Many years ago, in the 90's, my ex husband and I ate at Tommy's on rt 14 every Wednesday night after he played baseball. I ate the same thing every week; a grilled chicken sandwich w/ BBQ sauce on French bread w/ onions and tomatoes. Sometimes, if I was feeling crazy, I would get it on a pita, but most of the time, it was on French bread. That marriage didn't last and years later, in the 2000's, I took my new husband to Tommy's in Lake in the Hills on Randall Road. I had been raving about that sandwich (and the beef) since the day I met him. I ordered my beloved grilled chicken and dug in. Oh, was I ever sad when I bit into my sandwich and found raw chicken. I was so bummed. I vowed we would never go back. Fast forward to 2026. My husband decided my "never going back" stance was over. One Saturday afternoon he told me we were going for a ride; we ended up at Tommy's on Terra Cotta. I order my old standard and I almost wept when I took that first bite and it was as good as I remembered the chicken sandwiches from the 90's. Sweet victory. My daughter ordered the beef and loved it. My husband ordered the gyros and was very pleased. We also ordered some poppers to share, they were perfect. The place was clean and the music was great. Service was fantastic. I am so glad we went back (and we have been back twice since that sunny afternoon). read more

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The restaurant is clean and looks new. There are tall tables and low tables that seat 4 people each (the tables can be moved and pushed together to seat a larger family) There are specials for each day of the week. They have a good variety of food options for everyone's budget and even picky eaters. I ordered the Gyros sandwich and it was really good! For $3 more you can get extra meat.. my sandwich without the extra meat seemed plenty enough. My husband ordered the 8" cheesy beef. We were expecting to see the cheese on top and when he unwrapped it there was no cheese... he asked and they said it was put on the bread under the beef. He was 1/2 way through eating his sandwich before he saw it. Since we eat with our eyes first... you would think they would put it on the top. I think they are worried about it sticking to the wrapper, but you could not even tell it had any cheese on it at all. The meal came with fries and a drink. The fries were excellent! We split an order of Mozzarella Sticks and they were served warm and delicious! Overall we would order our food again, except for the cheesy beef... I would just order a plain beef because you don't even taste it. read more

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Food here is AMAZING!!! I have the best linch breaks when I come and eat here!!! Highly recommend! 10/10. Service is great! The ambiance is always splendid. read more

Trash. I've given this place many chances and today was the last time. 1. Did not get what I ordered, 2. fries were undercooked and 3. I paid $1 for extra sport peppers thinking I'd get a more. There were 7. I got more when I simply asked for it as a side... Save your money and go else where. They will never improve sadly. read more

Tommy's Red Hots - Sandwiches Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

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I've been to other Tommy's. And have been underwhelmed every time. Today was no different. Never ordered a hotdog from here in the past so figured how bad could it be. Well possibly worst one I've ever had. The bun was like a cheap great value stale bun. The hotdog was thin and had no bite. Very little onion no relish and no celery salt. How do they call it Chicago style. And the cheese sauce was gross. 14.79 for the two hotdog meal and was the worst hotdog I've had in 30 years. read more

I have ordered gyros from here monthly. Now yesterday I ordered a gyro and it was so salty that you could not eat it. I called to tell manager and he basically told me not to come back. Isn't that great customer service?. He doesn't have to worry cause I won't be going back read more

I had family in town and they wanted beef sandwiches. So I tried to call Tommy's to place an order but they wouldn't answer the phone. My wife has a Door Dash account through her work so she decided to place the order through the App. My son and I go to pick it up since it's a pretty big order. The first girl I encountered did not speak English. So in Spanish I asked for my order. She told me there was no order for that account. Although I saw the order sitting behind the counter so I pointed to it and advised her that was likely my order. The next girl approaches and wants to argue about the name on the order even after I explained that my wife had placed the order through Door dash due to them not answering the phone. I finally get our order and drive home. Opening the sandwiches I was in shock on how little beef was on the sandwiches. They were all plain and very dry, Not how we ordered them. I was seriously embarrassed to serve these to our guests. The only thing good about the order were the fries. This place is not cheap. I expect much better service and food for what we paid. I am done with Tommy's. read more

When I was in high school (class of 2004) we would go to the original Tommy's on 14 and pay around $5 for the two Hot Dog meal with fries and a drink during our lunch break and it was a given that the meal would be hearty and filling.... While I have not been back to the location on 14 in maybe 20 years, I have ordered from this location and the buns were cheap garbage and the rest of the package was like they bought everything super cheap, heated it and then sold it at a higher price than the old $5.... I still support its existence in Crystal lake and hope they figure it all out.... read more

