The first time I ever went to Big & Little's I had the burger - but I haven't had one since. Was the burger bad? Heck no, it was terrific - it's just that the rest of the food is THAT good! Terrific, fresh, food at killer prices prepared by genuinely nice and friendly people - what's not to like? I fully support B&L as a GNR.

I did not like my tilapia fish taco on a recent visit to B & L - bland, unbalanced, and unbattered (which was my fault) - but the quality of the humble fish was undeniable. In addition, these guys could run a masterclass on french fries for everyone doing it wrong. Finally, I don't think there's a place in the city (other than That's-A-Burger) I would trust more for a rare, plain hamburger - charred edges, juicy interior, buttered bun, $5, they nail it, no cheese needed, and I type this with due respect to many other excellent artisanal-fast burgers out there I have enjoyed and posted about.

I'm happy for B&L for getting nominated for a GNR! They make a great lunch and some of the best fries in Chicago. Plus everyone there is really cool and nice. I've been back twice since my post and I haven't had the same thing twice. Fantastic!

We have a tradition at Groupon. Well at least for the development team... Every new addition to the team has to go to B&L at least once in their first week. And it is the responsibility of the project manager to make it happen!

I love my job!

I have had everything on the menu... EVERYTHING! The people are great, humble and friendly. Service is fast and accurate. The one downside? I am not looking forward to summer, because the line will stretch outside the door!

GNR for sure.

Today I took a 10.5 mile roundtrip walk to Big&Littles from North Center. Worth it. Even after the walk there, I wasn't able to finish the fish and chips. Nothing new to add, I just echo above sentiments that this is an exemplary version of the item, and an exemplary version of a quality casual joint. Though they were slammed with a giant group of Le Cordon Bleu students who must have come in right at open, they were startlingly efficient and receptive to special requests. Wish I lived closer.

I've only been a few times, but sometimes you just know. GNR.

This is a great nomination. Extremely friendly people putting out some pretty excellent food. Besides, nothing says GNR like eating your lunch on a picnic table in a gravel filled lot.

I'll add that these guys have a sweet relationship with the local neighborhood, from high school kids to club kids and cops. Nice to see. Big N in the GNR.

So happy to see this nominated (I was planning on doing it myself) and am thrilled to live walking distance from B&L!

Congrats on a great first year...and many more to follow.

In the interest of being fair and balanced, I tried to think of what I don't like about this place:

1. Their malt vinegar is rather tasteless.
2. The decision to use lemon -- rather than lime -- juice for the fish tacos is a mistake.
3. Uh... the wall-to-wall reggae is annoying?
4. [put something about parking here]
5. Um...

One of my favorite places to eat in all of Chicago.

cilantro wrote:In the interest of being fair and balanced, I tried to think of what I don't like about this place:

1. Their malt vinegar is rather tasteless.
2. The decision to use lemon -- rather than lime -- juice for the fish tacos is a mistake.
3. Uh... the wall-to-wall reggae is annoying?
4. [put something about parking here]
5. Um...

One of my favorite places to eat in all of Chicago.

Well, geez, ok, if *everyone* is struggling to come up with a single non-rave-review.. I'll do it

Its been a while since I went - a good 6+ months ago (and near 5ish on a Saturday evening or so I think)..I had the fish-n-chips. The fries didnt blow me away at all.. it was ok, fresh, potatoey, but nothing to write home about IMHO (Iam spoiled with good fries, often doing WASC and sometimes Top Notch over summer). The fish was good.. but again nothing special IMHO - Ive definitely had better at WI fish-fry-Fridays, but also at, IMHO, Ginger's Ale House and The Globe Pub (2 genuinely British pubs in the city). Unfortunately I didnt try the fish tacos, which seem to be the way to go.

The prices were reasonable - but once again, IMHO not amazing.. probably amazing *for the area*, but not amazing per-se (heck, on Fridays you can do an AYCE Fish Fry at Gingers, which can be quite outstanding, for about 9 bucks after all.. Ginger's normal Fish-n-chips is probably no more expensive than B&L's).

