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    Jay Lovell's

    3.6 (129 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Order Jay Lovell's Takeout or Delivery

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    JAY LOVELL'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Jay Lovell's

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    Dining area.
    Jennifer H.

    My last year was 4 years ago and I'm still coming to Jay Lovell's. Since we started coming they've actually doubled the seating area. It used to be cramped but now it's welcoming. Lots of space now for families. While I've ordered many things from the menu, the burgers are the best around. Good grief they're good! And while they do great breakfasts, it's the pies that really stand out. I haven't had a pie crust like that since my grandma passed away. It was like tasting home.

    Custom burg
    Dave Y.

    Had just a really well executed burger and fries. Burger with cheddar, sautéed onions, avocado, lettuce &tomato was perfection. Hard to get your mouth around, but well worth the effort!

    Lunch, late afternoon.
    Stephen M.

    One stop so far. Quite good. The place feels like a vest pocket. Small, cozy, comfortable. My first time here, I reviewed the menu and saw several tempting items. I chose the fried tilapia. Properly prepared. Nice touch of sauce. Toasted bread. Generous proportion. You get a side--I chose cole slaw--again, well prepared. Basically, the place seems a chef's take on a sandwich place, somewhere a chef would come for his own meal. I never found the Lake Forest Lovell's that enjoyable. It seems the remaining spot is just right.

    The garbage that they called grits and gravy.
    Steve C.

    Ugh... I was hoping they would be a reasonable brunch spot in the HP area, but no, they're almost complete garbage. I ordered the eggs, grits and chorizo sausage gravy, with a side of wheat toast ($2 extra...)... Grits and gravy are a good southern staple, so I was interested to see how they would serve it. Well, I didn't have to wait long, a giant bowl of instant grits with a pool of bolognase sauce was plopped on the counter. The man yelled my name and as I stood to go and pick up my meal, I saw the flat disk of eggs that had been plopped onto this catastrophe. Let's start with he eggs, as that is what I was first approached with as I tried to eat this garbage. They were hard and rubberized. I had ordered my eggs 'over easy' so that the runny yolk could mix into my gravy and grits. Instead I had what would be most commonly described as 'flat tire's eggs. I have pictures added of one of theholes to this review. It was a solid hard overcooked disc. I just pulled this pile of trash off of the grits, hoping that at least 1/2 of this meal could be salvaged. That's when I tasted the grits. Slimy and bland. Instant grits, made thin. The sauce, or 'gravy' as the menu had described it was a tomato based sausage sauce with an incredibly acidic aftertaste. Mixing it into the grits gave the entire bowl a look of bloody vomit. The taste didn't help that impression. It was an acidic flavorless and texturally unappealing bowl of sludge... Ah, but wait! I had ordered toast! So maybe.... Just maybe that will salvage this meal? Well, for $2 extra, I hoped it would be edible. It was! Hallelujah! For the grand total of $12 I had toast that I could eat. But, don't get carried away, for the $2 extra you don't get 2 pieces of toast, no, you get 1 piece cut in half served on a saucer... The iced tea they had there was okay. Brewed too hot for too long it had a musky and pungent taste, but it wasn't the worst I've had. My GF had the eggs Benedict. It was serviceable but totally unremarkable, served with a pile of cold and unripe fruit, it was an amazing step up from the hot pile of garbage before me. TL;DR: Bad food, high priced, skip it.

    Jay's has ice cream to go with their pies.
    Ralph E.

    If you're on Keto or Paleo, come here. I've been doing Keto for quite awhile and the folks at Jay's will accommodate you. They also have a salad on the menu that is great---Blackened Salmon over asparagus with freshly made avocado salsa. My wife prefers it grilled and the salsa without onions---no problem. just ask.

    Small but cozy...
    Jody B.

