I've been wanting to try this place for a while. I got their Nikki burger, which is a burger with euro lettuce tomato onion could have ketchup and mustard if you want and a toasted bun was good and then I had a order of small cheese fries with Mertz and a glass of water. It was 1755 and then I just rounded it off to 20 thought it was a little expensive for what you got the food was good. I'm glad I did get to try it.they don't have prices on the board. A little steep read more

See all

Not too many dives like this around here..... I guess Health Departments close them down! I enjoyed my lunch here with a buddy. My son spent his teen years consuming Nikki Specials so I figured I'd give it a try. Decadence as promised.... Too much gyros on a thin cheeseburger on a griddled bun....what's not to like here? Can't say I'd have another but am very glad I've had one! My friend had gyros on a pita. He was happy. Service was pleasant and definitely a Dive Vibe. Glad I visited..... read more

Wilmette Chuck Wagon - Nikki special - Fast Food Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

I love Chuck Wagon! Chuck Wagon is a great local spot with that classic no-frills diner feel. The portions are generous, the food is consistently good, and the service is extremely friendly and fast. A true neighborhood gem. Stop in to this local institution and you will not be disappointed. read more

Such good food and amazing service! Tony is the guy for wonderful food Cares about the community and where the food is sourced from. Haven't met a cook like him in a while and it is nice to see that wonderful people like him and his food exist! read more

Ordered 3 cheeseburgers, 2 fries and onion rings. They were ready when promised. The guy was super nice. In and out. The food was underwhelming unfortunately. The bun dwarfed the burger which was well done. nice layer of cheese I don't think it was even a 1/4 lb of meat. Unsalted and they didn't provide salt. No sauce. just ketchup packets. The portion size of the fries was unbelievable. They were decent but again not salted much and didn't get salt with the order. The onion rings were way over cooked. almost devoid of onion. just the thick batter. One of the worst onion rings I've had. Too bad I had such high hopes. read more

Grabbed a gyros to go last week. Service is good and the sandwich was nice sized. Enjoyed it.

I was out and about and I saw a hot dog sign. So I turned around and this place is legit. Pictures on the wall, old school menu board, and the chef with his own tv. I'm really digging the set up. Another thing this place is small, but mighty. I ordered 2 hot dog and I was hankering for some onion rings. I received my onion rings first with my dogs fairly quickly after that. The onion rings were super crispy with real onion inside, it's always a bonus. Now to the star of the show the hot dogs. The Chef took his time and made these dogs into a work of art. They're beautiful and really beefy tasting. One of my favorites of a non snap dog. I normally try make the food stand out. It came to me photo ready. All the toppings was fresh, and the peppers had a great kick without blowing your head off. The Chuck Wagon is next door to the Wilmette Theater, go see a movie and grab a hot dog or two before a movie. read more

See all

It has been awhile since I've encountered a new hole in the wall and this is it! I was in the area for some coffee and thought to look around to see if there was something nearby where I can grab something small and quick. While I was at the cafe browsing for nearby food spots, someone walked in wearing a Chuck Wagon shirt. I saw that it was only 300ft away so I decided to go check it out. It's easy to miss if you're not paying attention because it is legit a hole in a wall. Upon entering you are engulfed with various pictures and currency from all over the globe. Their menu is nothing fancy but they have your typical staples. I decided to try the Niki special which was a cheeseburger topped with gyro meat. It was meaty and the bread was nice and soft. It was very satisfying and the prices were fair. I'll definitely be back to try the other menu items! read more

See all

This was so much fun! Sorry the review is so late! We ate outside at little bench's The hamburgers were so tasty Everything was Chicago Style My favorite even though it's a subservient lol The service was good and efficient We ordered at the counter. It was like take out There are some tables to sit inside too read more

Wilmette Chuck Wagon - Outside at a table eating my burger - Fast Food Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

Came here for lunch for the first time. It offers street parking. It wasn't to difficult to find parking but I could see it tough at times. Very small place inside. No A/C it was very hot inside. They did have a fan going. You can tell this place has been around for a little while by all the pictures on the wall from all the customers. Service was great. It was a two man show, one cook and to take your order. I just order a Chicago style hot dog and a order of fries . The hot dog was very good they used some kind of seasoning that made the hot dog fantastic! Fries were also really good. Everything was freshly made. I will definitely be back to try something new! read more

See all

A small hot dog/hamburger/gyros joint packed with nostalgia. I typically love these kind of places, but Chuck Wagon could use some freshening up and a better cheeseburger. I didn't finish mine. read more

