Evanston Burger Shop Named Among Top In Nation

EVANSTON, IL — An Evanston hamburger was named to a list of the nation's best. The griddled burger at Edzo's Burger Shop, 1571 Sherman Ave., was ranked as No. 34 on the Daily Meal's list of the country's 101 burgers, which was again topped by a Chicago restaurant. The food website has previously recognized the burgers, french fries and milkshakes at Edzo's as among the best in the United States.

The Daily Meal started with a list of about 300 burgers from around the country and asked a panel of food writers and culinary professionals to vote for their favorites. According to the butcher behind some of the top burgers in the nation, Pat LaFrieda, there are essentially three main styles of burgers: the smash burger, the juicy thick-patty option and the "aged steak" fine-dining style.

Eddie Lakin opened up Edzo's on Sherman Avenue in 2009 at the former location of Pita Pete's after finding himself unemployed with 15 years of experience as a line cook in high-end kitchens. Since then, his restaurant has been widely acclaimed and named the best burger in Chicago by Zagat. In an interview with Patch after opening, Lakin said he remained focused on quality ingredients.

"I'm more about making the perfect simple burger, rather than piling all sorts of stuff on top of the burger to make it good," he said. "We're not using anything exceptionally special. We get the upgraded beefs from local farmers, the rest of it is just using fresh ingredients instead of stuff that is preprocessed."

All of Edzo's burgers are made from hand-cut, "choice chuck" and ground every morning at the restaurant every morning, the Daily Meal noted. Burgers can be ordered smashed flat on the griddle or over an open flame.

"We suggest ordering the former — it's thin and crispy, served with up to three patties on a bun, topped with the classics as well as interesting options like garlic butter, fried eggs, and giardiniera," it said.

The Daily Meal also ranked Edzo's No. 28 of the 101 best burgers in the country in 2015, No. 29 of the nation's 50 best french fries in 2014 and America's No. 3 best milkshake in 2013.

Two burger restaurants in Chicago also made the list ahead of Edzo's this year.

The overall top spot on this year's Daily Meal rankings was claimed by Au Cheval. Waits for the cheeseburgers from owner Brendan Sodikoff's West Loop eatery routinely extend for hours, as patient diners can almost always be spotted lingering around the entrances to the restaurant at the corner of Randolph and Halsted streets.

Kuma's Corner, the top pick in the Daily Meal's 2014 rankings, came in at No. 16 this year. The metal-themed gourmet burger joint has expanded from its original location on Belmont Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood to locations in the West Loop, Schaumburg, Vernon Hills and Indianapolis. Each burger on the menu is named after a heavy metal act, with large servings, loud music and strong flavors served standard.

The rest of the top 10 spots on the list went to spots in Atlanta, New York City, Miami, Santa Fe, Los Angeles and Charleston, South Carolina.

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Patch editor Amber Fisher contributed