Get us in your inbox

Search

Butcher & the Burger

  • Restaurants
  • Lincoln Park
  • price 1 of 4
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
  1. Photograph: Martha Williams
    Photograph: Martha WilliamsButcher and the Burger
  2. Photo: Martha Williams
    Photo: Martha WilliamsButcher and Burger
  3. Photo: Martha Williams
    Photo: Martha WilliamsButcher and Burger
  4. Photo: Martha Williams
    Photo: Martha WilliamsBurger at Butcher and Burger
Advertising

Time Out says

4 out of 5 stars

It’s like Allen Sternweiler and Josh Woodward created an algorithm for trendy restaurants and—shalom!—Butcher & the Burger, the most fashionable restaurant baby imaginable, was born. Trendwise, it’s got it all: the burgers, the inexplicable obsession with butchers and the nostalgia for a time nobody eating in the restaurant ever lived in. But none of this annoyed me. In fact, I found it charming. But this was only because my “house-blend beef” burger on a “split top egg butter” bun rubbed with “Grandma’s onion soup” spice rub and topped with griddled onions, pickle chips, bacon, blue cheese and a fried egg was pretty much perfect.

My “La Pryor Farm Pork” burger on that same bun flavored with the “curry-coconut” rub and topped with griddled mushrooms and mayonaise didn’t fare as well. But whose fault was that? As a DIY restaurant, Butcher & the Burger only can make the elements of its burgers the best it can—the rest is up to me, and you, and if you put together the same pork burger I did, you probably will be disappointed.

So do as I say, not as I did. Stick with the beef patties, or the vegan option, a nutty and satisfying lentil patty. Steer clear of the Greek rub (it rendered an otherwise well-cooked salmon patty too salty to eat), but feel free to go with any of the buns—they all do the trick. Toppings? Maybe limit them to three. Salads? Yes, but they’re premade in plastic containers and stored in a cooler—not cute. Frozen custard is a go (and it seems to get better every day—on my first visit the texture wasn’t nearly as silky as on my second). Finally, the butcher shop, the component of this restaurant that makes it so damn hipster? It’s not open yet. Honestly, I can’t imagine how this place could get even better when it does.

Written by David Tamarkin

Details

Address:
1021 W Armitage Ave
Chicago
60614
Cross street:
between Sheffield and Kenmore Ave
Transport:
El stop: Brown, Purple (rush hrs) to Armitage. Bus: 8, 73.
Price:
Average main course: $10
Opening hours:
Mon, Tues 11am-9pm; Wed-Fri 11am-10pm; Sat 10am-10pm; Sun 10am-9pm
Do you own this business?
Sign in & claim business
Advertising
You may also like
You may also like