Ramova Grill

RIP Ramova Grill. An institution that will be missed.

Sad to see a piece of Chicago history go by the wayside.
I went in here during the last weeks before it closed, expecting a magical experience. But all I left with was a «meh.» Maybe it was the fact that the place was in its dying days. The waitress tried to be cheery and the old timers came in and wondered out loud where they’re going to spend time when the doors shuttered. It was kinda depressing.
The food was cheap and just okay. I had a pork chop sandwich and the only flavor was courtesy of the A1 sauce. The chili, yes, was fantastic. That was definitely a keeper and if I could, I would go back for that.
I’m usually first in line to go to the old timey diners and restaurants. But this… just didn’t do it for me. I wish I would’ve tried this place in the heyday, I probably would’ve been left with a much better experience.

Ramova’s is (was?) something out of Norman Rockwell’s small town America. I sat at the bar, ordered some chili and a steak sandwich. The woman waitressing the entire, busy restaurant, seemed to genuinely REALLY care that I was comfortable and satisfied with everything. She was working at an intense pace, and yet each time she got to me, she first sighed with some exhaustion, then gave me a nice grin, a look in the eye, and always topped off her sentences with «hun,» and «sweetey.» She was doing a great job covering all the tables.
The inside of this place is has an old, rustic charm. Most people there seemed to know everyone else on a first name basis. They were still friendly and cheerful with me, apparently the only outsider. The packed, old wooden booths lining the wall were all occupied and filled with animated conversations. All those customers gave the small diner a nice mid-​afternoon buzz.
The chili was excellent and very different from what I expected. I’m used to a chunky, veggie-​loaded style of chili, but Ramova’s was meat intensive and medium-​grade in thickness. It was as if they had unified the tomato base and the beef into a mildly sweet n’ spicey blend. The meat and the sauce are inseparable, at least in the type that I got. As I said, it was delicious. The steak sandwich wasn’t quite as good, but overall I was pleased with the meal.
Even though the chili lives up to its reputation, the service was the best part of Ramova’s.

World’s best chili, I wouldn’t Know. When I got there there was no chili until 2 pm.
Okay, I’ll have a breakfast btw it came with toast. Just had some water, no problem.
However it must have been a problem because I basically had the food tossed to me then ignored for the rest of the meal there. No refills on water, no is everything okay, I had to ask for jelly. When I asked politely I received an attitude. I asked if they had the house paper, «I’ll check «said miss waitress never came back.
The food okay, and inexpensive, I’ll only come back to try the chili. Maybe it’ll be there this time. As for the service. Complete garbage! I’m left on the fence with this one.

I sadly missed out on the FTR on Ramova as I left this review in my unfinished review folder back in 1933. Luckily I placed it in a bottle and it washed ashore a few months ago, still intact. Robin Wright Penn didn’t find this bottle though, which is fortunate for her as Kevin Costner is much hunkier than I am. I will try to recall my memories of those fateful meals back then (my internet ability is much stronger than my memory).
For over 80 years they have served classic diner food at classic prices. I could get chili, a cheeseburger and hash browns for under $ 8. That’s cray cray, a term not yet popular in the late 1920s. If you fancy fried liver and onions they serve it here, and the chili is legit. You can pass on the self-​explanatory hamburger steak plate.
There’s a phone booth in the restaurant that rings periodically. Pretty cool that it’s still in use.
FYI — they were to have closed on April 15, but then stayed open til the end of the month. Now I’ve heard they may stay open another month. Get there while you can. I mean, come on, you’ve had 83 years to try this place.

From their Facebook:
Looks like we’re staying open until the middle of May. Come and see us!
Yippee…for now!

Sadly, the Ramova Grill is closing, so when my boyfriend took me here a scant month ago it was a case of Girl Meets Diner, Girl Loves Diner, Girl Loses Diner.
Homemade french fries?
Delicious chili?
An awesome $ 4 BLT?
A snappy and efficient waitress?
Old-​school décor unchanged since the 1930s?
Ice-​cold Coke?
I hope to get there at least one more time before they close forever at the end of April, and forever regret that I did not shoot a depression-​era period piece in its perfect interior.

