![Piece Brewery and Pizzeria](https://indulgery-a0f0.netdna-ssl.com/listing_images/55x55/6a7c041ab0ae2eb4e2214631b0a55aff.jpg)
Great atmosphere
- Fun bar with cool decor.
- Huge beer selection.
-Always have drink/food specials.
- Plenty of tv's to watch sports.
- Friendly service.
- Big menu so it's sure to please everyone. Lots of options.
- Wild Bill burger is amazing with the arugula, goat cheese, and tomato chutney on a pretzel roll. It's pricey, burgers run about $15, but they're a big delicious mess. Comes with crispy crispy fries.
- Mac and cheese is really good.
- Wings were surprisingly amazing.
Unfortunately, Burger Bar Chicago suffered from opening at the same time as DMK and a few other burger-specializing bars, but it's actually very solid. Â The En Fuego, Gyro and Wild Bill are pretty good, and the Hey Shortay, Belly Up and the Elk Burger are off the charts. Â Not much for anything except burgers though, so go in with someone else and split a 3 lot.
I would like to apologize to the Yelp community for writing a terse and informative review with nary a joke. Â I'm better than that, and it won't happen again.
Not my favorite burger, but decent. I like the fact you can customize your burger with a myriad of different ingredients, including the standards (ketch, mayo, etc.). You can also go with the "stacker" option where there is a predetermined protein layered by another protein and other toppings such as slaws or cheeses such as smoked gouda.
Came with three big guys and my big self, as I was preggos at the time. We didn't have any alcohol. It was a late lunch, and we all ordered stackers. We ordered a belly up, smokehouse and a couple of hey shortays. Sweet potato fries, regular fries and truffle fries were the accompaniments to the burgers. All were good, cooked a little over what we asked for but it was not egregious. Â The shakes here were delicious and plentiful. Prices are about what you would expect a meal would cost 'round here parts.
Environment is sports bars-y and tall. It's a good place for a casual gathering. I would go back.
They must have had an off night. Â I'm reading all the reviews and I can't say I agree with most of them.
The burger is a burger. Â It's fine, but nothing special at all. Â Plenty of way better burgers to be had in the city.
The truffle fries were a disaster, and I'm seeing a lot of people liked them, so again maybe we got a bad batch. Â Really soggy and gross.
We won't be going back.
Burger Bar had excellent food, a family-friendly environment (they even seat families in an area away from the busy bar), and excellent service. Our server (I think her name was Jess) was super friendly, made great recommendations, and was so sweet and patient with our son. I would definitely recommend Burger Bar for a fun family night out!
Review Source:I only gave them the second star because of the mac and cheese options, and the two people I was with like their burgers. Â However it took the server (bartender) about 7 minutes to even acknowledge we were there....not even a drink offer. Â I ordered the hummus and must say it was less than impressive. Â It tasted much more like babaganoush than hummus. Â Don't get me wrong I know these are similar, just not what I was expecting. Â When she came by to see how everything was (my friends were over half way done eating) I asked if I could get something else. Â Her response was, you can get whatever you want. Â It took me a bit off guard since it was said with a very rude tone. Â I said I am sorry I just don't really like this and she told me she would get a manager. Â She came back and without saying a word took my dish (no problem since I wasn't eating it, but a simple my manager will be out, or I will be back would have been nice). Â She then set the menu down and 2 minutes later asked what I wanted. Â I let her know I hadn't decided but I didn't know at that time I would see her for another 17 min. Â And still no manager. Â At this point I was so annoyed I didn't want anything else. Â I just paid the check and left, without ever seeing the manager, or eating my lunch.
I would say Try Again Burger Bar but.....
I will happily never go back with so many other great places in the neighborhood.
I like everything except the burgers here. I know that sounds odd.
I'll get this out of the way - I don't like a very charcoal-y taste to my burger. Many do - your mileage may definitely vary. But I did not eat much of my burger. (Also, the sauteed mushrooms were not very memorable.)
The service was fantastic. We had about thirteen people for a birthday dinner, and the waiter (Nick) was very nice and even came over to chat with us. It took a while, but it was busy (a Friday night). Also, the bathrooms are very clean, which you wouldn't always expect at a place called Burger Bar!
They have a variety of beers, which is great. I am not a beer lover but...when in Burger Bar. I got a Purple Haze which was pretty good.
