Sparky’s Snack Stop

The service is great. Meatloaf is great. Burgers are great. ask for the hash browns extra crispy. Just do it.

I don’t understand all the 4 and 5-​star reviews for this place. I grew up less than half a mile from here and only ate here once (just to check it out) in 30 years.
On a visit back to my old stomping grounds, my wife convinced me to go back and try it after seeing all the glowing Unilocal reviews. I tried to tell her that his just a coffee shop for all the truck/​delivery drivers to hang out at while waiting for their next run or returning from their last one (this part of Skokie is primarily industrial).
She was undeterred so we went. The second you step inside, you still smell the cigarette smoke from 20 years ago (Skokie has gone non-​smoking since). It looks exactly how it looked 20 years ago too. Same dirty linoleum tile floor. Same naugahide booths and banquet chairs. Maybe the food is better?
In a word… no.
The scrambled eggs were serviceable. I do appreciate that the ham steak is a real steak off the bone and not that pressed ham junk.
However, the bacon was so thin and undercooked that it was translucent.
And the «French toast»…ugh. I had never seen French toast prepared that way. Basically, they take a slice of Wonder bread, dip it into the scrambled egg mixture for a second and then slap it on the flat top. So what you have is rubbery eggs sitting on the outside of a piece of untoasted bread. There was absolutely no egg inside the bread at all. No seasoning either.
Service was fast and friendly, but that’s about all this place has going for it. I’m pretty sure the coffee was some sort of Folgers/​Sanka/​Maxwell House knockoff too.

There isn’t a menu. And they don’t have egg whites for an option. Gus cooks the bacon on the flat top grill and not in the oven. You can’t substitute the potatoes for fresh fruit.
Hallelujah. I found a real breakfast place. Sit at the counter and enjoy the way things used to be. Put your cell phone down. Have a conversation with a fellow diner or read the paper that was left on the counter by the lasy guy.

If you’re looking for just a plain old comfort food type of breakfast this is your place!
From the omelettes to the steaks this place has it all for breakfast and lunch. Sitting at the counter and watching owner/​cook Gus prepare your meal. There will be conversation regarding sports, Gus will make you feel like a regular from the moment you walk in on your first visit
Just make sure that you are hungry when you go, the plates are overflowing with food, good food, comfort food, you won’t leave hungry!

Sparky’s is a little breakfast place I never would’ve found if it hadn’t been for my dad’s business nearby. I’ll say this now – I am VERY glad that we discovered it because the food is delicious.
I’m the biggest fan of breakfast foods and if you’re looking for delicious pancakes, bacon, and eggs, I will not hesitate to say Sparky’s is my go-​to. The place is a little small-​looking and you can miss it if you aren’t paying attention on the road, but it’s got a bar area and then seating further into the building.
Service is always very friendly. This last time I went here, I got pancakes, eggs, and a side of bacon (as always). My brother got the ham and cheese melt. My mother got the corned beef hash with toast.

I tried it several time and the cook doesn’t want to prepare your meal as requested. I like my eggs cooked not runny but the cook does it his own way. Personally I think he’s racist.

A hole in the wall spot. Great food. Awesome service. I ordered a ham sandwich with eggs, lettuce, pickles, and mayo. I would recommend Sparky’s for a lunch budget breakfast.

You have to get your breakfast fix here… let Gus show you his breakfast skills… nice place.

I have never been here before today… but that will change. This place is the kind of place I love, the kind of place that can’t be replicated, the kind of place that never remodeled because they never needed too. Let’s break it down…
Ambiance – It’s the kind of joint landscapers hangout at on break. It’s working class and fast. Stools that have served thousands still work. The menu is on the wall with those letters that fit into the sign. As you enter a sign that states they support state workers greets you before you either sit down on a stool or go to the fancier room attached.
Food-​Fast. The Special had a ton of potatoes, eggs, and three links of sausage with white toast. It’s really nothing but a ton of food.
Go here… support these people.

