Tom's Carry Out — Restaurant in Riverside Township

First the disclaimer and my response to all the other naysayers: This is a local fast food restaurant AKA greasy spoon AKA dive. They do not serve gourmet food, Gordon Ramsay does not work here, and the owner(s) do not purport to offer a "fine dining" experience. If that's what you're looking for, you're better off going to Gibon's or Wildfire. What do you really expect from a hot dog/burger joint?

That being said, I give them 5 stars because they always exceed my expectations. I go here several times a month and have been for at least 7 years, and I have never had a bad meal or complaint. Hot dogs are what you'd expect; I think the burgers are good; the italian beef is not as good as Novi's down the street, but you can tell they roast the beef fresh (it doesn't come from a bag) and the au jus has a good spice and flavor; their tacos and quesadillas taste good (I do wish they made their own tamales, but nonetheless they use Supreme brand which is fine with me). Their fries are cut fresh, crisp, I can taste that they use peanut oil, and thankfully the oil never tastes "old" like many other places. I absolutely LOVE the greek potatoes, and they just might have some of the best chicken noodle soup I've ever had!

You can tell a lot about a place by its employee turnover. I've seen the same group of people working behind the counter as long as I've been going there, which generally means they are treated well and enjoy their jobs. For that, they also do their job well. As I've said already, I've never had anything to complain about.

I'm not sure if the guy that's usually behind the counter is the owner (Tom?), but he gives off an aura that he is. To be honest, the first few times I went in there I thought he was kind of grumpy -- maybe just having a bad day, I know the feeling. After several visits, he opened up and we can banter now. He recognizes me any time I go there and, by now, remembers what I usually order.

Personally I feel the new gaming room is tacky. However it seems almost every food place in Illinois is doing that sort of thing now, and if the additional revenue keeps the other prices down, then I really don't care -- go in and gamble to your hearts desire, just not for me.

All in all, I think the place is excellent for a good, quick meal. The prices are good and the quality is excellent. There are several other fast food joints in the area (Pop's, Stella's, Henry's, Lucky Dog) and none of them compare -- I will choose Tom's over them any day...

Burgers were undercooked still pink in the inside. Now, these are thin burgers not the thick pub burgers you'd find at a premium steakhouse so it's hard to get this wrong but it was like like they threw is on the grill flipped it and gave to us. Also, the hotdogs were off color and definitely not the traditional chicago style Vienna. They were a brownish color. Another thing, ladies beware if you go in this place, be prepared for the thirsty guys behind the counter they give more attention to the females than the food and service. I walked in with my wife, and the guy was totally trying to get my wife's attention. Barking like a dog, knocked on the counter and making random noises. Because I didn't want to ruin the night for my wife and son, I held my piece even my 13 year old noticed it,Totally disrespectful even if a family...

I have been coming here for years on and off , but I stand by their food QUALITY. If ever there is no satisfaction please let the owners have a chance to make things right, they are old school and believe in quality and making their customers life long customers. I do know TOMS CARRYOUT have amazing food Specials - from Mondays - Thursdays and The famous Sunday Specials are the Fall off the bone Full slab ribs dinner for $19.99 They are famous for the Gyros with their secret sauce ! ( gyro specials on Thursday's ) Greek salads are the BOMB ! And the toppings are the POTATOS ! Fries, Greek potatoes , or Broasted Potato's ! Mexican food too ! Meaty with endless trimmings : )

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