Wilmette's hidden gem. Centrally located in the adorable downtown wilmette area. Super cool small countertop hot dog and burger joint. My kids absolutely love this place. It's definitely become nostalgic for them. We live coming here ad sitting on the counter together. We live coming in the summer and seeing the neighborhood kids pull up on their bikes! My kids order the cheeseburgers and a pizza puff. I love the double nicki.. it's a double cheeseburger with gyros meat on top. I love that that throw the gyros on the flat top for a few seconds to make it crispy on the edges. Sacha is an amazing host and always so gracious to his customers. Super cool guy. I'm not sure about the main cooks name but he is extremely efficient. He can instantly memorize your whole order. Get the burgers or the double nicki! read more

Try this place out you will not regret it. Delicious food service and ambiance. Can't recommend enough. Brought my wife the other day to Wilmette Cuck Wagon and we both have never been so satisfied. read more

Tony kills it on the grill and Sasha runs the front on house with a friendly efficient manner ensuring everyone has a great experience at Chuck Wagon 6* ! read more

Once upon the time, Rosa J. and Daddy J. took an impromptu Sunday Metra trip to Wilmette. As they strolled past an old movie theater, they saw a little hole-in-the-wall joint with approximately ten (10) diner seats. They were skeptical about this burger/gyro place, but three (3) visible Yelp stickers cast their anxiety away. Well, I won't go on with "Yelp-version" of the fairytale story-telling. This place is very, very tiny. As long as you can care less about having your personal space, you will certainly make yourself at home with their tasty cheeseburger and Niki Special (cheeseburger+gyro meat). Obviously, this hole-in-the-(I barely saw the wall since the entire joint was either covered by fan photos or currencies from different countries) was teenager-friendly. Schools teens were hanging out and moaning about the advent of new semester. As a working-adult myself, there was no time to waste once the" Niki" was delivered to me by lovely "employee of the month." That "Niki" was delicious! I felt guilty to consume so much meat, but that was what a burger supposed to be. "My name is Rosa J., and I approve that all burgers should emulate Niki's greatness." This place is truly a hidden gem. The noise of door-slamming, gyro-dissecting, and teens' wild talks won't stop me from coming back. read more

See all

Great place to grab a cheeseburger, grilled cheese, gyro, or a combination of all three. Everything else is a bonus. Fantastic and been around for a long long time. read more

Great gyros with a fresh take on Chicago traditions. Something for the whole family on their large menu selection. Pick up your kids spouse grandparents cousins you name it and stop by here for a delicious bite while enjoying the amazing weather we're going to have all spring and summer. Highly delicious. Highly recommended. read more

See all

Found this place while on a quick vacation. Fun little place which felt a little like going back in a time machine. Had burgers and hot dogs but the gyros looked good too! Staff were really friendly. Nice area to just take a stroll. read more

My family and I decided to stop here for lunch and fuel up to continue on our 33 mile bike ride. I'm so glad we did! Delicious food and really nice people. Oh, and the decor is awesome! Hundreds of pictures, old and new, are all over the walls! Really neat. To eat we got regular fries and sweet potato. Both really good. I got the waitress special and highly recommend it and would get it again on my next visit. Can't go wrong with cheese and gyro meat. My son and husband got hot dogs and a pizza puff. Typical choices for hole in the wall diner food but seriously, this place hit a home run! As a side note, they do have a bathroom but you have to ask and be prepared for airplane size, teeny tiny itty bitty. The sink isn't even in the bathroom. But who cares. Maybe one day they will expand? So if you are ever in the Wilmette area, go here and get fully satisfied :) read more

Wilmette Chuck Wagon - Menu wall! - Fast Food Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

Double cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings delivered for lunch, loved everything! Arrived hot and quick, style of burgers reminded me of my favorite "burger joint" growing up on the south side! First time and now a fan! read more

Best spot in the Midwest for Gyro, burgers and fries...and much more...ambiance galore in this quaint, family friendly spot...takeout via call ahead is always available too. Just a quick bike ride from Gillson Beach in Wilmette too...have a picnic with Chuck Wagon's yummy food. Summer Best for sure!! read more

If you asked me at 10 years old where my favorite place to eat was (aside from my house - my mom was an extraordinarily talented cook), I would tell you Chuck Wagon. I came all of the time and my order was usually the same, a double Niki with cheese (cheeseburger with gyros meat on top) and a large fries (still possibly my favorite standard fries of all time). I remember when taking it to-go how lathered in grease the bottom 3/4s of the bag would be. It was special each and every time. Sam was one of a kind too and always had a way of making you feel like you just came home when you stepped in. With probably a 20 year gap from my last visit to my most recent visit I was a little nervous at how much would be different or may have been lost. To my surprise, it felt like virtually nothing had changed. Same menu, same stools, same grill... With new owners often feeling they need to make something their own, and I completely support their right to do so, it's really nice, especially for the 10 year old in me to see these owners take over a place and keep it running like it was. That and the fact that the fries were just as good as I remember them had me pleasantly shocked and impressed. The Niki was still great too. The only major difference I noticed was much less grease in the bag which is probably a good thing. I think Sam would be proud of what these guys have done and whether you are 10 years olds or 50, coming here will be a treat. read more

