JL Beers

So, if you're not much of a drinker, you can skip this place. The burger was good, but not better than, say, Five Guys or even Reza's. The fries were good, but the beer cheese sauce was a little too beery. With a page or two of food choices and a zillion pages of beer choices, this place is skewed towards those who like a cold brew.

The service was annoying though the food was served quickly. The tables were small, crowded, and marginally uncomfortable.

So, I'm glad I tried the new joint in town, but now I don't have any need to go back.

The tap beers are the main pull here. 39 on tap and counting... And then there are bottles. They even do beer flights. The beer is mainly from small boutique domestic breweries in the upper Mid-west, plus a few mega-boutique breweries from the West and NE and a few overseas beers (Europe and UK mainly) but still a wide selection, particularly for Bismarck.

There is food, mainly burgers and fries. It's mediocre at best and the service is quick. But again the beer is the main draw, so I'm not sure food quality should matter.  The service is hit or miss and will likely get better as time goes on.

The wait for a seat can get rather long, and there are a lot of downtowners who come here for late lunch and early dinner.  For example, I went at 2 pm on a Tuesday and there was a 15 minute wait for a single seat at the bar.  I suspect as the newness of the place as something to do with the relatively long wait times and it will likely settle down as it gets established.

So why only 3 stars?  It's expensive for Bismarck. $4.75 for a pint of BudLight. On tap.

I could eat here every day
Thank the Lord I found a place with great burgers!!!!
Fully customizable and they have a decent selections of options.
The only downside is that they have AMAZING FRESH chips and fries, that are a la cart. So you don't get a burger and fries/chips, you get a burger and spend some more on the side.
I will say, the sides are totally worth the money. You're going to spend at least $10 on lunch for a burger, chips/fries, dip.... then your drink. So come ready to pay $20/person and be happy to get out for less.
Chips are freshly made right in front of your eyes (if you're at the bar) and come out -almost- crispy, not quite though. If you want it done fully crisp like a bag of chips you just need to ask, and they are more than happy to let them dry out a little longer.
The dips are equally amazing. love the combinations on the seasons and dips.
They have a wonderful selection on tap, I've only had three of them but looking forward to trying the rest. Oh and the 1919 root beer is really yummy. Tastes great.
I think it's great that they are offering and supporting the local breweries and putting those out for people to get attached to.
Loving that the fiance works downtown so we can meet here for lunch. :-)