BIG & little’s Restaurant

There is almost nothing bad I can say about this place. I have yet to try something on that menu that I don’t like and try my best to make excuses to work from my companies River North location just to come here for lunch.
I’m a sucker for fish tacos, so I’ll always give places that serves them a shot. This place, however, has taken them to a new level. Why people order from anywhere but the taco menu, I’m not sure. But I can’t imagine that the rest of the food is any worse than the tacos.
Favorites to date:
Mexican Shortrib
Big & Littles
Ahi Tuna
Least Favorite:
gyro taco

Probably the best tacos in the city. It has gotten really popular in the last couple years, which is a bummer since the service is pretty slow. But it’s worth it and definitely recommend regardless of the line.
If you are visiting for the first time, I’d focus on the tacos (though the burgers are great as well). The samurai is their most popular taco, though the mexican beef short rib and the ahi tuna taco are also excellent. You can’t really go wrong here, and if you’re not sure, just ask the guy at the register (he’s «Big» of Big and Little’s).

Always enjoy time out with my bestie… this was a delight to try a eatable crab whole!!! The shrimp po boy was very tasty. Will be returning to try other items on the menu.

Background: saw the groupon and then saw it on a Chicago restaurant show. Felt like it was only right that we check it out.
Setting: a lot of open space. Booths and picnic tables. The restaurant is divided into two sections basically. There seems to be outdoor seating when it is warm. Has a parking lot. This restaurant is also BYOB, so you’ll see people with cans of beer or wine bottles at their tables, all of which they brought themselves. That and top 40 music create a lively atmosphere.
Food: Soft shell crab sandwich! Smaller than I thought but still very good. the sauce and pickle contribute to creating the perfect party for your taste buds.
The shrimp po boy and kimchi fries. Kimchi fries were very flavorful.
I’d take the soft shell crab over the shrimp po boy. Next time I would add some type of sauce over the fried shrimp, if I ordered it again.
Other: Service excellent. The kitchen was closed but they made me one more sandwich. Tipped him. And he added extra shrimp to it. Pushes my rating to 4 stars.
The price is good AND since it’s a BYOB spot, Def a good spot to bring your crew.

Soooooo good!!! The kimchi fries were to die for! I got the 2 raw fishes tacos (yum) and a little samurai wish was delish! My only complaint is that it’s cash only.

If you love to live a little with food, this is your place. The poke tacos are out of this world. This is the best fast food restaurant that I have been to. If you are someone who’s gluten-​free as well, they are great about setting you up and serving you something safe for you to eat.

Came here on a groupon. totally worth it. The burger they make are indeed delicious and authentic. Not offered any other burger place I ever been to. The soft shell crab burger and the kimchi fries. Ugh –drools– worth it. Go get one now!

Wonderful and unique. This will be a regular stop for us when we are in the city. The raw salmon taco was delicious and a fun twist on typical sashimi. Shrimp Po boy was large and flavorful. Staff was so laid back and friendly! We loved the experience

Best seafood in the Chicago area. The wait is typically long but well worth it! If you choose a po boy, you won’t be disappointed.

LOVE THIS PLACE! Whenever I’m in the area, I try to get here for tacos for sure. I got the Raw Ahi Tuna taco and the vegetarian taco. They were both delicious. The sauce on the ahi tuna was the best.

I will gain an extra ten pounds because of Big and Little’s and I don’t even care.
I love the burgers. I love the tacos. I order from here often via takeout. It’s always great.

A Chicago sandwich staple! I HAD to try the pork belly po boy after seeing all the pictures. It wasn’t as moist as I thought it would be, but my belly was still content. The fries had a great texture but they were a little too salty for me. My husband and friend enjoyed the fresh tuna tacos they ordered. All in all, good experience on a cold night!

My son chose this for his birthday lunch. I was expecting something very different. When picking where you want your parents to take you for a special birthday, I expected something very upscale and expensive. Big & Little is neither.
They offer counter service and there are plenty of tables. We arrived at a good time — there was no line. If we had come in ½ hour later, the line got very long.
The guys behind the counter are a hoot. They clearly love what they do and are very proud of their food. The selection was unexpected — they offer a variety of street tacos, burritos, hamburgers, fish, etc. They also have several types of fries — unusual kinds like Kimchi fries.
There were five of us, and we ordered a variety of items. Around the table there were several Taco: Samurai, Japanese short rib, Tilapia and Raw Tuna. There was an egg burger, fish and chips, and a soft-​shell crab sandwich. We also had an order of regular fries and kimchi fries.
We had a great time. The service was outstanding. The food was delicious. The prices were right. I can’t wait to return.

love this location. Parking available too! service is always excellent.
Kimchi Fries: a bit too saucy and salty, but is excellent. one of the better kimchi fries that I’ve tried.
mango chutney taco: loved the pickled
hawaiian pork: the pork is awesome. not dry and flavorless.
spicy thai: the meat is excellent, perfect crisp, but had too much sauce for my taste.
soft shell crab: was actually not a fan of this one.
samurai: always excellent. white fish texture is crispy on the inside, but soft on the inside.