Wilmette Chuck Wagon - Niki Special - Fast Food Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

For grub food with the friendliest service, here you'll find a very basic menu with a few items on it and a wall full of historical photos from years gone by. Next to the Wilmette Theater, if you don't look closely, you'll most likely miss this tiny diner. And, if you do happen to find it, take note that there are only a few seats. Today I stopped in for a work meeting. I loved the juxtaposition of ordering up a burger from behind the counter and then having the young co-owner, Sasha D, offer to take my coat and hang it up for me. Five star service for sure! So, I ordered a cheeseburger. Patties are super duper thin. Honestly, it's the first thin patty like this I've seen - ever, but the truth is it's probably all the meat I needed. I did get it on a pretzel bun, and then ordered up a side of sweet potato fries which were lightly crispy and pretty tasty. I hear the polish is good and the gyros are supposed to be the bomb, but I wasn't 100% sure what to order when I stopped in today. This place has history, and that's truly the appeal. Here you want to come in and support this long-standing business, because you just want it to stay around for the children of the future. Fun stop, but like Tasha P says about the burgers, "if you're an adult you should go with a double." They are huge Yelp fans here, and on the front door you'll see a bunch of Yelp stickers. Another plus for me. read more

See all

Let me say that I have been DREAMING about this place ever since I had a Nikki special over a year ago. We took our girls to Chicago for a long weekend and ended up here one day. We stopped in for a quick bite and while I was deciding I saw the cook drop a Nikki special in front of the man next to me. I immediately knew I had to have one. It's kind of like a burger with Gyro meat. It is AMAZING! They have fantastic sweet potato fries and I finished every last bite of my meal. I felt like the angels descended upon me and brought me into heaven for a short time. Go here! read more

The Niki Special. A tiny little cheeseburger topped with a MOUNTAIN of gyro cuts. A good half of the gyro fell out of my burger while I was eating it--enough for another meal. The ambiance: It's a walk-in closet with good people working behind the counter. The workers seem to know all the patrons, and this is really nice to see coming from California (where we don't get this type of homeliness often). Space is limited and we saw a lot of people retrieving pick-up orders. The food: Like I alluded to earlier, the Niki Special is divine. If it wouldn't make me prone to stroke or heart attack, I'd be eating that all day. It is a tad expensive, though, ($6.75 for burger alone), which was a little off-putting from a divey restaurant. I also ordered some sweet potato fries (yum?), which were great for about $2. Really crispy. Well done. The service: Great! TL;DR - Order Niki Special and sweet potato fries. $10 meal. Good to go. read more

Wilmette Chuck Wagon - Niki Special and Sweet Potato Fries - Fast Food Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

been going here for years. I live 40 miles away and still drive here for the best double hamburger and fries

Made my pilgrimage again and visited Chuck Wagon upon arrival from Minneapolis. Four gyros and fries for the family. Simply superb. Been going there since i was a kid.....P.S. (e.g. "Pre-Sam"). Some things don't change and that's a GOOD THING in this case. read more

Wow, what a literal hole-in-the-wall. If I hadn't been looking for this place, I never would have seen it. It's wee! Just a row of 8 wall-facing counter seats and 8 grill-facing counter seats. The young man tending the counter was very friendly and seemed to know everybody who came in. The silent, inscrutable cook worked stoically at the grill and the fryers. The menu is small but everybody knows what they want when they come in. I was happy to find a polish sausage that fits the bun; it seems like many places serve you one of those over-length versions which stick out over both ends of the bun. Here they slice it lenghtwise, smash it down, and grill it. Nice. The specialty here is the Nikki--a cheeseburger with gyros meat on top. No thanks. I want to live! They have just added sweet potato fries here which seem to be a big hit. Big thumbs down on the onion rings--minced Ore-Ida jobbies. That is inexcusable. But, I like this place and would love to have it on my street. There are a million hot dog stands in the Chicago area, and this one seems to have more personality and neighborhood feeling than most. Several college kids, two ten-year-old boys, a father and two young sons, a middle-aged woman, and an old man--the patrons during my Saturday lunchtime visit. read more

Food was delicious; ordered the Niki and practically inhaled it. Also got a side of cheese sticks which were tasty and the mariana was good and I'm usually not a fan. read more

Awesome little place here with great food and a great owner to match. Sasha cooks up the best gyro sandwich I can remember. Looking forward to trying everything else on the menu. Definitely stop in if you're in the area, you won't be disappointed. read more

Wilmette Chuck Wagon - Fast Food Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

