Paleo Porn

Steamy Paleo Recipes

  • 
  • Start Here
    • New Here?
    • The History of Paleo Porn
    • Join the Paleo Porn Family
    • Meet Marla
    • Is It Paleo?
      • Is Quinoa Paleo?
      • Are Chia Seeds Paleo?
      • Are Pickles Paleo?
      • Is Sunflower Oil Paleo?
      • Is Cocoa Powder Paleo?
      • All Is It Paleo? Answers
    • Paleo-Friendly Restaurants
      • 100% Paleo
        • Picnik Austin (Austin, TX)
        • mmm…COFFEE! (Denver, CO)
      • Austin, TX
      • Chicago, IL
      • Denver, CO
      • Miami, FL
      • Nashville, TN
      • New York, NY
      • San Francisco, CA
    • Resources
    • Paleo Personal Care
    • How to Start a Food Blog
  • Recipes
    • Popular
      • Granola Bars
      • Baked Cauliflower Casserole
      • Cauliflower Garlic Mash
      • Pork Chops and Apples
      • Breakfast Casserole
      • Meatza
      • Bison Bacon Meatloaf
      • Ground Beef Stir Fry
      • Paleo Tortillas
    • All Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
  • Starr Fitness
  • Shop
    • Pigskin Paleo: Game Day Recipes
    • Paleo Porn T-Shirts
  • Coaching
  • 
Featured by As seen on

Paleo Porn

  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Starr Fitness
  • Our Cookbook
  • Resources
  • How to Start a Food Blog
  • Is It Paleo?
  • Paleo Restaurants
  • Cooking Coaching: Learn how to cook with real food

Paleo Friendly Restaurant: Au Cheval (Chicago)

Looking for the best burger you'll ever have in your entire life? Look no further than the Paleo friendly restaurant, Au Cheval, in Chicago. by Marla Starr, updated December 22, 2014 Posted on July 29, 2014

Jeff Sarris at Au Cheval
Marla Starr
Marla Starr is the founder of Paleo Porn, co-author of Pigskin Paleo and Owner of Starr Fitness. Marla is a Certified Personal Trainer, 200HR Certified Yoga Instructor, a Certified Barre & SUP/SUP Yoga Instructor offering Personal Training & Small Group Fitness classes both in person and virtually. In addition to all of the above she is also the Executive Producer of Minimalism. Please enjoy all the recipes in the Paleo Porn recipe archives!

A couple years ago we went to Au Cheval with our friend Tom and burgers have never been the same! Every burger has been compared to Au Cheval ever since. If we were to have a burger rating scale, which we kind of do, the burger from Au Cheval is our 5 out of 5.

Saying their burgers are fantastic is an understatement. Even though they don’t use grassfed beef, you simply have to try them for yourself to find out how amazing they are.

Au Cheval

800 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Restaurant Rating
Price $$$$
Paleo Rating
Paleo Restaurant Rating Scale

Restaurant Rating: How good is it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best we've ever had), how good is the restaurant, no matter if it's paleo or not.

Paleo Rating: On a scale of 1-5 (5 being paleo perfection), how paleo is it? A 5 star restaurant will have grass-fed and pasture raised meats, local, organic produce and no peanut oil in sight.

We talked up the Au Cheval burger so much to our friends, they questioned whether it would really live up to the reputation…and honestly, we started to question whether they were actually as good as we remembered. So, there was nothing else to do than choose a date and head back to Au Cheval for a burger night!

Au Cheval Chicago

Jeff & I planned to go with Lynette, her fiancé Manuel, Lynette’s cousin and her friend Konrad. We planned to meet up on a Friday night and the only unfortunate thing about going to Au Cheval is that they don’t take reservations so with our Friday night burger event, we were expecting to wait upwards of 2 hours for a table for 6.

