Ed Debevic’s

The place has closed I see, but according to the website its only temporary.
We were here in July of 2013. Not entirely sure why I didnt write a review then, but I was reminded of the place when my daughter came across a youtube video of one of the servers at Ed’s *performing* while taking an order at a table. People were harshly commenting about the «terrible service» and «How is she not fired», etc… Um, ok people. Heres the thing… if you havent heard of the place before you might want to actually look up the business or read reviews that are actually on the business itself, instead of crucifying the poor girl who is *doing her job*! Yes, it IS her JOB to speak to customers this way. It is the entire basis of what Ed Debevics IS. We specifically searched the place out to go eat there and be able to participate in the *fun*, as we dont have anything like it in our town, or surrounding areas (not even a Dicks Last Resort close by!).
Enough about the youtube issue. Here is what I thought of the place when we were there: Food was good. Standard diner fare, in a big way. Burger was cooked as requested, and fries were plentiful. The side sauces I ordered came out with the food and didnt have to be asked for a second time (something almost every single place ever struggles with, I think). The server was delightfully rude and crude, as we expected and looked forward to prior to entering the establishment… Bonus points for me, I think, that I actually made the guy blush a time or two as I played along and flung my own insults right back at him. (When in Rome? Haha).
I think we will be coming through Chicago/​Lansing again before too long and I would hope that Ed’s is back on the beat for another round.

A final update: the building was demolished on December 3, 2015. RIP.

This place is awesome!
Plan on them being rude, as it is their gimmick
The food is definitely good.

What do camp counselors do when it’s not summer– work at Ed Debevics, of course! This is how my 15 year old daughter described the all singing, all dancing, wacky, sassy staff.
The staff has the larger than life personality of a theater group and the goof factor of slap-​happy camp counselors. These are the cool teachers you remember having– the ones that included in you in on the jokes and made fun of parents for being old and weird. I’ve come here over the years with my daughter and on our most recent trip she brought a friend after telling her how fun the staff is. And my daughters friend wasn’t disappointed when four of the servers got on the bar and sang and danced through their dinner of chicken tenders, fries and milkshakes. The food is diner style favorites– burgers, fries, taco salad. A little on the bland side as food goes but the entertainment makes up for it. Yes, it’s a little touristy (see the gift shop on your way out and don’t forget to tip the valet when your car comes around), but they know that and have fun with it.

I would say 4 stars, only because their burgers are AMAZING… but I would give their burgers 5 stars but the overall place I would say 3 stars… Met in the middle and gave them 4. Our waiter was sarcastic… Wasn’t really sassy. The waiter in front and in back of us, were super sassy!!! And funny. We got hats to wear. The place was interesting, looked like a diner lol. The seats that we sat in though, was ripped and uncomfortable to sit on :(… The waiters did a little dance on the bar and table tops by the open windows… eh… I rather not see that hahaha but the ones on the bar table were super funny… Their spinach mozzarella sticks were so gross. I would not get those!!! However my bf said he liked them. Ew lol. I asked for honey mustard for my fries = yum!!! I ordered make my own burger, so beef, cheese, everything included, side of mayonnaise so I can mix ketchup with it and I even added an over easy egg with it. Omg… Can I just say it was so mouthwatering and amazing!!! I wish I can eat it again. I would DEFINITELY recommend ordering burgers here. So delicious. My bf loved his burger too!!!

When I was a kid my family and I came here many times, and I thought I would take my daughter over for her first experience.
The staff was their usual snarky selfs, which was fun but that was about all that I enjoyed.
For being almost empty the service was slow. My drink was empty for some time. The food took much longer than it should have. It took a long time after we ate for the waiter to ask us if we wanted desert.
The burger the I had was bad. Very bland and no seasoning. I’d have say one of the worst burgers that I have had. I’m not expect in high quality burgers, but I am expecting something.
It’s too bad. I really enjoyed this place before.