The non-burger stuff WOWED me. The truffle fries were somewhat uneven (some soggy, some crisp), but they were all tasty and addictive. People enjoyed their sweet potato tots, too. I tried a bit of the mac and cheese, and even without anything added, it was SO good. I don't love cheese, but I detected some gouda right from the beginning and really loved the assertive smokiness of the mac and cheese. Mmmmmmmmm. I'd recommend Burger Bar and maybe try the shrimp burger (which the birthday girl loved) instead.
Came here with three others and we really enjoyed our meal! The space is awesome, you can make reservations, and the menu is large with a terrific beer selection. We started with the mac n' cheese with chorizo for the table. Pretty underwhelming, not a ton of substance/flavor/kick in this dish. I'd definitely try a different appetizer next time...or no appetizer at all because I was SO FULL after my dinner!
Kara Z. and I split the Wild Bill (bison with goat cheese and tomato chutney) and the Fa-Getta-Bod-It (prosciutto, fried egg, mozzarella). I hadn't had much bison and forgot that it isn't as moist as a regular burger, but it was still very tasty and the goat cheese was a delicious component. While eating my half of the Fa-Getta-Bod-It, I kept wishing there was more flavor. It was well cooked, but nothing in there was incredible. If anything, the basil mayo was a little overpowering (in a bad way). I really liked that a side is included with your burger, so many places these days are charging for a side of fries. Isn't it a given that when you order a burger you want fries?! Burger Bar has this down. I ordered the sweet potato fries which I couldn't really stop eating...
Burger Bar also has a unique beer menu with very reasonably priced options that you don't see at most restaurants/bars. Service was a little spotty, but that's typically what you get on a crowded Friday night. Glad I came by, but will probably try other "gourmet-burger" restaurants before I return.
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this place. Â I was in a foul mood after struggling with the Apple store across the street (why they call that a store when all the incompetent staff do it have you buy things via apple's website, which they don't know how to use, is beyond me, but that's a yelp for another day.). Â Anyhoo, a visit to Burger Bar turned my day around.
First, the food. Â I had the Belly Up. Â It was A. Â Maze. Â Ing. Â That is all I can say. Â I think I had truffle fries too, but I honestly don't remember because the burger was so good.
The staff was also fantastic. Â Our waiter was hilarious but knowledgeable and just the right kind of person for this kind of place. Â Everyone there knows the beer list inside and out, and both my dining companion and I were very pleased with the beer recommendations they provided.
I'll definitely be returning to try some other burgers.
We got the fries with gravy and cheesecurds, it was okay. Â We didn't think the burger or fries were overly amazing, but the beef brisket on top of the burger was delicious. Â They were out of the first two beers we ordered.
I enjoyed the atmosphere for a sporting event. Â
We went on a saturday night a little after 6pm and were able to sit at a high top in the bar and it was a great atmosphere for watching the football game. Â However when the game went into overtime and we asked if we could change one channel to the other game that was taking place, they said the other game was on the same channel and was not being broadcast, which wasn't the case. Â Five minutes later they figured it out and changed the channel.
Yet another place in which I had visited during my unhealthy days. But it's not going to stop me from writing a good review.
Burger Beezy McFleezy, oh how I adore your "Hey Shortay" burger. A quarter pound hunk of beef topped with braised short ribs, caramelized onion-fennel slaw, and garlic aioli. C'mon maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan?!?! How could you not like that? Crazy delicious like Mr. Pibb and Red Vines SON!!!
But yes, Burger Bar. Good price, good food, fantastic selection of brews. The place gets crowded during dinner, of course, but the wait is a short one. The staff is very attentive and the bartenders know the brews like the back of their hands. I'm giving this place 4 stars, not 5 because sometimes I think 5 stars is a bit too much. Since with 5 star service I would expect some sort of "money-back" guarantee if something goes out-of-whack during my meal. Four stars is good for this establishment because truth be told...I'm a fan.
