Belly Shack

My coworker invites me to walk with her to grab lunch. I swore to her I wasnt going to grab anything because I brought a lunch. (It was a nice day for a quick walk) She placed her order and the doos came quickly. Staff was auper friendly. We were evn offered ice water to cool off while waiting for the food. I tred the fries and was in foodie heaven. It was seriously like a party in my mouth. Im officially hooked on this place and look foward to trying more of their menu.

Visited for a 2^nd time recently for a Saturday date night and would go back for third! I had the Lemongrass Chicken Gyro and it was quite tasty. It was a nice portion, but I would definitely recommend getting a side to fill yourself up. My go to are the Togarashi Fries with the curry mayo, so yummy! I’ve also had the Hot & Sour Tortilla Soup and it was the perfect thing during the cold Chicago winter.

My favorite restaurant in the entire city. It’s simple, quick, fantastic service, and the Belly Dog is the best hot dog ever. (Sorry, Chicago– I cave to the Belly Dog.)
Unilocal reviewers that leave crappy reviews are garbage people!
–Mitch

My favorite place to grab a quick dinner. Luckily, this place is right by my apartment so I can eat it several times a week (and not tell anyone).
The belly dog is something that needs to be tried. It’s my favorite item on the menu and comes with he amazing togarashi fries. Also, when eating the fries, you won’t want to skip the curry mayo.
Definitely grab some passion fruit lemonade, it’s super refreshing and had a great kick. I’d recommend skipping the tostones, they were a little lackluster in my book.

I’ve been to Belly shack a few times now. Usually between me and my husband, we get a belly dog and one new item from their ever-​changing menu. The belly dog has remained consistently awesome from the get go. The first time I had this, I had vowed to eat this at least once a week! Of course that didn’t really happen but the thought that one dish could be THAT ridiculously amazing to warrant such a notion was a huge feat. And don’t even get me started on those fries and the aioli that comes with it — these are SO good, they rank in my top 3 fries.
So why just 4 stars then? Well, the one new item that we try every time has been really sub par compared to the belly dog. Either we’re just bad at picking what to eat or this joint has just one star dish. I’m opting to say that we have just been unlucky with our choices and give belly shack the benefit of the doubt. I’m hoping the next time we’ll pick right and until belly shack can improve ALL its dishes (it’s a small menu) to be belly-​dog level awesome, I’ll probably stick to the 4 stars.

Git in mah belly!
(is that too outdated as a reference?)
Assoonaspossible after touching down at ORD, a Belly dog was in me. This spot’s Korean-​Puerto Rican fusion netted out in hot dog form as: an all-​beef dog, egg noodles, pickled green papaya on a perfectly toasted bun. Yes. This. All of this. Give me a moment, please.
Gilding the lily? The dog is served with a side of togarashi fries. And amazing curried mayo.
Great price, great vibe, great music (hey, new Drake album!).
Unilocal note 1: get the passion fruit lemonade. It’s not usually my thing but my friend twisted my arm and it was fantastic. 3 dollars for a carafe and it’s perfectly tart and tangy. Get it!
Unilocal note 2: totally veggie-​friendly and a lot of options (as well as flexibility; want the bowl with some tofu instead? Sure, they can do that!)

Hit a home run with this place. Just landed at ORD and had to stop in. The flavors are out of this world. $ 9 for a dog and fries. Ahhh. A bit steep but I’d go back for sure. Missed the tots though.

Finally got around to trying this place. Decided to take a walk on the 606 and went here before the walk. It’s a small little place right under the L on Western Ave.
The Belly Dog was really good. It kind of reminded me of the hot dogs at Frank’s and Dawgs. The fries were done right and seasoned perfectly. It also came with a sauce for the fries and it tasted great.
My wife ordered the lychee sangria and she thought it was nice and refreshing. The orange peel garnish tasted really good in the drink as well.
I also ordered the passion fruit lemonade and it was nice and refreshing! The only thing that would have made it better is if it was ice cold when drinking it. I love my drinks to be ice cold lol.
Great place to eat, a bit on the expensive side of you are thinking a hot dog joint but it has more to offer then just hot dogs. After you eat and feel bad about the calories… go for a walk on the 606 to work it off.

