NADC Started as the Side Act. Then It Took Over the Bar.
What began as a pop-up inside The Drop In became the main draw. Now it has a sign outside and the best burger in the building.
NADC stands for "Not a Damn Chance," which is either the name of a dare or a promise depending on how you read it. Chicago-born professional skateboarder Neen Williams and chef Phillip Frankland Lee, whose Scratch Restaurants Group runs Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurants, reportedly bonded over skateboarding and post-skate burgers in 2021 and built this out of that. The Fulton Market location has a specific origin story worth knowing: NADC started here as a pop-up operating on the side at The Drop In bar. It ended up becoming more of the main draw than the bar itself. Eventually it took over the space completely. It has a sign outside now. That trajectory tells you something about the burger.
The double is two three-ounce Wagyu patties smashed thin on the griddle with onions pressed directly into the beef. New School American cheese, pickles, slightly tamed pickled jalapeños, and a creamy secret sauce. The acid from the pickles and jalapeños cuts through the richness of fatty Wagyu and melted cheese and keeps the whole thing balanced rather than overwhelming. This is a well-engineered burger. Elevated and super casual at the same time. Fast food energy done genuinely better.
The honest answer on the double versus single question: the single is enough. Allen and I split the fries and that is the right call. At sixteen dollars for the double before fries the total climbs quickly, and the single gets you the same experience for less.
The twice-fried tallow fries are the thing that might actually be better than the burger. Soft inside, crunchy outside, served with a chipotle peppered ketchup that earns its place. These fries are delicious. Full stop.
The brown butter chocolate chip cookie is fine. Flat, a little soft, not enough rise. Not making the chocolate chip cookie guide. Did not make the meal worse. Glad it was there.
The Fulton Market location gives you something the Wicker Park storefront does not. Because this grew out of a bar, you get cocktails and drinks alongside the burger. The vibe is more bar than fast casual, which makes it a different kind of visit. A burger and a drink in Fulton Market for an evening out is a genuinely good option in a neighborhood where that equation usually costs significantly more.
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