The 15 Best French Fries In Chicago

By Staff in Food on Mar 19, 2014 9:30PM

There have been many a meal, whether a hot dog or burger or a steak, that have been ruined by a terrible French fry. Why is it so hard to make a good fry?

We're months away from National French Fry day but that doesn't mean we have to wait until mid-July to enjoy a good one. We've listed 15 of our favorites. As always, discuss, debate and dissect.

Fountainhead
If you’re looking for a beautiful looking French fry you can’t beat the ones being served at the North Center beer and whiskey palace. These sliced bits of starch are the perfect golden brown on the outside and fluffy when you bite into them. They’re seasoned with Bay seasoning—a nod to chef Cleetus Friedman’s birthplace of Baltimore—and served with house made ketchup and horseradish mayo.You can have these fries turned into chili fries for extra, but why would you? —Chuck Sudo

Fountainhead is located at 1970 W. Montrose Ave.

Au Cheval
What fries really don’t need is to be topped with a fried egg and mornay sauce, a white sauce made with butter and flour cooked in milk with shredded cheese. Even though they don’t need it, they are better for the bathing in this unbelievably rich and delicious sauce. This treat is perfect for pairing with one of their strong beers or cocktails. In case that’s not rich enough for you, there is a side of garlic aioli for dipping. —Melissa McEwen

Au Cheval is located at 800 W. Randolph St.

Dusek’s
Crispy duck fat fries are perfectly accented with Spanish romesco sauce, which is made with nuts and slightly spicy red peppers. The only problem is that there is never enough of the delicious sauce to finish all the fries. —Melissa McEwen

Dusek’s is located at 1227 W. 18th St.

Red Hot Ranch
The first couple of times I had the cheese fries from Red Hot Ranch were after a long night, uh, out on the town, and the fries were the highlight of the evening in both cases. In reflecting back on those nights I figured those fries from a kinda dumpy-looking shack on Western and Armitage couldn’t possibly have been so hot and crispy, so perfectly paired with good old nacho cheese, but I was wrong. Even in the sober light of day, these babies are the epitome of salty, greasy, gooey hot dog stand fries. Go after many drinks or go for breakfast - you will not be disappointed. —Lizz Kannenberg

Red Hot Ranch is located at 2072 N. Western Ave.

Butcher and the Burger
The first burger to deflower my formerly vegetarian lips was at Butcher and the Burger, where old fashioned butchery meets burger counter. They employ a build-your-own customization, providing you with the freedom to select any combination of seasoning, bun, toppings, or patty. The variety of patties include vegetarian options, seafood, game and more and they also make their own custard. This is all enough to get you in the door, but you’ll stick around for the fries. The potatoes are an heirloom variety, freshly cut and fried to perfection. There are no fancy seasonings or sauces, just golden fries with a buttery interior. Imagine sleeping on a cloud of mashed potatoes with a fried crust and you’ll have an inkling for what it’s like to bite into one of these tubers. —Erika Kubick

Butcher and the Burger is located at 1021 W. Armitage Ave.

Frietkoten Belgian Fries
Located in the Chicago French Market at Ogilvie Transportation Center, Frietkoten serves fries as one would expect to find in “fry shacks” throughout Belgium or Holland. These hand-cut fries are blanched once and then fried a second time to order, and served up in big paper cones with little wooden forks. Accompanying the fries is the most typical European condiment -- mayo! In addition, Frietkoten offers about two dozen gourmet dipping sauces like harissa mayo, sweet & sour ketchup, peanut satay sauce, and more. In addition to their tasty fries, Frietkoten added gourmet burgers to their menu and serves an impressive menu of Belgian and craft beers. — Benjy Lipsman

Frietkoten is located in the Chicago French Market at 131 N. Clinton St.

Smoque BBQ
For many BBQ joints, sides like french fries are an afterthought. While homemade mac & cheese and baked beans enhanced with smoked meats are often stellar accompaniments, french fries are often the standard food service variety. Not so at Smoque- their skin-on, hand-cut fries that are among the best in town. Double fried, these spuds are a bit deeper in color than others, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Always served hot, they are tasty naked or excellent dipped in some BBQ sauce. And they are not only amazing, but Smoque is also quite generous with their portions. Just don’t fill up on fries and forget to save room for your brisket. — Benjy Lipsman

Smoque is located at 3800 N. Pulaski Rd.

Parmesan Truffle Fries at sola
Carol Wallack's North Center restaurant has been around so long it could qualify as a Chicago classic and it's nice to see some things on the menu haven't changed. Case in point, sola's parmesan truffle fries which combine a crispy exterior with a fluffy inside, drizzled lightly with white truffle oil and fresh ground parmesan cheese. If you can't get enough of the truffle, order some truffle aioli for some added kick. —Chuck Sudo

sola is located at 3638 N. Lincoln Ave.

