It’s quiet in Chico now that students have gone home for the summer after finals. The locals are enjoying the spring sunshine and preparing for the scorching summer heat. It is a simpler time around downtown, without the crowds of college students filling the streets of Chico.
Still, some starving students have chosen to stay in Chico over the summer, whether to work or take summer classes. Just as with everyone, hunger is inevitable and finding a meal under $11 is still an important issue.
In my experience, I have found the downtown Thursday night market to be the top place to find a decent meal with extraordinary atmosphere in Chico. Mentioning this event before, I have explored my way back and found some high-quality food in the trucks lines along the back of the market. It is here where I found Big Chico Burger.
Many Chiconians already know about Big Chico Burger because it is an iconic eatery located on East Avenue. However, during the Thursday Night Market, this burger place turns into a burger truck, saving you the trek away from downtown if you happen to live or work there. It is here I found the perfect comfort food: chicken tenders and fries, for only $8.
If you have ever been to the Thursday night market before, you know how crowded it can be. However, crowds tend to die down after Chico State students go home for the summer. In my opinion, this makes the best atmosphere for summer starving students, surrounded by familiar faces, not too many people and usually live entertainment to enjoy while you eat. What could be better?
I will admit that the line for Big Chico Burger is quite long and the food does take a while to come out. When I got my food after about 15 minutes, there were three chicken tenders and a large plate of fries in my hands. The person standing directly to my right had four chicken tenders and fries. Interesting.
I am still wondering if the correct portion of tenders is three or four, but for your sake I hope it is four because they were delicious. There is just something about chicken tenders that never disappoints. They were cooked nicely and had plenty of crunch. The fries were soft and long cut.
This combo goes great with ketchup, but I also enjoy putting mayonnaise and mustard on them as well.
Starving student tip: Mix ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise together for a dipping sauce that is out of this world.
I sat on the grass across from the food trucks as I do every Thursday and people watched until the sun went down.
I would highly recommend taking advantage of Big Chico Burger’s food truck next time you find yourself at the Thursday night market. It has multiple options all for under $11. Plus, you can’t go wrong with classic American food on a warm spring night.
