March 26, 2009 Food & Drink | Restaurant Review

Best of Chicago 2009

Best Happy Hour Snacks

By Bianca Jarvis

The Reader's Choice: Big Chicks

Dollar burger specials can vary pretty widely—and usually they vary from greasy little sliders to institutional beef patties served dry on the bun. But on Mondays the Uptown gay bar Big Chicks, with its 50s-diner-meets-Mapplethorpe vibe, serves up juicy, delicious quarter-pound beef patties with lettuce, tomato, pickle spear, and a choice of either crispy battered fries or organic mixed greens; another buck gets you a premium topper like Brie, bacon, or avocado. Pair that with two-bucks-off beer pitchers and $4 Mandarin Crush cocktails (Absolut Mandarin and cranberry juice) and suddenly you can afford to go out on a Monday night. The only challenge is finding a spot to sit—the competition for tables gets fierce, so hunker down on a bench at the back and pray the waiter can find you. 5024 N. Sheridan, 773-728-5511, bigchicks.com. —Bianca Jarvis

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&Our readers' choiceCasey Moran's

3660 N. Clark, 773-755-4444, caseymorans.com.

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