Not too shabby of a list. Majority of the burgers that I have never tried....

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-prem-best-burger-chicago-2021-20210712-o4mdwtwbajgbnhwvx5fjjnwxeu-list.html

The burger at Marz is flawless. Slagel Family Farms short rib burger, American cheese, spicy mayo & pickles on a fresh-baked furikake milkbread bun.



The nori fries that come with it are also top notch.

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:The burger at Marz is flawless.

Wow! That does look spectacular.

=R=

One double with everything...

My taste for hamburgers is more modest but is located a bit far away to get satisfied often.
So, when I have a sudden crave, about once a year, I drive 60 miles due North to Racine, WI to have lunch at the Kewpee. This amazing diner with its elliptical counter, very small round seats, and an impressive collection of Kewpee dolls, serves the same kind of burgers since 1926. And for me these very freshly ground thin grilled patties, and perfectly fried curly fries, have a very nostalgic resonance. They were the first American hamburger I ever had in my life when we came from Paris to visit my wife's family during the hot summer of 1968.
It is there that I learned to pronounce the ritual sentence "One double with everything"when ordering a hamburger. In those days I did not speak English so I had to rehearse that sentence several times before I sat at the Kewpee's counter for the first time.
Many years later, I had a very interesting exchange of posts on LTH with René G on the subject of the Kewpee on January 21 2010.
Kewpee Lunch
520 Wisconsin Av
Racine WI
262-634-9601
http://www.kewpee.com/

In full agreement. It is on my "tour" once per year also. That being the case, I get two double CB's and a mug of root beer. Great stop and continued enjoyment.

http://www.kewpee.com displays a large "WEBSITE SUSPENDED" banner. Could be a virus, etc
https://www.facebook.com/Kewpee-Lunch-226801137258/ hasn't been updated since 2019 but has some good history of the restaurant.

Aside from Kuma's, and Bad Apple, is there anyone out there still offering a wide variety of toppings on burgers? It seems that every place nearby me has cut it down to three varieties of bacon cheeseburger with few if any "build your own" choices. My favorite was from Mickey Finn's (now Buddy's Brews and Bites) with Merkt's cheddar, onion rings and green chiles, alas no longer.

JoelF wrote:Aside from Kuma's, and Bad Apple, is there anyone out there still offering a wide variety of toppings on burgers? It seems that every place nearby me has cut it down to three varieties of bacon cheeseburger with few if any "build your own" choices. My favorite was from Mickey Finn's (now Buddy's Brews and Bites) with Merkt's cheddar, onion rings and green chiles, alas no longer.

VPT up here on the north side (it might be considered West Ridge? 5754 N. Western Ave.) has a good selection.
https://vptchicago.com/order-online/

JoelF wrote:Aside from Kuma's, and Bad Apple, is there anyone out there still offering a wide variety of toppings on burgers? It seems that every place nearby me has cut it down to three varieties of bacon cheeseburger with few if any "build your own" choices. My favorite was from Mickey Finn's (now Buddy's Brews and Bites) with Merkt's cheddar, onion rings and green chiles, alas no longer.

I haven't been in a while, but always thought their burger was above average, and there are currently a few interesting choices on the menu...maybe it's time for a return visit

Emerson's Ale House
113 S Emerson St, Mt Prospect, IL 60056
https://www.emersonsmp.com/eat

My vote goes to Paradise Pup in Des Plaines.
Open at 11 to to a waiting line, call ahead to avoid the wait.
Burger on Pumpernickel is awesome!
Paradise Pup
1724 S River Rd
Des Plaines, IL 60018
(847) 699-8590

Palmer Place in LaGrange also has a nice variety of specialty burgers.

https://palmerslagrange.com/full-menu/

56 South La Grange Road, La Grange, IL 60525

budrichard wrote:My vote goes to Paradise Pup in Des Plaines.

Definitely a favorite, but not open at dinner time, and doesn't have the fancy-shmancy toppings I'm looking for. We ended up at North Branch, which does a very good burger, but not very imaginative with the combinations, especially when SueF and I split a large burger and we have to meet both our preferences.

North Branch
4520 W Lake Ave, Glenview, IL 60025
www.northbranchglenview.com
(847) 813-6400

We've recently become hooked on the Wagyu burgers at Berger Bros. Gastropub in Winfield. The Double Smash Burger (ordered exactly as presented on the menu) is a melt-in-your-mouth culinary treat! They have plenty of unique toppings & additions to other menu options, which I'm sure could be added to a burger.