Now THIS is a burger! Â I come from the suburbs where there all all of these new "gourmet burger restaurants" popping up everywhere - Smashburger, Burger Boss, DMK, Tom & Eddies, etc. Â None of these places have anything on Burger Bar. Â
There are quite a selection of things that I would have loved to try, but you have to choose wisely here as portions are huge. Â For starters, I had green bean fries and fried pickles - yum to both. Â The fried pickles are served with "urban sauce" which is nothing short of amazing. Â For burgers, they have everything from a simple make your own burger to any kind of specialty burger that you can think of....and then some. Â I got the "Hey Shortay" which is a burger topped with Braised Short Ribs, Carmelized Onion-Fennel slaw and a garlic aioli. Â YUM. Â I also tried a few bites of the "Belly Up" which is topped with Pork Belly, Apple Slaw and Garlic Squash Aoili. Â Equally as amazing. Â There are tons of options for the more and less adventurous and I can't wait to try another burger. Â You get a choice of sweet potato fries or tater tots (try the tots, they are delish) or regular hand cut fries. Â
Burger bar also has specialty mac and cheese that I am told is delicious but I was way full at this point and had no room for more carbs. Â For the beer lover, they have quite a selection of craft beers and for the non-beer drinker they have the most amazing-sounding milkshakes that are all fat free...okay that last part about them being fat free is a lie, but they do sound amazing - banana nutella, peanut butter chocolate - how could you go wrong? Â Last but not least - one thing you don't usually find at these trendy gourmet places is a kids menu, which sucks because then you are spending $10+ for your 5 year old to take 2 bites out of a burger and claim to be done. Â However, they have a kids menu and as delicious as the food is, this place is completely casual and family friendly.
The only reason I'm giving this place two stars is due to our waitress. The waitress was great, very friendly and quick. This was our first time ever here. My boyfriend is a huge burger guy so we decided to try it out. We both ordered burgers and they were just really not good. The seasonings seemed off, and when we asked for them well-done they came out close to rare. We were disappointed having this be our first experience. Since we live in a city where we don't need to pay 14.00 for a great burger we wont be going back.
Review Source:Excellent food and they serve Shiner Bock! Â
I had the elk burger which came complete with grilled onions, andouille sausage, and what I think was a remoulade sauce. Â It was seriously good. Â I ordered this with their truffle fries and while I'm not big on carbs I loved them so much that I ate all my fries and couldn't finish my burger. Â The fries were soft and creamy inside and the outside had a perfect crisp.... add a touch of truffle oil and I'm in heaven.
Nom nom nom!
The service here matches the deliciousness if the PErFect burgers that was served up med rare to my parents and I last Monday. We came in with the help of yelp to find a joint we could all agree on...and between the beer menu and truffle fries we were all satisfied.
If I were a Chicagoan I would become a regular of this fun and relatively inexpensive hang. They even had Trumer and Lagunitas on tap! They surprised this East Bay lady into beer bliss!
If you like it hot....order the En Fuego burger! You won't be disapppointed.
Walked in- no wait on a Tuesday around 6pm. A few good burger options on the menu, and you can build your own, with several free toppings (like lettuce, tomato, onion...) and your upcharges (bacon, avocado...). That said, you should have no problem getting what you want on your burger PLUS three options for fries included.
Shakes and a beer menu can compliment your order. THe service was surprisingly fast- maybe because they only cooked my burger medium rare instead of the medium I requested. I will eat it that way, I'm just sayin' it wasn't what I asked for.
Cool spot- I'll go again.
I have been here twice, the first time was better. Â The first time we got a table and the gentleman that was our server was awesome, knew everything on the menu and never left us with an empty beer. Â The food was ok, but I was happy to give it another chance. Â I really like the aesthetics of this place, it's always clean and inviting. Â
The second time was just all wrong. Â I initially just stopped in to have a beer. Â They do have Shiner in a can, which is a plus. Â It was about 5pm and not busy at all. Â After my first beer, Â I went at least 10-12 minutes before the bartender remembered I was there and got me another one. Â She seemed a little busy with her friends at the service side of the bar. Â I know it's hard to tell if a can is empty but that's why I slid it to the service side of the bar, but still went un-noticed.
I decided to try the "wild boar" special that was posted on the wall. Sounded like my thing. I was so sad when I took the first couple of bites. Â The smoked pork belly was so bad I just wanted to give up. Â It was just all gristle, could not chew it at all. I thought it was just me at first, but after I had to spit out the first piece and had to do the same with the next I knew we had a problem. Â Stopped eating about half way through the burger. Â I never like to do that.
Back to the service. Â I didn't really want to complain and I didn't but if I wanted to I would have had to go over to the "employee table" with all the drink glasses and the talk about how drunk I got last night. Â Which was right next to the host stand and the front door. Â It surprised me that the manager was sitting there and letting the hostesses/servers set up shop.
I gave this place a 2nd chance just because I had such great service the first time, but it left me with such a bad taste in my mouth after last night.
