Citizen Burger Bar
| Address: | 1051 N Highland St, Arlington, VA 22201, USA |
| Phone: | +1 703-567-7401 |
| Site: | citizenburgerbar.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–2AM 11:30AM–2AM 11:30AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Paige Mason
Ive been waiting for a good burger place to open up in Clarendon, and this place delivered. I, too, am a big Shake Shack fan, and found it difficult to compare Citizen Burger with Shake Shack, because youre really in for a very different kind of burger. Citizen Burger features plenty of gourmet burgers. My group ordered the mushroom swiss, citizen burger, and steakhouse burger. The guys loved the steakhouse burger, it was really moist and flavorful, and the brioche bun was delicious. I really enjoyed the citizen burger - again, brioche bun and the black onion was a nice touch. The fried pickle it came with had a bit too much breading, but was still fun. The mushroom swiss fell pretty flat for our group. The whole wheat bun was really dry, and the mushrooms could use a bit more seasoning to bring the flavor out, since I could hardly taste them on the burger. The sweet potato fries were delicious, and you get SO MANY of them with your burger. Though we didnt drink, the beer list was pretty impressive. Regarding the service - our waiter was really friendly and attentive, and made sure we had plenty of water. We had to wait quite a long time for the burgers, but it is only the first week they have been open, so we went into it knowing they would still have some kinks to work out with getting the food out on time and werent too bothered by it. We had all asked for various levels of "done-ness" on our burgers, and my friend that asked for "no pink" ended up with a fair amount of pink in her burger (probably about a medium), so that was a bit disappointing. The manager was really great and apologized for the long wait, and throughout the time we were there we were treated quite well. Overall, I give it four stars for good service (minus the wait time) and great food. Glad to have a great burger place nearby when Im looking for something more adventurous than Shake Shack!
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Phil Carbo
I love burgers and been to both countless gourmet and fast food burger joints. As such, I find them really hard to screw up. Unfortunately, Citizen Burger just doesnt match up to others places Ive been. First up, we ordered the chared poblono peppers drizzled with soy sauce. They were nothing special, but tasted good enough to enjoy and set the stage for what I assumed would be their signature dish, the citizen burger. The menu states burgers can be prepared, "red, pink or well." Not many places offer ordered rare burgers so this was encouraging. I saw the waiter write down my preference so I was extremely disappointed when the burger came not just well-done, but overcooked. I would have sent it back if we werent on the clock with after dinner plans. Even more disappointing was the flavor of the meat (or lack of). I dont recall ever tasting a more bland burger. No matter how much ketchup and Tabasco I doused it with, I couldnt get over the dry, crumbly flavor. It couldve been a bad night and I like to give most places the benefit off the doubt, but when your claim to fame is burgers, they should have some redeeming quailty.
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Alice Wang
I met up with a friend here for dinner. It was pretty empty when we walked in around 6:30 but started filling up half an hour later. Obviously, their specialty is burgers. All of their beef comes from grass-fed, organically raised cows from a farm outside Charlottesville. They are unique in that they dont go with the whole rare to well-done doneness when ordering. Instead, its pink (medium rare to medium), red (rare), or no pink (medium well to well done). I went with their house vegan burger, which is a blend of quinoa, millet, and beets cooked in peanut oil. This is custom made, so I chose the multigrain roll, no cheese, and added lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, Dijon mustard, and avocado ($1.50 extra). My burger was pretty good; I actually enjoyed the blend of quinoa, millet, and beets as the "meat." For anyone looking for a healthier alternative, the house vegan burger is a nice option. And its a big burger. I couldnt even finish it in one go. It may not be the best burger Ive ever had, but it was one of the better vegetarian ones.
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Curt Barnard
This is the best place to grab a burger in Arlington. It just opened a couple weeks ago, and Ive already been five times. They focus on locally sourced and responsible ingredients, and youll probably hear the same (slightly cheesy) pitch every time you go with someone new. The beer selection is huge. Slight warning, the service for lunch can be a bit slow, so if you are going during the day, I suggest sitting at the bar. The service is top notch. Today, I accidentally ordered the wrong thing by mistake, and they brought me a replacement for free. Be wary of the speed, but Im assuming that the kitchen is taking a bit of time to get streamlined. Awesome burgers, great staff. This is going to be a regular spot for me.
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WillIsRandom
Inexcusably terrible service. I always enjoyed going to the Charlottesville location but after the experience I had here which included the most rude bartender (young african american guy with dreadlocks) I have ever had who, when I mentioned that the Clarendon locations service was lacking compared to Charlottesville responded by turning to one of his coworkers behind the bar and saying "I hate everything south of here in Virginia anyway," (he said this loud enough that everyone at the bar heard him) I will never return to this restaurant. I told them they lost a formerly loyal customer and they gave no response.
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Erika Wirebaugh
Citizen Burger was one of my favorite restaurants when I lived in Charlottesville, so I was excited when they brought the brand to Clarendon! There was some miscommunication on the hosting staffs part when we visited recently, and no waiter came to our table for about fifteen minutes. When the error was realized, our apologetic waitress did her best to make up for it. The manager gave us a card for a free appetizer, and the hungry annoyance I previously felt was forgotten. This loyal customer thanks you for working to correct your error! I will be back soon.
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Jeremy Lynch
Its hard to go wrong with a bar, or a burger, so thats what you get here. I bought some cheese fries and a make-your-own burger, along with one of their rotating drafts. Not a huge variety of beers, but they have unique options to pique your interest. The fries were crispy and solid and I love them smothered in cheese, and the burger was great. For a bar that sells burger, and the area, the price seems right. Go here if you are looking for a solid beer and a bite to eat, but not if you want something super unique. It is a burger, after all.
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Joseph Raczynski
I ordered the Steakhouse Burger which is essentially a bacon cheese burger with steak sauce. It came overcooked, which wasnt that big a deal, but the flavor of char was overwhelming. I normally like a bit of the flavor, but it was almost like they have a liquid char flavor cooked into the burger. Unfortunately it was very strong and detracted from the experience. The service and attentiveness was solid. Ill have to come back one more time to see if things change, but it didnt hit the mark for me this evening.
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Jasmine Cha
I went to UVA and Citizen Burger in downtown Charlottesville was one of my favorite places to eat. Im so glad this Arlington location exists because it lets me eat great Charlottesville food without having to drive all the way there. The Best of Cville burger is my personal favorite and is delicious. They also have happy hour prices which is wonderful if you want an appetizer or a drink. Their burgers are great and the customer service is fantastic.
