I've been meaning to try Chicago Express for some time now. Finally, I was able to pop in today. They have fast friendly service with a wide variety of foods to choose from. I ordered the Chicago style hotdog special, which came with french fries and a drink. I will say that this is definitively just like I would get back home in the Chicagoland area. The hot dog was served on a poppyseed bun, with relish, onions, mustard, tomato, and even had sports peppers. The food was served nice and hot. And everything was seasoned nicely. The ambience of the restaurant is very casual small and quaint. For the time of day that I went to the restaurant was not too full. During my next visit, I think I'll try the Gyro sandwich or perhaps the Italian beef. Hard to say, though cause they have other great options. read more

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I've never had a bad meal here! I've had the chicken Philly, chicken gyro, cheeseburger and patty melt and have yet to be disappointed (and the fries w fries sauce is addicting). They give great sized portions for a reasonable price, and the staff is always friendly! I'm not a Chicago sports fan but all of the memorabilia hanging on the walls is always fun to look at too. I couldn't recommend Chicago Express enough! read more

Great spot! *Disclaimer*- I don't know "good" Chicago food. I'm not a native Chicago guy and I didn't even know what food Chicago was famous for. I work with someone who told me Italian beef is the go to in Chicago so when I saw this place I was excited to try it. Again I don't know the standard for good Italian beef but I really liked this. Place was very clean and well put together. I can always appreciate the sports memorabilia all over the walls. Really cool place and loved the food. read more

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Good Enjoyed the Italian beef & sausage sandwiches. Good & quick service. Nice people read more

The food quality was poor. If you're from Chicago expecting home. Please don't. Very dry Italian beef and weird tasting.

I totally agree with Emily's post below. The young lady working the register is not hospitable and seems a bit annoyed taking customers orders. I'm originally from the Southside of Chicago and I can say the food is good but not fully authentic Chicago good. They can do much better with the customer service. read more

A bit noisy but we did catch it at peak lunchtime. The food was delicious though! My cheesy meatball sub was awesome and my mother said her chicken Philly sub was great too The service was fast and they were very polite. read more

Chicago Express - Cheesy Meatball and Garlic Bread - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

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Ridiculously disappointed as I love Chicago food. I called at 1:46 pm to order an Italian beef and pizza puff. Told me it would take 45 mins to an hour, called at 2:33 to ask if it was ready, said it wasn't. Gave them some more time and got to the restaurant at 3:15 only to be told that they never even started making it. The restaurant was empty except for one guy that was dining in. Disappointing because I was looking forward to it, and waited out for them to support their business. Hopefully they get their act together because at this rate, they'll lose customers fast. read more

Chicago Express - Time stamps of my calls. - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

Best Italian beef I've ever had! The restaurant is clean and well kept. Customer service is always good and food taste fresh. read more

Chicago Express - Italian Beef - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

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This is a hidden gem! Definitely get food here if you are debating!!!!! Love all the Chicago paintings on the walls!!! The people that work here are awesome!! They are good people that appreciate their customers. We made it there with only one person ahead of us, but when we left, the line was out the door! We had a group order and they nailed every bite!!!! We had pizza pockets, Italian beefs, breaded mushrooms, fried ravioli, spaghetti, a burger, gyro, and wings. Definitely get a pizza pocket!!! The spaghetti has a bit of a kick in it. The wings are spicy, but good. The gyro is freshly cut and the pita was super fresh!!! Can't wait to get back there for more food!!!! read more

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First time here with my family and the girl at the register was on her phone the whole time and seemed bothered when we had questions about the menu items. When I asked to add something that was on the menu, she made a face like why would I ask that, plus didn't help she didn't speak clearly. Total disappointment...go to Zorba Cafe and don't make my mistake !!! read more

Chicago Express - Register - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

Being a Chicagoan transplanted in middle Tennessee, it's great to have an authentic, Chicago style short order grill locally. Give me a Maxwell Street Polish and a Gyro and I'm happy. My wife gets the Philly and my daughter the spaghetti and meatballs. Good, solid place. Could use some sprucing up, but it just reminds me of Mr. Greek on the corner of Jackson and Halstead in Chicago the way it is. read more

Well if you are expecting something comparable to Portillo's then this is not the place for you. They do not use Vienna beef and it just wasn't very good. This was the driest dipped sandwich I have ever had. The place looks like a converted hastily changed chicago themed restaurant. Though it was nice to see Illinois' sports teams represented again, the chicago mural is an atrocity. Also when we arrived the tea machine was was pouring water into an overflowing 5 gallon bucket on the seating area and one of the workers started spraying cleaner right around us which made the experience even more unpleasant. All and all if you are not from the Chicagoland area and you don't have any expectations this place might be a 3 but we were disappointed and will not be returning. read more

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Great food! The Chicago Beef and Italian Sausage sandwich are great! Try it and the rib tips. read more

Chicago Express - Chicago Beef Italian Sausage sandwich and Rib Tips - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

