Why Steak And Lemonade Are An Iconic Combo In Chicago

Steak and lemonade may not have the same instant recognition and fanfare as cookies and milk or burgers and shakes, but it's an iconic duo that's captured the hearts of Chicagoans over the past 20 years. Steak and lemonade shops began popping up in the southside of Chicago in the early 2000s thanks to the self-proclaimed inventor, Jordanian transplant Haitham Allabadi.

Upon immigrating to the States, Allabadi opened a restaurant in a southern Chicago suburb of Chicago with an eclectic menu, taking note that the two most ordered menu items were the steak sandwiches and lemonade-flavored slushie drink. He thus decided to make steak and lemonade the main attraction at the first Baba's steak and lemonade restaurant in 1998. Meaning "father" in Allabadi's native Arabic, Baba's alludes to a friendly, casual, and comfortable atmosphere to help customers enjoy the restaurant's signature dishes.

Garnering instant success around the local community, Baba's steak and lemonade shops debuted in the southside of Chicago in 2006, expanding to a city-wide chain with 19 locations. Allabadi began selling off Baba's locations to fellow Middle Eastern members of his community, inspiring other restaurateurs to open their own steak and lemonade restaurants in the surrounding states. Now, steak and lemonade is an iconic Midwest combo, with restaurants in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana. Not all such establishments outside of Chicago are Baba's locations, but they still market steak and lemonade as a Chicago-famous duo.

Steak and lemonade is a vague and intriguing term that surely lured the first curious guests into Baba's Steak and Lemonade. If they were expecting a filet mignon and a tall glass of fresh lemonade, they were mistaken but not disappointed.

The sandwich to get at a steak and lemonade shop is essentially a Philly cheesesteak embellished with lettuce and tomatoes and stuffed inside a hoagie. Similar to our own Philly cheesesteak recipe, shaved steak is grilled with bell peppers and onions on a flat top, then smothered in melty white cheese. Some cheesesteak sandwiches add grilled mushrooms into the mix. Steak sandwiches are often slathered with another Southside Chicago staple known as mild sauce, which natives describe as a mixture of barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and ketchup. If you find yourself outside of Chicago, you can order mild sauce from Harold's Chicken online. 

That said, there are tons of alternatives like Italian beef sandwiches, beef gyros, and beef hot dogs. The lemonade is a blended ice drink that comes in over 15 flavors, including rainbow, coconut, banana, blue raspberry, and pineapple. They may not have a pumpkin spice flavor, but Baba's selection certainly gives 7-Eleven Slurpees a run for their money!