Chicago Eats - BIG & little's

As is fairly common with my reviews, I've been to BIG & little's (B&l) twice now - once at the old location closer to Oak, and the new location just north of Chestnut on Orleans. The new location is a HUGE improvement. They actually have places to sit, and it's a wide open space. The first place definitely had a problem with ventilation and air circulation, and it got really uncomfortably hot in the summer. I don't foresee this being a problem in the new place. Anyways, on with the food!

Tacos are hard to take pictures of

Samurai Whitefish Taco: more or less the signature taco on the menu. The first time I had it, I thought the fish portion was a respectable size. This time around? BIG. Maybe BIG made this one this time and little made my last one? Anyways, it came with your run of the mill pickled jalapenos and the same spicy mayo sauce that re-appears quite frequently on the menu. The whitefish was fried to perfection, and surprisingly not really oily or greasy. Overall, this taco works and it's no wonder it's so popular. So far, this is my favorite thing on the menu.

You can't even see the shrimp! Oh wait, there it is...

Shrimp Taco: Ok, I think I had 2 pieces of fairly small shrimp in here. The shrimp was cooked admirably, but there seemed to be more weight coming from the lettuce than from the shrimp. This used the same sauce as the Samurai taco, and overall, I'm a bit disappointed with this one.

Lamb Gyro Taco: Yea, I don't know why I was expecting anything different than a run of the mill gyro. I thought they would have done something different, but this wasn't really special. This included a decent amount of meat, but save your money and get a proper gyro in Greektown. Actually, even fast food joints will have a better gyro. I blame myself for this one. There was nothing wrong with it, it just made no sense to get it.

Special Ahi Tuna Burger: A delicious sandwich, and fairly priced at $15 given the fat piece of tuna in the middle. The bread is great, and this also makes liberal use of the spicy mayo condiment they cherish here at B&l. I think it was a bit overcooked for tuna, but I don't think that ruined any of the taste here. Definitely one of the "healthier" options I saw on the menu! No deep-fried cheeseburger here.

Truffle Fries: I loved everything about these, and the claim to being the best truffle fries in Chicago? Probably true. They're just seasoned well and the truffle oil is there, but not overpowering as truffle oil'd foods often are. Not overly salted either, and cooked beautifully. Some fries are crispy, some a bit soggier, but I love that variation in textures in my fries. My friend who doesn't really eat fried foods sat there and kept eating them. At the counter she told me "you'll be eating most of the fries." Nope, I'm pretty sure she had the majority. All in all, a slam dunk.

Foie Gras Fries: I had these the first time I went. Basically, you throw two generous pieces of rich foie gras on top of the truffle fries and voila! Foie gras fries. They're not $16 (I believe an extra dollar or two from before), but I think they're worth trying. 


In general, tacos go for $4-5 and fries range from $3 for the regular, $4 for truffle, and $16 for foie gras. Fountain drinks are $2.50. Overall, a pretty decent value, but some things might be overpriced *ahem shrimp taco at $4* So for a fast food place, I think this ranks up there as a solid option. The mediocrity of the shrimp taco and the gyro taco (seriously, why is that even on the menu?) really let me down, but the Samurai Whitefish taco, fries, and tuna burger really are some of the best I've had at a "fast food joint", and since it's so close to home, I'll come back for more.