Yum! I wanted to try so many things but ended up with a delicious burger with pineapple, jalapeño and crispy pork belly on top… amazing! The truffle fries were also delicious and other members of my party raved about the foie gras fries. Porkbelly has great flavor and fried crispy without being dry. The tacos looked amazing and several people got the fish and chips that were the size of a small dolphin.
The owners and staff are super nice and helpful. You order at the counter and they call your name. Fountain drinks are self serve. They have mostly indoor picnic tables so it’s very casual. Not the cleanest place I’ve been to but the kitchen looked clean, as you can see it from the order counter.
Street parking with a small lot as well.

Saw this place on Thrillist then heard it was on Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives which totally makes sense after going there. It’s basically a notch above your standard fast food — they have some creative menu options that feature tacos, burgers, po’boys and even some decent vegetarian options (for fast food at least!). I ordered the portabello sandwich, my husband got the al pastor burger with pineapple and fried jalepenos (which they initially messed up and brought out the regular burger then let us keep it while they cooked up another one). We split the truffle fries topped with a fried egg and a side of wisconsin cheddar cheese sauce. That wisconsin cheddar cheese sauce was the highlight — so good. The truffle fries didn’t taste much like truffles and the burgers were good but not great. The inside had an old country road side diner feel and the staff was helpful and friendly.

Gary Is An Awesome Host.
Smelled Amazing Once I Stepped Inside.
This Place Was Featured On DDD… And It Doesn’t Disappoint.
I Tried The Hawaiian Pork Taco. Awesome-​Pork Seasoned With Habanero & Pineapple.
I Also Had Pork Belly Sandwich (Regular) & the Hercules Burger Made With Gyro Meat And Crab PoBoy Sandwhich With Fries & Drink.
Flavorful, Different And Worth It.
$$$ Kinda Pricey, But Nothing Good Is Cheap.

Very disappointing first experience. After reading so many rave reviews of Big and Little’s I knew I had to try out the place. I am in love with Cajun food so when I saw that they served poboys, that’s what I ordered; the shrimp poboy with truffle fries.
Okay. The poboy is what saved this review from being 1 star. Even though there was entirely too much bread for the amount of shrimp and toppings, I still very much enjoyed it because of the succulent shrimp and the seasonings and dressing.
The truffle fries were a huge miss for me. Not sure if its because this was my first experience with them or if it was the extremely pungent odor from the truffles that didn’t register with my senses, or if its because these at B&L’s just weren’t good. Whichever it was, I ended up throwing them all in the trash. Extremely salty, soggy, and the taste… no. I was not pleased at all.
The service. What service?
If I ever return I am getting my food to-​go because the tables were dirty (legit sticky), and the floor looked, felt, and sounded like it had not been swept in a decade.
No way this was a good dining experience for me.

I decided to order the Shrimp Po-​boy along with the Truffle Fries.
Let me rant about protein to carbohydrate ratio here for a second. Big & Little’s used way too much bread on this sandwich. The overall concept is for this sandwich to be fried shrimp with some form of remoulade sauce and lettuce/​tomato on a bun. What I got was a big roll with a maybe 8 shrimps, wilty shredded lettuce as you’d get from McD’s and a standard grocery store tomato. Nothing special at all about this sandwich. The bread dominated the scene and it was nothing beyond an Italian sub roll. I think this normally would be a travesty: covering up the delicate flavor of shrimp with too much bread. However, the shrimp wasn’t all that good. I could easily replicate from the frozen section of my local grocer. Please step up the fresh and crisp on your shrimp.
The truffle fries were standard cut fries sprinkled with a bit of cheap truffle salt. I found nothing extraordinary about them, especially having a preference for the oil.
Skip this place.

It’s been a couple years since I’ve been here and I had to ask myself how did I forget this place existed?! First know that it’s CASH only. Next know that it’s very casual, but very good quality food. It’s def a hot spot for the lunch scene. Menu is big and has some great stuff– from a burger to an ahi tuna po’boy sandwich to tacos… there’s lots to choose from. Def a place to check out for a good, quick, casual lunch. Only downfall is that it does not have an ADA ramp for our wheelchair friends. We had a family member who is confined to her wheelchair here with us this past weekend, and we had to lift her up the stairs to get in. Not cool, B & L’s…

The fish and chips is big. Be ready for it. We thought we’d come for a snack after getting the Bad Happy decked out poutine and shakes, so were not prepared.
This place is super low key and chill – you go and order and sit outside on the picnic tables and do your thing. If you’re not a fan of vinegar, I advise you stay away from the malt. :)

