Bistro, a cozy Logan Square gem, serves up feel-good comfort food and adaptogen mocktails, all in an inviting, darkened oasis where recovery thrives.
"Even though nothing about Gretel indicates Cape Cod realness, the lobster roll here is fantastic. You can get it cold or warm, lightly dressed with mayo or with drawn butter. And despite overflowing with tender lobster meat, the gently toasted bun holds up. The salty and crispy fries that come on the side are also a big part of why we love the roll at this Logan Square spot." - veda kilaru
"Gretel calls its burger a “griddle burger,” but we’ve sat at the chef’s counter watching them smoosh the patties on a flat top. So, we’re going to go ahead and call this a smashburger, even if the edges aren’t the crispiest of the bunch. It comes on a squishy everything bun, and that bun is a perfect delivery system for the two juicy patties, slices of white and yellow American cheese, bacon, garlic aioli, and pickles." - adrian kane
"Open until 12am Sunday-Thursday, 1am Friday-Saturday, Gretel is from the team behind Little Bad Wolf in Andersonville (also on this guide) and has become one of our favorite spots in Logan Square for a late-night dinner. For one thing, the food is great. They also have a fantastic burger, along with shareable things like charcuterie, fried maitake, and pork belly nachos. But it’s also just a nice place to hang out for a few hours. It’s cozy and dark (seriously—the walls are painted black) and will immediately soothe your tired eyes. Plus, it has a long drink menu and a wall of liquor bottles that necessitate the bartender using a rolling ladder like Belle in the library from Beauty and the Beast." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru
"This is a spot in Logan Square from the team behind Little Bad Wolf in Andersonville. The LBW burger is fantastic, but it turns out the burger here might be even better, mainly because it comes on a squishy everything bun. And that bun is a perfect delivery system for the two juicy patties, slices of white and yellow American cheese, bacon, garlic aioli, and pickles." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru
"Gretel is from the team behind Little Bad Wolf in Andersonville, which you might know because of its incredible burger. And Gretel has become one of our favorite spots in the neighborhood for a casual dinner. The food is great: They also have a fantastic burger, along with shareable things like vegetable gyoza and pork belly nachos. But it’s also just a nice place to hang out for a few hours. It’s cozy and dark (seriously—the walls are painted black) and will immediately soothe your screen-fatigued eyes. Plus, it has a long drink menu and a wall of liquor bottles that necessitate the bartender using a rolling ladder like Belle in the library from Beauty and the Beast." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru
