Leadbelly

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

I've been on a little bit of a burger kick of late, find myself craving one near daily. So when I went into Leadbelly for lunch the other day I realized that I never posted about them over here and that wasn't planned. I really enjoyed my first visit and had they been a little bit closer to where I live I'd of been back a long time ago. So without further ado, Leadbelly is up.

Popular Burger Bar in Portage Park

Leadbelly burst onto the burger scene close to two year ago. In the small time-frame they've been open a second location on Milwaukee in Gladstone Park has also opened. I call this place the Anti-Kuma's because while it may be the same style, the music and service/hype is not. Leadbelly pays homage to the legendary blues and folk musician Huddie William "Lead Belly" Ledbetter. They have TV's with old rock playing, no crazy metal and service comes with a smile. Because of their small space and sudden popularity you might end up waiting for a place to eat but never is it out the door like Kuma's can become. On top of all this, the burgers here are better.

a peak inside 

Before we get to the patties I should also point out that they have quite an impressive selection of beer that's served here. Also impressive is their ketchup and mustard condiments section. Leadbelly makes a "gourmet" type burger. Beef is ground fresh and in it goes some smoked pork belly. I'm usually not a fan of places mixing beef and pork together in a burger blend but theirs works. I'm more of a simpleton when it comes to my burgers, I prefer the griddled variety but now and then find myself with the taste for a large hunk of beef and Leadbelly is one of my go-to spots for this style. While they do have some crazy concoctions as far as toppings go, I prefer the namesake burger made with lettuce, tomato, red onion, homemade spicy sriracha pickles and your choice of american, cheddar, jalepeno jack, swiss, goat or bleu cheese.

Leadbelly Burger with perfectly cooked Fresh Cut Fries 

I love this one for it's simplicity. As you can see this is the same style of backyard burger many of us grew up on. But they take it to another level with both the wonderful blend of house ground meat and also a top notch bakery bun. While they don't ask how you want your burger cooked I found my medium made patty to be perfectly juicy. Leadbelly, I'm a fan.

The insides

Leadbelly
5691 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 775-6650
Website