Au Cheval is well known restaurant based out of Chicago. They specialize in elevated burgers and American dishes. When they opened a New York City location, there were crazy lines out the door. The bigger brother to this restaurant is “4 Charles” which specializes in prime rib. Both the burger and prime rib sandwich at Au Cheval are also found at “4 Charles”. I don’t have the patience to book a “4 Charles” reservation and pay the crazy insane prices for steak, so I thought I’d try some of their offerings here. Because they charge $2.49 plus tax, per person, for a reservation on Resy. It’s pretentious, but that did allow us to secure a reservation easily.
Ambiance
The interior of Au Cheval definitely has a very classical NYC factory feel to it. There is a lot of exposed brick, bar stools, and old school booths and tables.
Every table was full, so a reservation is definitely needed if you’re not lining up before the restaurant opens.
The service was pretty fast.
Food
The grapefruit juice ($5.95 - left) was house made. This tasted pretty fresh and good if you like grapefruit.
The root beer ($6 - right) was on draught, which I’ve never heard of for non-alcoholic root beer. Surprisingly, this tasted very good, and I’d definitely get this again.
The single cheese burger ($18.95) came with two 4 ounce patties, bacon ($6.95), and a farm egg ($2.95). The bacon had crispy edges and had some sweetened glaze on it. The egg was nicely cooked sunny side up. The burger package as a whole tasted like a pretty good burger, but it was definitely not memorable. People love glazed sweetened bacon, but I thought this was a little too sweet for me. Combined together, this tasted like a burger with egg and bacon. For the price and flavor point, I still prefer the Black Label at Minetta Tavern.
The shaved prime rib sandwich ($36.95) came with gruyere, au jus, and creamy horseradish. This was surprisingly the star for us today. The shaved prime rib was delicious and makes me wonder how the prime rib at 4 Charles would taste like. The bread had the perfect crisp to it. The au jus was simply decadent and not too salty. The creamy horseradish tasted like sour cream and horseradish, but it had the right amount of complementary kick I was looking for as a sandwich dip.
The loaded baked potato ($14.95) came with 2 potatoes, which were stuffed with bacon and chives. Sour cream and cheddar cheese were served on the side. I was surprised that it came with two baked potatoes. They used the same bacon as the one in the burger.
Final Verdict
Au Cheval was good, but it was unfortunately not worth the hype at all. The iconic burger was good but mediocre if you have eaten other similar burgers before. The restaurant also charges a fee to make a reservation, and they don’t deduct it off your tab. There are better burger restaurants without this level of pretentiousness, though if you did decide to come, don’t hesitate to check out the prime rib sandwich. If you haven’t had a decent burger with egg and bacon, feel free to get the burger.
Yelp Jabs
I could not be any happier that this place is a literal carbon copy of the original Au Cheval in Chicago. By far the best burger I have ever had and remains the reason why I enjoy eggs on my burger … The bacon is crispy, thick and tender with a hint of sweetness and well-balanced fat to meat ratio.
This is definitely not the first place to have thrown eggs onto a burger. However what baffles me is how this Elitist thinks there is a well balanced fat to meat ratio. The egg yolk is fat, and so is the cheese. Everyone knows bacon is pretty fattening. Assuming the patties are 90% lean, that’s still a lot of fat on the burger.
I tried their Chicago location a couple of years back and remembered slipping into burger nirvana… Overall, I’d say this place is a must for any burger lover in nyc.
It’s interesting how much rave this burger gets, yet how basic it is. The fried egg is nice, but it’s an egg. The bacon tastes good, but it’s a thick crispy cut bacon. The patties and cheese are pretty good, but who wouldn’t like melted cheese on top of patties? Perhaps this Elitist thought visually the burger was enticing, and that sensation superseded what they were eating.