Update! They are not closing until the end of April according to our waitress. I wasn’t expecting much from the chili but WOW! Had a sweetness to it that was über tasty and a little bit of kick to it. Too bad I found out about this place so late in the game :/

Sad news to report. After decades of serving up world class grub to good folks of Bridgeport, Ramova Grill is closing in April. If you haven’t had the chance to dine at this hidden gem, get your ass over there in a hurry. It won’t be with us much longer.
Walking into the Ramova Grill is like going back in time. Back when the city was filled with unpretentious diners that served up delicious food at a reasonable price. Over the years I’ve watched so many of these places close shop. Chicago has changed. It’s not the hard working, middle class city I grew up in. The frame sided two flats have given way to those shitty, red brick condos that I despise. The family diner has given way to those chic little, pansy ass cafes that I abhor. Such is life. Nothing stays the same. Still, I miss the blue collar, hard nosed city that I grew up in. And I’m going to miss the Ramova Grill.
There is no décor. There is no art. To be honest. The restaurant resembles Fred Sanford’s junk yard. But the food is awe inspiring. The Chili at Ramova is as good as it gets. For my last meal at Ramova, I decided to go for broke. The Chili Omelet. If I was a murderer on death row, this might just be my last meal. Eggs, Chili, taters and toast. Everything the body craves. It’s a meal that I won’t soon forget.
Here’s the bottom line: I think I can speak for the good people of Bridgeport when I say, Thank you Ramova Grill. You have sated many appetite’s, cured many hangover and brought many smiles to your loyal diners. You will be missed.

Are you closing because I did not review you sooner?
Get in there for the best 1930s style dinner cheeseburgers and chili before 4−15−12!

It was freezing outside and it was one of those days that I was looking for something that will warm me up and satisfy my stomach in the same time. So I walked out and from my peripheral vision I saw Romova’s Grill and the light bulb came on.
Walked in and it was fairly packed but a few seats open at the bar. I sat down and ordered a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese. What a combination, the grilled cheese was golden brown and oozing golden greatness. The chili was piping hot, the aroma was making my senses go crazy and at last, shoveled the hot goodness into my mouth.
Yes, it was a small diner but packed a punch when it came to warm myself up. So if you ever what something warm while filling you up with out deep pockets, think Romova’s Grill.

I love diners, esp ones that are old school
the staff are very accomodating, i wanted liver and onions with eggs on top and they gladly prepared the plate
no frills but they do what they do very well, so what more can you ask?

Ramova has that nice traditional dinner feel right when you walk into the door. I love the phone booth that still remains in the back.
Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the chili, Ramova does the basic breakfast items extremely well and charge you next to nothing. If I can get a bacon egg and cheese sandwich with a side of fries for under $ 5 I am truly a happy camper.
I was bummed out one day a little after 1pm when a friend and I entered Ramovo and come to find out they are all out of food. Their sign says the close at 2pm. So we leave admittedly I was a little peeved but It didn’t keep me from coming back for too long. Once I did it was like ancient history and I was just so happy to be enjoying my coffee and breakfast sandwich for a respectable price.
Good diner food, not much else. Then again, there’s not much else I need in life.

I love this place because it is just the way it has always been and they have had it open for over 80 years! The booths are ancient, the only modern thing in the place is the version of the Nighthawks painting on the rear wall. There is a pay phone in a closet and you feel like you are walking into the sort of diner that was on all the corners of Chicago in the 1930s. I don’t know if the Chili is the best. Mine is pretty darned good, but I get the chili with beans and cheese on top. Yum. I had a tamale, but these are not the sort of corn-​wrapped tamale I love, but they are great for breaking up and tossing right in the chili as you eat.
If you are down for a Sox game, or showing folks the Stockyard’s Gate (a few minutes south), this is the perfect way to end the trip. The waitresses are direct, and they are real nice Ladies. Tip well. I did.
My friend was visiting from Paris (France, not Texas) and had eggs and loved the whole experience. Really, this place she thought was more fun than Lincoln Park, or Downtown.