I hate to give this place such a low review. My wife and i used to love it. We come here every time we are in Chicago. We brought our kids here for the first time this past weekend to experience what we have in the past. The entertainment was great. Loved the staff and everything that goes with the eating at Ed’s.
With all that being said we were there to eat, and this is where the problem came. My son ordered the kids chicken strips. He basically got 2 large chicken nuggets, not strips at all. My daughter ordered a Reuben and the bottom slice of toast was so soggy she couldn’t pick it up.
I could over look this if the price was decent, but $ 11 for a sandwich with a soggy bottom, c’mon. With that being said the other 3 items ordered were fine, but for the price I paid I expected better food.

What a fun place! I love the sarcasm dished out here, and the food is great too! They serve you large portions, so you will not leave hungry.
On occasion, the servers stop what they’re doing to get up and dance. It is absolutely hysterical, and they have a great time with it!
If you’re looking for dinner and a show, this is it!

Just left after a long 2 hr wait. The managers are awful. No sense of customer service. They refused to accommodate us or assist us in any way at all.
Rudeness starts at the top. The managers name was «LUMP». a lump of crap.
when did being rude have to be standard. Avoid this place at all costs. Can’t diappear fast enough for me.
My kids loved this place growing up. It’s gone sideways from when it was genuinely fun… AVOID

This is a tourist restaurant, but my kids who are older loved it and we had a good time trying to out-​rude the server. The sever got the entire restaurant to boo my son for his insult and it was so much fun. The food was ok, the shakes were OMG fabulous but the atmosphere was what made it worth the visit. The servers danced around every 15 minutes or so to an upbeat song and they were hilarious. We took a taxi so we didn’t have to deal with the $ 9 «valet» parking that was at the doorstep of the restaurant. I would definitely go back again.

Fun place for the family. Great food and interesting service.
Warning: if your kid is sensitive and cant take a joke, then dont go. Some comments are just awful. I took my neice and she is always beings teased at school for her looks, so when the host told her «there is something wrong with your face», she took it to heart as confirmation. I felt horrible for her and explained that they do this for fun and to EVERYONE. She felt better, but I can still see the affect in her body language.

We went here like we always do when in Chicago and it was great our server was rude as expected but my son won a cool shirt for answering a trivia question. He was super excited the food was good portions were huge! Will be back next time I’m here

This is a tourist spot. So if you do not want a corny tourist outing, you simply should not come here. That said, if you are, get ready for the staff to dance on the bar tops and table tops to all different old songs randomly throughout your meal. And if you are like I was sitting at the bar, you will have front seat tickets to pretty hilariously corny dancing while dining and your typical cheap diner/​cheap dive bar quality food.
The kids in the restaurant here absolutely loved it here though, so clearly a good spot to bring families and such. And you also get to/​have to wear on of their paper diner hats while dining otherwise the servers won’t serve you, so get ready for all kinds of fun! That’s why this place as an interactive type of dining experience I can see why it has stayed in business for so long. It is like a Mels Diner for those of you who have been there, only with slightly angry and purposefully rude servers to try and get a rise out of you, and don’t forget about the hilarious dancing too. Is the food great? No, but their milkshakes sure are, so I would definitely come back for a milkshake anytime since that was definitely the highlight of my meal consisting of a milkshake and splitting nachos and a patty melt sandwich.

So the concept of this place is fun in theory but you shouldn’t have terrible food and service along with hats & straws being thrown at you. Glad we went for a child who didn’t know any better so she had a good experience.
Also you have to pay to ‘valet’ park in their parking lot right in front of the restaurant. STOP IT
No wonder I haven’t been to this place ever! (Portillos4LIFE)

This place is a dinosaur. The dusted bones still remains hinting to a once dominant past, but in the present it’s just a relic of it’s former self.
Went here with a large group a few months back and it was awful. It was aTuesday night and the place was absolutely dead. I understand it’s a Tuesday but we were the only people in the restaurant during prime dinner time (7:30).
The sarcastic wait-​staff is all apart of the schtick. And whatever, I get it, it’s the restaurant’s M.O.
But the worst part of the restaurant is the food. It was just awful. There was nothing redeeming about the burger, at all. It was one of my least favorite burgers in quite sometime.
Tourists, steer clear. Chicagoans, no need to relive your childhood memories from decades ago. This restaurant needs to be forgotten and placed in the past.