After touring Northwestern, I was hungry. A quick look at Yelp indicated that good burgers were to be had at the Chuck Wagon in Wilmette. I enjoyed seeing that it clearly is a local favorite. Lots of local kids had walked there for a late lunch, as well as kids home from college meeting childhood friends. There was a neighborly friendliness to the place that reminded me of my own childhood, growing up in a small town. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger. It was good. Not the kind of burger that I will dream about, but it was good. And the service was very friendly. I will remember the Chuck Wagon for its neighborhood charm. This is the kind of place that only exists in small towns. I left feeling like I had stepped back in time. Thank you, Chuck Wagon, for the smiles and walk down Memory Lane. read more

Not sure how I never heard about this staple of Wilmette. I lived on the Northshore from 1980-99 and missed out. I made the pilgrimage and had myself a Niki and a chocolate shake. They top their cheeseburger with gyro meat and it was created by the Mrs. (Niki) of the original owner. They flat top the gyro meat and give it some color. Tzatziki sauce is extra and didn't have much of a cucumber flavor, just tasted like sour cream. I also had a chocolate shake, but for $5.50 and using Homer's Ice Cream (I knew of them in Wilmette.) it wasn't very thick. Slurped it right through the skinny straws. You'll be cozy with others at the counter if you dine in. The place was swarmed by 7 young boys just after I arrived. Never seen so many kids going in and spend $10 on a burger, dog or fries with a shake after school. "Aren't you boys gonna ruin your dinner?" I can at least say I've had a Niki, but not sure if I'm likely to take the journey from Aurora again, perhaps I'll put them in rotation with Sarkis visits. read more

See all

The Gyros sandwiches are small. Embarrassingly small. They are the most expensive in the area and you get small. Don't waste your time.

Family went on a short road trip today and we came across the Chuck Wagon. We gave it a try and were more than pleased with the quality and prices. We had cheese burgers a gyro, fries and onion rings. All were outstanding. I recommend them for anyone with a big appetite. read more

To be honest chuck wagon might not deserve 5 stars these days. The prices are much higher than they were under the original ownership, but what do you expect in Wilmette? The food is solid though. I usually get the Waitress, but the Niki is good too. It brings me back to my New Trier days. I somehow managed to snag a copy of Greasy Spoons on VHS back in the day. It was written and directed by the owner (Niki's brother, I forgot his name) and filmed in Chuck Wagon. It is possibly the worst movie ever made, even as judged by my stoned 17-year-old self, but worth watching if you grew up with Chuck Wagon. read more

I wanted to try this place because there is a lot of hype surrounding this little hot dog shack. I saw it on the show Chicago's Best, and I know that it's a local favorite. It is very small, and it has a nice cozy atmosphere. You can't be afraid to be squeezed right up against your neighbor at the counter. The air is also permeated with grease from the grill. So again, just something you need to be down with at this type of place. Everyone was very friendly and clearly knew each other. It's reputation as a truly local place is accurate. The food is very good. I ordered the double cheese Burger with everything (hold the tomato) with French fries. The cheese burger was a very good no frills cheese burger and the fries were done well with a touch seasoning to give them a big if a zip. The burger was as good or better as any burger I have gotten at similar hot dog shacks through the Chicago area. Did the place live up to hype? Not 100%. The place is very good, just as good or perhaps a little better, that other hot dog shacks around the Chicago the area, but it's not the legendary place that it's made out to be. I plan to go back if I am to in area, especially to their burger with gyros. read more

Wilmette Chuck Wagon - Double Cheese Burger - Fast Food Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

See all

The grilled cheese gyro had two slices of cheese and WELL DONE gyro meat.....in addition ordered two gyros sandwiches again WELL DONE....for the price....will seek out different venue. The place was great when the children were growing up, affordable for them to go grab a quick bite....unless you have $35+ to drop for three sandwiches that were half eaten....fire up your home grill.... read more

Had the Nikita special which is a double cheeseburger with plenty of gyros meat on top. I also ordered a large fries with it and it was all very good. The gyros meat had darkened, crispy edges which made it even more delightful. Plus, there was so much of it, they are very generous indeed. The burger reminded me of the Hukilau cafe (Oahu) burger which has teriyaki beef on top of it. The place itself is very small with perhaps space for 12 diners so it's a cozy and intimate place for really good and greasy food. read more

Yes, this place IS a heart attack waiting to happen, but what a way to go. When I am 90 yrs old and have a terminal disease, I am going to eat at Chuck Wagon for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day until it happens. And, as I grab my chest, in between painful spasms, I will ask for TWO Niki Specials 'to go' -- one for me, and one for the big guy. Please read Nick, Annie and Jesster's reviews. They have nailed it. read more

Tried the chicken pita and could tell it was good quality food. Love the hole in the wall, local favorite vibe. Sadly I don't eat beef so didn't try their specials but I'm sure they're delicious! Would recommend for a quick meal :) read more