Looking for a great place to eat a burger in Chicago? This guide will cover everything. Everyone will find a favorite on the list of the top hamburgers in Chicago.
Enjoy The 17 Spot's Best Burgers in Chicago while you stay with us.
In Chicago, there is no shortage of hearty burger flavors. One of the best Chicago burger establishments has options to fit your tastes, whether you're craving a loaded burger packed with toppings or a traditional cheeseburger.
Chicago restaurant serving thick, delicious burgers
While some establishments might need reservations, others might be closed for several weeks. Burger restaurants frequently add combinations of various tastes to the food to make it taste better. They always know how to securely cook their food.
Additionally, some outdoor restaurants may use flavored wood or charcoal briquettes to add more taste to the meat they cook.
Chicago is rife with dozens of options for burgers, both classic and modern takes.
There's something on the list of the best burgers in Chicago for everyone, whether you like your patties thin and grilled or thick and juicy. Vegetarians aren't left out, either.
Where to Find Chicago's Best and Tastiest Burgers
So, here is our ranking of Chicago's top hamburger restaurants. Trust us when we say that you'll be curious to taste each and every one of these.
1. Au Cheval
Classic single or double cheeseburgers are available at Au Cheval and might come with delectable extras. For an extra fee, you can get a standard burger with fried eggs or bacon and have French fries, bacon, eggs, hash browns, or pickles on the side.
This establishment only accepts walk-in customers and does not accept bookings.
2. The Loyalist
Offering their famous cheeseburger with pickled and charred onions, a sesame seed bun, and fries, The Loyalist is a local favorite.
However, The Loyalist's original burger, which comes with onions, a special sauce, and a potato bread, is available for those who want a traditional cheeseburger.
3. Edzo's Burger Shop
You don’t have to go to Northwestern or have family on the North Shore for an excuse to go to Evanston. The excuse is burgers - the delicious ones at Edzo’s, specifically.Stack a couple smaller 4oz grilled patties, or get the larger 8oz char version for a delicious situation either way. It’s what we imagine burgers tasted like when our parents were kids.Start your day off right with a sausage patty, fried egg, bacon, and maple mayo on a biscuit bun, because you never really know when your next meal is coming.
4. Kuma’s Corner
Kuma’s Corner knows all about burgers and has multiple options for every burger lover. There are 12 burgers on the menu, most named after metal bands:
- The Famous Kuma
- Goatsnake
- Iron Maiden
- Kaijo
- Led Zeppelin
- Mastodon
- Metallica
- Neurosis
- Plague Burger
- Sourvein
- Slayer
- Converge
Some burgers include fried eggs, applewood smoked bacon, goat cheese, poblano peppers, or barbeque sauce.
5. Little Bad Wolf
Little Burgers include three signature sliders that come with pickles and mayo. Bad Burger includes two thick patties with cheese and house-made pickles.
The Wolf Burger on the Little Bad Wolf menu has three patties and slices of bacon, topped with cheese, onion straws, pickles, and a fried egg.
6. Mott Street
Mott Street offers a comprehensive menu of salad, fish, seafood, and meats. This location has a signature cheeseburger only served during select hours and contains half a pound of beef, sweet potatoes, aioli, jalapenos, and cheese. You may add a fried egg to your burger.
7. The Region
The Region offers a house-made sauce that is a staple of the Region’s menu. Five signature burgers are available at The Region, including a classic hamburger and cheeseburger.
However, The Region also offers sliders and more elaborately topped burgers. The Region’s Annihilation burger is 21 ounces and three patties, topped with onion and relish.
The Gringo Patty Melt is a smaller burger loaded with cheese, onions, and pickles.
The Region offers a house-made sauce that is a staple of the Region’s menu. Five signature burgers are available at The Region, including a classic hamburger and cheeseburger.
8. Big Kids
Ironically, Big Kids is not a place for children and instead is a place for adults to access their inner child through delicious meals and karaoke nights.
Big Kids offers a classic, original cheeseburger, including sauce and cheese, and a plant-based burger with sauce and cheese.