I’ve never been big on fish tacos, but Big & Little’s makes the suckers so good I might be forced to change my mind. I initially bookmarked this no-​frills, cash-​only establishment for its fish and chips, which are just fine but not why you should spend your greenbacks here. No, it’s the tacos.
My wife goes for the tuna poke and the samurai, while I favor the soft shell crab and a short rib. The former in both cases is the big ticket item. The poke is flavored well and tastes delicious, and the taco is really in-​name only, an Ortega-​like hard shell. The samurai, Big & Little’s signature fish taco, is like a mini fish and chips, with a soft tortilla instead of fries and «samurai» sauce instead of tartar. Of the other flavor variations, the spicy Thai offers a nice kick.
On the meat tacos, everything I’ve tried is good. I’d probably rank the al pastor second, but something that standard is better done at a taco truck or even Big Star. That’s why it’s worth spending the extra coin for unique stuff like soft shell crab or poke.
The fries can be cajun’ed or truffle’d (both yum, I like the former). And if you’re not a taco fan, you can get the goods in po’boy form.
As a reminder, the place is cash only. Place your order at the counter and wait a little bit since food is made to order.

Look — I love food. And that means there’s a good chance I’ll be scoping out the Food Network and the Travel Channel. And guess who’s on the Food Network 50% of the time. Guy Fieri. The GF’s not a fan at all, but I can’t complain about some of the food that’s shown on his show. Heck — I can’t complain about Guy Fieri’s food either, because I’ve never tried any of his restaurants (though there’s plenty of folks that have gone off on that!). That being said, there’s one place in Chicago he highighted that really caught my eye. More importantly, it’s been consistently ranked as a Chicago favorite. I mean c’mon — pork belly po’ boys and foie gras fries? That’s right — I’m talking about Big & Little’s.
I stopped by the New Orleans location, which hides a gem within a somewhat sketched out area. Once inside though, there’s plenty of seating in the form of patio picnic tables.
Pork Belly Po’ Boy [$ 8] + Fried Egg [$ 1]
I ordered my pork belly po’ boy with a fried egg on top — cuz that’s how I do. The over-​easy fried egg didn’t have a ton of yolk, but I’m all about adding up the cholesterol intake regardless. There was plenty of crisply fried and well-​seasoned bits of pork belly to help that along. The crisp pickles helped to provide a small amount of acidic balance, but the drizzle of maple syrup aioli brought this bad boy over the top. The bread was nicely crusty, but eventually it became drenched in grease and maple syrup drizzle. Overall though, a solid bite, if you can get your mouth around it!
Foie Gras Fries [$ 16]
I was blown away by the foie gras fries though. A must order! A generous lobe or two of foie was on offer, with a nice caramelized sweetness that was surprising. The fatty foie drenched the crisp fries underneath, which were fried up in soybean oil. The spuds were seasoned well, with the pepper really coming through on each bite. Ridiculously good.
I had a chance to talk to co-​owner Gary Strauss (the Big in Big & Little’s) and it’s clear he has a lot of appreciation for the accompanying explosion of business that came with Guy Fieri. Gary and Tony D’Alessandro (Little) were smart though and took their time before opening their second store. Still, business kept booming because they soon opened up a third location. In my estimation, that sort of exponential explosion can’t be due to Guy Fieri alone. Consistency and quality are key and exemplified in the fact that they still work at all the stores and shop for their produce daily. They constantly rework the menu, but the classics remain. Because there’s no reason the foie gras fries should ever ‘86ed!

I’ve been dying to check this place out but it fail to impress me. We had a couple things and a lot of it was salty.
Hawaiian Five-​O: Had a bite and it wasn’t too bad but that was after the peppers were taken out. For my friend, it was too spicy.
Lil Samurai Taco: Wish I just have gotten the samurai. It was pretty good especially the sauce that was used on the taco.
Al Pastor Taco: This was the most saltiest taco I’ve ever eaten. I hated it. There was something about the meat marination that I really did not enjoy. So bad that I didn’t even finish it.
Raw Ahi Tuna Poke Tacos: It was just amazing that I wish I had more of. This was the best thing I had at Big & Lil’s
Truffle Fries: Looking at other peoples’ suggestions, it seemed like one of must things to get. To my disappointed, it was the most saltiest fries I’ve ever eaten in my life. In every bite, there were huge chunks of salt coated on top. I tried to clear it out and drown it in ketchup but that saltiness flavor was still present.
Po Boys Soft Shell Crab — It was kind of a disappointment. This was suppose to be their most well known item on the menu and to me, it didn’t live up to the hype. There was too much batter coated onto the crab so all you really tasted was bread and batter. Note to self: I will not ever try this again.
I would come back but only because the raw ahi tuna taco was what really reeled me in. And I’m willing to come back and give other things on the menu a chance.

