There's nothing against this location specifically I'm just so disappointed that small Chevel has changed their burgers. Their buns are different. Their patties are lackluster and their fries are nothing to call home about. I remember Small Cheval being THE SPOT. Every single time someone came to visit me. I had to bring them here now it's just an over price burger with al-a-cart purchases not worth the price tag. For reference, I added a screenshot of a burger from Small Cheval I had in July 2023. I think you can easily tell the difference. The spot itself is a great escape from the cold and a nice location to have good conversation with friends and the service was fine again the food is just very disappointing at this point. read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Double cheeseburger - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was recommended by a friend to check out Small Cheval for some good burgers. Went here on a Friday around 6pm and luckily there was only one person in line to order. The restaurant has a bunch of tables so won't need to worry about that. There's a nice vibe when you enter. It's very welcoming. The menu is very simple and straight to the point. I ordered the double cheeseburger and golden fries. It was about a 15 minute wait. The burger was solid! Not the best I've had but definitely worth it. Fries were good too. I ended the meal with the large hand dipped cone. No regrets at all! It was worth it. I would definitely come back again. Thank you Small Cheval! read more

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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. read more

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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. read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Brick & mortar was very beautiful, well thought out and original. The burger was very good but I didn't care for the meat being red. That's not really my thing. Service was okay. Everyone in my party enjoyed it. Cheers. read more

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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! read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Rainbow Birthday Cake Concrete Mixer - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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! read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Double Cheeseburger and Fries - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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. read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Single delux - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've picked up food from here a couple of times and the burgers are really good, a perfect execution of a concept. Very fast and polite service I personally can say I don't care for their fries, way too salty and overly crispy. Im sure im in the minority on this but it really feels like the fries are overdone to justify the 4.99 price tag. But the burgers are excellent read more

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. read more

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

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Lettuce bun burger - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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. read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Milkshake - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The ambiance is quite nice, but that's about where the positives end. The burger was very mediocre and I was forcing myself to eat it towards the end. It was really bland and rubbery. If the burger was $3 it would've been fine but paying $11+ and waiting like 15 minutes was not worth it. A culvers or shake shake totally beat this place. read more

Burgers were cold, very small and overcooked. Little to no flavor. The chicken tenders were slightly undercooked. Honestly not sure what happened to this chain but this was one of the worst meals I've had in a long time. Definitely won't be back. read more

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. read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Deluxe smash burger with bacon - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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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. read more

Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - Cheeseburger - Burgers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ahh! This used to be a Coldwell Banker. Remember that! This is the only location that serves frozen ice cream. I had their fries. The staff and service is chevalique. read more

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Burger just okay. Chicken tenders were very good. Fries were also very good. Nice atmosphere having an outdoor patio feel. Lots of families with kids. read more

Very noticeable decline in quality. Fries were amazing at Old Town location - crispy, hot, and flavorful. The fries are now limp, soggy, and flavorless. Burger is just mid. Have they changed the bun as well. Portion of tenders has shrunk. We live close by and have regularly come here for quick dinner with the kids but will be phasing this place out of our rotation. read more

If I was just rating the food, I would give it 5 stars because the burger and fries were delicious. The ambiance is okay for a self serve restaurant, but I felt the person who waited on us at the register wasn't pleasant, helpful or friendly. Kind of sad since the food is so good. If you have an attitude, you probably shouldn't work with the public. So go for the food and ignore the rudeness of the staff. read more

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

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

Stopped here twice for soft serve. So creamy and delish. Good quality ice cream. The strawberry shake good too. The inside is so cool. Designed to look like you are eating outdoors!! Service friendly too. read more

My favorite small cheval location! So much more indoor seating, chicken options, and the amazing sticky date cake shake! read more

Fast service! Workers are very friendly. Food tastes fresh and is always hot. Super cute on the inside. This is the only small cheval that has soft serve! read more

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

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

I did a to go order around 9pm on 10/30/25. Everything was old and cold. Deeply disappointed. I should've known something was up when I got a text message that my order was ready five minutes after I placed it. read more

Great spot for a great burger! I got the single cheeseburger, boyfriend got the double, and we split fries and the salted caramel milkshake. Everything was delicious and we were able to snag a seat while waiting for our food. The space is lively with lots of young families, dates, and groups of friends, so come here if that's your vibe! I will definitely be back. read more

Classic double cheeseburger and shake - worth the price. Best burger i've had in a long time. Shake is thick and yummy! Service was quite fast for how busy they were. Loved this place! Obviously i wish for indoor seating hahaha but that's okay! read more

Delicious burger that was very filling. Ordered fries as well but they were not very hot. If anything they were quite cold. Overall very great and would recommend. read more

Omg! So good. Burger was thin and full of flavor. The fries were crisp and tasty. The chicken tenders were delicious and real chicken. The ambiance while casual was very clean and cute. Good service. A great recommendation from a local!! read more

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

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

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

I ordered off the Halsted website and the order went to the Wells location. I couldn't confirm the order because I lost the app when I switched to messages to get the confirmation number, I couldn't get back. When I got to the Halsted location they couldn't find my order so I reordered thinking I never confirmed the order. When I checked out my credit card I saw my order was duplicated. read more