Chicago's Best Burger . . .

by Sean Chercover

Like many of you, I’ve bounced around a bit, and I’ve had a lot of great burgers in a lot of great towns . . . Port of Call and The Clover Grill in New Orleans, Allen’s in Toronto, The Vortex in Atlanta . . . etc.

But for me, Chicago is Burger City. And it’s not so easy to pick a best burger in this town of best burgers. Burger passions run high and burger loyalty runs deep, here in Burger City.

Here are some of my personal favorites (at the moment). Hope you’ll share yours…

Jury’s - Big, honest, beefy burger, great patio (a little cold on the patio right now, but you know what I mean) and friendly service.

Gibson’s - Yeah, it’s the old school Rush Street crowd, but you gotta admit, the burger is great. You want a big bleeding burger? This is a good one. If you don’t want your burger bleeding, order it more cooked than you like. Medium-rare will come to your table rare. Medium will be medium-rare.

Select Cut Steakhouse (thanks to Marcus for hepping me to this one) - The steaks are awesome, so you’ll be tempted to skip the burger, but don’t. Made with trimmings from various cuts of steak – leaner than most, but never dry. Very “steaky”.

Erwin - The most expensive burger on my list, ($13) and worth it. Cooked over a wood fire, this is a smoky burger. They mix a little garlic into the meat, just enough that you can taste it without it overpowering the beef. Served on an English muffin. Yum. Certainly the most highfallutin' burger on my list, and a must-try.

Lou Mitchell’s - Haven’t been in a while, but their Oliveburger Special used to be awesome, in a diner-burger kinda way. Probably still is. Nothing much changes at Lou Mitchell’s. Gotta get back there soon…

Duke of Perth - This is currently my favorite burger in Chicago. The best burger in this town of best burgers. Just perfect. To really gild the lily, order the one with the fried egg on top. Yowza! The pub also boasts a hell of a scotch selection. And after you’re done with your burger, Jake’s Pub (my home away from home) is right across the street. Jake’s doesn’t serve food. It’s a drinking joint, not an eating joint. Dog-friendly, too.

Okay, that’s my list. How ‘bout yours?