Meatheads Burgers and Fries has been one of my favourite lunchtime spots in the suburbs, and the good news for the city dwellers is that a new one has opened up at North Center/Irving Park. I tend to frequent the joint in Northbrook. The other options are in Naperville or Schaumburg.

I nearly always go for the build your own option, getting a basic 1/2 meathead patty and then adding sauteed mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon, and a fried egg. Basically a big yummy breakfast burger. As lunch tends to be around 11-11.30am it counts as brunch so breakfast items are all fair game. Even though meatheads is a small chain with a few resturants in the Chicago area it is still distinct enough to elevate it above the general burger joint.

Another popular choice off the general menu for those slightly healthier occasions is the Grilled Chicken. This goes well with avocado. The chicken is done very well here and is pretty juicy and often larger than the bun, so you have to be prepared to fight with the beast as you munch it for your lunch.

I am still in favour of the breakfast style meathead and would say that my grilled chicken to meathead ratio is about 1 in 5 visits.

When I said that you dont have to be a meathead to eat at meatheads I was referencing the stereotypical Meathead who pumps iron and is unaware of the majority of the English language usually using phrases such as “bro”, “dude”, and “sweet”, wearing sleeveless muscle shirt  and athletic shorts.

They do say that if you ever find yourself in a setting with multiple meat heads, be prepared for frequent high fives, chest bumps, and hand pounds. To be honest that may well be the typical response to having successfully eaten a Meatheads burger by the average diner.