I dined at burger hotspot Au Cheval last week with my crew. I have nonstop been hearing fantastic things about this West Loop restaurant, and it keeps popping up on Best Burgers in the Country lists. I just had to check it out for myself!
After an intense study of Yelp reviews I recommended we start things off with two highly praised dishes: first, General Jane’s honey-fried chicken with chili, sesame seeds and cilantro.
The chicken was a perfect balance of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. There was an underlying heat that built with each bite. The dish is wisely served with hot towels for post-eating cleanup!
We also ordered the roasted marrow bones served with beef cheek marmalade and toast. This dish is pure indulgence as the rich and decadent flavors melt in your mouth.
Both dishes were a great start to the meal and perfect for sharing amongst the table. They added some variety and let us know Au Cheval has great non-burger options.
That being said….
We moved on to the main course and oh. my. goodness.
Two single cheeseburgers (a single actually having two patties) were shared; one with egg and one with bacon. An order of crispy fries with mornay sauce and a fried egg for the table accompanied these beauties.
I can’t even with these burgers. To say they live up to the hype feels like a gross understatement. The flavors just meld perfectly and I already am planning when I can return for another burger…..
The fries were tasty. I was not a huge fan of the mornay sauce and the egg felt in the way; next time I’d stick with a plain order of fries. The garlic aioli served alongside though? Out of this world.
While both variations were delicious I preferred the burger with the egg slightly more than the bacon one. Au Cheval does not ask how you’d like the burger cooked because they just know what is best. Needless to say everything we were served was consumed with glee.
Our meal head to toe was delicious. I felt that the mixture of dishes we ordered gave us a great sampling of Au Cheval’s menu. That being said I would focus on the burger and fries on my next visit; that burger is so great everyone should make room in their stomachs for their own!
Au Cheval does not take reservations. I highly recommend knowing and owning this fact before you arrive. Give your name and number to the host and go to any of the nearby spots for drinks to wait for your table. Au Cheval will text you to let you know your table is almost ready. On a Tuesday night we checked in a bit before 6 and were seated at 6:50. The wait is absolutely worth it!
Au Cheval is located at 800 West Randolph Street in Chicago.
