‘Borger’ joint boasts cheap, tasty meals

Whether you’re a fan of Chicago sports or just a cheap burger, the Billy Goat Restaurant and Tavern is an inexpensive lunch haven a few blocks from Capitol Hill.

The Chicago-based chain’s “hamborgers” and “cheezborgers” were the subject of a “Saturday Night Live” skit with John Belushi in 1978, and today, the joke still sticks.

The standard hamborger is a thinly sliced patty that, for $2.75, strikes a tasty balance between flavorful and grease-laden. If you’re especially hungry, add one, two or even three more patties — the Home Run, a four-patty borger, is an economic steal at $7.65. A do-it-yourself toppings bar offers free and unlimited pickles, onions and relish.

Other sandwiches are served on borger buns, too — grilled chicken, rib-eye steak, and even egg and cheese. A side of fat, crispy fries, at $1.80, is a delicious supplement to any sandwich, and comes in a forgiving portion size.

Customers order, pay and pick up their food at the counter, so it’s an ideal stop if you’re pressed for time.

For those with a longer lunch break, the outdoor patio offers a serene dining spot, where an adjacent four-spouted fountain dampens the bustling street noise.

But sports fans will likely want to eat in the restaurant, self-titled as The Home of the Chicago Bears Fan Club. Wooden chairs, four widescreen televisions and a fully stocked bar give off a no-frills feel that is perfect for catching a game with a borger and a beer. (Horny Goat Lager, Sam Adams Octoberfest, Miller Lite and Bud Light are currently on tap.)

Or wash down your meal with the Horny Goat Special, a combination of Bacardi, cranberry juice and a splash of 7-Up that is the bar’s signature drink.

The recipe is fairly ordinary, but for $5 a cup, it’s a refreshing bargain.

The restaurant doubles as a shrine to its Chicago roots, where, in 1944, the original Billy Goat Tavern won notoriety for a “No Republicans Allowed” sign posted during a GOP convention.

But this restaurant is clearly bipartisan — according to a bar poster, “All Are Welcome — Elephants, Donkeys, and Most Emphatically, Goats.”

Billy Goat Tavern’s address is 500 New Jersey Ave. NW No. 1.

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