A Michelin-Starred Chef and a Pro Skater Walk Into a Burger Joint. The Burger Is Really Good.
NADC does one thing and does it very well. Wagyu smash burger, twice-fried tallow fries, and a menu so small it fits on a napkin.
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 result is a fast casual burger concept that is both more elevated and more casual than that combination of credentials suggests.
The menu is tiny on purpose. Double or single, loaded or regular fries, a cookie, a drink. That's it. 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 is doing real work here, cutting through the richness of fatty Wagyu and melted cheese in a way that keeps the burger 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 amount of food. At sixteen dollars for the double before fries, the total climbs quickly, and the single gets you the same experience for less. Worth knowing before you order.
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 is the right call. These fries are delicious. Full stop.
The brown butter chocolate chip cookie is fine. Flat, a little soft, not enough rise. It is not making the chocolate chip cookie guide. It also did not make the meal worse and I was glad it was there at the end.
The Wicker Park location sits on Milwaukee right across from Supreme, which tells you everything you need to know about the neighborhood fit. Big graffiti-style artwork on the walls, communal tables, counter ordering, an open space that handles the lunch and dinner rush without feeling chaotic. It fits the block exactly.
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