BGR The Burger Joint
| Address: | 4827 Fairmont Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA |
| Phone: | +1 301-358-6137 |
| Site: | bgrtheburgerjoint.com |
| Rating: | 3.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
A
A Private User
So it seems burgers are the new thing in the DC area, and expensive burgers at that. Well the Alexandria location has a LONG way to come to find success. Since its fairly new we thought we would give it a try. The burgres are expensive but if they are good and you get customized service then it can be worth it. Well that is NOT the case here. One burger and one veggie burger took 35 minutes. While I was standing waiting for my order there was not a single customer who picked up there order that did not have a problem (e.g. cold fries, missing items, etc). This represents a systematic problem not just a one time thing, if Im going to pay almost $10 for a burger it should come with some outstanding service and taste exceptional. After 30 minutes of waiting I asked for a refund, which I thought I was given but not according to my bank (now that Ive checked) the order was "almost ready" so I waited an additional 5 minutes and he would "comp" my order. Well I waited and they still screwed up the order, after waiting 35 minutes no one bothered to make the milkshake. The understaffed claim is not a good one since there were 9 people working. The burgers did not justify the price or the wait. A $9 burger should come with some great toppings. My wellington burger said blue cheese grilled onions and mushrooms. The untoasted bun had some blue cheese crumbles on it then a smear of a salt heavy mushroom/onion spread was put on top of my meat. Very unpleasant and not worthy of a gourmet price tag. Skip the place, save some money and go to Five Guys, they have the system down and a good burger.
A
A Private User
Went to BGR in Dupont for lunch. Well, sorta. I waited 20 minutes for a burger before leaving to make a meeting on time. luckily, I had a friend there who could wait for my burger to finally emerge. Service: typical DC why-are-you-bothering-me attitude from the staff and SLOOOOOOW. i think they took a massive order by phone, but didnt bother telling people about the wait or squeezing other orders in while filling the bags. Burger: I got a basic burger and its very close to a backyard grilled burger. really, its basically what you make at home. that means nice attention to the details, green(!) lettuce, crispy onions, etc. but that also means its nothing you cant make at home this weekend. Sweet Potato fries: theyre good, even when cold. Onion rings: really good! Cost: Expensive. $10 for a simple burger, fries, and fountain drink. Decor is 80s/hipster, but lacks unity, like the designer is too young to actually remember the 80s. Tables are cool, but too close together. Felt very much like a packed lunch place, but without the right design to move people in and out. In sum, I wont go back unless someone else is buying. get a better burger and service at 5 Guys only a few blocks north of BGR in Dupont.
A
A Private User
First trip on opening weekend was great, second trip on October 3rd was the last. Service. Inside it was nice and welcoming. After getting our burgers and sitting outside we were entertained to the commiserating "I aint gettin no hours" chatter of an employee and his two seated friends while cigarette smoke wafted at us. It was like we were intruding on the employee break room. The employee himself was quite polite but when Im paying 13bucks a pop for food I dont wanna feel like Im at your house. The food was a complete disaster this time, in stark contrast to the opening weekend. The meat itself appears to have been swapped for a cheaper version and it would seem they are now opting for gritty low grade meat. It was nasty, I dont know if it was frozen, thawed and re frozen or what but we each ate about 1/3 of our burgers and left. Also thanks for the saltshakers worth of salt on my asparagus but Ill be happy to never eat here again anyway so whatever....
JO
Joe Nastri
diglerdirk, you must work for BRG. BRG have demonstrated that they cant cook their burgers to customers requested temperature, Ive been to BRG at least 10 times and for example Rays Hellburger at least 15 times. I always request medium rare for my burgers. BRG regularly overcooks their burger to *beyond medium* [about 8 outta 10 times]. Rays on the other hand advocates medium-rare as their "recommended" temperature & Ive found regularly cooks their burger properly to temp [about 8 outta 10 times]. Just like a steakhouse, I expect burgers to be cooked to customer temp [especially if youre only a burger joint, Id expect you to train your folks to consistently cook burgers to various temps]. Cant do that? You cant be considered the best. That belongs to Rays, Palena, or maybe Central. Look, its a decent burger, and I recommend their pre-formatted burgers to their made-to-order stuff. But not cooking to requested temperature is a huge knock imo.
CO
Corrie Davidson
If you can weather the lines at this "gourmet" burger chain, youll be rewarded with a huge made-to-order burger, topped with fresh ingredients. I got the regular burger and regular fries, though they have veggie, turkey, lamb, pork and fish burgers in addition to their "fancy" creations. The fries were solid but not spectacular. You can get them plain or dusted with parmesan, rosemary, or roasted garlic. They also have sweet potato fries, onion rings and grilled asparagus spears sprinkled with parmesan. I didnt get to try their shakes or floats, but they do have one of those choose-your-own-adventure drink machines where you can make crazy combinations or try random flavors of sodas. For the lunch break crowd they have a great special Monday-Friday, 11am-2pm, which includes a burger, fries, and a drink for $9. Sit outside on the patio or inside at their uniquely branded tables.
A
A Private User
I have been going to BGR in Bethesda since it opened in 2008. Sadly, I have to say they only merit four stars these days. It was five star worthy when they opened, but the consistency of the food quality has slipped with time. The founders seemed to have moved on, now that they have their franchise model working. On several recent occasions my "medium" burger has come out very rare. They are good about fixing it, but they should get it right most of the time. Their fries are generally good, but some days they are either cold, or you get a scoop of the small tail ends and broken fries. (For amazing fries, cross the street to Bold Bite Hot Dogs) At the end of the day, they are still way better than the greasy excuse for burgers at Five Guys and I like them better than Elevation Burger. But it would be nice to see them get back to their "A" game.
MA
Matt Schmachtenberg
Went here on Sunday and had a weird experience. My girlfriend and I both ordered essentially the same thing - normal burgers medium-well with some free toppings and fries. Got the food pretty fast and everything tasted great (especially the fries). However, my burger was overcooked and my girlfriends was undercooked. So undercooked that the inside was cool and very, very pink. She went up to ask for another one and they made one cooked properly, but then didnt give her her fries back (which were her favorite part). Really disappointing, because it has potential, but I wouldnt go back since they apparently cant control how much they cook their burgers whatsoever. Great fries and a cool drink machine, though.