Came with the family tonight! Not busy at all, food was quick and delicious. Sports playing in the background, and wonderful football history littered on the walls. Shoutout to the specials, they are affordable... beware if you are ordering outside of the specials, it will be expensive. read more

Amazing Chicago Food!! Just like back home. Wide variety of options even for vegans. Great prices. Portions are big for the prices and the taste is on point. read more

Xtra charges for everything, including tap water. Been going there for many years, not anymore. Was told twice that extra charges have been in effective for 7 years. This is absolutely not true. Spend your money somewhere else. read more

My family and I visited this restaurant for the first time and we were extremely disappointed and disgusted by the food. The food is not authentic Chicago food. We ordered the Italian beef, polish sausage, 10pc wing dinner, 4pc chicken tender dinner and a pizza puff. I asked before ordering if the Italian beef is cooked in-house from scratch and was told yes but it was the store bought kind, it tasted mediocre and they gave you very little meat. The polish sausage was burned and smelled weird. The wings were suppose to be tossed in honey hot sauce but were dry and the sauce was under the wings. The chicken tenders tasted like fish, I assume they use the same oil to fry everything. The pizza puff was the frozen kind and was dark and oily. The fries were absolutely Disgusting!! This was the absolute worst food experience I've had in a very very long time. Please be aware they advertise authentic Chicago food but it is far from it. read more

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Poor health standards, the cashier handles food after handling cash without washing her hands with no mask on the entire time. The dishwasher was also handling food with no mask. The cooks wore there masks under the nose. They are going to get someone sick, and i had high expectations of this place because of others reviews. I will not be visiting this place again. read more

Chicago Express - employees no mask - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

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Trying to pass themselves off as authentic Chicago style food... the Italian beef wasn't close. This place wouldn't last in Chicago. Chicagoans are very particular about the authenticity of the food. Anyways, the hotdog was ok. Kinda cold but I did wait a while for my food so I kinda gave them a pass on that. When Buona beef comes to town, not sure if they'll last. read more

My new favorite gyro place!! I'm obsessed!! The location is less than desirable (I would have never known it was there!), but the food is SO good!! I ordered a gyro plate which came with a salad, a drink, french fries, and a gyro. The salad was basic, but a good size for what you're paying for, the strawberry smoothie was WAY better than I anticipated. You could taste the strawberries and crushed ice in the smoothie, I was so pleasantly surprised. As for the french fries, they were so good I could eat them for days!! I don't know what they did to make therm so good... but man... delicious! To top of the fries, instead of ketchup, I tried their dipping sauce. It tasted like the yum yum you'd get at a hibachi restaurant, and it was PERFECT with the fries! And lastly the gyro. This gyro was so large that I couldn't finish it in one sitting. The meat was juicy, but not greasy, and full of flavor. It was served with a few pieces of pita, tomatoes, onions, and what seemed to be homemade cucumber sauce. All fresh ingredients. They were clean (I saw them wiping down tables), and they were fast, and SUPER friendly! This is hands down where I'll be going for gyros in the future! I paid $30 for 3 meals. Worth it? Absolutely!! Parking is free, and lots of available spaces. read more

Chicago Express - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

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I love that this place is right next door to my job. Its good and they give you plenty of food. They have a variety I'd food to choose from as well, from pasta, burgers, hot dogs, salads, gyros, half chicken plates etc. I love their meatball subs, Philly cheese steak sandwich, their Greek chicken well heck everything pretty much is good. The price is reasonable too. And every one there is so nice!!! read more

Chicago Express - Pizza puff - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

Loved the gyro plate. Love the Italian Beef combo which has sausage on it too. The Philly cheese steak was amazing but oddly enough the French fries were the bomb. Others had commented about how fantastic they were and it's true. The fries are just too delicious to leave alone. Looking forward to going back and trying some other goodies. The pizza puff looking like a big toaster pastry but has the filling on pizza sauce and ground pepperoni. It was interesting. Will definitely be back for a banana milk shake. read more

The food is delicious but the girl that is the cashier most days is rude and not customer friendly at all. please train her to be friendl.

The food takes a little longer because it's cooked to order. That mean it is fresh. Their food is really really tasty. I think it's worth it compared to going into a fast food joint. The Reuben sandwich is pretty darn good. read more

I'm from Chicago (CHI-TOWNNN), live in Florida and visiting my wife's niece in Tennessee. When I saw a place called "Chicago Express", I had to try it. The ambiance is relaxed. Not like early bird special at the Golden Corral relaxed, but like a place you can grab a bite to eat and if they happen to have something you're interested on their tv, you can watch it from your table while you eat. Now, the food because that's why you're really reading this. The food is good, but I wouldn't say that the Italian beef is comparable to a Portillos. That doesn't make it bad, just a doesn't have the olfactory jump kick that the homegrown places have. That said, the pizza puff was straight on though - made me feel like I was on 103rd all over again. They had rib tips and a bunch of other stuff, so if you're in the area, fancy yourself a try. read more