Of course, being great for the area is exactly what a G *Neighborhood* Restaurant is. And Iam not a regular at this place - may have been an off-day. But, based on that visit, it did not turn into a destination spot for me... I might drive a long way for some places.. for Cemita Puebla, for Uncle John's BBQ, for Katy's Chinese, for Johnnie's Pepper-n-egg-with-Sausage sandwich.. for those restaurants I might (and often do) drive from one end of Chicagoland to another. For B&L, I havent yet.

c8w

c8w, I definitely appreciate a different perspective, but I do think you might enjoy some of the other offerings here. Try the crab tostada or the mahi taco. (Just thought of another criticism: I wish they'd season the mahi-mahi with more than just salt and pepper. However, they do have a very good variety of hot sauces to customize your taco with... does that help make the sale?)

I've been to Ginger's a couple of times and it was fine. The fish was good. The problem was the rest of the stuff on the plate, which ranged from functional to inedible. You can't criticize B&L's fries and then bring up Ginger's, which serves deep-fried packing materials. To me, B&L's fish is better, the batter is more flavorful, and the portion is huge... but of course that's all rather subjective.

i think that when you upgrade to 'truffle fries' (fries w/ truffle salt?), it takes the fries to another level. add a side of merkt's cheddar for dipping and you have something really special imo

I stopped by Big and Little's for the first time last week. I really liked the place even if I didn't love everything I ate.

First the things I didn't like. The soft shelled crab was well fried and plenty big, but it was a little bland. The breading was fresh and crunchy, but the crab lacked flavor, probably more a function of the crab itself than any flaw in the preparation. Also I didn't think the foie gras fries worked. The fries were exactly as I like them, well done, crunchy, salty, but the foie gras (which was seared perfectly) drenched the fries in rich fat that didn't add much to the fries. I ended up putting malt vinegar to cut the fat on the fries and eating the foie gras separately. Still I consider these minor flaws because Big and Little's is committed to doing things right.

On the other end of the spectrum, I thought the crab tostada was awesome. Lots of fresh crab flavor with some citrus to make it more interesting. Also the mahi taco had a generous hunk of perfectly grilled fish atop crunchy shredded cabbage and a spritz of lime. With a dash of hot sauce this was a killer fish taco.

It's a good sign when a fast-food joint has a menu interesting enough that you can't wait to get back to try more. They're putting a lot of effort into doing things right. Breading and frying everything to order, using fresh fish, crispy well done fries. I'm excited to return.

c8w wrote:
Of course, being great for the area is exactly what a G *Neighborhood* Restaurant is.

c8w

Is this really true? To be a GNR something just needs to be great . . . "for the area"? So they are graded on some type of curve?

I had a similar experience to turkob with the soft shell crab po-boy - crisp but not too thick breading, not the least bit greasy, but unfortunately the crab was not good: little crab flavor and a little fishy.

While I didn't find the components of the fish sandwich and mahi mahi taco to be anything special, I found the quality and taste of the fried fish in both sandwiches to be fantastic, particularly in the fried fish sandwich . . . crisp, not greasy and a great tasting batter.

Fries were a mixed bag - I thought the regular french fries were just a tad greasy and limp. On the other hand, I thought the sweet potato fries were excellent.

Overall, certainly more hits than misses for me and if I'm in the mood for a fish sandwich, I know where I'll be headed. But I was really disappointed in the soft shell crab and would probably avoid it here, at least outside of ssc season.

Try a burger and report back. Try not to have soft shell crab out of season, even if the restaurant has it on offer. GNR? - Hell to the yes.

I simply do not go to Big & Little often enough, when I do I always swear I will be back soon, but even soon isn't often enough.

Big & Little, count me a fan!

Have made several trips to B&L and always come away happy! Crab tostada, truffle fries, foie fries, burgers and mahi tacos all hits. Reading through this thread reminded me that I am due to stop in soon to see what new items I need to check out. I love the care and attention to detail that the guys put into their food--it shows.

Made it to B&L's today for an early lunch and had an awesome soft shell crab po'boy, which is probably the best item I've ordered there so far:

I went last night to break the Fast. It was packed at 6 pm and fantastic.

I had the portabello sandwich and well done fries.

