Billy Goat & His Burgers

Let’s talk about a Chicago institution that has gradually become a ~problem~ for me and mine. Marco and I knew about Billy Goat Tavern, as most Chicagoans and locals do, and visited the Ogden location once or twice, but things changed when we finally visited the original (or at least, oldest operating) location on lower Michigan Avenue. 

Signage for Billy Goat Tavern on Michigan Avenue

To start, the cashier successfully upsold both of us with double patties on our burgers. I never order a double simply because it ends up being too much food, but this guy successfully convinced me and almost convinced Marco to go for a triple. When I naively ordered fries with my burger, I was met with an enthusiastic and loud, if not embarrassing, “No fries! Chips!” I was confused because I would’ve sworn that I ate fries with my previous Billy Goat burger at the alternate location, so I was pretty disappointed (and again, a little embarrassed). I am definitely a French fry girlie and having a burger without fries seemed, dare I say, un-American. But what’s a good, compliant customer to do?

We grabbed our chips and sodas and a table in the back room. As we waited, we admired the many, MANY, photos on the walls. One that stood out to me featured a young Will Ferrell enjoying a meal surrounded by people I could only assume made up his posse. Once our burgers were ready, they were placed on the counter on parchment paper and we proceeded to load them with all the good stuff, pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, and mayo, and returned to our seats.

I am not a believer of the popular phrase, “My phone eats first.” I eat first.

With burgers dressed, we dug in and since then life hasn’t quite been the same. After that visit, I would have told you that the food was good, but I wasn’t raving and thinking about it again until we somewhat haphazardly paid another visit. With each Billy Goat burger, I came to appreciate the food and its simplicity more and more. We returned with my dad during one of his trips to the city which gave us a chance to enjoy drinks at the bar. More recently, Marco and I have been wandering in regularly. Just last week we may or may not have set a new personal record at three visits within seven days.

While I did convince Marco to go to the Navy Pier location one night in search of Billy Goat fries with my Billy Goat burger, we concluded that while the Navy Pier location does, in fact, offer fries, the burgers don’t quite stack up to the Michigan Avenue location’s. I’ve ceded my impulse for fries with a burger to fully embrace the perfection and experience of an original location, true-to-the-brand meal.

Given our recent pattern, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marco and I set out on a quest to determine the best Billy Goat location and if we do, I’ll be sure to share our findings. Until then, I'll be resisting the pull of the lower Michigan Avenue tavern on a daily basis on my walks home from work.