I had the unique experience this past long weekend of visiting the windy (personally I just found it cold) city of Chicago. Knowing it was a city on the ‘foodier’ side, I was excited to scope out the scene and finally confirm whether my dislike of deep dish pizza was for real, or just an imaginary childhood trauma that I had conjured in my mind. (For those interested, it was in fact the former). Alas, I digress, this post is about burgers goddammit.

Now there’s a few things to know about Au Cheval: first of all, they don’t take reservations. Second, it’s insanely popular. You must arrive early, at an odd hour, or accept that the wait will be 2 hours minimum. Third, if you’re a vegetarian, don’t bother going.

In a diner-meets-bar type setting, the bustling, dimly lit venue offers a surprisingly calm vibe given the sheer popularity & number of tables turned. The dark leather booths and vintage soundtracks add to the upscale diner vibe and make for an all round relaxed experience.

When it comes to ordering, there’s only one move here and it’s their signature: the burger. Whether you add an egg or extra bacon onto your burger is entirely up to personal preference. The ratios will remain perfectly balanced regardless. I opted for the classic order (pictured below) which actually involves a double patty and bacon. The bacon is the deal-breaker here, thick-cut and cooked to juicy perfection this could likely be the tastiest bacon I have ever had. The warmed and slightly toasted egg bun intercepts the meat juices (is this getting too graphic?) in all the right places and the sauces + melted cheese + tiny diced onions combine together to make for a masterful bite.

If you’re feeling particularly open to heart disease, I suggest you order the entire side of bacon which for the price tag of $18 gives you 5 life changing slices. (No judgement if that’s what you ordered – we did and the photo proof is below).  

With a menu that also offers fried chicken (didn’t try, but smelled amaze), matzo ball soup (classically tasty – can’t go wrong) and bloody mary’s (spicy & delicious) there’s little you can do to truly f*** up your order. Get fries for the table because, you know, you’re eating a burger, and soak it all up with an old-school, draught root beer.

Was this burger life-changing? No. Was it incredibly high quality and tasty? Yes.

8.5/10