The Burger Stand at The Casbah
| Address: | 803 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044, USA |
| Phone: | +1 785-856-0543 |
| Site: | burgerstandrestaurants.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
C.
C.T. Sorrentino
"Come with me to the Casbah, well make beautiful music together!" - Pepe LePew We walked into the Casbah during FINAL FRIDAYS in October because I had heard good things about their food, but there was a line a mile long and a strange smell in the air, not food-borne and not in a good way. We were again in the area the other night, a Thursday, and decided to drop-in and give them a smell and a try. The aroma this time was more conducive to our appetite, so we continued in to place our order. Orders are taken at the end of the bar furthest from the door, a location backed by a large chalkboard with menu items packed in so tightly it is a bit difficult to read. The bar is a bit of a dive, but that is a good thing because I am NOT a metro-sexual, feeling homey and full of locals with long hair, jeans, and t-shirts. The decor is eclectic to say the least, a smattering of nondescript accouterments, booths, tables, and bar stools in a semi-dark room. Being our first visit I decided to go with the CLASSIC BURGER ($7.50), a 1/2 pound of beef on a brioche bun with Vermont white cheddar cheese and assorted locally grown greens. Thinking it strange that a so-called "classic" burger did not come with tomato, onion, or pickle, I chose to add bacon ($1.50 extra) and tomato (no charge). Ordered medium-well, when I picked-up our order at the kitchen window in the rear of the building (not an intuitive location, it took me a few seconds to figure out where to go), my burger was almost perfectly cooked. For a 1/2 pound ground beef patty, it seemed small to me (more like 1/3 of a pound) and the cheese appeared almost non-existent. The "greens" consisted of 7-8 small pieces of arugula, not nearly enough, and the tomato, although fresh and tasty, was cut too small and was difficult to keep from falling out and onto my plate. Even still, the burger was very tasty! Offering a variety of "fries", you have a choice of "regular" (side - $1.50/basket - $4), fried in "duck fat" ($2.50/$6), "truffle" ($3/$7), "sweet potato" ($3/$6), "Cajun" ($3/$5), and "bourbon-bacon cheddar" ($4/$8). Again, being my first visit I wanted to keep things as simple and traditional as possible to see if they get the basics right, so we ordered a basket of regular fries. They came out of the kitchen piping-hot, crispy, not burnt, and salted to perfection. I have heard good things about the truffle and duck fat fries, so I will give them a try on future visits ... and there will be future visits! My wife, who prefers vegetarian options when available, went with the "Romesco", a lentil patty with feta cheese, toasted almonds, green beans, and roasted red pepper sauce on a brioche bun (made in-house I believe). The lentil burger was delicious and flavorful, but a bit too dry and falling apart as teeth were sunk. Green beans on a burger you ask? I asked myself the same thing and thought it a bit strange with little value added from my standpoint. I like feta, but such a dry cheese on such a dry burger probably is not the best combination and the burger could have been enhanced by a softer, more flavorful variety, gouda perhaps. The Burger Stand at The Casbah was an enjoyable experience and a reasonable value, coming in at a bit over $25 for two of us, including two draft beers ($3 each on special). The menu could have a few more options with only 6 burger options along with a Catfish Po Boy and 4 vegetarian options. They also offer onion rings ($4/$7), root beer floats ($4), malts ($5), and shakes ($5). Not a daily staple, a good burger and fries are always a welcome combination and The Burger Stand does an excellent job on both! CombatCritic Gives The Burger Stand at The Casbah 7 Out of 10 Bombs ... BOMBS ARE GOOD!
DA
Daniel & Tamra Coughlin
My wife and I went to the Burger Stand on the recommendation of a friend. It lived up to our expectations. Atmosphere: Its definitely a bar. I think that I was expecting more of a restaurant style inside. Its not bad that its a bar, just know thats where youre going. Menu: They have a fun and eclectic variety of burgers, hotdogs, and chicken with all sorts of toppings. For instance, chipotle-cocoa ketchup. They have a whole assortment of friend things: normal fries, yam fries, poutine, duck fat fries, and fried pickles. We love fried pickles, and they were excellent. Nice long spears with a crispy, salty coating. Food: The food was excellent. I ordered my burger medium rare and it really came out medium rare. That was fantastic. I got "Smoke" which is basically a BBQ bacon burger. Of course, it was fancier than usual, and definitely delicious. My wife got the Kobe Burger, which had fermented onions and cauliflower and was very tasty. The fried pickles were great too. And I cant write this without commenting on the condiments. They have a condiment bar with all sorts of combinations of spiced up ketchups and ranch. The most amazing of the selection was the Marshmallow Sauce. Apparently it goes great with the sweet potato fries. You know what else it goes great with? Nothing. We ended up taking little sips of it because it was so tasty. I highly recommend.
EV
Eva Ladhani
From the outside, The Burger Stand (housed within the Casbah) looks a little flashy with its large neon sign; however, once I walked inside, the tables had completely turned. The restaurant housed a raw beauty with its oddly-shaped wooden tables and modern lighting. While the decor of the restaurant took me by surprise, it was actually the food that took home the Emmy that night. I shared an Original burger, Fire burger and a basket of Truffle fries with a friend. All three menu items were absolutely phenomenal. I would have to say that The Burger Stand has the best burgers I have ever tasted. Since my first time there, I have returned quite frequently and havent had a poor experience yet. The staff is friendly and helpful, the setting is great, and the food is exceptional. I would definitely recommend eating here.
RE
Rev Doe
A nice upscale burger joint. I had the kobe beef burger with side of truffle oil/Parmesan fries and garden salad. Food quality was top notch with good portions, but I found the burger to be either under seasoned or overshadowed by the fries - which was really good, if they just omitted the truffle oil part since all I tasted was parmesan cheese. My salad with herb vinaigrette was fresh and excellent, but they could improve their service. The bartender should greet her customers first then trying to assist them, instead of "need something?" She also forgot to bring me proper utensils but unfortunately, I like to eat my salad with a fork at least...but I guess those things like good service are secondary when you run a popular enough joint? Not everyone can be locals and regulars, unfortunately.
WI
william goodson
We have as a family been there a lot of times and it was packed and crazy and every thing was great. This past Firday night we were at the Burger Stand at 6pm and they were not bizzy yet but the lady taking orders was acting like she was put out because one of my girls ask a ?. We orderd are food and went to set down, down stairs by the kitchen and every taple was dirty the floor was dirty and sticky. we got are food fast and the fries were great all 3 kinds of them we got hot crisp and just great but are bugers were just ok not like the reglure burgerstand food. The buns were chewy and the meat did not seem to be the high standers it had been in the past. We will go back but if it is as dirty as this time and the bugers are not good it will be the last.