On our last day in Chicago, CG and I stopped by for a quick bite before heading to ORD to catch our flight. We love checking out spots featured on the Food Network. Was this as great as Fieri claimed? Yes! We had some of the most satisfying tacos.
It’s a super casual spot and looks kind of run down, even dirty. There’s a few parking spots in the back. We went around 4pm on a Tuesday so we didn’t see the crowd that most people mention. There were only 3 other parties inside.
The extensive menu includes tacos, burgers, poboys and loaded fries, with seafood as the highlighted protein. I ordered two tacos — banh mi and ahi poke tuna. Both of these were incredible! The hard shell tuna taco was generously loaded with fresh, diced tuna and a soy glaze. At $ 7 something, it’s definitely a tad pricey but each bite was seriously a mouthful. The banh mi taco contained a large piece of perfectly fried whitefish with all the standard banh mi fixins’ and a spicy sauce to tie it all together. Yum. Solid fish taco. It would have been excellent as a sandwich too.
CG ordered the salmon taco, grilled mahi and carnitas and loved each and every bite as well. It was a great end meal to our trip!
Cash only btw. There’s an atm inside though.

My original intent was to visit the Big & little’s on Belmont in the Lakeview neighborhood, nearby the CTA Belmont Brown/​Red/​Purple Line station. I remember hubby and I went on a Saturday evening in late March. The line was extended to a couple stores west to B&L’s!
It made me wonder if all the hype about B&L’s was legit after witnessing the snake-​line phenomenon. Since I purchased a groupon a while ago, there was absolutely nothing to lose for trying it out. The groupon was worth $ 20 to spend on food and beverages and valid on both locations. We chose the one on N. Orleans, close to the demolished Cabrini-​Green. There’s customer-​parking available in their adjacent lot. Otherwise, it doesn’t hurt to take the brown or purple line and get off at «Chicago and Franklin.»
With Cabrini-​Green no longer in existence, this part of near North side is thriving. Lots of new developments are on their way to completions. B&L’s doesn’t look, at all, attractive and certainly didn’t «scream» delicious food to me. The N. Orleans location is cash-​only, yet an ATM is onsite if your cash was buried by a canny fox.
Luckily, our groupon paid for everything we ordered. For exactly $ 20, we had the whitefish po’boy, the shrimp po’boy, and two (2) fountain pops.
Food came out pretty quickly. I almost dropped that big-a*s piece of whitefish off the buns as I was carrying the food, because I didn’t realize that a entire fillet of whitefish was used. On the other hand, the shrimps on my po’boy were quite large.
Those shrimps were fresh, crispy, and flavorful. My recommendation is to add some of the «red sauce» on the po’boy (the sauce can be found on each dining table). The portion was generous. For $ 8, would you rather have a small, bite-​sized bagel sandwich or a wholesome, filling seafood po’boy?
Hubby enjoyed his whitefish po’boy. He was very indecisive when visualizing the big menu written on the board, but the young man at the counter was friendly and ready to suggest.
I’m proud to say that B&L’s is one of the restaurants I will return, with or without groupon. I personally don’t pay too much attention on establishments endorsed by those popular TV personalities or food critics, yet B&L’s serves great food, at competitive price-​points. From a consumer’s or a foodie’s perspective, it makes SO MUCH more sense to patronize a quality local eatery.

Came to BIG & little’s with a friend who had a Groupon and all and all I think this place is worth a try. I’ll definitely be back because there are a number of items on the menu that I need to try (Soft Shell Crab Po’Boy, Foie Gras & Fries, Beer Battered Cheeseburger)
Must:
Truffle Fries! These bad boys were so good I didn’t share them and almost let a tear slide down my face when I got to the last one. Definitely try these.
Soft Shell Crab Taco was a hit with my friend. She loved the spice plum sauce that came on top. It looked really good I was bummed I didn’t order it.
Raw Ahi Tuna Taco gets two thumbs up and a huge grin from my friend. She said the taco was AMAZING and I believed her because she was dancing in her seat each time she took a bite.
Skip:
Pork Belly Po’Boy just didn’t do it for me. While they give you a generous amount of pork belly I felt a little dissatisfied.

Foie gras me please!
Guy Fieri’s top spot to go to in the windy city of Chicago.
Ever since I saw the episode from Diners Drive Ins and Dives, it was a must.
It’s kind of a hole in the wall, and my friends loved it. Great local crowd and visitors. Cash only and who doesn’t love fried food? Portions are huge and we killed almost everything.
To name a few items recommended:
Porkbelly po boy
Salmon Poke
Foie gras fries
Fish & Chips
Soft shell Crab po boy