The food isn't what is awful here. It is the attitude of the employees. When we went through the drive thru, they forgot to give us two items, so my husband ran in quick to grab them. The guy was so rude. We spent $62 to be treated awful. He tossed the slice of pizza to my husband and said here. When he asked for the hot peppers we paid for ok the side as well, he got even more rude and mad. It was his attitude and demeanor. We have always been good and loyal customers, but we won't be back again. read more

Tommys has been a longtime favorite of mine, but recently this tommys location has gone to absolute shit. Sometimes i come here out of laziness, because of their drive thru, although i almost always regret it. Today's tommys endeavor will be my final one. I am very hungover, not in a good mood, and all i want are 2 hot dogs with only ONION and PICKLE. So i drive over to tommys, knowing in my head that i should just go to portillos, but i try tommys anyway. When i get home, i open my hot dogs and say "wow that sure smells like shitty mustard" and i hate mustard!! And sure enough my 2 dogs were absolutely DRENCHED in shitty mustard!! I dont know where on earth, or how stoned the employees must be, that "onion and pickle only" sounds like "please give me a bun full of mustard with a side of hot dog." Absolute waste of my $10 and my business will be going to portillos from now on. Edit: this is strictly pertaining to the rte 176 Tommys location, the Rt 14 tommys is great! read more

Have gone there since I moved here 25 years ago. Wont go back. Quality has gone down and I can t count the times they screwed the order up they last few years. The last straw was a horrible order of RIBS.I called and e mailed and never heard back from a manager about my complaint. They were horrible and I could not eat them as the were so dry and tough. If you cannot respond to complaints then you don't deserve my money again. Its sad because this place was so good for so long. read more

Not sure how this place is in business. Just like all the reviews say..the customer service is awful and the food is average at best. I only go because it's so close to home. I can't recall a time that I was greeted warmly by the employees. They frequently give off an angry vibe. Tonight was the last straw for me. I pulled into the drive thru at 8:55pm (hours say open until 10pm) as an employee was carrying out some items to their car. I'm waiting at the speaker to order but no one is acknowledging me. The employee walks back from their car back into the building. I continue to wait but crickets. I pull around the front of the building and see two other cars running. I go to McDonalds next door. Get my order and pull back around to Tommy's to see parking lot completely empty and building pitch dark. Bad customer service, average food, and they close when it's convenient to them...RIP Tommy's. read more

Love this place. Food is great although the prices have certainly gone up from when I first started going here (2dog special was 3.30). But this is comfort food to me and always hits the spot read more

I've always been a fan of Tommy's and this new and recently opened location is much more convenient for me. Ended up going through the drive-thru this week and getting an eye for this place. It looks bigger and nicer than the other nearby locations I've been to. I had ordered the steak sandwich on garlic bread along with mozzarella sticks and the food here never disappoints. I'll certainly be back plenty more times. read more

Tommy's Red Hots - Mozzarella sticks - Sandwiches Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

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When you forget the cheese I ordered and then charge me when I have to stop my car and park and go in and ask for something I ordered already . Then tell me to to step aside when there was no one behind me. How rude! I won't come back. Seems like they're always forgetting something and to be rude on top of it. What a joke! read more

I normally don't post if I have one bad experience or even two. But when it is more then that & no one seems to care I have to just say I won't v be back. I probably shouldn't have even gone back this time. It's just so frustrating. The customer service is awful! I mean awful. They said "we only forgot one piece of pizza, just come back and get it" He was very rude. Partly my fault. Should have checked the bag. Oh well for the prices that all the restaurants are charging these days the customer service should be outstanding! Unfortunately we will NOT be back. read more

This is an excellent "dive" with a diverse-but-traditional menu of sandwiches. I've been a Portillo's fan for years and this is quite similar in terms of offerings and quality. Today I had the Combo (italian beef and sausage) dipped in au jus (soggy bun), with hot giardiniera and french fries. My partner enjoyed her Gyro w/sauce, raw onion and tomato. Both meals were excellent. Mine was perfectly seasoned and the giardiniera too was a nice vegetable mix and spicy-but-not-too-hot. The staff too was pleasant and efficient with the boss working the grill. I will gladly return! read more

Good food, fast service. Tons of gyros meat! Employees are awesome! Better then the other two chainy joints next door!