Pleasant House Bakery
While we can debate why a crisp—the UK version of a french fry—is on this list. I will defend the inclusion of Pleasant House’s chips by simply saying it is the best example of how good a fried potato can really be. Basically, the main difference between what we call a french fry and a chip is that chips are thicker cut. At Pleasant House, their chips are cooked to absolute perfection with a salt level that probably is applied with special lab equipment to make sure they are never over-salted. It never fails that when my wife and I pick up a few pies to bring home to eat, the bag of chips never lasts past State Street. Chips come either plain ($1.99) or “deluxe" with skirt steak, gravy and cheddar cheese ($5.00). —Paul Leddy

Pleasant House Bakery is located at 964 W. 31st St.

Portillo’s
Sometimes, simple is best. Portillo’s fries aren’t done in duck fat, and they aren’t adorned with truffle oil or fine herbs. But Portillo’s does simple right. My pick for favorite fry is the cheese fries at Portillo’s. The crinkle cut is crispy enough to be satisfying, they’re not heavy handed in their salting, and the potatoey goodness inside is fluffy and delicious. But you’re not doing it right if you’re not getting the cheese sauce to dip, my friends. It’s a velvety, dairylicious delectable. I’m a cheese fiend, and while this may not be smoked gouda or a fine-aged gruyere, it’s the type of hits-the-spot ooey gooey goodness that makes me come back time and again for a great burger and a hit of the special stuff. It’s so special that out of state family members ask for it upon their visits to Chicago, and moan about their inability to acquire it elsewhere. If that’s not endorsement enough, I don’t know what is. Dig through the couch for change, acquire some fries and cheese, and become one of the devotees. —Marielle Shaw

Portillo’s has multiple locations throughout Chicagoland

The Regular Fries at Hot Doug's
Fans of Doug Sohn's encased meat emporium are willing to stand in line for hours for "Duck Fat Frydays" but it's the fries Sohn serves the other days of the week that are more than enough for me and with a wide range of condiment options from ketchup to giardinera and a litany of mustard in between, there's something for everyone's taste bud's to top these golden strings. —Chuck Sudo

Hot Doug's is located at 3324 N. California Ave.

Wiener and Still Champion
Gus Paschalis is a wizard with a deep fryer who can whip up anything from onion rings to corn dogs to deep fried bacon with ease but we keep coming back for the fries. Hand cut and given a blanching in lower temperature oil before being fried to perfection in hot oil. These are arguably the best naked fries in the Chicago area. Hie thee to Evanston and get you some. —Chuck Sudo

Wiener and Still Champion is located at 802 Dempster St. in Evanston.

Triple Truffle Fries at Franks ‘N’ Dawgs
This elevated cuisine hot dog joint already dishes out some of the more interesting takes on encased meat in the city, but whenever I stop in to try a new option between their buttery buns one item I always make sure to order is their Triple Truffle Fries. Franks ‘N’ Dawgs already makes some exceptional waffle fries, one of my personal favorites when it comes to french fry styles, fried twice so you get that crunch on the outside but pillowy softness wrapped within. But when you order them "Triple Truffle", they top those waffle fries with truffle oil, truffle butter and truffle salt and a light dusting of freshly chopped herbs. Usually I’m not a fan of the truffle craze unless they are being shaved over something or I know they are the real deal, but these three truffle elements combined make me throw my worries away and just enjoy the rich earthy deliciousness. You would think the truffle flavor would be overpowering, but someone in the kitchen has a deft hand and is mixing up just the right amount to create a beautiful food equation. If you enjoy a well prepared french fry and truly love truffle flavor, you might have found your perfect match. —Lisa White

Franks ‘N’ Dawgs is located at 1863 N. Clybourn Ave.

Gene and Jude's
The greasiest fries on this list are also some of the tastiest. There's no need for ketchup here; you simply enjoy the fries cooked in lard and liberally salted. Gene and Jude's is a great reason to visit River Grove. It's a landmark and the fries are a testament to that. —Chuck Sudo

Gene and Jude's is located at 2720 River Rd. in River Grove.

Edzo's Burger Shop
Eddie Lakin is to burgers as Doug Sohn is to hot dogs so it seems fair the two share a common philosophy when it comes to fries. The fries at Lakin's shops in Lincoln Park and Evanston are perfect on their own but you can get them loaded with bacon, sour cream and Merkt's cheddar, topped with heaping mounds of giardinera relish or with fresh lobster. Regardless of how you order them, the fries can be meals to themselves. —Chuck Sudo

Edzo's Burger Shop is located at 1571 Sherman Ave. in Evanston. Edzo's Lincoln Park is located at 2218 N. Lincoln Ave.