Illinois' Small Cheval Named Best Burger Spot In 2025

If you think of yourself as an average American, then you must be chowing down on an average of 3 burgers (plain, cheese, whatever) every week, or 156 burgers over the course of an average year (according to multiple food-based websites). That's a lot of burgers.

Numbers can be misleading at times, though. After doing some research on the states that consume the most burgers per capita, I found that the state of Oregon is actually number-one in burger consumption per capita with an annual total of around 80 burgers per person, per year.

Arizona and Utah follow Oregon, with Arizona residents knocking back 77 per person, per year, and the folks in Utah chowing on 75 per person, per year. The least burger-loving spot in the United States seems to be the District of Columbia, where they average only 36 burgers per person, per year. New York comes in next to last with 41 burgers per person.

That's not a burger, that's a building. (Getty Images)

A Website For Food Aficionados, Food Nerds, And Food Lovers Of All Types Just Released Their 2025 Burger Rankings For All 50 States

That website, Chowhound.com, recently published "The Hands Down Best Burger In Every Single US State," with the idea of putting out a guide for American burger lovers to help them find the best burger joints that America has to offer.

And, it's just in time for National Burger Day on Wednesday, May 28th. So, how do you go about picking the best burger joints in every state?

Patch.com:

Chowhound looked first at restaurants that excel in both classic and creative burger preparations. The process also included taste testing, online research, and outreach on local social media communities and to trusted contacts in the restaurant and food media industries.

Let's get to Chowhound's pick for Illinois' best burger place:

Small Cheval (Wells), Facebook

Small Cheval, With Multiple Locations, Takes The Number-One In Illinois Nod From Chowhound

Small Cheval is a spin off of what many consider to be a Chicago landmark called Au Cheval, and Small Cheval has 10 locations at the present time.

Small Cheval, Facebook

Here's what Chowhound.com had to say about Small Cheval:

A more casual spin-off of the renowned Chicago burger landmark Au Cheval, Small Cheval doesn't want to overwhelm you with options. That's why its menu consists of only two burgers — a single or a double, with or without cheese — along with "Famous Fried Chicken" in sandwich or tender form. By default, burgers come "house style" with a perfectly ratioed dijonnaise sauce, onions, and pickles, with the option to add bacon, lettuce, tomato, truffle, and white cheese sauce. On the flipside, the milkshake menu (both as-is and spiked) is extensive, with standouts like salted caramel and cookies and cream.

Small Cheval, Facebook