Diving In: Customers line up for a taste of Small Cheval on opening day

Two years of anticipation was long enough. On opening day for Small Cheval Wilmette, the restaurant opened its doors 15 minutes early.

Set to open at 3 p.m. Wednesday, August 13, Small Cheval welcomed in its first customers at 2:45 p.m., and within those first 15 minutes, approximately two dozen people had already filed inside to get their fix from Small Cheval’s walk-up counter.

With their house only a two-minute walk from Small Cheval, Wilmette resident Sherri Mullins, and her youngest son Luke, joined the queue around 2:30 p.m.

Mullins said when her family moved to the area from Texas last year, they were originally looking in Winnetka. But a lack of available real estate, coupled with the installation of Small Cheval in a neighboring town, convinced the Mullins otherwise.

“My oldest went to DePaul while we were still in Texas … and we went around the corner to the Small Cheval on Wells,” Mullins said. “So as a family, whenever we would go visit my older son in the city, it was the place we always walked to.”

Luke Mullins still remembers the exact date he took his first bite of Small Cheval: July 2, 2023. The Mullins family, who were just in Texas on Tuesday, said they flew back specifically in time for the opening of the beloved restaurant’s Wilmette location.

But they weren’t first in line. That honor went to Maelin Hood alongside her friends Aniya Verma and CeCe Schmidt. The girls lined up almost two hours before the restaurant’s official opening to get the first local bite of Small Cheval’s signature milkshakes, burgers, and Maelin’s favorite, french fries with garlic aioli.

“I feel like (the burgers) are more unique, and they just taste better,” CeCe said.

For Sebastian Reineck, the grand opening of Small Cheval wasn’t the only reason to celebrate. It was also his birthday.

Hungry for their burgers and shakes, Reineck and his friend Freddy Krause arrived nearly an hour before opening, securing their spots as some of the restaurant’s earliest customers.

Phil Roseman, a first-time customer, was also in line prior to opening and said the many positive reviews online piqued his interest.

He popped by around noon to check the restaurant’s hours and hopped in line closer to opening time to get his hands on the lauded burger.

Previously, Depot Nuevo, a Mexican restaurant, occupied 1139 Wilmette Ave. Although Roseman said the loss of Depot Nuevo was “lamented” by many, he’s happy to see the building was saved with its original exterior — what he described as “an excellent example” of historical preservation.

Now, the original brick is accompanied by freshly painted red accents that Roseman said remind him of a steam-paddle ship on the Mississippi.

“What a charming location,” Roseman said. “I’m so glad this didn’t go vacant and then they end up tearing it down.”

Small Cheval boasts five indoor tables, five tables in its “all-seasons” room and 25 patio tables.

As Wilmette’s newest burger joint settles in, its hours will be 3-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday with “more hours coming soon,” according to the Small Cheval website.

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