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    Small Cheval- Lincoln Park

    3.9 (36 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    SMALL CHEVAL- LINCOLN PARK ATMOSPHERE

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    Interior
    Bob S.

    We stopped into the new Small Cheval on North Halsted for a late lunch around 2 p.m., and practically had the place to ourselves--a rare luxury in Chicago. The vibe here is spot on: painted menus on exposed brick, warm wood paneling, and that classic, no-nonsense burger joint feel with just enough style to remind you this is Cheval, not a chain. Since dinner was only a few hours away, I passed on their famous double and went with the Single Cheeseburger--a smart move. It gave me time to really taste the essentials: perfectly grilled beef, a buttered bun with just the right squish, and crisp, fresh toppings. Simplicity at its best. The fries, while well-seasoned, felt like they spent a little too long under the heat lamp--lost some crunch. I kept wishing I'd gone for a milkshake, because something tells me they'd knock that out of the park. My wife tried the Strawberry Dip Cone and gave it a full thumbs up--nostalgic, sweet, and worth the extra napkin. Final Take: This location has all the charm you want from Small Cheval. When you just want a great burger in a place that feels like a burger joint, it delivers. Next time, I'm completing the trifecta: burger, fries and shake.

    Pam C.

    Great stop for a burger and great addition to the Halstead/Armitage Lincoln Park food scene. There isn't much to be said that hasn't already been said on Small Cheval. Service here is friendly and prompt. I have never seen a wait here even on beautiful weather. The interior is clean and spacious and there's always plenty of seating. They offer lettuce wrapped burgers that come snugly wrapped. The ice cream options are fun and great for a hot day.

    Rainbow Birthday Cake Concrete Mixer
    Mary K.

    TL; DR: Great ice cream selection; Get the concrete mixer Don't want to wait in long lines for ice cream? Small Cheval will be your best friend! Both the Oreo and Rainbow Birthday Cake concrete mixers are delicious and filled with lots of goodies. I can't wait to go back and try different concrete mixer flavors and types of ice cream!

    Lettuce bun burger

    The lettuce bun burger was great. Very cute interior, there's even a tree inside. Fries are great

    Double Cheeseburger and Fries
    Sabrina S.

    Perhaps a hot take but Small Cheval is much preferred to Au Cheval in my opinion! Especially if you're looking for a quick bite! Don't get me wrong, I love Au Cheval, but sometimes the wait can be quite long or I'm looking for something more casual, which brings me to a Small Cheval! I love this location in Lincoln Park, the ambiance is so cute, there's a lot of tables and a lot of people just split the tables in the middle when it gets too crowded. It's fun, family-friendly, and casual! The burger here is incredible, easily the best in the city and the one I crave the most. It doesn't traditionally come with lettuce and tomato but you can ask for it if you want it! I usually get a double cheeseburger and their sauce is actually out of this world. They also have a garlic aioli that goes great with the burger and the fries. I've tried a couple of their milkshakes here and there and they never disappoint! The staff is very friendly and efficient! Would certainly recommend anyone who is coming through Chicago to give this spot a try!

    Single delux
    Nathan W.

    Small cheval is the Chicago standard for a simple but perfect burger. With locations all over Chicago, I visited the Lincoln park location. While the food is similar across locations, this location stands out because of the interior. There is lots of seating inside and it's a casual spot to dine in. Place your order at the counter and you will get a buzzer that notifies when the food is ready. Don't forget to get a side of the fry sauce, it's life changing. Must go spot if you're craving a tasty burger for a reasonable price.

    Annette D.

    As expected, Small Cheval focuses on what the Cheval eateries do best -- great burgers and fries. Throw in a boozy milkshake or ice cream treat and you have a perfect meal. Great ambiance. This place feels like you're outdoors (think upscale picnic vibe), complete with a tree in the middle of the restaurant. I wish they had table service, but great food and reasonable price point equals a good experience.

    Milkshake
    Jocelyn G.

    A very solid burger spot. Not the most amazing burger, but still very good. It's definitely not the same as Au Chevalier, but if you want a burger without the wait, I would recommend small cheval. Each patty is 3oz, so the double cheeseburger was very filling. My burger was definitely on the saltier side. I would also pass on the fries, they were not very crispy. I also got a milkshake (half strawberry, half chocolate). The milkshake had good flavor (had real strawberries in it), but I think because I mixed two flavors, my milkshake was on the thinner side and very runny.

    Deluxe smash burger with bacon
    Rebecca A.

    We went on a Sunday at opening, it was quiet and perfect for a big group with kids. Simple menu, but well crafted. An indoor picnic with boozy shake options. The staff were very friendly.

    Cheeseburger
    Karen G.

    If you're around Lincoln Park, this spot is a solid pick for a burger and an excellent root beer float or milkshake. The burgers were decent--nothing mind-blowing (I'd take In-N-Out over this, to be honest), but still satisfying. Maybe my expectations were just high. That said, I'd come back just for the root beer float--super creamy with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the cookies & cream shake was next-level. Fries were kind of meh, not super seasoned. So if you're craving dessert more than a full meal, this place definitely delivers.

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    8 months ago

    Cute location. Chicken tenders were amazing! Nobody missed the gluten! Love that their fryers are all gluten free. Staff were friendly.

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    10 months ago

    Very nice new space for this Chicago staple burger chain. They have chicken as an option here too which is nice. Solid place.

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    1 year ago

    Great staff, great food, great experience. Very helpful and accommodating. Oh, the burgers are some of the best ever.

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    1 year ago

    The food was delicious. Service was quick, and friendly! Restaurant was clean, with good vibes.

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    11 months ago

    The only reason is four stars is the bun was a little stale. Otherwise, the best cheeseburger in the universe..