The good:
Our waitress was very nice and helpful initially. We didn't have to wait terribly long for a table on a Saturday night. When I ordered my burger with a gluten free bun, she pointed out that my sweet potato fries aren't gluten free, but that the regular fries are. That showed some good training on food allergies.
The meh:
The chocolate peanut butter shake was mostly peanut butter with not much chocolate.
The bad:
Question: HOW FREAKING LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK FOUR BURGERS?! Answer: Apparently an hour.
Our waitress disappeared after the first 20 minutes of waiting. 40 minutes into waiting our drinks needed refilling and we finally managed to flag down someone with a water pitcher. When we finally got our food, there wasn't much of an apology or explanation as to why we'd been waiting for so long. Apparently they were just "very busy in the kitchen."
My burger was under-cooked and the fries had no salt (there's no salt on the tables, either), but at that point I wasn't going to make a fuss. The gluten free bun is ok, but has a strong taste that interferes with the meal as a whole. I ended up eating my under-cooked burger with a fork and knife.
Delicioso!
Had the 'En Fuego' burger which comes with guacamole, pickled red peppers, jalapenos, and cheese (forgot what type). The bun was tasty and fresh and the patty was perfectly well done. Their sweet potato fries are the bomb! Who still uses that word? Asked for their 'el diablo' sauce on the side. It's quite spicy (coming from a Mexican, here) so I ditched the jalapenos and opted for the tasty sauce.
I'm SO going back.
In the world of burger places in this sudden attack on the Midwest, when it comes down to it, this is nothing more than a mediocre burger place.
Not to mention overpriced since they tack on the 18% tip without letting you know - when you only have a group of 6?? I would understand if the service were at all good, but it was absent,a little rude, and it was almost like we were inconveniencing her by being there. If it's that much of a chore to help a super polite group of people, that do not have a lot - if any- demands, then you probably should rethink your attitude or job choice.
My burger, as well as my husband's was overcooked, which made it dry, crumbly, and disappointing. While the toppings and combinations sounds lovely, it was a severe disappointment in the delivery. Especially with the promises of Onion Jam and Brie - our expectations were high, only to crash and burn.
The restaurant is clean, and has almost a metallic warehouse feel to it, which is definitely appropriate. They have a photobooth in the corner, which is fun, but I think it was like $4 for a picture?
My experience was all in all kind of awful, but I'll keep an open mind to come back because of the RAVING reviews of my fellow yelpers, but I won't be racing to come back and give it another go...
This is my favorite burger anywhere- the Wild Bill Bison burger.
With all the concern over the hormones, genetic modification, diets, and treatment of animals it's good to find a place like this which only sells grass fed beef or wild raised meat like Bison and Elk (which don't have any of the production concerns cattle do). Happy meat!
The burger isn't too expensive- around $10 - but it also comes with the fries of your choice! They are locally grown potatoes and freshly cut. You can get regular fries, sweet potato fries, truffle fries, or bacon and blue cheese covered fries. I didn't like those last ones, but all others are insane delicious.
The Bison burger is delicious. I get it rare so I can really taste it, and boy does it have flavor. One of those bison burgers which has you abandon beef forever. They melt a goat cheese on it and add a tomato chutney, and then they put it on a fresh pretzel bun (it's not a heavily salted bun, just looks like a pretzel and has half the density and consistency of a pretzel).
And SUPER importantly- It's succulent and clean. I used to like Epic Burger in Chicago but this place is much better if for no other reason than the burger is CLEAN. Neither it or the fries are greasy / fatty. You eat it and wipe off with a napkin and don't feel like you have to walk to the sink with your hands hanging out in front of you. You can have a burger and fries without getting a stomach ache- they use clean fresh oil for frying the fries it's obvious. After eating you feel satisfied, fullfilled, and light enough for activity rather than like you want to go into a coma.
The beer selection is one of the best in Chicago, both the permanent one and the rotating short list! The staff is friendly and helpful- very relaxed. They have nice specials you should keep an eye on like half of appetizers, $3 goose island beer (including drafts) on sundays, and $4 draft beers respectively, all on a predictable and regular basis written above the bar.
It's also located really well. It's right at the red line stop at North and Clybourn- across the street from Apple and CB2.
Being close to Lincoln Park, North Ave Beach and the Lake, there isn't much better thing to do in the Summer than take a morning run along the lakefront, take a dive into the lake, and then after a nice sunbathe at the beach head to Chicago's Urban Burger Bar for a bison burger, fresh cut locally grown fries and a beer.