Lot's of fish being prepared, I don't know if that's normal or the Lenten Season but it was busy.


Mushroom was well grilled and bonus, the slaw on it was purple cabbage.


It's around the corner from my home. Love it!

I also stopped in on Friday around 1pmish and got the shrimp po-boy with fries. Of the po-boys I've had there, the shrimp is my favorite, and the only one I've ordered more than once. I also got a little side of the chili aioli for my fries, 'cause I'm not a ketchup guy and I wasn't feeling the Merkt's yesterday. A great lunch--when it comes to battered and fried seafood, they're tough to beat. The shrimp was just right--a nice crisp battered shell on the outside, juicy perfectly cooked shrimp on the inside.

A few weeks ago I tried the pork belly po-boy I mentioned previously. It was... a bit much. Definitely did not need the fries w/ Merkt's that I foolishly ordered that day, in fact I should have brought a friend to help me tackle the sandwich. I feel like there was a pretty good sandwich to be had in there, but it was buried under a MASSIVE pile of maple-glazed pork belly. Well, that's kind of a bad way to put it. What I mean is, I guess, there was a sweet spot, a bite where you got just enough bread, just enough of the chili aioli, just enough lettuce, just enough maple glaze, and maybe just a little too much pork belly, and it was great. And if you were able to make your way through the sandwich hitting that sweet spot every time, you'd have a pile of pork belly the size of a man's clenched fist left over at the end. It is a sandwich of excess, and don't get me wrong; as a guy of excess, I enjoyed it. But the excess may have exceeded my capacity for excess.

Pork belly po-boy, fries, Merkt's cheddar

pairs4life wrote:Lot's of fish being prepared, I don't know if that's normal or the Lenten Season but it was busy.

Fish on Fridays during Lent is a big deal. Many abstain meat on Fridays (some add Wednesdays) during Lent.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Lot's of fish being prepared, I don't know if that's normal or the Lenten Season but it was busy.

Fish on Fridays during Lent is a big deal. Many abstain meat on Fridays (some add Wednesdays) during Lent.

Regards,

I know. It is called Big & Little's Seafood.

pairs4life wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Lot's of fish being prepared, I don't know if that's normal or the Lenten Season but it was busy.

Fish on Fridays during Lent is a big deal. Many abstain meat on Fridays (some add Wednesdays) during Lent.

Regards,

I know. It is called Big & Little's Seafood.

I'm not sure that it actually is. I think we around here have just taken to calling it that. Here's a pic of their awning, which was snapped by G Wiv and posted upthread . . .


Big & Littles, by G Wiv

I've also checked quite a few other sources and none of them mention "seafood" in the name of the restaurant, which, I realize, doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't part of the name.

=R=

Looks like I thought the thread title was the name of the restaurant. It is Big & Little's Restaurant. Here's their Facebook Page.

FYI -- Diners Drive-Ins and Dives filmed recently at Big & Little's. To air sometime in the next year or so.

Yeah, I saw that idiot Guy Fieri's face spray painted on the wall.

Good for those guys though, it's going to be great exposure for their business when that spikey haired dope proclaims everything there as "Off the hook!"

Don't get me wrong I love B & L's, I just really hate Guy Fieri!

Excuse me while I gush....

Today's lunch at Big & Little, best damn fish and chips I've had in Chicago. Huge, and I do mean huge, perfectly fried fresh cod. Crisp greaseless exterior, moist flaky cod, an entire fillet, huge, about a pound of flat out fantastic fish. I doubt you can buy cod of this quality retail for the price Big & Little is charging with fries.

Big & Little Fish and Chips







Tony "Little" with cod, Gary "Big"



Shrimp Po Boy was tasty, B & L has a way with the fryer, but no match for crisp delicious cod.

Shrimp Po Boy



The two of us, I had lunch with Phil W, initially thought of each ordering and then splitting a smelt po boy, glad we didn't as we both ended up bringing food home. (There was also an order of sweet potato fries, not pictured)

Why are you still sitting there, go to B & L and get the fish and chips already.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

Great Googly Moogly.
I would dash myself against the rocks for that siren . . . any day, any night.

i will be back to try more stuff .
both of these items where outstanding.
great flavors