Back when Robert’s Westside opened in 2023 where Healy’s Westside used to be, its owner and third generation Oak Parker Donnie Biggins had even grander plans. Now that the smell of smash burgers is wafting out of the windows onto the street, he is one step closer to realizing them.
Walk into the entryway at 7321 Madison St. in Forest Park and you have two choices: go left into Robert’s Westside for music and drinks or turn right into Bobby’s Eastside, which had been a lounge, plus bar.
Now there is an old-school fast-casual order window with a cheeky menu. You can get things from categories: beefy, snacky, chicky, doggy, veggy, sweety.
“It’s been part of my plan to kind of slowly roll it out,” Biggins said. “Our customers have been asking from day one if we’re going to open a kitchen. People had been accustomed to this location serving food.”
Other restaurants in this spot were Butter and Brown Bistro and Taco Tu.
Order a smash burger at the window and a runner will bring it to you tableside. Or if you are going to a show at Robert’s you can get it to go and take it next door. Food from outside restaurants is no longer allowed in the venue.
Biggins and chef Nick Jirasek all grew up in the area.
“We played T-ball together,” Jirasek said. “I’ve been following [Biggins] work for a while. He puts people and community first. The way that I like to run kitchens is that we’re doing an intrinsically human thing. So when he approached me, I was super excited about it. I wanted to not try to do too much with the menu, but at the same time being really thoughtful and intentional about what we’re doing.”
Jirasek uses Chicago-based Allen Brothers Beef for burgers and more.
“They mostly deal with steakhouses,” Jirasek said. “We have a really cool steak frites on the menu that uses a hanger steak, which is a wonderful cut that’s not as often used and sometimes called the butcher steak because they save it for themselves.”
Rather than simply salting burgers, they get a special glaze that amps up the umami flavor. Hand-cut fries are another point of pride: crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.
“These are an iteration of fries that were featured in Esquire Magazine when I was at Ludlow Liquors,” Jirasek said.
“We’re frying them in beef tallow,” Biggins said. “We’ll have a separate fryer for all of the vegan and vegetarian options. We’re trying to make sure that we cover all types of eaters and dietary restrictions. And I think we’ll adapt over time. First thing is step one. Let’s get started and see what people are enjoying.”
Local Knockout Pickles from the Opportunity Knocks nonprofit are on the menu too.
“Those pickles are so good,” Jirasek said. “We’re using those on the burgers. We’re using them for our fried pickles. They perform. They stay crispy – aggressively dilled. And they also align with Bobby’s and Robert’s values of giving back to community.”
Creating opportunities for social interaction is a stated purpose for Bobby’s. To that end each month they host a variety of events benefitting local charities, such as Veggie Bingo and Soup and Bread West. Sporting events are on the TVs daily. And free live music fills the air.
According to Biggins our society is struggling to keep something essential that develops when we go out and hang out at places like his.
“The engagement, the eye contact, the interactions, you never know what’s going to happen,” Biggins said.
The Details
Website: bobbyseastside.com
Address: 7321 Madison St, Forest Park
Hours: Kitchen open each day open – 9:30 p.m.
Mon-Wed 3 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Thur 3 p.m. – midnight
Fri 3 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Sat 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Sun 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