Tried calling em to place order n never answer have to get ther order n wait 30 min everytime

Not sure what's up here. The food is sub par to the other two local locations. Been here twice and been dissappointed each time. Beef looks pale, with no taste, same for tamales Chicken sandwich was dry, and hard to chew. Fries were nasty - zero taste. This loc needs to step it up or it's going to zero. It's also giving the franchise name a black eye. read more

To be clear I am writing this during COVID-19. Got my food from the drive up window (Crystal Lake North location). All the food was great (as usual) especially the Italian Beef, tasty and big. What I appreciated was the young man at the drive up window making very certain that everything in the order was right. That's the thing about drive up windows they only have one chance to get it right before you pull away. Thank you I'll be back. read more

My girlfriend Tommy and I went there for lunch today and it was terrible. I had an Italian beef that was very old and the bun was like rubber and she had two hot dogs that were terrible with nasty fries this is the worst place ever. What would you expect from $30? Next time we'll wait in line at Portillo's read more

Went in on Friday and saw that the special was the meatball sub meal. Paid almost 10 dollars for 3 cold meatballs when the hogie roll could easily fit 5. Barely warm fries and a medium drink. Needless to say my meal was less than special. This took place right as they opened at 11 am. There is a McDonald's and a burger King right next door. Next time they get my money. read more

This is the "new Tommys" I've been to the other locations and I'm always happy, but this new location was AWESOME!!!! 19 years in the restaurant business... so hear me out. I was in today around 3:15.. normally the "aftermath" time from the lunch rush. Food isn't usually as hot, fries are colder, staff normally looks beat down from the rush... BUT...... not here, not today! New location and an awesome new feel. A little more modern on the inside, but just right. Very clean. Bathroom was spotless. (I judge a kitchens cleanliness by the attentiveness to their restrooms) I peeked behind the line, not a fry on the floor. Staff was very friendly from start to finish. Food: they nailed it! Italian beef & sausage combo w/cheese, fries and a drink. Perfectly toasted garlic bread bun, beef was hot and piled high and the sausage was juicy-not dried out like many other places. Fries were right out of the fryer and salted perfectly! Next time I'm down the street shooting at the range.... this will now be my go-to stop!! Great job Tommys... keep it up! read more

Picked up an order today and none of the workers were wearing masks. Illinois is under an indoor mask mandate, so it was a disappointment to see them ignore the rules. I will not be returning. read more

This new location sucks. The food was cold, the drinks tasted stale. The old location is a town staple, but this new location is unacceptable in quality. I finished this meal and instantly had to rush to the bathroom. I wanted hot dogs to be more like Kobayashi, the great eating champion, instead I shit my pants. read more

This review is for the new Timmy's in 176. New place , clean looking , service needs improvement. Went for take out, ordered 2 combo and one gyro sandwich with a drink. There were 4 people working and it was not busy. Whoever took our order forgot to give us a cup for drink, we have to ask for it. Order was for take out and they thought it was for dine in. Also there is water dripping from the ceiling by the hall way to the bathroom. This is a new place! We asked the combo to be dry but even the beef was dry not just the bread was dry. This made the sandwiches too dry to chew. New place, the team there has to work together and improve. I'm sure they will in time. At this time the food and service is not as good as the one on Rt 14. read more

One of my favorite places to get a quick beef or gyro ever since I moved into the area. The food is very good for the most part. The main issue, and it's a big one. The delivery is atrocious. The last 3 times my order has been missing something. Something as simple as ordering drinks and getting no straws. Or ordering and getting charged for extra sauces and not receiving your items. To be fair, when I called the have remade the order. But appear apathetic about the substandard delivery, and blaming the drivers. The problem is you need to retrain. It seems they'd rather lose a long term customer than fix the problem. Sad, since the food is tasty. read more

We didn't like the gyros at this location. The Tommys on 14 was always great. Big stuffed gyros that was a meal. The Tommys on 176 was just ok small amount of meat. It was not much of a meal at all. We will be going to the Tommys on 14. Never again at 176. read more

Tommy's food is good that's why I go there. I go through the drive-through due to COVID. Having said that, I frequently get home with a partial order. There has to be a real hole in their training or procedure in packing up an order as this happens so often. I live too far away to just drop by to pick up items left behind. I should not have to recheck the order in the parking lot before I leave the premises. read more