I’ve been twice, and both times it was good. The food options are really unique here. Try the Togarashi fries!

** Part of my ongoing review of 2016 Bib Gourmand Restaurants (
)
Belly Shack is kind of like those turbo Volvos they made in the 1990’s — not something you would give two glances at when at idle, but then you’re surprised when the green light turns and it accelerates out of nowhere. Located in an unpromising location right underneath an El stop (a site that often features mediocre food all through the city), the space is bright and open with a bit of an industrial feel, but the same could be said about Chipotle, so there’s not much to draw from this fact.
There is a short menu of sandwiches, bowls, entrees and soups for order at the counter, and the good news is that you really can’t go wrong. I went with the pork banh mi sandwich, which rated among the best specimens I’ve had — the baguette was trimmed down so it did not overwhelm the other ingredients in volume, a common problem I’ve encountered with banh mi. The slaw was an excellent accompaniment, and the pork was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. It also came with an arugula salad, which could have been an afterthought but definitely was not in this case.
For a side, I got the tostones, fried plantains with chimichurri sauce. They were a satisfying crispy counterpoint to the banh mi, and definitely size to split with a table-​mate. Speaking of which, my friend got a side of the hot tots — I like tots and will takes them over fries, but I can’t say that these were much different than anywhere else (although they did feature some tasty pickled jalapenos). If you’re choosing between the two, I’d definitely get the tostones.
Finally, I ended my meal with a tasty doughnut, soft serve and caramel soft serve combination. This was again a shareable size, and all of the components held up on their own.
So, those who stumble in here expecting a quick bite will be very pleasantly surprised — and those who came here knowing it is a bib gourmand restaurant will have no problem staying below the $ 40 before tax and tip threshhold while still enjoying anything on the menu that catches their eye. My total cost for an entrée, a side, a dessert and a beer was $ 28, and it was worth every penny. I will definitely be back to Belly Shack.

One of the quintessential fusion joints in Chicago, Belly Shack holds a special place in my heart. Every plate on the menu is filled with such a unique sense of style that really opens the door in the culinary world. Today I had the Lemongrass Chicken Gyro A.K.A the greatest mouth orgasm that I’ve had in a while. Such a powerful punch of flavor that makes me want this meal to never end!
Oh, and then there’s the Sake Margarita. I LOVE this drinks. I tip my imaginary hat to whoever got so trashed one night (or day, no judgment here) that they felt the need to mix their margarita with some Sake. I just wish they didn’t put so much ice in my glass.
One of my favorite places in Bucktown to chow down. Definitely worth the extra money to take your tastebuds on an ethnic adventure.

I had the bowl, with Korean beef, and shared the roasted vegetable appetizer, and the donut sundae. I was going to get the belly dog, probably my standard order, but they were out of fries so I changed it up. It was still a good dinner, but I think this place shines when it comes to the sandwich selection.

This place exceeded my expectations.
The bellydog is so good. Flavorful and different. The beef was delicious. The egg noodles and pickled green papaya complimented the beef well. It was surprisingly refreshing. The bread did not get soggy from everything that was on it. I would have ordered another one if I wasn’t full.
The togarashi fries was crispy and fantastic. The curry mayo was a good condiment to go with the fries.
Free refills on iced tea.
Service was fast and friendly. Decently priced.
Would DEFINITELY come back. Love it.

Best french fries in Chicago. Just a little bit of spice and an awesome house twist on ketchup.
À la cart menu makes it a little bit pricey, but it’s worth a try.