Au Cheval ChicagoAu Cheval ChicagoAu Cheval Chicago

A Little SUP While We Wait

Since we knew the wait time would be long, Jeff & I decided to spend the day in the city. To bypass traffic and all that jazz. We drove in early so I could attend a stand up paddle board event on the lake. I was able to spend a couple hours boarding with professional stand up paddle boarder Chuck Patterson, learning about SUP competitions and we even got to see a cat SUP! When I was done, I got cleaned up and we made our way to restaurant row (aka Randolph Street).

Two Paleo Restaurants in One Day

Jeff & I drove over, found street parking near Au Cheval, put our names in with the maitre’d with about a 3 hour lead time before our entire party was due to arrive and then we walked a few blocks down the street to La Colombe Coffee. We enjoyed a couple cortados and a cold brew coffee as we sat to wait for the text that would say when our table was ready.

Once we got the text from Au Cheval, Jeff & I walked back to meet up with the rest of our party and waited outside, playing with the camera. :)

This is where the story of the greatest burger you’ve probably never had begins.

Au Cheval Chicago

When you make plans to go to Au Cheval, be sure your entire party arrives at the same time otherwise you’ll have to wait until the last person arrives before you’re seated. Lucky for us, the day we went was a beautiful summer day. We enjoyed the weather as we stood outside, but in the winter the wait could be unbearable. There isn’t a ton of standing room inside to wait around so you’ll want to plan ahead.

Au Cheval Chicago

The Menu

The thing about the menu is that it’s not very vegetable heavy. As in, even the waitress said you’ll be hard pressed to find a main dish or side that has a veggie focus. Fair warning, you may want to eat a salad before you leave home because Au Cheval is all about the meat.

Au Cheval Chicago

But it’s totally fine because let me just say, you’re not there for anything but a burger! And they’re quite filling too so don’t go loading up on appetizers before the crown jewel arrives on the table.

Au Cheval Chicago

The Order

We order a bunless double burger (or cheeseburger, if you’re down with dairy) and add bacon and a fried egg.

Did I mention Lynette doesn’t eat pork? Well she didn’t before this. ;)

The bacon is not your typical thin slice. On the menu it’s labeled thick cut pepper bacon but I’m pretty sure it’s a full slice of pork belly! (You can see the thickness in the photo below.) :)

Au Cheval Chicago

If you want to try something on the side, we enjoyed the fries (which are cooked in pork fat) and also the hash browns (as seen below).

Au Cheval Chicago

There are also some really great appetizer options but like I said, be sure to save room because the burgers are super filling and really all you need.

Au Cheval Chicago

Lynette’s cousin ordered the griddled bratwurst with smashed potatoes & roast garlic gravy and immediately upon it’s arrival I asked “Can I take a picture of your sausage?”. ;)

Give Au Cheval in Chicago a Try

There are a lot of delicious options available on the Au Cheval menu but we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you try their burgers. Even though they aren’t made using grassfed beef, the Au Cheval burger is still our favorite burger…hands down! :)

In terms of burgers, Au Cheval has THE BEST we’ve ever had. So the restaurant gets a 5 out of 5. In terms of it’s Paleo friendliness, it is light on the vegetables and they don’t use grassfed beef so we give it a 3 out of 5.

Are you interested in more Paleo friendly restaurants? Have a recommendation of someplace we should check out? Let us know!

Au Cheval Chicago

Au Cheval

800 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Restaurant Rating
Price $$$$
Paleo Rating
Paleo Restaurant Rating Scale

Restaurant Rating: How good is it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best we've ever had), how good is the restaurant, no matter if it's paleo or not.

Paleo Rating: On a scale of 1-5 (5 being paleo perfection), how paleo is it? A 5 star restaurant will have grass-fed and pasture raised meats, local, organic produce and no peanut oil in sight.

Our Supportive Family


Bringing you three new paleo recipes each week is no small investment of time and money, but we love it. If you also love Paleo Porn please consider a recurring monthly donation. For less than a single origin pour over you can help us continue to keep Paleo Porn 100% free.

