Small Cheval

Is Small Cheval worth it for a special occasion in Chicago?

Yes — but calibrate your expectations correctly. Small Cheval is a counter-service burger spot on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park, not a white-tablecloth destination. What it delivers is a tightly focused sandwich experience that has earned genuine critical recognition: ranked #57 on Opinionated About Dining If your special occasion is a casual birthday lunch or a low-key date where the food does the talking, book it. If you need a full-service dining room, look elsewhere.

What Small Cheval does well

Chef Brendon Sodikoff built Small Cheval as a streamlined, single-minded operation: the menu is short, the format is casual, the execution is consistent enough to have kept it on OAD's Cheap Eats list for three consecutive years. That kind of sustained critical recognition in the Cheap Eats category is rare, it signals something more than novelty — it means the kitchen is producing at a level that holds up under repeat scrutiny. For a burger-centric meal in Chicago, this is one of the clearest yes-book decisions in the city's casual dining tier. For context on how the city's broader food scene stacks up, see our full Chicago restaurants guide.

The OAD Cheap Eats ranking puts Small Cheval in the same conversation as destination-worthy casual spots across North America. For comparison, Pane Bianco in Phoenix and Alidoro in New York City occupy similar positions in their respective cities, tightly edited, high-execution sandwich and bread-focused operations that punch well above their price tier. Small Cheval belongs in that cohort.

Practical details

Small Cheval is open seven days a week, 11 am to 10 pm, the same hours Monday through Sunday, which makes planning direct. No booking difficulty here: this is a walk-in friendly operation. Lunch is generally the quieter window; if you want to eat without a crowd, aim for an early weekday slot. Evenings and weekends draw more traffic given the Wicker Park location. The address is 1732 N Milwaukee Ave, easily reachable by CTA Blue Line (Damen stop). Pricing data is not available in the current record, but OAD's Cheap Eats designation means you should expect a very accessible price point, this is not a splurge venue. For hotel options nearby, see our Chicago hotels guide; for bars to pair with a visit, our Chicago bars guide covers the neighbourhood well.

How Small Cheval fits into Chicago's broader dining picture

If you are already planning a Chicago food trip that includes a reservation at Alinea, Smyth, or Kasama, Small Cheval is a natural counterpoint, the casual lunch before or after a serious dinner. It also pairs logically with a visit to Publican Quality Meats if you are working through Chicago's leading meat-focused casual spots. For a city that has Oriole at one end of the spectrum and Small Cheval at the other, the range is worth using deliberately.

Outside Chicago, the closest analogs in the Cheap Eats tier at this level of recognition are concentrated in cities like New York and San Francisco. If you travel frequently and want a benchmark, the Cheap Eats category at OAD operates independently from the main list that elevates venues like Le Bernardin, Lazy Bear, or The French Laundry, but it applies the same critical rigour. Small Cheval holding a consistent position on that list across 2023, 2024, 2025 is a meaningful signal.

The bottom line

Small Cheval is a direct booking decision for casual dining in Chicago. Book it for a low-key date, a casual group lunch, or a post-flight meal when you want something that delivers on its promise without overcomplicating things. For a full picture of what else to do in the city, our Chicago experiences guide and Chicago wineries guide are worth a look.