Au Cheval Chicago, IL 60607

When I visited Chicago, I had marked Au Cheval as a burger place I had to visit. I found out about this place when I was watching must eat places in Chicago. The vibe of the place and the way the burger looked was all it took for me to have this place as a must try for me.

When I entered, I was able to sit at the bar with no wait time. At the bar, you get a view of the burgers being cooked. The place was dim but not too dark and had a classy and modern vibe to the place.

They serve you a cup with a pouring glass bottle of water, this seems to be the standard which is nice and a Heinz ketchup bottle.

I got a single cheeseburger with bacon ($23.98). The “single” cheeseburger comes with two patties with cheese, topped with pickles and some sort of diced onions and mayo-like sauce (kinda like the Big Mac sauce but not).

The bacon was thick, seasoned and crispy on the outside, it was perfect. The burger was delicious, juicy and perfect. The whole combination was awesome. I’m hungry now…

I had to drown this burger with a coke (can, $4.50) which was served in a cup of crushed ice. Something about crushed ice makes the coke taste better or it’s some sort of placebo effect.

The whole experience was great, from the service to the food. There is an Au Cheval in NYC, which I never tried but I am sure it is the same. I would highly recommend stopping by Au Cheval if you are in the mood for a really good burger. I will say the price is kinda high, probably the most expensive burger I have had but it was worth it. Definitely the most expensive can of coke I had ($4.50) but with the glass filled with crushed ice, I can look past the price with the whole experience.

Update (July 27, 2026)

I came to the New York location with my good friend from California. He actually suggested Au Cheval since his hotel was nearby. While walking to Au Cheval, the street was quiet with some nice graffiti on the walls towards the entrance.

We didn’t have reservations, but we were able to snag two seats at the bar. We kicked it off with the Chopped Chicken Liver ($18.99). I normally would not order that, but my friend wanted it and told me to trust him that it was good. It was good, and the salted butter toast definitely helped the taste. I liked it, but probably wouldn’t order it again unless someone else wanted it.

For my main, I obviously got the Double Cheeseburger ($25.99) with bacon ($6.99). When it came out, it looked really good, but the bacon was not crispy throughout. I really like it when the bacon is crispy all the way to the edge.

When I cut it in half, I noticed the bread was really fluffy, even after slicing. When I took a bite, something felt different. I think it was the bread and the bacon not being cooked the way I like, so it just wasn’t the same experience I had when I tried it in Chicago. The burger was juicy and delicious, but altogether, it fell flat. I think maybe I had too high of an expectation since having it in Chicago, where it was one of the best burgers I ever had. I mean, just check out the photos of the burger in the Chicago location above; the bacon is overflowing from the burger and the bacon is crispy throughout.

Maybe I should have gotten a Coca-Cola instead of some draft beers. I hope the Coca-Cola comes in a cup full of crushed ice, because if not, I would have been even more disappointed. Or maybe it was just an off day at the place. Whatever it was, I was a bit let down by the burger, but at least I got to spend some quality time with my friend over a meal.

Hopefully not much has changed in Chicago and they kept the same recipe as when I first tried it there. I will be back when I visit Chicago for sure.