    This is a "place holder" review for me because I plan to go back after they have been open a while. Hubby and I saw the "open" sign and went for dinner to see what it was all about. We love Lovell's and we were hoping for some of the same great food we have always loved there. This is basically a breakfast and sandwich place. There is no table service. You order at a window and they bring you your order. We were there the first day it opened.... so bear with me. They didn't have some items yet (beer and wine) but I think they had them the second day. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich (it didn't come with a pickle, you have to ask). Hubby had a burger. He said his was tasty and juicy. The sandwiches come with a small side in a tiny cup all for about $9. I liked the potato salad with egg in it. Hubby's cole slaw looked good. My pulled pork was very salty. It wasn't what I expected... but that's ok. It's more of a breakfast/lunch place or a VERY casual dinner when you want a sandwich or a burger. Understandably, they have kinks to work out. But give it a try and let us fellow yelpers know how you like it!

    The burger.

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    1 year ago

    Very mediocre food and service; expensive for what you received. A little grungy. Nothing terrible, nothing great at all.

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Good food, good service, good people. Great local family that has fed our family for years. Recommend you check it out!

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    11 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The food was great the workers were so nice. If your looking for a good place to eat check this place out.

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    4 years ago

    Jay Lovell's is a great place!! Wonderful burger and fries, and amazing blueberry pie!

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    The food was good, but I'm not in the camp of higher prices for self service and diner atmosphere.

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    Goodstuff Eats - Ribs

    Goodstuff Eats

    4.9(10 reviews)
    2.8 mi

    I cannot believe this place was empty. Perfectly smoked bbq rib tips on sweet potatoes with slaw…read moreand a roll at midnight?! In wicker park no less?! I thought I was hallucinating after riding around the city in my underwear for 4 hours but one of the super chill workers invited me in when he saw me perusing the menu sign and man oh man am I glad he did. I got it to go but it smelled so good as I was walking back to my car that I started snacking on the sidewalk. Hopefully it was just a little slow and more people frequent this place because amazing late night bbq needs to be an always option.

    Located in the Cracked Restaurant!…read more After hearing the owner Gustaf explain how much love he puts into his ribs, I had little choice but to give them a try. He had a fresh rack coming off the smoker which I found shocking considering it was almost 11PM!!! I spend a lot of time down in Texas and have had a lot of really good BBQ over the years. These ribs are easily ranked among the top ribs I've ever eaten. They have a beautiful dry rub, and are so juicy and tender, you don't need any sauce. The smoke line is perfect. I usually prefer my ribs with a sauce, but these honestly don't need a drop. The staff is warm and friendly, and there's a tremendous sense of pride they put into their food. If you're anywhere near Wicker Park I highly recommend you give them a try. I can't wait to go back and try that brisket.

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    Burt's Deli - The Pastrami sandwich.

    Burt's Deli

    4.7(295 reviews)
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    $$

    The summary is this: Burt's Deli is a national treasure and should be protected at all costs…read more First time. Ordered a reuben. Talked to the owners, who are just the people you want there to be in the world. They gave us a little sample of hot corned beef while we waited for the magic. Melt in your mouth deckle, after battling chewy or tough fat from other places, felt like my long-lost love coming home from the sea. We ate the sandwich in the car and talked about how great it was to have a beloved food item that was just perfection, like knowing there was something out there in the world that would always make you happy. 10/10, no notes. The pickles plucked on the strings of my heart, thinking about the old pickle barrels from The Milk Pail and other places long gone. "Next time I see you I'll be looking at you." We'll be back soon.

    This little neighborhood gem is 5 stars on every turn. They have been serving up gold standard…read morecorned beef and pastrami sandwiches since 1975 when Burt opened the place, which is now run by his son. As someone who is not a fan of pastrami or corned beef , I went in thinking I was going to do a Turkey breast sandwich. Nope! The owner encouraged me to taste their corned beef and it was love at first bite. My friend and I split a sandwich and it was truly Chefs kiss! The service was top tier and warmth and friendliness and they make you feel like you've stopped in to visit with family for a bite.

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    Burt's Deli - The Rachel - A Reuben with turkey.

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    Jay Lovell's - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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