Au Cheval’s burger is considered one of the best in the world

Looks like hip Chicago restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff might be opening his best-known restaurant and acclaimed burger destination Au Cheval in Tribeca. At tonight’s Community Board 1 meeting, Sodikoff’s team pitched a New York location of the restaurant for a space at 79 Walker Street, according to local Julie Fredrickson, who attended the meeting. They requested a liquor license, and the board approved it, but with conditions on the restaurant’s liquor serving hours.

People who have trouble getting into Sodikoff’s notoriously exclusive first New York restaurant 4 Charles Prime Rib may have better luck at the new Au Cheval, which will reportedly fit more than 100 people, the team told the board. It will also be an all-day operation, with a coffee and matcha program starting as early as 6 a.m., Fredrickson says.

The team told the board that they want the New York location to be similar to the Chicago one, meaning Au Cheval’s famous burger — which some consider to be the best in the country — will be making an appearance here, too.

But in an email to Eater, Sodikoff wrote that the restaurant will not be an Au Cheval if they can’t get the board to approve specific hours of operation, which were not immediately accepted by the Community Board. Sodikoff’s team wanted a 6 a.m. liquor license starting time, and the board only wanted 10 a.m., though the community was generally very supportive of the restaurant, Fredrickson says. Sodikoff also said he needs late night hours for the concept to work.

“Without the hours, no Au Cheval,” Sodikoff writes. “It’s going to be a long process. Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn’t depending on our ability to operate. If NYC wants an Au Cheval in that location, [write] the community board and let them know to approve our hours.”

The board’s vote is advisory to the State Liquor Authority, which makes the ultimate decision.

Sodikoff opened his first New York restaurant 4 Charles Prime Rib late last year to overall positive reviews and noted that he may eventually also debut an outpost of Au Cheval, a perpetually busy upscale diner in his home city. His restaurant group Hogsalt also plans to open restaurants in collaboration with furniture company Restoration Hardware, including one in a furniture store and an all-day restaurant.

His other New York restaurant serves a burger similar to the Au Cheval one, but Sodikoff says it is technically not the same.