Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Small Cheval- Lincoln Park

    3.9 (36 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 week ago

    Order Small Cheval- Lincoln Park Takeout or Delivery

    Small Cheval- Lincoln Park Photos

    Business Info

    SMALL CHEVAL- LINCOLN PARK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    More like Small Cheval- Lincoln Park

    Recommended Reviews - Small Cheval- Lincoln Park

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos - Small Cheval- Lincoln Park

    Interior
    Bob S.

    We stopped into the new Small Cheval on North Halsted for a late lunch around 2 p.m., and practically had the place to ourselves--a rare luxury in Chicago. The vibe here is spot on: painted menus on exposed brick, warm wood paneling, and that classic, no-nonsense burger joint feel with just enough style to remind you this is Cheval, not a chain. Since dinner was only a few hours away, I passed on their famous double and went with the Single Cheeseburger--a smart move. It gave me time to really taste the essentials: perfectly grilled beef, a buttered bun with just the right squish, and crisp, fresh toppings. Simplicity at its best. The fries, while well-seasoned, felt like they spent a little too long under the heat lamp--lost some crunch. I kept wishing I'd gone for a milkshake, because something tells me they'd knock that out of the park. My wife tried the Strawberry Dip Cone and gave it a full thumbs up--nostalgic, sweet, and worth the extra napkin. Final Take: This location has all the charm you want from Small Cheval. When you just want a great burger in a place that feels like a burger joint, it delivers. Next time, I'm completing the trifecta: burger, fries and shake.

    Pam C.

    Great stop for a burger and great addition to the Halstead/Armitage Lincoln Park food scene. There isn't much to be said that hasn't already been said on Small Cheval. Service here is friendly and prompt. I have never seen a wait here even on beautiful weather. The interior is clean and spacious and there's always plenty of seating. They offer lettuce wrapped burgers that come snugly wrapped. The ice cream options are fun and great for a hot day.

    Rainbow Birthday Cake Concrete Mixer
    Mary K.

    TL; DR: Great ice cream selection; Get the concrete mixer Don't want to wait in long lines for ice cream? Small Cheval will be your best friend! Both the Oreo and Rainbow Birthday Cake concrete mixers are delicious and filled with lots of goodies. I can't wait to go back and try different concrete mixer flavors and types of ice cream!

    Lettuce bun burger

    The lettuce bun burger was great. Very cute interior, there's even a tree inside. Fries are great

    Double Cheeseburger and Fries
    Sabrina S.

    Perhaps a hot take but Small Cheval is much preferred to Au Cheval in my opinion! Especially if you're looking for a quick bite! Don't get me wrong, I love Au Cheval, but sometimes the wait can be quite long or I'm looking for something more casual, which brings me to a Small Cheval! I love this location in Lincoln Park, the ambiance is so cute, there's a lot of tables and a lot of people just split the tables in the middle when it gets too crowded. It's fun, family-friendly, and casual! The burger here is incredible, easily the best in the city and the one I crave the most. It doesn't traditionally come with lettuce and tomato but you can ask for it if you want it! I usually get a double cheeseburger and their sauce is actually out of this world. They also have a garlic aioli that goes great with the burger and the fries. I've tried a couple of their milkshakes here and there and they never disappoint! The staff is very friendly and efficient! Would certainly recommend anyone who is coming through Chicago to give this spot a try!

    Single delux
    Nathan W.

    Small cheval is the Chicago standard for a simple but perfect burger. With locations all over Chicago, I visited the Lincoln park location. While the food is similar across locations, this location stands out because of the interior. There is lots of seating inside and it's a casual spot to dine in. Place your order at the counter and you will get a buzzer that notifies when the food is ready. Don't forget to get a side of the fry sauce, it's life changing. Must go spot if you're craving a tasty burger for a reasonable price.

    Annette D.

    As expected, Small Cheval focuses on what the Cheval eateries do best -- great burgers and fries. Throw in a boozy milkshake or ice cream treat and you have a perfect meal. Great ambiance. This place feels like you're outdoors (think upscale picnic vibe), complete with a tree in the middle of the restaurant. I wish they had table service, but great food and reasonable price point equals a good experience.

    Milkshake
    Jocelyn G.

    A very solid burger spot. Not the most amazing burger, but still very good. It's definitely not the same as Au Chevalier, but if you want a burger without the wait, I would recommend small cheval. Each patty is 3oz, so the double cheeseburger was very filling. My burger was definitely on the saltier side. I would also pass on the fries, they were not very crispy. I also got a milkshake (half strawberry, half chocolate). The milkshake had good flavor (had real strawberries in it), but I think because I mixed two flavors, my milkshake was on the thinner side and very runny.

