Special thanx to Road Tips reader Tim Schmidt who once again turned me on to a great little restaurant that serves good burgers in the Chicago area - Muldoon's in suburban Wheaton (see map). Muldoon's is part of a corporate triumvirate of Irish bars in the Chicago area along with the famous Tommy Nevins Pub in Evanston (with a location in Naperville), and The Kerry Piper in Willowbrook.
Muldoon's has been in business since 2002 and is a popular lunch and dinner spot in downtown Wheaton. Parking can be a little tricky around there, especially during the daytime. I was able to find parking on the street just down the way from the pub. The place is situated on a corner with great visibility. It's tough to miss when you're driving by.
It was a beautiful Friday when I got into Muldoon's around 1:30. I got a seat at the bar and a very personable curly red-haired bartender by the name of Andy handed me a menu. Sometimes overly friendly bartenders or waiters come off as fakes, but I could immediately tell Andy would be the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with. I ordered a Smithwick's while I looked at the menu.
Although other things on the menu looked pretty damn tempting, including the Belle Isle Reuben sandwich, I ordered up a Holy Swiss burger - an 8 oz. Black Angus patty topped with sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions and swiss cheese on marble rye bread. I think that was what Tim told me to get, so I went that route. A side of french fries accompanied the burger.
The interior of Muldoon's has dark wood paneling throughout. It's actually not a small place. But with a main dining area and seating in the bar, it still has a nice cozy feel to the place.
After about 15 minutes, Andy brought out my burger. It was very similar to the Hackney burger I've had many times before with the burger served on slices of marble rye bread. (That reminds me, I need to do an in-depth review of Hackney's sometime in the near future.) And the Muldoon's Holy Swiss burger was every bit as good as Hackney's. The beef was moist, tender and flavorful. The mushrooms were fresh, and even though I normally don't like to get grilled onions (because they don't like me) these weren't strong and didn't upset my stomach.
With a couple of Smithwick's and tip, the bill came to a little over $21 bucks. I probably over-tipped Andy a little bit, but he was just great. I really wish I could have stayed and drank beer all afternoon with him waiting on me, but I had to go on down the road.
So, thanks, Tim! Muldoon's is a great find and one that I recommend in the western suburbs of Chicago. I'll definitely be back sometime soon.
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