CHIReview
photo credit: Au Cheval
Au Cheval
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Is it worth the wait?
That’s what you want to know, isn’t it? At this point you’re probably aware that the Au Cheval burger is good - the 673 people standing expectantly outside the restaurant right now can’t be completely wrong. The question is just how good one burger can possibly be, and whether you should spend three hours in a line that has stretched outside and around the corner since 2012.
After all, we don’t have to wait for stuff as much as we did when this place first opened. Amazon can deliver a package within two hours. An app can make sure your latte is already made when you walk into Starbucks. Netflix releases entire seasons all at once to save us from the national nightmare of looking forward to next week’s episode. But while Au Cheval is one place you’ll still be caught waiting no matter when you show up, the excellent food is, and always has been, worth it.
Now, let’s address the burger. It’s what made Au Cheval famous, and it’s the first thing Hot Take Harry can’t wait to tell you is overrated. Trust us, it’s not. It’s consistently excellent, made with juicy griddled patties, dijonnaise, a perfectly squishy bun, thick-cut bacon, and a sunny-side-up egg. There is an impossible amount of hype surrounding it, but that’s not the burger’s fault. It’s not like Au Cheval has aggressively marketed their star dish by selling burger T-shirts or opening Au Cheval: The Ride at Navy Pier. So ignore the contrarians - it’s the best burger in Chicago, and you should try it at some point in your life.
As noteworthy as the burger is, there are other things on the menu that make this place great overall. We’re fans of the crispy potato hash topped with duck heart gravy and an egg - it’s rich, delicious, and one of the few breakfasty dishes that helps qualify this place as a “diner.” The chilaquiles have thick housemade chips that stay crispy under all the toppings, and are good enough to eat plain. We’d spread the bone marrow and beef cheek marmalade on our morning toast every day if it didn’t mean finding a cardiologist who accepted our insurance.
Not everything on this menu is as worthy of your time, though. For example, the fried bologna sandwich is boring compared to everything else: it’s just a salty pile of meat, cheese, and mayo. And we’re pretty sure the salads are only on the menu as a formality - they’re fine, but uninteresting. (Also, shame on you if you come here and center your experience around a salad.)
We’re not saying Au Cheval belongs on your regular restaurant rotation. It’s just too big of a pain in the ass for that. On the weekends you can expect to wait at least four hours for a table, and the dark, crowded space is a claustrophobic sh*tshow often made worse by all the tourists milling around in the vestibule because they don’t know where else to go. But if you’ve never been here before, or you have an out-of-town visitor, or you’ve got a burger bucket list, then you need to know if this place is going to be worth the anticipation. To answer your question:
Yes, it is.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Christina Slaton