If you scroll back through this blog to December of 2013 you will find a review for LeadBelly in Chicago. LeadBelly has now opened another restaurant in Jefferson Park in Chicago called BeefBelly. BeefBelly takes the concept of LeadBelly, but focuses on Italian beef instead of hamburgers.
When you walk into the restaurant you will notice a lot of similarities between the two places. The signs are the same, the set-up is the same, they offer the same craft beers. They have an Italian beef menu and a chicken menu. You can get a traditional plain Italian beef or you can get an offering of toppings similar to LeadBelly. I ordered the black & bleu beef, which was bleu cheese, crispy onions, and horseradish sauce, and Brian ordered the garlic Parmesan beef. We split an order of fries and had Italian ice for desert. My food was delicious, however the Italian ice did leave a funky aftertaste in my mouth for the rest of the night.
We went to dinner with my sister and brother-in-law, and all four of us agreed that BeefBelly was good but as good as LeadBelly. The toppings were pretty much the same, but they work better with hamburgers. The hamburgers were also more filling. I guess what I am saying is if you find yourself in Chicago often and want to eat at both of these places, they are both good; however, if you are only going to try one of these places, go to LeadBelly. (Side Note: LeadBelly was named after a blues singer and was recently sued over their name so they are now called BurgerBelly)
Overall Experience: 4 STARS
Price: Offer to Pay
