I’m willing to bet $10 that you haven’t had the best burger on the Southeast Side. Chi Burgerbabi gives you a unique experience.
“I want to give my community the world, through my food,” says owner and founder Immar Ayala.
Ayala grew up on the Southeast Side, but his story begins in El Salvador.
His mother came to the states to escape that country’s civil war, and brought her oldest son and daughter so they wouldn’t be recruited. Ayala was left behind, to be raised by his grandmother and supporting relatives. And while separated from his mother and older siblings his grandmother taught him to cook.
As a child, Ayala was curious. While his grandmother cooked, he often asked her questions.. The popular expression “the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach” goes even further with him. “I’ve worked with some of the greatest chefs, and I will always miss my grandmother’s food. I miss her baking, nothing can compare to the bread she’s made.”
Once he was able to come to the states, he attended both elementary and high school in South Chicago. Then at the age of seventeen Ayala started his career in the food industry. From waiting tables, to lying about being a cook, to becoming a cook, then sous chef, his experience is one full of grit and heart. He has cooked in some of the best restaurants in Chicago, New York, and Singapore, and was even offered a job in Abu Dhabi, but he wanted to come back to the community to give everything he’s learned. This is what he means when he says “I want to give my community the world.” With a menu that includes specialty fries like truffle-Parmesan, eight-hour smoked Cubanos, and an array of fresh tender burgers, he’s delivering. Consider trying the best burger from the Southeast Side; you won’t regret it.
Chi Burgerbabi, 10148 S. Ewing Ave. Tuesday–Friday, 11:30am–8pm, Saturday 12:30pm–8:30pm, Sunday 3pm–8:30pm. (773) 964-1314