Au Cheval

Simply an outstanding burger! The single (actually two patties, go figure) with bacon is the perfect portion. Shared an order of fries with my wife and we had extras. Also tried the fried baloney sandwich. It was as just ok, but the burger, don't miss it!

I went here 2019 and forgot how good the burger is here. Shared the burger with eggs and bacons, bone marrow french toast, and some fries.
The single burger comes with two patties. It is just a tasty burger, not too fatty even with the nice thick bacon.
The star is the bone marrow toast. So good!!!
The fries is a bit average ... unfortunately. Not as crispy and fluffy. Salty but not best seasoned.
Also had a reserved beer - great one.
Service is fine as long as you can tolerate the wait - 45 min even at 12:45 on a Friday.
Classic bar environment with a large selection of beer that can also be romantic. Check out pics.

The single with cheese and pork belly bacon is probably enough for two people to share if I'm being honest, but I can't help but snarf it down all by myself when I see it brought before me alongside my root beer. You can feel your body slow down when you get to the halfway point of this ultra rich burger, as if it's begging you to consider the health of your arteries but then you'll take a drink from your root beer float and reset your brain to continue plowing through unctuous layers of beef, cheese, and pork.

If you're anything like me, you'll feel disgusting after eating this burger because of how rich every element of the burger is, but you'll also feel really happy because you've just finished one of the best burgers in your life. Knocking down the remainder of your root beer float is the icing on an already delicious meat cake.

Service is always great and the dining area itself, while not enormous, was large enough to seat a party of seven (albeit at separate tables). Easy recommendation if you're visiting Chicago.

My friend and I arrived at Au Cheval on a Sunday at around 12:00 PM for lunch. As you may know, this restaurant does not accept reservations, so there may be a wait. We talked to an employee sitting outside who checked if there were any tables available. Luckily for us, there wasn't a wait; he told us we could walk right in and ask the hostess to seat us. I've heard that if you're a party of two or a solo diner, it's much easier to get a table during normal meal times.

I did notice there was outdoor seating with picnic tables. However, the employee outside didn't ask if we preferred outdoor seating, so I'm assuming it may only be an option for larger parties.

After reading a 2019 Eater article on the Au Cheval in New York (https://ny.eater.com/2019/3/13/18258976/au-cheval-burger-first-look-review-what-to-order ), I learned "au cheval" translates to "on a horse", referring to the French practice of putting an egg on a variety of food items. For Au Cheval, the egg refers to the jockey while the hamburger represents the horse in this analogy.

Because this food joint is known best for their iconic burgers, I ordered the single cheeseburger ($16.99), and of course I had to include an egg ($2.99) along with the bacon ($6.99). Note that the single cheeseburger actually comes with two patties. Also, bear in mind that your bill already includes a restaurant surcharge of 3.25%.

With all the hype surrounding this restaurant, I thought this burger would change my life (and I hoped that it would since the total cost was almost $37 after tax and tip). Don't get me wrong, the burger was solid. I did notice a few bites were extremely salty, so maybe the salt wasn't sprinkled on evenly? I could definitely see and taste the black pepper on the thick cut bacon, which I appreciated. However, I'm not the biggest fan of bacon, so it didn't wow me. The sunny-side-up egg was sprinkled generously with green chives and looked great. A lone pickle spear was served on the side. They do provide a knife if you want to cut the burger in half to make it easier to eat, but of course, if you're adventurous, feel free to wrangle the entire thing into your mouth.

The service was great here. The waiter quickly brought us cups and a carafe full of water and preemptively refilled it when it got low. And he swiftly fetched the check after I requested it. Although it was interesting when he tried to upsell us on the fries after we only ordered burgers. Not sure if that's a practice being cascaded down through management, if he thought the burgers wouldn't be enough food, or if he just thought highly of the fries.

If you have the funds, I would recommend checking out Au Cheval as long as you keep in mind the relatively hefty price tag, but at least the burgers are very filling.

Hop on your horse and get here as fast as you can...
I just feel like I waited to get into a night club and it was worth it!

Atmosphere- like the other hogsalt restaurants the atmosphere is dark, moody, with a touch of romantic. The 90s jams were slappin

Service- our server was patient in explaining everything as this was our first time.
Only place I know where a single is a double..
my husband left my shopping bag in his chair and 30 mins later he went in with a guy waiting for him as he remembered he left it. Great service !

Food- the burger, fries, and root beer float did not disappoint and were some of the best I've ever had. But my god that general Jane's chicken is a show stopper. You can get the half order if it feels too much. And if you can't get all that delicious sauce off your fingers by licking no fear it comes with hot wet towels!

Simple food, done well. A summer barbecue all year long. With beer. No dancing. Shots on the side.

In town from Minneapolis wanting to see what the hype is about. Cool place! Looks very old, with exposed brick. I like how the single is actually a double and can appreciate the impact that makes. The burger: it was a salt bomb. I really wanted to like and remove 1/2 of the salt and I believe it would've been great. The sauce add more salt so I should e ordered without. If this is the best Chicago has to offer, I know 25 burgers in Minneapolis that'll knock your socks off

TL;DR the (in)famous burger is a fantastic burger, nothing more, nothing less.

I arrived on a Sunday around 11:50 AM coming straight from O'Hare, feeling wary of the wait times others have written about. To my pleasant surprise, as a solo diner I was seated immediately at the counter (pro-tip- come to lunch, and come alone).

Knowing what I came for, I ordered a single burger (which actually has 2 patties) with bacon and an egg. I'd say the latter add-ons are a must for the full experience, though they ain't cheap.

Let's be clear- this is just a really-well executed burger. The patties don't seem to be anything special, but they are cooked to a perfect medium. Here they go with American cheese (a must for its superior melt), a tasty brioche bun, some mayo-based sauce, and a bit of pickle for acidity. The egg is a perfectly cooked sunny side up that drips glorious yolk over everything. The bacon is smoky, slightly sweet, peppery, and damn tasty.

There's nothing life-changing here, but it is very delicious. There's no way I'd wait longer than 15 minutes for this burger, and I wince a bit at the fact I paid almost $40 for it after tip, but nonetheless I'd wholeheartedly recommend experiencing it once.

First time at Au Cheval and I would definitely recommend even though the wait was long, the food was Awesome and the server was my favorite. Hey Friend.

This place is a foodie's dream. But then again everything we had in Chicago was top notch. So, Au Cheval is competing with some excellent restaurants. Voted America's best burger a few years ago, I was curious and it did not disappoint. Everything we had was worth visiting for again. The cheeseburger of course was great but I am not a fan of thick cut bacon so I would skip that the next time. It's easier to take a bite without that anyway. What surprised me the most was the General Jane chicken. I am not normally a fan of chicken but this chicken is something else and was the crowd favorite at our table. If you are visiting Chicago this summer (it felt like all of the country was there), give Au Cheval a visit.