On a cold winter’s afternoon nothing sounded better to our Neighborhood Restaurant Reviewers than a juicy burger. While there are many options available for a burger in Chicago, we decided to stop by DMK Burger Bar, located at Sheffield & Wellington in Lakeview. It’s walkable from many of Planned Property Management’s Lakeview apartment buildings and is easily accessible by taking the Brown Line to Wellington. We first heard about DMK on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives so we wanted to go and see what all of the fuss was about.

DMK has two locations, one here in Chicago and the other out in suburban Lombard. Named after the Wheel of Fortune “Before and After”-style of the two owners’ initials, DMK specializes in making their burgers with the finest quality grass-fed beef, stocks their bar with American craft beers, and is also very involved in giving back to the community. Each month they sponsor a local non-profit organization that focuses on hunger, wellness, children, or the earth, and hosts events to help educate their customers and fundraise for the organization.

We stopped by DMK just a little bit after the lunch rush and were seated quickly. The atmosphere and vibe of DMK is like an upscale sports bar with different seating options, a large bar, and TVs. It’s definitely got a great vibe that makes it distinct from its neighboring bars and restaurants in Lakeview.

The menu at DMK is impressive — not your standard ‘burger bar’ kind of fare. Fresh ingredients, innovative combinations, and love go into what they have to offer.

For appetizers, we started out the the fried okra and pickles. Yes, fried pickles. They must put something in the breading because we literally devoured the basket in just a couple of minutes. The fried pickles were surprisingly NOT soggy, compared to other fried pickles we’ve had and the okra was a great compliment — and of course, anything dipped in ranch is amazing.

We also split a cup of their steak chili to get thing started — what’s better on a winter day than some chili? When they say steak they weren’t messing around! Each bite had a good chunk of tender steak that definitely stuck to our bones. It was outstanding!

Other appetizer options include: chili-rubbed onion strings, coleslaw, and deviled eggs. There’s also a great selection of salads. We’re sure they are great like the rest of the food on their menu, but who’s going to order a salad at a burger place?!

Let’s talk about the burgers first. DMK makes all of their burgers with the finest quality grass-fed beef and artisan cheeses. There are 14 different options on the menu plus one rotating special burger. If beef isn’t your thing, you can opt to get your burger made with turkey, lamb, bison, a crispy portobello, or [in their own words] “the best damn veggie burger that ever hit your lips.” Every burger at DMK is $9 unless you upgrade to turkey, lamb, bison, etc.

Each of our team decided to choose a different burger and fries from the menu.

Dan went crazy and picked their special #15 — a Mexican chilaquiles-inspired burger. Topped with chorizo sausage, tortilla chips, and jalpenos, this burger is not for the faint of heart! Dan claims it is one of the best burgers he’s ever had!

In addition to the burger, Dan ordered a side of DMK’s sea salt and pepper fries which were served with a side of their house ketchup. This classic pairing was a nice alternative to the wild and crazy flavors from the chilaquiles burger.

Tim opted for a healthier option #9 — the turkey burger. It’s served with naturally-raised turkey, smoked swiss, arugula, tomato, and dijion mustard. The bold flavors of the arugula and dijon mustard paired well with the smoked swiss making a healthy option seem absolutely delicious.

For fries, Tim opted for the parmesan truffle fries. If you love truffles, these fries will put you in seventh heaven. Absolutely fantastic paired with the delicious taste of fresh-grated parmesan. [Hint: we also found this recipe for DMK's Truffle Cream Sauce here -- check it out!]

Jasko chose burger #5 — the Bison burger. This delicious, meaty burger is topped with fresh goat cheese, pickled red onions, and blueberry BBQ sauce. This sweet and tangy combination was the perfect compliment to the delicious bison.

For fries, Jasko went for the gusto and got fries topped with Amish bleu cheese and bacon. Being that bleu cheese and bacon is one of the best combinations known to mankind, these fries were out of this world.

Lastly, Silviu went for the #8 — a classic burger topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo. It comes with onions too, but he opted not to get them. He didn’t say much about his burger because he was busy devouring it, so that means it was a winner.

Silviu broke from tradition and got the sweet potato fries for his side. DMK serves their sweet potato fries with a lemon tobasaco aioli. Absolutely fantastic.

Since we ordered nearly all of the options for fries on the menu, our server brought us one more side of fries — the Wisconsin cheddar and scallion. We fought over them and Dan nearly licked the plate clean.

One thing everyone commented on about their meals was that the burgers were just the right size. Instead of being these behemoth burgers, they are the perfect size that will leave you happily satisfied without feeling overly-full in near food coma status. Also, we were unanimous in how much we loved the buns. Freshly-made potato buns topped with flour — can’t go wrong!

Wanting to make sure we gave nearly everything on the menu a fair chance, we decided to wrap up this amazing meal with another one DMK’s claims to fame: their shakes. DMK uses ice cream from Peterson’s Ice Cream in Wisconsin — and we’re not sure if it’s the ice cream or what, but they were literally the BEST milkshakes we’ve ever had.

For under $90, the four of our Neighborhood Restaurant Reviewers left DMK feeling like we had stumbled upon an amazing discovery in the heart of Lakeview. DMK is legitimately one of the best burger places any of us had ever been to and we are definitely making it a point to go back!

If you’re looking for a break from the standard “burgers and fries,” definitely check out DMK… you won’t be disappointed. DMK will make you fall in love with burgers all over again.