This place seriously rocked. It' super laid back and casual and it offers solid food. The Belly Up Burger was awesome (pork belly ON your burger?!) and the truffle fries are absolutely delicious! The Sassy Chicken Wings are sweet, spicy, and nice and crispy. Â
It's a loud, happening joint, so if that's not for you, maybe skip this. If you're looking for a place where your burger is dripping of your face, fingers, and elbows by the end of the night, you've found it!
After cheering on the Gators at Sully's and a full day at work, I was starving! I knew this place was around the corner so we wanted to check it out. It wasn't too packed on a Saturday but they had the game on and they let us sit front and center.
We started out with the chips and dip. The chips are homemade and crispy and the dip is a warm blue cheese spread. It was delicious! I ordered the chicken burger with pesto aioli, tomatoes, and arugula. My bf ordered the Wild Bill which is a lean bison burger (his favorite). I got a side salad in front of fries which I liked and my bf thought the fries were just okay.
Our food came out pretty quickly and I was impressed overall by the amount of burgers on the menu. Â The server tradition bar fare here with a twist. Our server was great, cheerful, and very attentive. The location is great, and they have a parking lot/valet (for a price) if you really need the parking and can't find any street parking nearby (there is a ton though, so don't sweat it).
Well, The EJ era has come to a close at Burger Bar. But there is still reason to dine there as the food remains good and the dipping sauce options available on the table have doubled (which is to say, they now provide spicy ketchup and BBQ Sauce in addition to the regular ketchup and mustard).
Also, the hostess Amanda is delightful and I'm willing to overlook the fact she did not dress up for Halloween.
I really, really wanted to LOVE this place! Â The location is great. Â The space is great (love the layout and beer 6 pack wall coverings). Â Love the beer list, with an interesting cider that I had never tried. Â Enjoyed the truffle fries and bacon mac and cheese. Â However, my burger was not as good as I had hoped. Â I had a DRY (supposedly medium but obviously NOT) grass fed burger with egg, brie, and onions. Â Pretty disappointing. Â
I will be back for some drinks and snacks but probably not a burger  :(
Who in their right mind would order a VIRGIN bloody mary? Lightweights.
There's something endearing about Burger Bar in that you can get a tiny side o' beer with said bloody mary.
I started off my meal with a banana nutella milkshake, then came my Le Urbain + bacon: brie, onion jam, dijonaise... it was a great choice, but like many I couldn't bring myself to finish the whole thing. The boy's Wild Bill bison burger was decently prepared and a touch gamier than I liked. The sweet potato fries were crisp and a nice complement.
When it's unbearably cold outside, ask NOT to be seated up by the front where the door's always open from people coming in and out. The weaksauce heat lamp contraption above the door does little to "warm" the chilly gusts.
First of all I'm kinda, sorta kicking myself for waiting so long to check this place out. Â Everyone I know mentions it and I should have gone a long time ago. Â I had their vegetarian burger and it is hands down the best veggie burger I have ever had in Chicago or elsewhere. Â Ever. Â In my life. Â Let me tell you, good veggie burgers are real hard to find and most of the time I am simply disappointed when I order one. Â The menu states the burgers toppings are piled on, and this is not a misleading statement. Â I was proud that I was capable of finishing off half of my burger. Â The fries were even amazing - I think they might sprinkle crack on them or something. Â My friends burgers looked amazing as well, I just couldn't try any of them. Â Meat eaters.
Also, if you like crafty beers, then you will love the beer list. Â It took literally ten minutes to decide on which beer, but our server was friendly and knew the perfect beers to suggest. Â Speaking about the service, it is overall fantastic and the manager even came over to see how everything was going halfway through our meal.
The atmosphere is somewhat hipster, or maybe hipsteresque, or maybe there is just a lot of hipsterfication going on. Â I could conjugate the word hipster all day long, so I'll stop now. Â The music is indie rock and it's not too loud so you don't have to scream to hear each other. Â One more thing...there's a photo booth. Â Yup, a photo booth. Done, I'm sold. Â One thing I will mention that I noticed is that there was a lot of children here for a Thursday at 9 o'clock..maybe we just don't do bedtimes anymore? Â Although one I am pretty sure was in pajamas.
Also, if you use CTA like me, it is super convenient to get to since it is literally right off the North/Clybourn stop on the red line.
So if you want a great burger, then this is really the place to go.