    Deluxe smash burger with bacon
    Rebecca A.

    We went on a Sunday at opening, it was quiet and perfect for a big group with kids. Simple menu, but well crafted. An indoor picnic with boozy shake options. The staff were very friendly.

    Cheeseburger
    Karen G.

    If you're around Lincoln Park, this spot is a solid pick for a burger and an excellent root beer float or milkshake. The burgers were decent--nothing mind-blowing (I'd take In-N-Out over this, to be honest), but still satisfying. Maybe my expectations were just high. That said, I'd come back just for the root beer float--super creamy with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the cookies & cream shake was next-level. Fries were kind of meh, not super seasoned. So if you're craving dessert more than a full meal, this place definitely delivers.

    See all

    Photo of Luis F.
    140
    229
    345

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Steve H.
    120
    199
    10968

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    23 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Pam C.
    925
    906
    2617

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Karen G.
    3
    36
    137

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of S O.
    6
    140
    0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Cute location. Chicken tenders were amazing! Nobody missed the gluten! Love that their fryers are all gluten free. Staff were friendly.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Very nice new space for this Chicago staple burger chain. They have chicken as an option here too which is nice. Solid place.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of M G.
    31
    347
    405

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Casey W.
    5
    286
    228

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Great staff, great food, great experience. Very helpful and accommodating. Oh, the burgers are some of the best ever.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    The food was delicious. Service was quick, and friendly! Restaurant was clean, with good vibes.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz A.
    0
    41
    18

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    The only reason is four stars is the bun was a little stale. Otherwise, the best cheeseburger in the universe..

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Takes about 5 times longer than the other locations. Food was fine but do not expect it quick here

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of C B.
    0
    133
    0

    1 year ago

    great all around burger experience, concrete was good as well, would definitely go back

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Small Cheval- Lincoln Park

    You might also consider

    Au Cheval

    Au Cheval

    4.4
    (9.5k reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    Arrived just as they opened at 10AM on a Friday and were the first customers in the door, but by…read morethe time we left at 11:30 there was a good sized line. Vibes inside are excellent and drinks are (very) boozy with a variety of booths, tables, and bar seating available. Burger with Egg and Bacon (4.25/5): Look, this is a great burger. Bacon is melt in your mouth and the egg adds a bit of creamy richness on top of the fatty, salty beef and cheese combo. The bread bun is pillowy, but I wouldn't wait in a line for hours for this. Bone Marrow (10/5): Now I would wait in line for hours for this bone marrow dish that absolutely changed my life. This comes with 4 HUGE pieces of bone marrow that you spread over fluffy, perfectly toasted Texas toast and pair with a beef cheek marmalade that exactly rides the line between sweet and savory. If you come here without ordering this, you're missing out big time. Green Salad (4/5): Nice, fresh and I needed some fiber. Nothing mind blowing, but a good change of pace. Crispy Fries (4/5): Very lightly crispy fries (reminiscent of light well for the west coasters), but the sauces are where this shines. Garlic aioli and mornay sauce (think white gravy) were rich, thick, and excellent! Key Lime Pie (4.25/5): Whipped cream on this INCREDIBLE, wish you could just order a bowl of that. I think they serve it slightly warmer than fridge temp (cool not cold) and it just melts on the tongue with really strong vanilla flavor. Pie itself is also good; nice strong tartness with the buttery and salty crust. Mille-Feuille (4.5/5): Chocolate sauce has a nice depth of flavor with the shattering crisp of the pastry. Pastry cream was a lot thicker than I expected, but super rich and delicious. Definitely a dessert to share.

    The greeter was not very welcoming, and the experience got off to a rough start. I didn't realize…read morethey now take reservations. We put our name in and were told the wait would be about an hour. When I checked back after an hour, the greeter couldn't tell me how much longer it would be, only that they were trying to squeeze us in between reservations. Had we known that from the beginning, we would have chosen to eat somewhere else. When we were finally seated, we were placed outside at a table that was noticeably slanted. Even our waitress apologized for the uneven table. To make matters worse, the table was in direct sunlight, making it an uncomfortable dining experience.

    Photos
    The cooks were very attentive!
    The cooks were very attentive!
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

    See all

    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

    Small Cheval- Lincoln Park - burgers - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...