79Smash
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Smash Score👍 Solid Smash
A Norwood Park institution since 1983, rebuilt and returned in 2024. The Smash Burger at $11 is one of Chicago's best bar burger values - griddled flat top, cheddar, grilled onions, pickles, and special sauce.
Hero photo courtesy of a Yelp contributor. Additional gallery images are representative placeholders.
Tommy's on Higgins has been a cornerstone of Chicago's Norwood Park neighborhood since 1983, serving city workers, first responders, and the local community from its home on W Higgins Avenue with exposed brick salvaged from old Chicago buildings. After an electrical fire forced a complete rebuild in 2023, Tommy's reopened in the summer of 2024 - same soul, same bar, with the Smash Burger still front and center on the menu alongside the neighborhood-famous tavern pizza.
Tommy's Smash Burger keeps it honest: a beef patty smashed on the flat top, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and special sauce. At $11 for a single and $15 for a double - both served with fries, tots, or coleslaw - it's one of the most generous value propositions in the Chicago smash market. This is a neighborhood bar burger built for regulars, not tourists, and that's exactly what makes it worth the trip to Norwood Park.
Tommy's on Higgins serves a broader menu; this assessment focuses specifically on Smash Burger.
4.4 out of 5 stars from 176 Google reviewers - patrons consistently praise the smash burger and tavern-style pizza alongside affordable prices and a true neighborhood bar vibe.
4.5 out of 5 stars from 281 Facebook community members - Tommy's loyal Norwood Park regulars rate it as a neighborhood cornerstone with great bar food and cold drinks.
Back and better than ever - the same soul, the same bar you love, just with colder beer and hotter food.
3.5 out of 5 stars on Yelp from 41 reviewers - thin sample but reflects honest neighborhood bar feedback. Pizza and wings mentioned alongside the smash burger as standout items.