Monthly Donation

$3 / month
$7 / month

Start Now

One-Time Donation

You can also become a one-time supporter with a single donation:

Give Now

About the Author Marla Starr

Marla Starr is the founder of Paleo Porn, co-author of Pigskin Paleo and Owner of Starr Fitness. Marla is a Certified Personal Trainer, 200HR Certified Yoga Instructor, a Certified Barre & SUP/SUP Yoga Instructor offering Personal Training & Small Group Fitness classes both in person and virtually. In addition to all of the above she is also the Executive Producer of Minimalism. Please enjoy all the recipes in the Paleo Porn recipe archives!

Restaurantsyou may also like

Burger Up Nashville

Paleo Friendly Restaurant: Burger Up (Nashville)

When we're not cooking we seek out paleo friendly restaurants, usually burger joints. Today let's have a look at Burger Up in Nashville. by Jeff Sarris, updated December 22, 2014 Posted on February 4, 2014

Uncommon Ground Chicago

Paleo Friendly Restaurant: Uncommon Ground (Chicago)

Uncommon Ground is a Paleo friendly restaurant in Chicago with locally sourced ingredients and grass-fed beef on their menu. by Anthony Apostol, updated December 22, 2014 Posted on February 7, 2014

Paleo Friendly Restaurant: Grange Hall Burger Bar (Chicago)

Grange Hall Burger Bar is a Paleo friendly restaurant in Chicago that serves 100% grass-fed beef burgers and sources local cheese from Wisconsin. by Anthony Apostol, updated December 22, 2014 Posted on February 10, 2014

Roam Artisan Burgers San Francisco Paleo

Paleo Restaurant: Roam Artisan Burgers (San Francisco)

Roam Artisan Burgers is a delicious Paleo friendly restaurant in San Francisco. Pin this review for the next time you're in town. by Marla Starr, updated December 22, 2014 Posted on February 6, 2014

Paleo Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers Recipe

My Paleo bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers recipe has been featured on both NBC & CBS, plus it's always a hit at parties. by Marla Starr, updated October 8, 2014 Posted on May 21, 2012

Paleo Ham and Sweet Potato Soup

Paleo Ham and Sweet Potato Soup

Enjoy this Paleo soup by itself or pair it with a salad. It's delicious either way. by Marla Starr, updated February 2, 2015 Posted on May 12, 2014

Sweet Potato Salad

Bring this Paleo Sweet Potato Salad to your next BBQ or whip up a batch for a tasty summer side dish. by Marla Starr, updated November 8, 2016 Posted on February 1, 2013

Paleo Recipe Paleo Greek Salad Skewers

Bite-Size Paleo Greek Salad Skewers

I love the pool! I love Monday's! I love feta cheese! (Only one of those apply to this mini appetizer of Bite-Size Greek Salad Skewers.) by Marla Starr, updated February 3, 2015 Posted on January 22, 2013

Week of Zen
My Meditation Course

Week of Zen is a guided meditation course that can easily be implemented into your everyday life practice. No experience necessary.

Are you ready to feel calm, creative, connected, and conscious? Begin your Week of Zen today at https://weekofzen.com/

Our Documentary
Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things is NOW streaming on Netflix! You can watch Minimalism on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vimeo & DVD. Details Here
/PaleoPorn 20K+
@PaleoPorn 4K+
@PaleoPorn 1K+
/PaleoPornTV
Paleo MX: Authentic Mexican Recipes
Authentic Mexican Recipes!

Our next cookbook, Paleo MX: Authentic Mexican Recipes is coming this Summer!

Tell Me More!

Paleo Burger Bar

Gluten-free, grain-free American-style fast food and diner staples

Tell Me More!

Paleo Porn Family

Join over 18,000 in The Family!

Family Members have early access to everything Paleo Porn and get one weekly email. But never fear, spam's not paleo!

  • Start Here
  • Paleo Recipes
  • Paleo Food List
  • Starr Fitness
  • Our Cookbook
  • Paleo Restaurants
  • Resources
  • About
  • Disclosure
SPYR
Copyright © 2023 SPYR
Paleo Porn® is a registered trademark of SPYR Media, LLC
Paleo Porn is powered by Bluehost