A most unexpected burger

always keep your eyes peeled

Hello, friends!

Hope you all had a fun and restorative weekend.

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We’re heading to a curious find that I’ve been seeing mentioned on Instagram a bit lately. If I recall correctly, the first time I’d heard of this burger was thanks to @chicagoburgerbible (Sam Esposito), who recently appeared on the NBC Chicago show Chicago Today to talk about her recent favorite burger picks around the city. It landed on her top three recent favorites.

Another user I’ve seen post about it is someone named @yuckingitup (who I do not follow), whose video was fed to me by Instagram’s opaque algorithm. He too spoke highly about this burger, but what I found most interesting about it is where it comes from.

That’s because it’s not from a restaurant, a pop-up, a food truck, or even a little underground stand: It’s served from a neighborhood corner store.

That’s how Davida and I found ourselves at South Loop Market in Logan Square, on California, between Fullerton and Milwaukee.

South Loop Market is one of those shops that’s a hybrid between a convenience store and grocery store, where you can pick up alcohol, packaged goods, produce staples, and prepared foods.

If you’re wondering about why there’s a store named after a different Chicago neighborhood in yet another Chicago neighborhood, that’s because the chain was founded in the South Loop. There are six locations currently spread throughout the city.

It’s locally founded and owned, too. One of the owners, Anas Masoud (he goes by “Nas”), happened to be on site, and I managed to chat with him a little bit. He said offhand that Logan Square residents had mentioned disdain at the store’s name, saying it was “disrespectful” to the neighborhood. I could see from the expression on Nas’ face that this pained him a little.

Frankly, this pains me a little too, because that slapping sound you hear is my palm hitting my face. It’s just the name of the store, everyone. The collective South Loop is not trying to annex Logan Square, nor are they trying to insult everyone there in some weird sideways manner.

Nas explained to me that each South Loop Market has a quick-service deli counter that has the same menu of sandwiches at each, serving Boar’s Head products. But what sets the Logan Square kitchen apart is that it has enough space to accommodate more equipment, meaning the kitchen can operate equipment like a fryer and a griddle.

I thought it made sense to try some of the basic sandwiches on our visit, even though I had a rough expectation of what they’d probably be like. After all, Boar’s Head stuff is consistent, reliably solid sandwich material that’s decent for a quick bite.

When we stepped out on the patio, which has a few benches, tables, and chairs (no umbrellas for shade, though), Davida and I ran into our friend Mike Satinover from Akahoshi Ramen, which just so happens to be next door. He was taking a break from daytime prep, so we invited him to have lunch with us. Mike told us he hadn’t had a chance to have the food from South Loop Market yet, so I’m glad we were able to share the experience with him.

We started with the Jimmy’s Special ($10.49), which is a roast beef sandwich with horseradish cheddar, Pepperhouse Gourmaise, and lettuce and tomato (toppings are customizable). The words Pepperhouse Gourmaise probably sound like gibberish to you, but it’s just a name for one of Boar’s Head’s special sauces; it’s mayo-based with a little mustard and a variety of peppercorns in it.

Yup, it’s pretty much a standard roast beef and horseradish cheese sandwich, nothing you haven’t seen before, but before you dismiss the idea, it sure beats the shit out of the Subway location down the street.

The Hiba’s Panini on Fire ($9.99) is a little more lively, with beef pastrami, buffalo chicken, muenster cheese, spicy mayo, lettuce, and tomato.

This one takes a trip through the panini press, so the bread gets all flat and crisp, plus it’s densely packed with filling. We were all fans, and again, nothing new, just one of those convenient types of sandwiches you can get if you’re in a hurry.

I saw a few employees of nearby businesses stopping by at the deli counter for their lunches while we were waiting for ours—perfect office break food.

Out of the three sandwiches, my favorite is the Sam’s Italian Sub ($9.99), which has hard salami, mortadella, low sodium ham, pepperoni, veggies, provolone, and Italian dressing, all on a soft sub roll.

You know, I’m generally not an Italian sub person, mainly because eating a shitload of processed meat all in one go always seems like something I should avoid. That’s just a Dennis-specific hang-up thanks to my need for blood pressure medication, eat what you want! But I can’t deny the fact that there’s a ton of immediate joy eating that combination of salty meat, rich cheese, and oily dressing all at once.

The ratios here are good, too. It’s not an unhinge-your-jaw experience, nor is the meat so thick that shreds get permanently trapped between your teeth. If I’m around and I need a sandwich in a hurry, this’ll be the one I get.

Also, $10 is a fair price; I’ve seen other delis sell similar sandwiches for $12 and up. But by virtue of the fact that South Loop Market isn’t a standalone sandwich shop, I imagine they’re able to keep the prices reasonable.

And speaking of reasonable prices, it’s finally time to tackle that mysterious burger I mentioned up top.

It’s called the Logan Square Smash Burger ($8.99 for a single, $10.99 for a double), and every order comes with seasoned fries. Yep, it’s another smashburger, the style of which has been having a sustained moment across the country for a few years now. It comes dressed with onions grilled into the patty (like Oklahoma style), American cheese, aioli, ketchup, mustard, and pickles, all on a sesame seed brioche bun. If you’d like to see how Nas crafts it, he promotes the burger frequently on his personal Instagram account.

The patties do get quite the burnished color on them, though they don’t quite reach The Region’s level of smashiness, nor do they become particularly crisp, but that’s fine by me. I’m more concerned about whether or not it’s a good burger overall, and I am here to happily report that yes, this thing falls squarely in the good burger category.

Is it going to blow your mind? Probably not. Is it going to shoot straight to the top of everyone’s best-of lists? I can’t imagine it would dethrone most people’s personal number ones—but, I can say with some confidence that it would definitely crack some top 10 lists.

I do appreciate that the burger also doesn’t really aim to be anything over the top. Well-executed patties with onions cooked right in, cheese, a few standard condiments, done. No fucking around.

Plus, again with the pricing, $10.99 for a double and fries is excellent, especially in Logan Square. On top of that, there’s also the added convenience of being able to get it from the neighborhood corner store. Might as well pick up a bottle of wine or some pantry shit you were planning on getting anyway.

Aside from the catch that the Logan Square location of the market is the only place you can get it, there are limited hours in which you can order the burger. You can only get it between 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The thought of getting a double cheeseburger first thing in the morning is really funny to me, but hey, at least the option’s open.

Overall, I would certainly encourage you to visit for the burger, just know that it’s not really a dine-in thing. It’s more of a convenient option if you live nearby, you can shop for other things while you wait, and I think that’s one of those wonderful perks that comes with living in a cool city. It’s nice to appreciate them when you notice them.

South Loop Market (Logan Square location)
2340 N California Ave, Suite A
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 687-9415

Deli hours: 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily; only exception is it opens on 8 a.m. on Sundays

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