4 Chicago Burgers Make 100 Best Burgers In America List

CHICAGO, IL — When you think of Chicago food, odds are you're imagining a deep-dish pizza — or maybe a hot dog or Italian beef sandwich. But the Windy City is no slouch when it comes to the good old hamburger, too, according to a new list by Thrillist.

Burger critic Kevin Alexander recognized four local burgers among the best of the best on his "100 Best Burgers in America" list — and one even cracks the top 10. His quest for the best in the U.S. took him to 30 cities, where he tried 330 different burgers. A daunting task, to be sure, but a worthy one for Alexander, who summed up America's love of a hunk of beef on a bun thusly: "Burgers are the most democratic of foods. The best burger in any one city might be in the dankest of dive bars, or in the fanciest of restaurants. Finding the ones that matter takes you all through a city (and outside it) and helps you understand a city's geography, its class structure, its views on race."

Chicago didn't take the top spot — that honor went to Stanich's in Portland, Oregon, for its "Nick's" cheeseburger with grilled onions. But these four Chicago creations aren't likely to disappoint burger lovers:

No. 7: The Mott Burger, Mott Street, 1401 N. Ashland: Alexander declared this culinary creation the best burger in Chicago, saying the first bite is like "having all of the alarms in your head go off simultaneously." The eatery, home of "Feel-Good-Food-n-Drinks," took to Twitter to celebrate:

No. 11: The single cheeseburger at Au Cheval, 800 W Randolph St.: The West Loop eatery didn't make the top 10, but even so, Alexander writes, "The experience of eating an Au Cheval burger for the first time is hard to put into words, but it's essentially a burger baptism — biting into that perfectly charred meat, simply adorned with chopped red onion, mayo, cracked pepper, pickle, and cheese changes you, possibly even in God's eyes."

No. 63: The Slagel Farms beef burger at Owen & Engine, 2700 N. Western Ave.: "A very good Chicago burger." 'Nuff said. The burger is all about keeping it simple:

No. 88: The double cheeseburger at Johnny's Grill, 2545 N. Kedzie: The low-key Logan Square restaurant offers a "typical diner-style burger with enough butter to satisfy even the most dairy-centric of Wisconsin expats."

Photo by Pedro Fernandes via Flickr Commons