https://www.reddit.com/r/chicagofood/s/lYuFvy8ieF
A while back, I asked you all what burgers you all suggested! Now for reference, I took ALL the places recommended to me in the OG post and made a Google map of POI so I can easily see where each one is located. I hope to try them all (minus Warlord because I can’t support toxic chef/owners)
Now I haven’t tried a lot (yet!) because I have found some bomba$$ ones walking distance from my house (Oopsie should’ve started out far and moved inwards).
Golden Years – tied for top! Essentially it’s a fancy Big Mac Smash burger. The highlights are the bun is grilled on the inside so the crunch of the char and the fluff of the bun with the charred burger and perfect amount of sauce is amazing! The lettuce also adds to the crunch and the Tomato isn’t needed but makes it look pretty. Also $10 burger and fry special on Tuesdays! 10/10 for visual presentation (I’ve had it three times lmao)
Dessert Hawk- a messy creation of epic deliciousness! Tied with the above for my fav (had it 4 times and it’s always as good as the last) the pattys are crispy on the edges and the heavy handed sesame seeds give it a nice texture. The bottom of the bun soaks up the grease but don’t fall apart before inhaling it. It’s XTRA cheesy and the bacon gives it a nice crunch and… well bacon flavor (drool). 10/10 for controlled messiness
Bixi Beer’s Char Siu Burger- my least favorite so far. Five spice, grilled onions sauce and cheese. Meh. The bun basically dissolved in my hands. No texture to it. I didn’t taste the 5 spice and I didn’t finish it. I didn’t take it home. If I go back I’ll try the Togashi Smashburger. Was a bit disappointed cuz these are my go to flavors.
Gretel- outstanding! Not a smash burger but well balanced and juicy. The fries were banging. I wish the wait wasn’t so long but I ordered this a second time for pick up and I enjoyed it even more cuz I didn’t have to wait. However I think their lobster roll (hot with butter) outshined the burger by light years! Over all I’ll go back and take friends here when they visit cuz the ambiance and service were stellar. 8/10 solid juicy burger
Not pictured:
The Moonlighter- ordered for deliver cuz, well, it was winter and -20 outside 🤷🏼♀️. Was a quick delivery, packaged amazingly and still hot. Solid patties and the dill pickle was outstanding and gave the richness of the sando nice acidity. I’ll def be going to try it in person!
by InternationalChip101
8 Comments
I had the Char Siu burger and absolutely loved it a few months back..wonder if you just had a bad one?
Cool, thanks for sharing—haven’t tried the first 2, so happy to have new ones to check out!
Later
Unfortunately Desert Hawk is changing their guest kitchen. Taco Sublime isn’t making the tasty burgs there anymore.
Golden years special is now daily for happy hour 5-7pm, even on weekends.
The Moonlighter has been a go-to restaurant for me for years. We thought the food even travelled pretty well for delivery during the pandemic. The burger is still great, but I’m bummed about their fries. The fries were always fresh-cut, crispy and delicious. Sometime this year they definitely switched to frozen fries. The first time we were hoping it was a one-off (supply chain, labor, whatever) but it’s been going on long enough that I think it’s a permanent switch. They still cost $6 but the quality is markedly inferior. They also eliminated the beer cheese in favor of some kind of queso dip that I believe is probably manufactured somewhere else. These changes feel like cost-cutting measures that have kind of diminished my desire to go there regularly.
Who the hell eats a red burger?
A bit late, but the Desert Hawk burger is done by the same folks (Taco Sublime?) who do the burgers at Marz’s main taproom off 35th. That is legitimately the best burger I’ve had in Chicago so far. I’m open to any and all comers but I’m glad it is/was available closer to me than I realized.