Best Burgers in Chicago (2025)

Chicago’s modern-diner icon: thin, griddled patties with American cheese, Dijonnaise, and pickles, served in the heart of the West Loop. Frequently featured by Time Out Chicago and praised by national critics for setting the bar.

Downstairs from three-star Smyth, this neighborhood spot turns out the OG Cheeseburger with onions four ways on a sesame bun. Featured in Condé Nast Traveler and lauded by local critics for big umami and perfect construction.

The Mott Burger layers double patties with miso butter, hoisin aioli, sweet potato frizzles, pickled jalapeños, and American cheese. Highlighted on Eater Chicago’s best-burgers map and beloved by locals; bar service runs the burger late.

Bucktown’s tavern channels old Chicago with a lacy-edged smashburger, house pickles, and sauce. Praised by Chicago Magazine and local food writers; it’s the burger you want with a cold beer and a neighborhood game on.

Roscoe Village’s Indiana-style smashburger shop makes crispy-edged doubles with its tangy Region sauce. Included in Time Out Chicago’s 2025 list and celebrated by neighborhood regulars for its throwback griddle flavor.

Inside the historic Monadnock, a French bistro turns out a steak-and-butter burger with Gruyère and red onion relish. Recognized by Eater Chicago and spotlighted by local media; beef-fat fries complete the Paris-by-Loop experience.

West Town’s intimate steakhouse serves the Haus Burger with onions and boeuf-fat fries, a cult favorite noted on Eater Chicago’s burger guide and praised by locals for serious beefy depth.

A Humboldt Park wine bar with a cult 25‑day dry‑aged Slagel Farm burger, white cheddar, and bacon aioli. Featured by Condé Nast Traveler; locals pair it with natural wine and low-markup bottles.

Portage Park’s family-run spot turns out a hefty double cheeseburger with caramelized onions and American cheese. Included in Time Out Chicago’s 2025 burger guide and praised by The Infatuation.

Gretel - Review - Logan Square - Chicago - The Infatuation

When a restaurant has a burger, oysters rockefeller, ramen, hummus, fried chicken, and a dozen other things on a menu that feels like it was created by a food court CEO, we get suspicious. Are we at a Vegas buffet? A dinner party on at an unhinged billionaire’s private island? Stumbled into the terrifying table scene from Pan’s Labyrinth? Maybe -in fact, hopefully - we’re actually at Gretel in Logan Square. Did we mention the spaghetti, nachos, salad nicoise, and hot dog? No? Well, those are on there too. And the truly remarkable part about the random menu is that no dish feels like an afterthought, because Gretel pays attention to details. The burger here is incredible, mostly because of their choice to use a perfectly griddled everything bun. The creamy hummus is dusted with sumac, topped with a poached egg, and served with pickled onions that cut through the richness. Chicken liver mousse comes with thick slices of fresh sourdough. And normally when we’re at a Chicago bar and someone announces they’re “going to get the lobster roll” we consider alerting the authorities. But here, the lobster is tender and buttery, with a toasted bun that would fully fit in on an Ocean City boardwalk. photo credit: Kim Kovacik Also, Gretel (which is from the team behind Little Bad Wolf) is the kind of small Chicago spot we just enjoy being at. It’s cozy and dark (seriously - the walls are painted black) and has a wall of liquor bottles with a rolling ladder that the bartender gleefully uses like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. It’s busy, and while they don’t take reservations, we’ve always been able to get a seat at a table, the bar, or even the chef’s counter without too long of a wait. But as much as we like that we can walk right into Gretel and order a whole branzino, is that going to be our first choice? Probably not. That honor will go to the stellar burger or the pork belly nachos. But hey, we like options, and appreciate that this place can work for a lot of different situations. Drinks with a friend? Great, get some oysters. Catching up with coworkers? Order the cheese plate and charcuterie. On a date? Share a salad, pasta, and be thankful for the lighting that makes everyone look 75% more attractive. But if you are actually in the terrifying table scene from Pan’s Labyrinth? Run. Food Rundown Gretel Griddle Burger We’re of the opinion that the burger here is better than the one at Little Bad Wolf. The two patties are juicy, and we like that it comes with both white and yellow American cheese. But it’s really the toasted everything bun that takes the burger to another delicious level. photo credit: Kim Kovacik Chicken Liver Mousse This comes with a mostarda that changes seasonally (during our visits it was apricot), pickled veggies, thick pieces of toasted housemade sourdough, and a creamy liver mousse. You get plenty of all four, making it one of our favorite $10 appetizers to eat all by ourselves. photo credit: Kim Kovacik Lobster Roll Despite the fact that nothing about Gretel indicates Cape Cod realness, the lobster roll here is delightful. You can get it cold or warm, lightly dressed with mayo or with drawn butter. And while the bun isn’t overflowing with lobster, there’s enough tender meat. Hummus The addition of a poached egg gives the hummus extra richness, and the pickled onions add some nice acidity. We’d definitely order this again. photo credit: Kim Kovacik Oysters Rockefeller These baked oysters are topped with breadcrumbs, and made with enough garlic to ruin the day of anyone riding in an elevator with you the next morning. This, by the way, is what we consider the appropriate amount of garlic. photo credit: Kim Kovacik Pork Belly Nachos A perfect bar snack. The nachos are topped with cheese sauce, Carolina BBQ sauce, a squiggle of sour cream, guacamole, beans, and tender pieces of pork belly. The chips are freshly fried, and they don’t skimp on the toppings - so you shouldn’t skimp on the napkins. photo credit: Kim Kovacik Spaghetti Alla Chittara Are we going to be writing epic poems about the pasta here? No, but it’s tasty and nothing about it is going to make you mad. The pasta is tossed in a miso mushroom sauce, and topped with parmesan and a little bit of maitake and truffle. We suggest saving some of that sourdough from the chicken liver mousse to soak up any leftover sauce. photo credit: Kim Kovacik - Adrian Kane