.
Two visits now and both times the burger has been cooked med. rare and very tasty. Â This is a place that respects the burger and offers hundreds of great toppings. Â The onion strings area must! Â Otherwise, I like my American cheese and ketchup.
This place is an interesting contrast to The Butcher and the Burger on Armitage. Â There they brag about only using the "finest ingredients" in their beef patties - but the burgers are pretty average tasting. Â At Burger Bar you can actually taste the finest ingredients in their patties - and they aren't pretentious about it.
One of the best craft beer menus anywhere - and it changes regularly.
Stop traffic. No really, I'd wager that one of these burgers could take on a Mack truck if the burger were standing in the street. Â They're gigantic. But that's not the only reason I'll rave about it. They're really unique and fricking delicious too!
My little bro and I went on a hunt for a smashmouth burger, as brothers were created to do. Â We landed on Burger Bar after seeing burgers with massive quantities of meat stacked on top of them.
Smokehouse Stacker was incredibly huge. Like bigger than your face huge. There must have been a healthy 10oz of smoked brisket on this mother. Â And yes, it tastes as good as it looks. Â I'll admit, it's not the best brisket I've had, but combined with the huge, perfectly medium/med-rare burger patty, fried pickles, bbq sauce, and slaw it's supergood. Â
The fries were good. Â Little Bro had a peanut butter milkshake which kindof blew us away. And I was really impressed by their beer selection. Great burgers should always command a great brew.
We actually went searching for the Steakhouse Stacker which I heard about. Apparently, it's a burger with a Ribeye stacked on top of it (or the other way around), but that was only on the menu for the month of August. Â The waitress, who was lovely, whispered to us that it would be making a return to the menu very soon though, so we'll definitely be circling back for that.
Sincerely,
Sucker For A Great Burger
My girlfriend loves this place hence why we head here often. I like it but am not as up to the hype that she seems to have for it. There are certainly better burger places in the city. The atmosphere inside is really cool, but they need more TVs in the main dining area.
They have a great bar with an excellent beer selection, I must admit. Strangely though their beer menus on the table are like two years out of date. Every time we go there the waitstaff tells us not to refer to them and simply take a stab at the dark for what they currently have behind the bar. Why management doesn't keep those things up-to-date is beyond me.
Their burgers provide substance but as I stated before, there's better places with better taste. For instance I had the Gyro Burger on our last visit. I could hardly taste the lamb meat in the patty and their tzatziki sauce was sour cream based (and not yogurt based like normal tzatziki). The feta cheese on the burger was placed on it at the last second by the kitchen because the cheese wasn't soft whatsoever. It was hard and cold, which was a stark contrast to the rest of the burger itself.
I up charged and got the truffle fries for my side and I still wonder why I chose to do so. It tasted like all they did was add a little garlic salt to them and that's it.
I'll still show up here because my sig other loves it so much, but maybe not for one of their mainstay burgers. I looked across at another table and their sassy chicken wings looked tasty. Maybe I'll take refuge in that next time instead.
I love a good burger-- especially one topped with cheese and other deliciousness. My husband and I were on a burger kick a couple months ago, so I think we went to at least four burger places in a three-week span. Burger Bar was a place we were really looking forward to. We came late on a Thursday night, and there were a handful of patrons sitting around and enjoying themselves when we got there. The atmosphere is very cool (with all the wall graffiti art) and relaxed, and our server was really friendly and knowledgeable (she helped us finalize our choices for the Fa-Getta-Bod-It burger, the Hey Shortay burger, and a banana cream pie shake).
Let me just take a moment to say that the shake was amazing. It was like a fresh banana cream pie in delicious, drinkable form. I would certainly come back for that. The burgers, on the other hand, were not as amazing. They came out looking tall and wonderful-- but ultimately, they were over-sized, fairly tasteless mushy burgers topped with yummy things that attempted to mask its weaknesses. I almost think the sandwich as a whole would have been better sans the patty. The patty was just too large and made for a very difficult eating experience, and it honestly didn't add anything to the overall taste of the sandwich as a whole. If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to decrease the size and increase the quality/flavor of the burger patty.
Our burgers cost us $14-15 apiece, which means we spent over $40 for a casual dinner out. That's fairly outrageous for burgers that don't come served on white tablecloth-- and I would have happily paid half the price for a tastier burger half the size. Ah well. There are other great burger joints in the city.