Out and about on a day ride with my husband. We had gone to Buckle and Hide Leather down the road from here (GO, it is a very cool locally owned shop) and Yelp recommended this place to us. Casual, order at the counter place and then they call your number when it's ready. The man got the Gyros and fries. It was bigger than his face and a little intimidating. Rarely, does the man leave much food behind, but he did here. I had a few bites myself and it was amazing. A gyros can go either way, being really good or being really dry. This was the good one. Generous, overly so maybe, but delicious. I had the Spinach Pie that came with a nice little greek salad. It, too, was stellar. Two big meals, two teas, and it came to about 19 dollars all said and done. I have one recommendation for the owners. You serve food that is messy, and you do it well. Give us some napkins that fit the bill. It was literally like trying to wipe our hands and face with toilet paper. They are awful and I bet between the two of us, we used 20. That can't be saving you money. I highly recommend this place. Nice people, great food, and affordable. What's not to love? (except the napkins) read more

This is has become my go to spot for when i am feeling.. italian,greek,mexican, American classics....Yes their extensive menu covers just about it all! and thing is so far from what i tried, they do a pretty ok job in the variety... gyro is the best in smyrna. prices are reasonable as well check this place out for some good greasy decadent eats read more

Got a gyro sandwich meal. Gyro was good. The tatziki sauce was excellent. Fries were hot and fresh. Served with a special sauce that reminded me of seafood sauce from any Japanese place. Only $8 for a sandwich, fries and drink. read more

Chicago Express - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

I'm a Chicago Beef Snob & this spot measures up! The beef seasoning & au jus is perfect, but my meat was slightly overcooked, which happens after a long service day so I get it. We've tried the burgers, polishes, fries & pasta... all good. And the pizza puffs are pretty close to the ones back home too! Definitely returning and returning. read more

Cheesy Beef with hot peppers for the win. The food was fresh and served in great portions.

We ordered 1 cheesy beef, 1combo and 1 hot dog. We were very sad that the hot dogs weren't Vienna Beef as a traditional Chicago style hot dog is. But other then that the food was good and the service for a Friday night was quick( as they were pretty busy) read more

I love getting an Italian beef from here but they can't understand what wet means even after they ask you, would you like it dipped or wet? My hubby is from Chicago and even he's disappointed whenever he gets one not WET! I like going here but not when restaurants can't even make your food the way you like it.. which seems to happen a lot more nowadays sadly! Prices go up but service doesn't. read more

Just wow. I'm fresh back from a week in Chicagoland and drive past this easily missed gem in Smyrna. I hooked a quick u-turn, feeling the need for a Chicago dog at least...fingers crossed for an Italian Beef. This place did not fail to deliver on both. The dog was totally authentic and the beef was by far the best I have had. Totally constructed in house, this big wad of great beef, flavorful aus jus, fresh roll and house made giardiniera is absolutely delicious. Eat here, bring in your beer, kick back and enjoy. A+++ read more

Idk how this place has 4.5 stars but I got the Philly here and I'm not gonna lie it was horrible the cheese melted all over the bun taste like plastic it was pretty bad. read more

A very great place to eat ... I never had any bad food and always been hot and fresh and they give u more then what u pay for ... nice ppl I most say read more

Ok. We finally got a chance to try this place. This place is quality. Steak fries hot and tasty. They give a sauce to put on the fries or whatever. I had the Philly cheese steak. Great flavor with fresh bread. One son had a BLT. The bacon was thick and cooked to perfection. My other son had a cheese burger. It was huge! He said it was very good. We will be back to try other items on the extensive menu. Give it a try! read more

Chicago Express - Burgers Near Me - Smyrna, Tennessee

To say I am a fan would be an understatement. My first visit I ordered the Gyro...there was so much meat that I had to eat the rest for lunch the next day. Below is a list of things I have eaten there. I would like to traverse the entire menu eventually, but there are some things I haven't gotten past in order to try the other stuff. Gyro sandwich - so good! Tons of meat with onions and cucumber sauce. Twice the size of a gyro you get in a pocket pita. It's like a big Greek soft taco! Gyro plate - basically a deconstructed version of the former. You get two sides along with pita bread and the onions mixture is served on the side as well. Again - more food than you can eat in one sitting. Italian beef sandwich - the secret to enjoying this is to order it "juicy". They quickly dip it in au jus then wrap it. I order a side of au jus because I like mine extra juicy. Order it with the sweet peppers as the hot peppers a Giardiniera - an Italian pickled pepper mixture - too vinegary. BBQ Chicken - yum Greek Chicken - yum Burgers - yum Triple meat cheeseburger - too much of a 3 good things - pass Chicken Sandwich - yum Pasta (sauce) - meh - I could take it or leave it Reuben - yum French Fries - hmmm - again commissary frozen potatoes, BUT...the fry sauce (or friessauce as they call it) will never let you look at ketchup the same way again. Salads - meh - standard fare... Just a great place for a quick meal at a reasonable price. read more

Great Chicago style beef sandwich. Hard to find this sandwich in the south. Order it wet with peppers if you like.

They serve a solid Italian beef coming from a Midwest guy living in greater Nashville. The menu is fairly diverse and my children enjoy eating here as well. read more