Charlie Beinlich’s (290 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook), or just Beinlich’s, as it’s known by most North Shore folk, has been in the same spot for decades. Just off busy Skokie Road in Northbrook, you’ll find a little “hole in the wall” (near Hole in the Wall) that serves some of the suburbs mostly highly touted burgers.
Assuming they are open which you’ll know because the famous “Gone Fishin'” sign will NOT be blocking the driveway, try and find a parking spot and walk on in. No reservations here. Inside you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a pine lodge in Northern Wisconsin. Lots of fishin’ gear and stuff the like adorn the walls. But we’re not here for the atmosphere. WE WANT BURGER.
I know their shrimp cocktail is really good as well, but on this trip I was eating “light.” The beef at Beinlich’s has been delivered fresh daily by Lakeside Foods in Winnetka since day one. You can taste the quality beef that is ground fresh daily. Cooked to order and served with either grilled or raw onions (and the other standard fixins’), the burger here is a no frills variety – but excellent one at that.
Yes, maybe there’s a lot of nostalgia directing my feelings towards the good side – I know it isn’t the best burger around – but they’ve been doing it the same way and that’s how we’ve all grown accustomed – and it’s a nice feeling.
Crinkle fries on the side, cooked nice and crispy, just the way they should be, is something that will never change. Who needs hand cut when you can enjoy well done crinkle. I mean, if Portillo’s does it, then it can’t be bad. Right? If you’ve never tried Beinlich’s, you should. It may not be the BEST burger you’ve tried, but you’ll get instantly why everyone in the area loves em.
I’m hungry. Let’s eat!
Hungry Hungry Hinden 