouldn’t deter you from having your taste buds jived on by these grillmasters. When you go, watch these guys at work. You’d be hard-​pressed to find people who work that hard in the whole federal building.

Running late for just about everything last Tuesday, I had little choice but to hit up the small food court in the Metcalfe federal building for a quick lunch. It was either that or risk being continually interrupted by my rumbling stomach all afternoon.
Of the 3 options — only Grillers offered anything remotely of local flavor. Since I like hot dogs anyways, I took the opportunity to indulge once again in Chicago’s variation of this American favorite.
For just over $ 5 I got a Chicago dog, fries and a good-​sized soda. The dog and toppings were all great. I particularly like the crispness of the pickle and tomato. Only downside was the bun seemed a bit stale. French fries were all hot and fresh but I’d probably pass on them next time.
Faced with the other options being Panda Express and Subway — I’d probably choose Grillers again for lunch.

Tucked at the very end of the food court in the Metcalfe Building (next to the perennial «Haifa Café Coming Soon» sign), Grillers is a small oasis for federal employees and financial bankers alike. Open for breakfast only to those who work in Metcalfe or walk through the metal detectors and for lunch to the general public, Grillers serves a vast array of American fare. Daily breakfast specials such as pancakes with hash browns and a meat, or french toast with hash browns and a meat cost $ 4.20 including tax. The gyros won’t have you thinking Mr. Greek, and the burgers won’t have you thinking Portillo’s, but the pricing and friendliness of the main cashier won’t spoil your day.
I WOULD advise patrons to skip the fries. They are consistently below average, though not enough to make me think poorly of the place.

Grillers is hidden in the Metcalfe federal building. I find most secret eating places in buildings to be like treasures when uncovered and Grillers is no exception!
First I will say that you have to go through a metal detector. However it is the federal building so did you really think you could just walk around and act a fool? Sometimes there are annoying people who create a bottleneck in the line, but usually it’s smooth sailing.
You enter the building, go through the metal detector and then up a flight (or take an escalader) to the second floor. It’s really a lot easier than it sounds and since I broke out the words «a» and «lot» you know I mean business and my grammar is semi-​ok.
The menu at Grillers seems pretty non-​impressive when you first view it. Hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, & pizza puffs. I would have passed it up if I hadn’t spotted something a co-​worker once was eating.
They have a great grilled chicken pita sandwich. I know it’s redundant to say it’s a pita and a sandwich but some people do not understand what a pita is. They list it on the menu as «Chicken Breast» under sandwiches so do not be fooled, it’s not on bread or a bun, but on a delicious flat bread pita! I think it’s a Monday special w/​fries and a drink for around $ 5.50.
They have breakfast items, wings, Polish and Italian sausage, and tacos. I pretty much stick to my chicken pita because it rocks, but I think the other items are worth checking out. The only thing I would pass on is the salads. They are iceberg lettuce and not impressive. I would go somewhere else for a salad in the area.
Enjoy!