I remember when this place first opened and I recall bookmarking it way back then thinking I would go sometime soon. 7 years later, I just finally made my way to the joint this past Saturday night. Its located right under the Western Blue Line stop so its easy to spot/​locate. Not that big of a space as they have 2 handfuls of tables that fit 2 – 4 people lined up against the walls and one big communal table in the middle. Setting is pretty intimate as its pretty dark inside with very dim lighting, but you do get a pretty decent look @ Western Ave.
They had a few goodies as the menu wasn’t that big and I decided to go with the Belly Bowl which has fried egg, lentils, greens and daikon-​carrot slaw along with a choice of meat… I chose the Korean BBQ which was pretty good. The meat had an awesome flavor and complemented the rest of the bowl. I got the brussels sprouts as a side and they were delicious. star of the meal actually! The caramelized onions and bacon along with the belly soy made for a nice appetizer. They have alcoholic beverages here, but just a handful in addition to specialty fruit drinks.

Like del seoul, belly shack expertly pairs Latin American with Korean cuisine, and the result is delicious! Belly dog best item on the menu, get it. There is a but too much bread but the flavor and texture, noodles pickled veggies sweet and spicy sauce, so great! Phở-​sole tastes like tomyum soup, the hominy comes through though. Boss bowl filing and looks nice, pork and beef are well flavored but the chicken isn’t as good. And the chicken gyro (with same chicken) doesn’t compare to the rest of the menu. Can Hey busy and there is limited seating. Service quick and the bussing on point. And conveniently located right underneath the western stop on the blue line.

Urban Shack was outstanding. Thanks again. I would definitely go back and recommend it to people looking for a quick fancy fresh healthy bite.
We had pork bahn mi sandwiches, bibimbop, avocado and pita salad stacks, fancy Asian French fries, plum ginger tea, margarita, and sangria. And ice cream. Everything was super. Folks behind the counter were friendly and happy to help us.

It’s aight.
— Belly Dog: The meat to bread ratio was really off for me. There was just too much bread! The seasoning was very mild, it was good but definitely no huge burst of flavor. The fries on the other hand were too much flavor — SO salty! It just tasted like they poured Cajun crawfish seasoning over it and called it a day.
— Bowl: Good, but pretty standard bimimbap. Nothing remarkable.
For what it is, there are other Asian fusion places I’d rather go to.

Genius combinations and great execution. Overall a top notch spot for a quick casual meal.
The menu is pretty small but packed with a ton of hard sell descriptions. We were so torn and wanted everything! But the chef was there and chuckled and reminded us that we could always come back in the future — I mean, it’s pretty easy transportation-​wise. Blue line Western stop, armitage bus, western bus, easy-​ish street parking on side streets.
We managed to edit our selection to the phở-​zole, belly dog, and brussel sprouts.
I am hooked on those brussel sprouts! The dressing has the most perfect balance of salty sweet tangy umami, and the crispy bacon… So simple, but when it’s juuuuuuuust right, it’s out of this world. We eat a lot of brussel sprouts in the winter at home with similar flavor profiles but from now on we’ll just be attempting copycats of this one.
Everything else was solid too. Togarashi fries with like a curry-​mayo. Delicious.
Phở-​zole… BRILLIANT. The comfort of slurping piping hot phở and noodles, the hearty warmth of pozole, and somehow the flavor profiles of both really work together! I can see how it’s phở-​zole completely. Just masterful fusion.
The belly dog had really interesting combination of flavors and textures too, but I found it hard to fit it all in my mouth for a composed bite… I wish I did though because based on the other two things, it seems like that’s the whole key to their flavors here.
Next time, we’ll definitely try the meatballs, lemongrass chicken gyros, and some ice cream. And yes, there will most definitely be a next time.

Décor/​cleanliness/​environment: very clean and very spacious. (¹⁄₁)
Service: very quick. You just have to go and order at the cashier first. Then find your own table and the staff will deliver the food to you. (¹⁄₁)
Food: I was kinda disappointed because my expectation was really high before I came in. My significant other and I ordered taco platter and belly dog. Taco platter is good but quantity is small. Belly dog tastes a bit weird. It is not that delicious as I expected to be. (⁰⁄₂)
Cost: $$$ !!! With that small portion, it’s too pricey for me. (⁰⁄₁)