The two restaurants we chose for burgers this month were: Union (in Logan Square) and The Loyalist. This year, The Loyalist officially serves the 19th best burger in the world according to World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants. It’s the OG Cheeseburger that claims the title. It’s also ranked number one on Time Out’s Best Burgers in Chicago. Because of this, of course we had to try this burger (it was already on our list before it claimed the 19th absolute best burger).

Union
2202 N California Ave | Chicago, IL 60647

We picked this place weeks ago, so we, more or less, knew what we were getting ourselves into. But, we did find out that on Tuesdays, they have a special burger special – a special smash burger, a shot of whiskey and a beer for $20. This smashburger is NOT on their menu so you may find us returning to try it.

What we ordered:
Union Burger $23
*8 oz. patty, aged Wisconsin cheddar, fried onion string, bone marrow aioli, housemade pickle, brioche bun – served with crispy smashed potatoes, ketchup, garlic aioli

The Review:
It’s more a traditional-style burger (aka it’s not a smashburger). It’s good quality (you can taste the quality meat). It’s recommended to be cooked medium (which was perfect execution). It could use more fat (it wasn’t very juicy and was much better when you added the garlic aioli and/or ketchup. The cheese was sliced too thin and was practically translucent. If you’re going to put cheese on my burger, I should be able to taste it. The pickles could be more pickle-y (they were nice and crisp and fresh though). The onion strings were nice and crispy. The bun wasn’t too heavy and was toasty perfectly…there was some crunch (in a good way) when biting into the burger. The burger didn’t fall apart and so wasn’t too messy to eat, but it’s definitely a meal. It could probably use more bone marrow aioli to help with the juicy and it’d just be nice to taste it more.

The Loyalist
177 N Ada St | Chicago, IL 60607

We have always had The Loyalist on our list of burgers we definitely have to try. It was on the list before it made it as the 19th absolute best burger in the world, according to World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants. We tried to go in September, but that decision was last minute. This time, we made reservations well in advance to guarantee a seating.

The Loyalist OG Cheeseburger $28
*pickled & charred onion, sesame seed bun, frites – ordered medium rare

The Review:
It’s a traditional burger and not a smash burger. They give you tons of good melty cheese. The onions are delicious, the pickles are crisp (but not quite vinegar-y enough – not pickle-y enough). The burger itself didn’t taste like much, but the parts that were cooked did have some flavor and seasoning. The middle, ordered at a med-rare, was actually a bit cold, but it was cooked to perfection as ordered – but the meat didn’t taste like good quality hamburger meat (it was a good mixture though). It comes with fries (which is very reminiscent of McD’s, but crispier). The included condiments: garlic mayo (with some oil on the top) and pickle brine (great with the burger). It was a fine burger; I had high expectations for it, but it didn’t quite hit the bar for me and I’m not sure I’d come back for it. The value is just not there for me. I will say, it wasn’t greasy, which was nice.

BONUS BURGER
Red Hot Ranch
3057 N Ashland Ave | Chicago, IL 60657

Chicago International Film Festival week was a busy week for me and Liz. We needed a heavier dinner before one of our movies. We needed something quick, fast and easy, but also with seating. We decided on Red Hot Ranch. It’s more of a fast-food burger than it is a sit-down restaurant burger. We’d heard good things. However, what we didn’t know was that it was CASH ONLY. They do have an ATM on the premises, but who wants to pay those ATM fees. The cashier told us we could order online for pick-up on GrubHub. Thanks for the tip! Bonus points, the whole thing was less than $10.

RHR Double Cheeseburger & Fries $7.68
*double cheeseburger (smash burger), melty cheese, special sauce, tomato, and onions. The fries are fresh and homemade.

The Review:
It’s a solid burger. Hit’s the spot on the first bite. The veggies on it are super fresh. They give you a TON of fries (though they don’t salt them). The not so awesome part, it’s actually quite greasy and the wrapper was soaking it all up. It can be a messy eat, but not the fork and knife kind. The secret sacue is pretty good.