Business & Tech

The Ringer: Who Has the Best Onion Rings in Town?

This week, Patch sought out the best onion rings in the Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn and Palos area for our ongoing series "Chowdown Showdown."

Welcome to “Chowdown Showdown,” a weekly feature where we take one type of food and ask readers to nominate their favorite restaurants in Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn and Palos.

The selected restaurants recommended by loyal Patch readers all cooked a great ring. We sampled each and selected a winner, then went home and brushed our teeth.

 - Palos Park

Palos Patch - They call it "the brick" for good reason. Hackney's has a unique take on onion rings that hits everything you could want in a deep fried dish. The crispy coating gives way to soft and flavorful onions. Beware, these are light and extremely addicting. I can guarantee you will end up eating way more than you imagined you could. 5 Stars

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Evergreen Park Patch - Hackneys' onion rings were definately a different flavor and texture than the classic onion ring--and I liked them! The thinly-cut onions had a crispy finish and were very lightly seasoned. 5 Stars

Oak Lawn Patch - Hackney's offers great pub rings. I loved the brick and the only reason I stopped eating it was to try the other rings. The onions had a nice sweet taste to them. The coating was nicely spiced and did not overwhelm the flavorful onions. 5 Stars.

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Palos Patch - The classic fast food rings, crispy breading and an always tender onion underneath. I like the dark golden brown color of these rings. Wherever you travel in the Chicagoland area, you can guarantee that some quality onion rings are never too far away. 4 Stars

Evergreen Park Patch - White Castle's onion rings always taste the same, and that's a good thing. The soft onion had a crispy, flavorful batter. 4 Stars

Oak Park Patch - I first became introduced to White Castle onion rings stopping off at the Addison Avenue White Castle after a night of headbanging at O'Banion's before hitting the Kennedy Expressway. (Yes, I was young once.) When served straight from the deep fryer, White Castle offers the best quick fix. The breading had a nice crispyness and did not have time to harden like some of their other rings that I've had. 4 Stars.

Palos Patch - I don't know how they flavor these rings, but it is working. I like the slightly thicker cut as well. These pack a bit more flavor than your typical ring. 5 Stars

Evergreen Park Patch - Oh the flavor of these onion rings! With the right amount of crisp, the golden rings were fried to perfection. Simply delicious. 5 Stars

Oak Lawn Patch - When I dream of onion rings, I think of roadside stands serving their own secret family recipe. I loved this traditional onion ring. The batter was perfectly golden coating a perfect circle of onion. Too bad we didn't have any ranch dressing. I loved Pappy's onion rings. The next time I get the hell out of Oak Lawn, I'm going to Evergreen Park. 5 Stars.

Read past Chowdown Showdown winners:


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