You Must Try On Your Next Trip To Chicago

by Alton Rush
Chicago is world famous for its fully loaded hot dogs, deep dish pizzas and ultra high-end destination restaurants like Alinea, Frontera and Charlie Trotter’s. But here are 3 hamburgers that you should not miss on your next trip.

Don’t bother trying to choose — if you enjoy burgers, you will love all of these. From the almost perfect version of a char-burger (from a famous Chicago Dog stand) to a killer steakhouse burger — there is something for everyone.

1. The Custom House Burger at The Custom House
The steak house, The Custom House, is famous for its steaks. But you are there for the burger. So just take a seat at the bar and tell your server or the bartender to bring you one. You will not be disappointed. It is exactly the cheeseburger you would expect to get in a world famous steak house.

The cooks grind up top-of-the-line short rib meat and mix it with prime steak scraps. So you are getting the real deal here – even if it is on a bun. They top the juicy pattie with a generous aged cheddar cheese and serve it on a freshly made poppy-seed bun. A bit of sea salt and a tomato-based homemade sauce completes the perfection.

Enjoy it.

The Custom House Restaurant — 500 S. Dearborn St. The Custom House Burger — $12.

2. The Angus Beef Burger at Naha
If you feel a craving for a real Angus beef burger, pass by the fast food joints and head for the real deal at Naha.

The moist, flavorful meat patty is topped with roasted tomatoes and white cheddar cheese and served on what might be the best stand in for a hamburger bun in America. The sea-salt crusted “bun” is made of focaccia dough and is toasted and super-dense.

But even this wonderful bun probably will not stop the juices of the burger from running down your arm – so take precautions and wear short sleeves.

Naha is at 500 N. Clark St. and the Angus Beef Burger will set you back $15.

3. Double Cheddar Char Burger at Paradise Pup
This tiny, tiny north-side stand is famous for its Chicago dogs. It was even featured a couple years ago on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. You can see the snapshots of the visit on the wall while you wait. And you will wait — even in the dead of winter there will be a long line.

But the wait is totally worth it.

Of course, you will want to visit for the famous Chicago dogs at least once. But make sure you come back for the Double Cheddar Char Burger. The charred exterior has super-intense flavor and the inside of the patty is some of the most moist, flavorful and tender beef you will ever eat. The sharp cheddar cheese and grilled onion hold there own without overpowering. It’s truly old-style Chicago on a bun.

Paradise Pup is in Des Plaines at 1724 S. River Road. The Double Cheddar Char Burger is a steal at $5.79

About the Author:
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