While on vacation in Chicago, we stayed in Skokie because we were in a motor home and needed the space to park. We looked on Unilocal for a local diner, and made our way to Sparky’s, which we of course would never have found on our own! It’s out of the way and in a light industrial area, but the ambiance was perfect, and the food was plentiful and good and so fast! While we were there, we sat at the counter and chatted with Gus (the cook), and our waitress. Regulars came in and were served the usual in no time flat. She even refilled our orange juice (my husband was so impressed)! The food was plentiful — I couldn’t eat it all — and the price was right. I highly recommend this place for an old fashioned diner breakfast!

Great old school diner. A little off the beaten path, but it’s everything you want in a greasy spoon. I was so impressed the first time I went that I brought my wife back with me the next day. Huge portions for a great price. Nothing fancy– but if you are looking for your next breakfast spot, look no farther. Cash only.

I went to Sparky’s Snack Shop @ 3624 Oakton in Skokie today for breakfast. I have driven by here dozens of times and never noticed it. In fact I had my car at an Auto Body shop 1 block away for work on my car a few years ago.
I’m told Sparky’s has been there forever, but no one seemed to know exactly when it opened, but from the looks of the interior it looks like a diner from the 50’s. The interior is very old a little grubby and not much appeal, but hey I went here because of the 4 ½ star review on Unilocal & for the food & prices. The food was delicious, inexpensive W/​huge portions. There seem to be a lot of regulars (which is a good sign)
I ordered from the menu board on the wall. I got the skirt steak medium rare and it came that way with the interior still a little red and cooked the way I like it. I also got 3 eggs over easy and hash browns. (The hash browns could have been a little crispier). Overall it was an excellent meal with very friendly wait staff and cook.
Thanks to Unilocal I was able to find this little gem. I will definitely be back again

Solid diner, what you see is what you get. No surprises no frills, that’s how I like my coffee and eggs. Too bad the days of having a cigarette at a diner with coffee are past because this would be my place. If your looking to belly up for breakfast and don’t expect culinary greatness or pretentious over priced food this is the place.

Quick and easy great food great people Gus has the magic touch. Get the Denver omelet I’ve been going for over 10 years and look forward for ten more

This small, but cute, diner is one in a million! I work across the street and we would all joke around about how Gus’ menu is our bible. The breakfast is super quick and amazing! Gus has a pile of hash browns on the side and the grill is always sizzling! The waitresses are super friendly and affable. And the customers are locals who probably have been coming here for decades. Don’t expect anything fancy here! It’s your old-​time comfort food diner with a friendly and cozy atmosphere and an inexpensive menu. My only complaint is that it’s not open a little later in the day so I can get some late night grub. But when you have one guy cooking and running the show, you can’t blame him for closing early. Come here and enjoy the good, hearty food!

We ordered pick up yesterday and I had the corn beef hash. Yum yum yum yum. Their hash browns are the way hash browns are supposed to be made. Gus really is such a nice guy who will literally talk to anyone. The waitress that was there was so sweet and when I arrived my food was ready abd waiting for me. I think I’ll be adventurous and try something different next time or maybe even stop by for lunch.

This is such a great, tiny, classic grubby diner. It is REALLY grubby, but I find that to be half the charm. The menu is on the wall and like, maybe 2 paper menus, our waitress managed to procure some for us but then took them away, but you don’t even need the menu. Just like, any combination of egg/​bread/​meat, and they will make it.
I had a veggie omelet and hashbrowns well done, plus toast. So good! I mean, nothing too creative, but i think we can all agree we secretly prefer nice and simple to fancy and creative, right? Also, they give you a full pot of coffee that they just leave on the table, so you will be well-​caffeinated.
The only complaint I have, literally just one!, is that they are not open sundays. Sundas are the day on earth I need such a place the most!

Love this place fantastic service classic diner menu and the breakfast is GREAT.
Happy there are still places like this around but few are still this good. Appreciate they open 5am

As described in other reviews this is a friendly classic diner with fast service and good food in generous portions. Our breakfast was delivered by Gina within three munutes of our order. It was hot and delicious. And skillfully prepared.
The restaurant has the welcoming feeling of a family kitchen. We loved it.

This is by far my favorite breakfast joint. Don’t be discouraged by the short menu on the wall, Gus can whip up almost anything for you. The potatoes are bomb (and I am not a potato girl) and the pancakes taste magical… no syrup needed.
Hoping this place stays around forever.