Stanley’s Kitchen and Tap

Stanley’s Monday special (salad, soup, burger with your choice of cheese and toppings, and fries) satiates both extreme hunger and extreme frugality. For $6, Stanley’s delivers both quantity and quality. Aside from the attractive pricetag, there is a lot to love about this deal.

·         You get to pick your patty. Not in the mood for beef? Try the turkey or veggie patties instead.

·         The kitchen staff honors your doneness preference. When you ask for your burger “medium,” you can expect it to have the appropriate amount of pinkness. No overdone, hockey-puck style burgers here.

·         The soup and salad are actually good. Expect tomato basil soup (I’ve never seen any other variety served) and Caesar salad.  Don’t expect these buffet-style starters to rival Spiaggia’s soup and salad, but do serve yourself a healthy portion of both.

·         The cheese options are robust. You can even satisfy that Midwest craving for Merkt’s cheese at Stanley’s; you won’t find it on many other menus.

·         The toppings table lets you get creative. Or maybe you want to exercise your classic sensibilities, instead. Dress your burger with the traditional lettuce, red onion, and tomato. Go untraditional with deliciously sautéed onions and mushrooms or even some secret sauce (which, of course, is a Thousand Island variant).  The toppings table lets you see your burger possibilities; there’s no pressure when the waiter takes your order. Your only decisions to make are the patty and cheese.

For $6, not only do you get tasty servings of soup, salad, and a delicious burger and fries—you get decent service, too. Waiters and waitresses are attentive in both the bar and dining areas.
The Stanburger is one of the most delicious burgers I’ve ever tasted.  That being said, I recommend wearing pants with at least 2% spandex, or else you’re going to have to call it a night after your visit to Stanley’s. If you have somewhere to be after your Monday Stanburger deal, be warned that you will appear to be in your second trimester. This is especially pertinent if you take advantage of their usually well-chosen monthly beer special; I’ve downed a number of Half Acre beers here for a mere $4.  It is impressive when a burger special is cheaper than a value meal at McDonald’s. It is doubly impressive when a burger special is so good that you would have no qualms with shelling out the full price for the burger (and I definitely have).

Burger: A-
Value: A+
Overall: A

The StanBurger: For $6, it just doesn't get any better than this.

1970 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

http://stanleyskitchenandtap.com/