Big League Burgers — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

This was my second time visiting Big League. Our first visit we ordered a gyros sandwich which was amazing. I believe the tzatziki was homemade, the pita was grilled to perfection, and the gyro meat had the perfect balance of crispy and juicy. We also ordered the chicken kebab plate with Greek potatoes, and Rice pilaf. Everything about that kebab plate was delicious. I forgot to mention their fries are outstanding, definitely fresh cut. On our second visit, I had an Italian combo. When we got home the beef was so hot, I had to let it cool down. I was impressed that it was too hot to eat. Nothing worse than a cold beef. This was one of the worst beef sandwiches I have ever had. It tasted like something I would get at the concession at the Bears game. The sausage had been soaking in au jus for so long that it had no texture. It was waterlogged sausage pieces that had the texture of mush. No snap in this link. They couldn’t even give me a whole sausage link because it just fell apart with the tongs when the cook pulled it from the augus. I received 4 soggy pieces of sausage in the sandwich. The beef was cheap over cooked chewy restaurant Depot cryovac beef in a bag. This is a product that comes with gallons of frozen au jus. That poor excuse for a combo went right into the garbage. I hate wasting food and money. We ordered a hotdog which came on a steamed Rosen’s bun, real neon, green, relish, and a good beef dog. Lastly, we ordered a cheeseburger. It was just OK, it was a frozen beef patty. I would have expected more from an item that is in the title of the name of the business. This is not a hand pressed, in-house ground burger patty. This burger comes in a cardboard box pulled out of the freezer. Again, their fries were outstanding. It was cool that the fries came with each sandwich. We honestly didn’t need that many fries and ended up tossing one away because they don’t reheat well. So I’m giving three stars. The Greek food experience was outstanding, which I will go back for. The Italian beef was absolutely horrible. Worst beef I’ve had in years, really, years! Take it off the menu If you’re not selling it, but don’t give me chewy beef and soggy sausage. That’s unacceptable. I also forgot to mention that the bread that the beef sandwich is on is the wrong type of bread. It’s too thick, too big, it doesn’t absorb au jus well, and it’s not the kind of bread that you would see at a real Italian beef restaurant. It’s not on French bread, it’s more of...

To be fair, I’ve been to BLB many times and have had only positive experiences… until tonight. Really disappointing for multiple reasons, but I’ll quickly summarize by the 3! phone calls I received from the restaurant after picking up my takeout meal:

[10 minutes after picking up order and 1 minute after arriving home] - “Hi, this is BLB, my co-worker gave you the wrong order, can you bring the food back to the restaurant?” “Huh?” “We gave you the wrong meal, can you bring it back and we’ll give you your food.” - Dumb, but ok.

[11 minutes after picking up my order] - “Hi, this is BLB, I was just wondering, did you open the food boxes?” “Uhh, no, why?” “Well we just wanted to know whether we needed to remake the order or not.” - Yikes. I was so flustered that I didn’t even think to ask if somebody similarly had incorrectly received my meal before they gave it to me, and if they likewise just trusted that they hadn’t touched it when told so. Gross.

[~30 minutes after picking up my correct order] - “Hi, this is BLB, so apparently you never paid for your meal. Would you be able to pay with a card over the phone?” “You’ve got to be kidding me” - This after telling them 45 minutes earlier at the restaurant l that had not paid, and being assured multiple times by the lady behind the counter that I had (told me they had my card on file, which was confusing, but I was inclined to believe it being a semi-frequent customer). Being the sucker that I am, I gave it over the phone.

Is it fair leaving a 1-star review after probably 10-15 5-star experiences previously? I thought hard about this, because I know the effect a negative review can have on a small business. But the questionable activity re: the food, extra effort I was asked to give, and uncomfortable feeling this left me with drove me to want to warn other potential customers about this experience.

I really liked BLB, and am sad to say I will not be back :( will miss...

2nd New Review: I have been here a bunch of times and it’s always great food and amazing service when dining in and have done so many times. Ordering takeout or dining in, the food is still the same amazing quality.

Outstanding food, drinks and a wonderful staff as usual. We went there on a busy Friday night, with a bunch of friends and they were having a fundraiser for Natalie Toro running for cook county commissioner. Everything was top notch even though they were extremely busy.

What an incredible place! Can't say enough great things about Big League Burgers. Can't wait to visit again and thank you for a wonderful time and great food.

Overall I highly recommend, as the food is delicious, the atmosphere is perfect in/outside, and the staff is the top notch for a wonderful experience.

Can’t wait for their next beer event on Friday! 🍻

1st Review:

This place is a must if you are in the area!! Have been here a few times already for dine in and also have ordered for take out and delivery, came in last weekend for the Maplewood beer event. It was fantastic and so much fun!!

Service is great! Place is very clean and spotless. The food portions are big and awesome. Milkshakes and drinks are amazing. Great food and amazing service when dining in and have done so many times. Ordering for takeout or dining in, the food is still the same amazing quality.

I spoke to the owner to let him know what a great place this is, he is a super nice guy, very warm and welcoming! I was told that they are planning more monthly events that will be coming soon.

Overall I highly recommend Big League Burgers as the food is delicious, the atmosphere is perfect and the staff is top notch for a wonderful experience.

Can’t wait for the next event! Support this great...