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    1 year ago

    Takes about 5 times longer than the other locations. Food was fine but do not expect it quick here

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    great all around burger experience, concrete was good as well, would definitely go back

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    Ask the Community - Small Cheval- Lincoln Park

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    Au Cheval

    Au Cheval

    4.4
    (9.5k reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    After what felt like 5 years to try this place, I FINALLY got to try the famous burger here! Spark…read morenotes: this place is definitely worth the wait! My friend and I dedicated a day where we would just put our name down and however long it took we would wait haha. We drove into the city which took and hour and we put our name down and waited an hour before we were called. The weather was great so we just walked around the west loop area. We started with a half size of the green salad and a half size of the roasted bone marrow. The house salad is super refreshing. A lot of vinegar in the dressing which I personally really like. Also tasted some fennel which was an interesting flavor. The roasted bone marrow is the winner of the night. I would come back to Au Cheval for this alone. It was paired with a thick slice of Texas toast and a beef cheek marmalade and it is seriously the PERFECT balance of flavors. Fatty. Sweet. Buttery. Literally insane and this is a must order! Then came the famous burger. My friend and I each ordered a single cheeseburger with the egg and bacon added. Something to note is that the single cheeseburger actually has 2 patties and the double cheeseburger has 3 patties (3/4lbs of beef). The presentation itself is beautiful and makes you just not want to eat it haha. The burger itself is so decadent and hefty with the burger patties, cheese, egg and bacon. I'll be honest, I needed some more pickles or just something to cut all the fattiness of the burger. There were pickles in the burger and it is served with a huge pickle spear. But I still was itching for some more bitterness/acid to balance the flavors. It was so decadent, I couldn't finish it all. All in all, I would definitely come back and order the burger again and would recommend it to anyone! We ordered a side of fries which came with their garlic aioli. The fries were cooked to perfection. Super crunchy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside and piping hot! The garlic aioli is perfect and have no notes for it. We also were treated to a vanilla scoop with chocolate sauce which was the perfect cap to our meal! Our waitress was so friendly and my friend and I loved her! She was so sweet and genuine. Hog Salt restaurants never fail with their service!

    Au Cheval is likely the most coveted restaurant destination for out-of-towners…read more "Best Burger" "it's so delicious with the egg" "I'm glad you're ending your trip with Au Cheval". I'd like to throw in my own quote into the gauntlet: "it's ok". It sounds harsh but Our burger patty was noticeably dry. The bread... was also dry. The egg and bacon add-ons were good but as a whole, the burger was missing the core aspect. The bread being dry I can justify by knowing that Au Cheval makes it a point to make everything gluten-free (or so someone told me). I think that's cool but not necessarily what I came looking for. I actually noticed prior to our trip from photos that the buns looked noticeably arid but I gave them no heed because of all of the praise. And I can give them the benefit of the doubt that we were there on a Sunday night, so potentially not the most quality inventory (although I personally don't think that's a great excuse). The service and the ambiance were on point! If you're wondering if there's a required attire (no shorts or flip flops) I wouldn't fret, the atmosphere is a lot more casual despite self-describing as an "intimate" setting. It's definitely more intimate than a normal burger restaurant, with dim lighting and isolated booths but what you're wearing isn't going to dictate how other guests and staff feel. I would cover up anyways just cause there was ac running. I told my friend who moved from Nyc to Chicago and he said he felt the same. And one of our couple friends were surprised to hear the patty being dry, so... off day?

    Photos
    The cooks were very attentive!
    The cooks were very attentive!
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

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    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)
    Little Bad Wolf

    Little Bad Wolf

    4.4
    (2.6k reviews)
    4.7 mi
    $$

    Easily one of the best burgers in Chicago…read more We both got the bad burger, except my friend got it with mac and cheese. The burger was juicy and the bun was soft; didn't feel like I had to unhinge my jaw just to get a bite like with some other burgers. The toppings for the burger paired harmoniously with the patties, with the pickles adding texture and bite. The fries paired with the burger were honestly whatever, but the spicy aoli paired with it elevated eating the fries. We also got an elote app to share. I did enjoy the cheese and corn and how warm and melty they were, but I think it could've gone without the avocado. The mac and cheese though, now that was absolutely delicious. It was gooey and soft, with the breadcrumbs and bacon adding texture and smokiness. The drinks I got, the sylvan and green eyes, were a little strong for me (I prefer sweeter), but nonetheless excellently mixed. If you like strong, classic flavors, these are for you.

    My husband and I walked in on a Sunday evening for dinner and were able to be seated right away…read more The atmosphere is dark and moody, and it made sense once I realized it was the same owners as Gretel. Loved the 90s female R&B playlist they had going! Little Bad Wolf has been on my list FOR YEARS to try the burger! My husband got the burger with fried onions and I got some Bao because those also looked delicious and were a popular menu item. Honestly the 3 stars are only that high because of the service. Our server was friendly and attentive + the food came out hot and quick. Unfortunately, the food was pretty disappointing. The burger was swimming in a puddle of grease and just picking it up made your hands greasy + was dripping grease. The fries that came with it were floppy, soggy, and sad...but at least warm? I personally wouldn't order this again. The Bao were better, but small for the price and honestly were just okay? It was nice they gave you sauces you could add, but I found the Bao's to already have enough sauce so I didn't need them. Overall I left feeling confused and disappointed. I don't feel the need to come back here - Little Bad Will was a one and done experience for me.

    Photos
    Fresh flowers
    Fresh flowers
    Shrimp Tacos
    Shrimp Tacos
    Bad Burger with fried onion strings

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    Bad Burger with fried onion strings

    Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - burgers - Updated June 2026

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