I haven’t been to this restaurant for decades… After seeing a Groupon, I thought it’s time to check it out again. It was a great deal.
Granted, the night we were there, it was bitterly cold so the restaurant was not busy. The restaurant is definitely has the retro 50’s feeling with dj booth and the vinyl records, juke boxes at the tables.
Eddie, server, had greeted us right away and tossed the hats at us. With his «attitude» he went over the menu and took our drink order along with meal order. Eddie was great through out our meal.
We had started with the Mozzarella Sticks. Within a few minutes, the mozzarella sticks were brought to us. The outside was nice and crispy while the cheese was nice and hot and chewy. The marinara sauce was good with a little kick.
I had ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger and my buddy had ordered the Chicken Finger Basket. The timing between courses were just right. The burger was prepared just right. Actually, both meals were good — just remember, this is not gourmet meals.
If you are in the area and want of have a good meal and have a rude experience, check it out.

Cool place to checkout when your in Chicago. Good food and funny shenanigans from the staff that danced on tables to putting there bum on my friends head while dancing lol. Cool décor lots to look at. Malts were thick and rich. Burgers are typical diner fare and we all got lots and lots of fries oh my!
We were all so stuffed after a late lunch.

Have not been here in years, not my usual kind of place, I saw a Groupon for Ed’s and I bought one for 16 bucks worth 30 dollars in food– what a nice surprise when we arrived, Dr Feelgood was spinning some music– this guy knows what he is doing and makes Ed’s a fun experience for everyone. A live DJ– better than what you hear on local radio.
We had some fried pickles as an appetizer which were great. I had the meatloaf dinner, it was OK and only like 11 bucks, more than fairly priced, also had a side of their cole slaw– pretty tasteless. Wife had the veggie chilli which she enjoyed,
We ordered up cherry pie for dessert– they were out of pie. how do you run out of pie for lunch service on a Saturday at Noon? Had an apple crisp instead which was heated up, but still cold on the inside– It was good enough…
I was expecting a sassy waitress, she was too normal for me.
The best part of Ed Debevic’s was the music and the DJ.

Ed, I like your place.
The insulting wait staff; the interior; the soda jerk cap that customers receive upon entry — it’s a spot where silliness is the MO. It appeals to tourists, and, well, I am one!
The reuben sandwich that hubby ordered wasn’t the best; my turkey club was tastier. The fries were cold, but the milkshakes were thick and delish and the cole slaw was on the mark.
It’s like you’re serving up some improv with the food and it pretty much works. It’s not five stars however you don’t stink either. The kids that I saw dining here were in heaven. If your mission is to make children feel valued, then you get some respect from me. I think I might have spied a grandparent or two with some youngsters who were possibly playing hooky (I’m just sayin’) – and bully for them, too.
It’s Chicago; it’s a cultural experience; it’s worth a visit.

What’s with the poor reviews here? I don’t understand.
My mom, sister, and I came here for lunch just as we did years ago when my sis and I were much younger. Sure, it’s touristy, but it’s also silly and fun no matter your age. We must have gotten lucky because our server was freaking awesome. I think his name was Vega$? Forgive me if I butchered his way of spelling it. Anyway, he was awesome. He was completely sarcastic, threw straws at us, and gave my mom tons of sass which made us laugh. A lot. I would imagine it would be exhausting working there sometimes… putting a show on day after day. I realize it takes a lot of effort to really get into his role and make it fun for the customers. We are glad we had him as a waiter as it made the entire experience worth it.
We only ordered salads which were nothing special. Not bad, but nothing to come back for. You only really come here to get made fun of and laugh about it.