Big & Little's

I'm pleased to nominate Big & Little's as a Great Neighborhood Restaurant.

Big & Little's is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. The LDC and I have had so many great meals there it's impossible to keep count. We've never been let down. Even when one of the items we ordered wasn't stellar, it was still very good, and for the price, a steal. What separates Big & Little's from the multitudes of corner burger stands out there serving bland, boilerplate burgers and soggy foodservice fries is one thing: they care. Heck, when I found out that they come in early to crack snow crab legs, I was blown away.

It's that level of commitment that comes through in the food. The small, focused menu ensures that everything remains at a consistent quality. They make probably my favorite version of fish and chips: hand-breaded to order, moist cod atop a bed of fries that get better every time I go. But there are so many other delicious options, like the fish tacos, fried egg burger, the luscious foie gras & fries or any of their rotating specials, like the soft-shell crab sandwich. Even their portobello burger, commonly a throwaway item, is incredible: rich marinade, char-grilled mushroom, toasted bun. I have a hard time choosing meat over it whenever I go.

In 2010, Big & Little's truly captured the imagination of the board, in a way I've never seen before. Maybe that's because its value:price ratio is one of the highest out there. Here are a few quotes from a large pool of happy customers:

Jonah: "What we had was, in my view, a perfectly balanced taco. A luscious hunk of perfectly grilled fish, the right dose of a mildly spicy sauce with some citrus (I think lime), a small pile of cabbage for crunch, wrapped in two warmed corn tortillas."

gleam: "the cheeseburger + truffle fries, for $8, is an incredibly satisfying lunch"

jimswside: "Took over the my "best burger ive had all year" title...flavorful meat, perfectly seasoned"

G Wiv: "...fish and chips remain among the best in Chicago, lightly battered cod, moist and meaty"

Main Thread

When I noticed that Kababish, the Pakistani cabbie joint previously at this location, had closed and been replaced with B&L's, I was pretty sad: I had only been there once but really enjoyed the stews and biryani. After my first visit to Big & Little's, I knew the torch had been passed to deserving people. I hope they continue to serve great food at stunning prices. I know where I'll be going for my first warm-weather meal.

Big & Little's
939 N. Orleans St.
Chicago, IL 60610
312-943-0000

This place is really awesome. While they may have moved digs since the nomination, if anything the bigger location has just allowed more people to get at the food. They serve the kind of food I would cook for myself if I was as good of chefs as the personable guys who run the place.

In recent memory, I lead a confused group of north suburban college students from a meet up in the loop all the way here, on foot, in the winter (not uphill both ways) and everyone felt the trek was easily worth it. Yes, the prices may be high, but for fois and fries, or a gyro burger, I'm willing to pay the premium. Big fan of this renewal.

We still adore this place. It just gets hard to keep coming back and saying the food is still spectacular, the staff are fine folks, and this place, is a GNR I always suggest to both folks in town or out of town.