I FINALLY checked out Burger Bar this past weekend and was thoroughly impressed! Â While the space itself could use a little pick-me-up, the staff, beer list, and FOOD were fantastic! Â
I started with a yummy glass of Southern Tier Pumking and an order of their Fried Green Beans-AMAZING! Â They are lighltly battered and they maintain the integrity of the green bean so you still get that veggie taste and crunch-it almost made me feel like I was being healthy...but then I dipped them in the creamy wasabi ginger aioli and any shred of healthiness was tossed out the window (but who's coming to Burger Bar to eat healthy anyways?!). Â
I ordered the ridiculously stacked Hey Shortay burger and while it was pretty tasty, I will admit I was a tad bit disappointed. Â The burger was dripping in grease-I know short ribs are fatty but when it's pooling on your plate it just isn't all that enticing, at least for me. Â I couldn't taste the supposed caramelized-onion fennel slaw or the garlic aioli that was hiding somewhere...the meat just took over. Â The burger was, however, cooked perfectly so props on that one. Â The sweet potato fries are reallyyyy good and I'd love to have tried the Truffle Fries as well...just another reason to return!
They have great daily specials, tasty sounding "alternative" burgers, and a selection of Mac 'n Cheese and Milk Shakes that I didn't even get to. Â I think we all know what that means...I'll be back to Burger Bar very soon!
I admit I have never eaten IN Burger Bar, so I cannot speak to the table service, but I have to say the food will keep me coming back for takeout.
Burger Bar has a variety of burgers (and being a vegetarian, DUH I got the veggie burger), but their truffle fries and milkshakes are what make them note worthy. I am not a milkshake girl. I prefer to chew my chocolate, but both their "triple chocolate" and peanut butter milk shake....ah the memory is causing me to salivate in front of my computer. These are certainly "grown up" milkshakes, done RIGHT!
The wait for takeout is not long at all, about 15min, and both individuals working the bar are super friendly. Next time I need an excuse to indulge in my gluttonous tendencies I will be heading back to Burger Bar.
Burger Bar Chicago goes to the top of my Burger & a Beer List. Generous and creative Art Burgers + EXTENSIVE beer list on draft with great Special$. We've been here 3 times and the service & food has been excellent.
Free parking in the lot next door south. Located across the street from the Apple store on North & Clybourn. I'm pretty sure this building was where Golden Ox used to be.
After a day of tailgating at the IOWA NIU game in Chicago, then a 72 mile walk to the red line because Fu#Kin cabbbies refuse to pick anyone up who remotely looks like they've spent time at Soldier Feld, we were starving and ready to eat ! Â So we moped up the stairs from the sewer...I mean red line and walked right into the Burger Bar.
Next thing I know a malted peanut butter shake showes up at our table. A little out of character for me as I don't normally order any type of desserts, but hey, chalk it up to long list of bad decisions for the day. The shake was delicious and had chunks of chocolate peanut butter that kept getting stuck in the straw...not a bad problem to have.
I stuck with a simple cheddar burger with mushrooms and caramelized onions. I was in to weak of state to experiment. These burgers are special.
Service was just right
Burger Bar definitely makes the short list.
We met on a rainy Chicago Sunday afternoon. I had been drinking for what felt like days. I was weak, bleary eyed, dehydrated, and not sure exactly where I was at. This is how most of my vacations go.
I'm lead through the door by a friend, who happens to be a regular. I sit at the bar. Foggy. Â A brilliant IPA recommendation. A flicker of life. Witty bartender banter. I'm functioning on all cylinders now. A plate of Sassy Wings. I've gone from Tony Stark to Ironman.
Everything was great. The Fuhgettabodit, the beer, service, oh but the Sassy wings. When simple chicken manages to out shine, a burger with prosciutto and a fried egg, it's special.
If you happen to be in to things like great atmosphere, service, beer, and food, check this place out. If those aren't really things you look for in a restaurant, then I wouldn't bother with Burger Bar.
*I also spoke with a lovely young lady who mentioned this was her third trip in 10 days to get a Veggie Burger. *
I love the atmosphere and decor of this place. A very chill/hip environment. The burgers were pretty good and creative. I also love that you get a choice of dipping sauce (ranging from sirracha aoili to garlic aoili). Burgers are a bit pricey but I think they're worth it.
The only thing bringing down a 4 star review is our waitress. She was impatient and not very assertive. She asked if we were done paying which isn't proper. If we had another waitress this place would def get 4 stars.