In 1971, the Lettuce Entertain You empire began at this humble eatery. The menu is bare-bones American fare and the atmosphere is gritty in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. R.J.'s is well known for the huge salad bar, but it sounds more appealing than it typically looks. Instead, stick with a burger, a huge bowl of chili or the barbecue brisket sandwich. The most unusual thing about this joint is what you get on the side. No French fries here. All sandwiches come with homemade potato chips, which comes as something of a shock to fry-addicted Chicagoans.