Jollibee - Skokie, IL

I went to Jollibee in Skokie to see what all the fuss was about.

I had heard that when they first opened, there were lines of people trying to get in to get this Filipino fast food that was all the rage.  Since I was in the area, I decided I'd give it a try.

I ordered the Jollibee 3 piece ChickenJoy with two sides (mashed potatoes and corn) and a fountain soda.  $8.99 plus tax to total $10.09.  The Filipino gentleman that took my order was very friendly and polite.  I always love how Filipino people always address me as "Sir".  Come to think of it, many Indian people address me that way too!

I was given a pager so that I would be beckoned to come get my order once it was done.  Took only about 2 minutes.

Did I like the food?  Yes.  The chicken was very good.  But here's the weird part... it tasted exactly like Popeye's Fried Chicken!  I'm not kidding!  I'll bet if I had them side by side, it would have been hard to tell them apart.  The mashed potatoes, gravy and corn was exactly what you'd expect too.  Canned corn heated up and mashed potatoes like most anywhere else.  The Diet Pepsi was... well, you get the idea.

So what's so special about Jollibee?  Other than all the formica that decorated the place (very clean and orderly by the way), I didn't think much of the place.  I did not see lots of Jollibee advertising or much artwork around the inside or the outside of the place.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think you need all that in a restaurant, but this place was almost stark naked of that!

Should I have ordered something else other than the mild chicken?  I think they have a spicy chicken, but I did not see it on the menu and I wasn't asked if I wanted mild or spicy.  I guess I should have ordered spicy if they had it.

Spaghetti, hot dogs, hamburgers... just did not appeal to me.  So chicken it was.  You can get it as a sandwich or like I did... in its natural form.  I got two thighs and a drumstick (relatively small since the bone of the thigh was cut in half like many other places do (I don't agree with this... it just means my thigh is going to be less by half) and you get the half of a chicken back with that cut thigh.  And I got one drumstick which was a decent size.

All in all, I don't think I'd go back unless there was nothing else around to get to eat.  I told my daughter about it but she still wants to go experience it herself.  I'll bet she'd be disappointed as well.

Again, the food was decent... just not anything different than getting chicken at Popeyes.

Oh, the little toys were on the counter.  I guess this is what they give for their kids meals.