9. Community Tavern
Children eat free at Community Tavern on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The Community Double Cheeseburger is one of the best cheeseburgers in Chicago and boasts a robust flavor.
The Community Double Cheeseburger comes on a brioche bun with a signature sauce, cheese, pickles, onions, and skinny friends. This burger is one of my personal favorites in all of Chicago.
10. Fatso’s Last Stand
Fatso’s Last Stand offers all kinds of different burgers, some with single patties and some with multiple patties.
This restaurant also offers a Beyond Burger made with a plant-based burger patty and signature recipes for their burgers.
Burgers at Fatso’s Last Stand are griddled and grilled, sometimes over applewood. Burgers come with cheese, bacon, a fried egg, and Fatso’s signature sauce.
Fatso’s Last Stand offers an Ooey Gooey burger that includes all the fixings and can kick your tastebuds into gear. This burger is my official recommendation!
11. Gretel
Gretel offers a robust menu full of seafood, chicken dishes, and salads. Additionally, there are plenty of delicious sides, salads, and soups.
The Gretel Griddle Burger is one of the best burgers in Chicago. This burger contains two patties, two types of cheese, red onion, garlic, and pickles.
This burger pairs well with mashed potatoes, and the hand-cut fries come with a sweet yet spicy aioli. This location offers services based on a first-come, first-serve basis and does not indulge reservations.
12. Maillard Tavern
Maillard Tavern offers seven burgers, complete with their character and additions. These burgers are as follows:
- The Maillard
- The Classic
- The “Ray Ray”
- The BLT
- The Grand
- El Jefe
- City Slicker
Each burger contains four ounces of meat and locally-sourced beef. These burgers are made on a griddle and come with a potato bun and potato fries that have an enhanced flavor due to duck fat. I recommend the City Slicker because it is packed with swiss cheese and caramelized onions.
13. Owen & Engine
Owen & Engine is a small restaurant that offers a limited menu. Although the menu is small, it is expansive with flavors.
These classic foods contain plenty of potato-based dishes and seafood options. However, there is a Slagel Farms Beed Burger, that includes onions, potato bap, chips, and mayonnaise.
This burger is always cooked to perfection and has a unique taste due to the malt vinegar in the mayonnaise.
Owen & Engine is a small restaurant that offers a limited menu. Although the menu is small, it is expansive with flavors.
These classic foods contain plenty of potato-based dishes and seafood options. However, there is a Slagel Farms Beed Burger, that includes onions, potato bap, chips, and mayonnaise.
This burger is always cooked to perfection and has a unique taste due to the malt vinegar in the mayonnaise.
14. RPM Steak
RPM Steak offers two burgers: the Dry-Aged Steakburger and a Wagyu Smash Burger. These burgers offer sophisticated tastes and include meat from some of the best butchers from around the world.
Wagyu beef is an expensive Japanese meat, but RPM Steak knows how to make the most out of the cost.
Not for nothing, but a $24 burger at the steakhouse is not something we would recommend. That burger needs to be really, really fantastic. And RPM Steak's wagyu Smashburger certainly fits the bill.
It’s also only available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays—so don’t get it confused with the dry-aged burger that’s on the regular menu.
15. La Mejikana
The rest of the menu at La Mejikana in Pilsen is hit or miss, but one burger is worth the trip on its own. The beef patty is cooked to perfection, and it's topped with guacamole, an egg, grilled onions, chihuahua cheese, chipotle mayonnaise, and a patty of crispy chorizo that we prefer over bacon any day.
16. Small Cheval
Small Cheval does classic burgers like no one else in Chicago. This location offers seasoned single cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers, and hamburgers that all come with dressings and toppings. Additionally, these burgers come with golden fries, which taste heavenly!
17. The Bad Apple
The Bad Apple offers several dressed-up burgers, all topped with onions, tomato, lettuce, pickles, and provolone cheese.
Their Wagyu Burger is one of my favorites because the meat is prepared for 45 days and topped with iconic ingredients.