Monday special supposed to be a 8inch Italian beef Got charged full price for the regular Italian beef. 6 inch Italian beef and poppers. 15.09. read more

Tommy's helped me out and got a lunch order out for me and my guys 15 burgers and 20 hotdogs fries, toppings, the whole 9 yards! Got everything knocked out within 30 minutes and we were eating in no time! Best bang for your buck on food out here if you are feeding a large group! read more

We love having them close to our home. We have tried most of their daily specials. Today we ordered two italian beef sandwiches. I get extra sweet peppers on the side since I oredered them before and they don't put on enough to cover the full sandwich. The other was with hot peppers and and it was fine. We like their cheese fries too. They checked back to see if order was fine. Happy with their service. We appreciate the variety of choices.Glad to have daily specials too. read more

Was at the New Tommy's in Crystal Lake on 176. The place is very nice inside and clean. But the Hot Dogs didn't taste the same, they were not tasty. Also the bun was dried out. I asked the workers about the Hot Dog and they said it was a different casing, don't think so. Will not be going back there. Very disappointed. read more

Since the new location y'all Have been slacking. Too money focused. The cut down there staple the Tommy sized fries. They changed the bag the fries come in the Tommy size is no longer double it's more like tommy size is the old normal fry bag. They changed without warning and the employees lie about them being the same size. I've going there for years now but slowly stopped going. They forget something in every order cheese cups to my main dish focus up Tommy's your dropping customers like flies. read more

We ordered the "cheesesteak" sandwich and chicken strips. I'm really sad to say they were both so bad we could not eat them.

WORST gyros in McHenry county. Bar none. Dry razor thin quarter size trimmings typically burnt. Don't leave the parking lot till you've checked your order. read more

There is something very dark going on inside this location; let me explain. I went there for a late lunch last week. The person at the register does not care to listen to what a customer orders and as a matter of fact dictates to those in line what they will be ordering. My order was very simple, two hot dogs everything on them, an order of fries, and a large drink. I was charged $11.69 and realized the error immediately after receiving my receipt, not even picking up the cup for the drink off the counter. "hey, I wanted two dogs, fries and a drink; not whatever this is...." "You want two dogs and a drink???" "Yeah" So the person behind the register rings up a new order of two dogs and a drink, $5 and change. I assumed he was going to cancel the last transaction and refund my debit card. Not to get into confusion with my bank, I paid in cash. I was handed a receipt for the new order and a new drink cup. The drink cup from the previous order stayed on the counter exactly where the person behind the counter placed it. I sat down and waited for my food, there were no other customers placing orders. Therefore the person at the register knew beyond a doubt there was a problem with the erroneous $11.69 order that should have been canceled. He chose to ignore it. I receive my two hot dogs and drink and begin to eat them. Then the manager comes up to my table with a tray of food and wants to give it to me. "I did not order this." The manager responded "If there is a problem I will cancel the order." ""(sarcastically) Well yeah... and you need someone at the register who can listen, ya' know the menu is not THAT big. I wanted the simplest of orders, a very common order; two lousy hot dogs, fries and a drink...What's all this???" What's so dark inside Tommy's Hot Dogs? The employees and management do not care in the least what you order or what you receive. Did I receive my refund? NO. That tells me that Tommy;s management only cares about making the end of the day tally higher. Just make the numbers big. So in the end I paid $17 and change for a lunch of two hot dogs, a drink and no french fries. Ripped off with carelessness and ingratitude. As a restaurant, if they don't care about what you have ordered, what you are charged, or what you receive; it's easy as a customer to deduce that they don't care about many other things about their operation. Like cleanliness, proper care of food, or sanitation. Ya' know, the important stuff that is supposed to happen even though no one is watching. When I walked out, it occurred to me there was a similar problem with a couple that placed their order before mine. I not sure what their issue was but it also had to do with being overcharged and not receiving what they thought they bought. Apparently a common occurrence at this location. Me and my family will never eat at a Tommy's Hot Dogs ever again. They can keep my $17. read more

Not good today, over cooked popcorn chicken tasted horrible, over cooked fries and exploded mozzarella sticks. I guess that is why we had to wait so long. Never again. read more

stopped for lunch. 2nd try. took me 3 tries to order 2 chili dogs with extra onions. received 2 dogs with very little burnt chili, loads of liquid processed cheese like substance and no onions. the ends of the buns were hard as a rock. would of brought them back to the counter but 2 other customers were there complaining about their orders. bad service and food. read more