Representative photography. Actual appearance may vary.
Dive bar meets fancy cocktail bar in Logan Square. Signature $6 smashburger with house-made Dutch curry mayonnaise, mustard-onion griddle technique, and Land 'o Lakes white American cheese.
Representative photography. Actual appearance may vary.
Best Intentions opened as a neighborhood dive bar on Logan Square's Armitage Avenue in 2020. After a three-year closure, it reopened in May 2023 and quickly regained momentum with a hybrid identity: authentic dive atmosphere paired with carefully built cocktails and unexpectedly strong food.
Its smashburger is built on mustard-and-onion griddle technique, Land 'o Lakes white American cheese, dill pickles, and a soft Martin's potato roll. The defining flavor is house-made Dutch curry mayonnaise, which gives the burger a profile that's different from most top Chicago smash spots.
Editorial and community sources consistently frame it as one of Chicago's better burger values: $6 for a highly praised burger in a high-demand neighborhood market.
Best Intentions is primarily a bar concept. The Smash Score reflects the quality of the featured smashburger specifically, not a burger-only restaurant model.
I certainly didn't expect to find the second best cheeseburger in the Chicago area in a fancy cocktail bar.
After a three-year hiatus, Logan Square's Best Intentions quietly reopened in 2023. Their $6 smashburger is the ideal bar snack.
Best Intentions shows Midwestern pride with one of the best burgers in the city. This bar was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2025.
Affordable $6 burger widely praised as amazing and fantastic. Retains authentic dive bar charm with broken-in vibe.
The burgers and fries are delicious, with the smash burger being particularly praised. Burgers priced at only $6 each are phenomenal.
The smash burger was delicious. Simple no frills burger and drinks. Don't sleep on the burger and fries if you need a snack.