At The Loyalist, you’ll see some stereotypical elements of a fancy French restaurant: plates of pâté, pricey wine, and a menu featuring plenty of accent marks. But there’s a reason why 95% of the tables at this casual subterranean barstaurant are covered with the namesake cheeseburger. Never has a burger carried a place more. The Loyalist is one half of a West Loop restaurant duo. Smyth, a special occasion spot with a $420 per person tasting menu, is on the main floor. The Loyalist hangs out downstairs. Wood and exposed brick and warm, dim lighting envelops loud tables of people doing date night, friends night, and I’m-not-from-here-but-want-to-see-if-the-hype-is-real night. The dynamic is house party-esque, where you can have drinks and fun in the basement while the adults discuss the latest issue of the Economist upstairs. And while the mood at The Loyalist is that of a lively neighborhood hang, a little bit of upstairs formality creeps into the downstairs menu. The food is pretty and meticulously plated, but generally nicer to look at than to eat. The saving grace are the outstanding cocktails and the famous burger—it’s the best dish here, and the reason we keep coming back (again and again). Judging by the conveyor belt of cheese-topped patties on sesame seed buns rolling out of the kitchen, the same can be said for the rest of Chicago. In a city full of burgers featuring limp lettuce and plastic cheese, the gooey simplicity of this rich and slightly smoky option is why we named it the best burger. Weekend reservations are still a challenge eight years later, so skip the Tock stalking and show up early to snag a bar stool reserved for walk-ins. Have a whiskey and cheeseburger, solo, and bask in burger royalty, distraction free.