As a bonus, Wednesday nights are Whisky & Wine night;)

https://www.bergerbrospub.com/copy-of-menu

http://www.brgrbellyrestaurant.com

Haven't been in a while, but The Burger Social in Wheaton has a decent mix of burger toppings.

The Burger Social
108 N Hale St
Wheaton, IL 60187
https://www.theburgersocial.com/

Small Cheval at 151 N. Riverside is showing signs of awakening.

PreFlopRaise13 wrote:I haven't been in a while, but always thought their burger was above average, and there are currently a few interesting choices on the menu...maybe it's time for a return visit

Emerson's Ale House
113 S Emerson St, Mt Prospect, IL 60056
https://www.emersonsmp.com/eat

It's been many years since we were there, so craving a burger we decided to take a try. Pretty darn good, but the place is absurdly loud. Their "Fuego" didn't bring enough fuego (lettuce, tomato, muenster, sunnyside up egg, bacon, fresh jalapenos, sriracha aoili), but was quite delicious. SueF also enjoyed her BBQ Bacon burger.

Drink-wise, though, quite disappointed. I didn't see any ciders on the drink list, but the bartender said they had a couple, "A strawberry and an apple" and I bit. What I found out later is that it wasn't a cider at all, but a LULZ crisp apple hard seltzer. Imagine someone in marking saying, "Hey, Angry Orchard sells, well, let's copy that but make it taste more like a juice box." So sweet it made my teeth hurt.

This might be my favorite thread ever, since it's a walk down (burger) memory lane. It makes me sad that many of these esteemed restaurants that made it to top ten lists are no longer around. I also find it interesting the current burger trend are smash burgers (double) which I love, if done right. Also, the general price of a good burger is becoming insane. A good article from New York City below.

https://www.grubstreet.com/2022/10/in-n ... -soar.html

If you make it to the (far) NW suburbs, Cobbs in Woodstock has a great and infinitely customizable burger menu (pick your bread/protein/cheese, etc.) and there are a number of preconfigured combos with the expected Groundhog Day theme:

https://dccobbs.net/eat

Burger Antics in Brookfield is doing some good stuff.

https://www.burgerantics.com/

A couple of very good burgers to add to this catch-all thread.


Kala Modern Greek (no LTH thread) in Lincoln Park uses a bun with sesame on both sides (never seen that before) and fills it with two patties, baked feta, pickled onion, and granch (a ranch/Greek yogurt concoction).


Del Toro (thread untouched for a decade) in Pilsen has a burger along with a host of more traditional Mexican offerings. Two patties, a whole lot of Chihuahua cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato, and chipotle crema. Diners are given the option of mild (jalapeño) or spicy (habanero). I'm not exactly sure where the heat gets added, but I ordered the spicy and there was real kick. Bonus points for the side - cucumber & jicama skewers, which really work well and should be an option at more places.

Had a really good burger at Crushed by Giants brewery last night. Double smashed patties, lettuce, tomato, pickles, sauce. SueF had the CBG burger, which is a beef and bacon double, and D has the black bean burger. Their fourth is the farmhouse, a single with pulled pork

A little pricey ($15 plus $5 for fries) but it's mag mile and table service -many of the burgers in the area get close to that price, and are counter service.

But I still miss places like Boston Blackie's and Hamburger Hamlet, with 30 different choices of toppings.

Crushed by Giants
600 N Michigan Ave 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60611
312-544-0322
www.crushedbygiants.com

Realized after posting this that what I need is a visit to Bad Apple or Kuma's.

But y'know, why don't you see feta and spinach burgers, cheeses other than farmhouse cheddar and American, and toppings that aren't more meat in most places?

JoelF wrote:Realized after posting this that what I need is a visit to Bad Apple or Kuma's.

But y'know, why don't you see feta and spinach burgers, cheeses other than farmhouse cheddar and American, and toppings that aren't more meat in most places?

Bad Apple is a gem. Moved to Fort Worth, even the bbq in Chicago Smoque etc... mostly blows away the food down here in North Texas.

EscobarSzn wrote:

JoelF wrote:Realized after posting this that what I need is a visit to Bad Apple or Kuma's.

But y'know, why don't you see feta and spinach burgers, cheeses other than farmhouse cheddar and American, and toppings that aren't more meat in most places?

Bad Apple is a gem. Moved to Fort Worth, even the bbq in Chicago Smoque etc... mostly blows away the food down here in North Texas.

Two words…Hill Country.