Remova Grill has a friendly atmosphere, and the chili is definately different from any other Chili I have ever had before, and I recommend for any chili lovers out there to try this place.
It is not your typical homemade chili you would find on a hotdog or at a diner. This place is all about their delicious chili. They are not crazy expensive. It’s about $ 5 for a small thing of chili. It’s worth you should try it at least once.

Lunch for 3 people came to $ 12… so I kind of love it.
I got their grilled cheese with fries and the sandwich was phenom but the fries were just your average diner fries.
The service was good but I was a little annoyed by one of their «regulars» who at several points offered to sell us packages of socks out of the garbage bag he was carrying… I’m eating and I DON’T have a craving for a six pack of men’s Ralph Lauren Socks… plus I like socks ankle cut.
It’s no frills diner food all the way and now that I’ve been here, I think I’d prob wait to go back until it’s winter time because it’s the sort of thing that once you enter the building, you’re soaking up all the cooking scent in your clothes, skin, and hair and you’ll smell like it until you shower. For Summer, I smelled the grilled fried bacon, egg, and cheese smell all day as I sweat. Defo, good comfort food and i can’t wait for it to warm me up in the winter.
All in all, I’m defo going back and I’m glad there’s a place so close to my work that I can go to for good, cheap eats.

OK, the gang from Sex and The City are not having brunch at Ramova Grill. But if you want some eggs, hashbrowns, breakfast meats and pancakes. for cheap, and fast, and with no BS, this is the place. It’s got character, It’s got crazy waitresses who are smoking outside between refilling your coffee, it’s got old blue collar guys eating their ham and eggs at the counter, it’s got hand painted signs. It’s got it all if you’re tired of yuppies. I think its a Chicago classic if your view of Chicago is beyond River North/​Lincoln Park areas.
I haven’t tried the Chili here, but someone should be brave and order a Chili Chese Omlette. I think heads might explode.

Great place for breakfast!
First, the neighborhood was not as scary as I thought it would be. I’ve never been to the Bridgeport area, but I’ve always been told never to go «south» in Chicago. But the neighborhood wasnt too bad. I felt safe, especially at 10am in the morning. Plus, CPD were eating at Ramova Grill when we got there!
Second, plenty of street parking, metered and non-​metered.
Now onto the restaurant itself. They have booth seating and counter seating. The waitresses were awesome. So nice and excellent service! They stopped by so many times to refill our coffees and to make sure we were taken care of. The food was brought out quickly and the portions were big. Delicious tasting as well and soooooooo cheap. We had two cups of coffee, three wheat cakes, four scrambled eggs, four pieces of bacon, four pieces of french toast, and two servings of hashbrowns all for $ 16. We will be back!

Stopped here for some grub after walking around the neighborhood on one of those rare, nice and ‘warm’ February days. My husband got one of the cheap breakfast specials that gave him a nice-​sized meal for a very decent price. He didn’t really mention how any of it tasted, but he was definitely part of the Clean Plate Club.
I wasn’t terribly hungry, so I asked for a bowl of Chili-​mac. When it came it didn’t look like much, but it tasted wonderful. I’m used to having my chili full of big-​cut veggies and beans, but this chili was almost pureed in texture (not as gross as that might sound!). Something about the recipe had a hint of cinnamon to it — whether or not any was used is debatable, but I really enjoyed it.
So this is a great spot for some cheap, greasy-​spoon fare and no frills — not a mind-​blowing culinary experience, but the Ramova doesn’t put on any airs like it expects to be seen as one.

Wow this food is cheap AND delicious!!!
I went here once with my mom while I was living in Bridgeport and it was sooo good. They serve breakfast all day, which is a huge plus. We both ordered soup, sandwiches and drinks and everything cost about $ 8 — amazing! They are one of the only places around that still has $ 3 breakfasts that include eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and toast. How can you beat that? Our sandwiches were delicious and insanely cheap so it was a great lunch that was better than any place by UIC by a longshot! I am disappointed in myself for not going there more when I lived two blocks away, but it was a great place to go to get a cheap, delicious meal.