Mr. Rusty’s Real Taste of Chicago

Their tacos are the bomb! You’d never expect it. After seeing someone else’s picture of them, I had to try em. While they are different, they’re some of the best in the city!

So I have been going to Chicago since I was a little tot. I have family that lives downtown. Every time I go to Chicago we have to get a beef the first chance we get. I appreciate rusty’s Chicago style beef. It truly brings me back to my roots! I wouldn’t recommend going at night but I felt safe during the day. The place is clean and they truly care for their customers. I only ate a beef so I can’t comment on how authentic a Chicago would be but definitely next time! Enjoy!

Don’t let the outside scare you away… food was excellent! I had the chicken philly and the husband had the sausage beef combo. Very good. Staff was very friendly and prompt. Prices were cheap for all you got. We rely on Unilocal quite a bit when traveling and would not have found this hole in the wall without it. If you’re a snob about the appearance of a place don’t go… it very simple and you walk up to the window to place your order from the menu board on the wall. They bring your food out when it’s ready. Only 2 people working and they are working hard! I’d say this is probably a locals favorite.

The food is great never disappoints. The Gyros are always made fresh and comes with fresh hot fries. Not those cheap seasoned fries that a lot restaurant give you with combo meals!

Wow!!! Do not judge a book by its cover!
The food was outstanding! Delicious, well prepared, and even after I was done I wanted more. The guys were friendly and the service was great. Can’t wait to comeback!!!

Chicago style dishes, bad part of town, good food, great price. Remodeling. Excellent value!
Did someone say dipped Italian beef? I’m all over that one! There was so much meat in this one. It is a little messy if you order it dipped in broth, but I was able to eat it with my hands. I would order it again, but probably with the broth on the side, or not at all. I would not recommend dipped if you take it to eat later.
They packaged mine to go, I guess by mistake, but were serving others in baskets. I normally don’t care for crinkle fries, but these were just the right amount of soft, the right amount of crisp, and the right amount of salt. In scientific terms, this is called Goldie Locks French Fries.
They sell ground beef tacos, which are my favorite, and I really wanted to try one. They only sell tacos three at a time. The owner told me it’s because of how they portion the meat, but he gets that request all the time, and in a month or so, he will sell just one! I wanted to try something else, but after eating that sandwich, there just wasn’t anything small on the menu that would finish me off.
The place looks like a dump. This is a dangerous part of town. The building is old and worn out. There is broken down kitchen equipment in the hallway to the bathroom. The ceiling is torn up. The owner says they are remodeling, and tore the ceiling out to paint and have an open exposed ceiling. He also told me he is expanding his menu and adding fish! My suggestion would be to lock the door, put a sign out front saying under construction, focus on your work, finish what you are doing, and then re-​open. I wouldn’t remodel a little bit at a time while still serving customers.
As bad as it looks inside and out, the health score is a 94. Not bad. I will overlook this because it is only temporary. The food and value were exceptional, so I think it is worthy of five stars.
4÷4÷16. I have been thinking about this place non stop and just had to come back and try those tacos. The were different but certainly did not disappoint. Soft corn shells with cheese melted on them and the ground beef was excellent. I ordered a hot dog and loved it. I especially like the pickle in it. The tacos and dog each came with an order of fries. 3 tacos, 2 fries, 2 sodas 1 dog for $ 10.00! No improvement on the renovation since last visit.

Wasn’t far from the place so I figured I’d give it a try. Hole in the wall not in the best part of town. There was a super friendly young guy working and the food came out hot and relatively quickly. I had the Italian cheese dipped. The sandwich was good but not the best I’ve had. Other than Chicago of course there is a little place in Corinth MS that does a really good Italian beef. I would come in again and would eat the sandwich again but I won’t crave it. well worth a stop if your in the area and want something different than a burger.

Don’t let the outside put you off!
Mr. Rusty’s Real Taste of Chicago is located in an older strip center and has a small sign outside. It’s the kind of place a yuppie or a conservative mom would look at and immediately drive away. Don’t make that mistake — this place is flat out awesome!
I went there with my elderly parents one day while visiting Graceland (it’s about 10 minutes away.) We walked in and the owner immediately made us feel welcomed. We chatted a bit about what to order and ended up with the following:
2 Chicago dogs
1 Chili-​cheese dog
1 Italian Beef sandwich
1 Gyro
Everything above is served with fries. Perfect fries! Crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside and well seasoned. They make the fries fresh per order, so they are very hot and tasty.
The hot dogs are spot-​on. They use Vienna Beef brand hot dogs (as one MUST for Chicago dogs) that were cooked perfectly and had a good snap to them, and all the toppings were fresh and tasty. The buns were as soft, tender and fresh as they could be. This is how hot dogs should be!
My dad had an Italian beef sandwich and said it was every bit as good as any Italian beef sandwich he’s ever had in Chicago. The ingredients were great and Mr. Rusty’s gets the sauce to beef to bread ratio just right.
Ok, so, a place that specializes in Chicago street fare could be expected to get the hotdogs and sandwiches right, don’t you think? But would you expect them to do such a fantastic job on a Gyro? My mom had the Gyro and said at least a half a dozen times that it was the best she’d ever had anywhere. Even Greek restaurants don’t do it this good. The meats were juicy and tasty and piled on high. The sauce was fresh and balanced and they give you quite a bit, not just a few dribbles like some places.
We chatted with the owner for about five minutes towards the end of our meal. He’s from Chicago and is passionate about the food there and about sharing it with others. It shows — this was a very inexpensive meal that was one of the highlights of a three-​week, 4,000 mile road trip. My mom is STILL talking about this place two weeks later!
This is a gem — you will NOT be disappointed!

Wow. It is unfortunate that some of the best businesses aren’t widespread, if everyone knew about this place, memphis would be a happier place. I got the Italian beef dipped and hot relish. I’ve had a few Italian Beefs before from different places in the nation, and this is definitely the best of the bunch. Cant wait to try the rest of the stuff. Wasn’t busy, no line at all, free french fries with any sandwich, and prices are very reasonable. Ive uploaded a menu that is current.

Been working around the corner from here for years and just discovered it today! I’m so sad I’ve been missing out! Don’t let the exterior fool you… the inside is clean and Mr. Rusty is incredibly friendly. The cheesy cheddar beef sandwich was amazing — dipped, hot, and sweet. That plus crispy fries and a drink for less than $ 9! Can’t wait to go back and try other items.

If your looking for authentic Chicago brand hotdogs and other sandwiches this is your spot