Birra Burger
Birra Burger with Sweet Potato Waffle Fries
Outside of Charlotte in Matthews, NC is a new burger spot called Birra Burger. It is very unassuming, and quite frankly, would be somewhere that I would typically drive right by. But since my neighbor really wanted to try it out, a group of us hopped in the car to give it a go.
Mixed reviews…questionable?
Before we left, I hopped online to read the reviews. Birra Burger has mixed reviews on Yelp, but very positive reviews on Facebook. Hmm. I honestly had no idea what to expect from it. When we walked in, it felt “fast-casual.” The décor is pretty basic – overall, no-frills. After you grab a table and figure out what you want, you walk up to the counter and order.
Some nice add-ons
The menu features, burgers, salads, beer, wine, appetizers, and a few other yummy ad-ons. I ordered the fried pickles (I can never resist!), a burger, cheese fries, and a Stella Artois (on tap). I have to say — the staff was all incredibly friendly, so bonus points there.
Pickles to die for
The fried pickles were SINFULLY good. They came fried in spears, which is something I’m not used to. Every time I’ve ever ordered fried pickles, they’ve been pickle “chips.” Not at Birra. These pickles were different, and I’m here for it. You could really taste the pickle and not just the crispy fried exterior. They were cooked perfectly – full of flavorful seasoning and quickly fried — which meant they didn’t retain grease. That’s HUGE for me. (Bonus points, again.) The pickle exterior had a nice, crispy coating. Not too thin, not too thick. The interior was cooked, but somehow they managed to maintain a bit of its crunch. Served with a ranch dressing on the side – YUM!
The burgers
The burger I ordered was called the Birra Burger: An Angus patty topped with Applewood smoked bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, red onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and chipotle mayo. I had mixed feelings about the burger. The menu states their burgers come medium-well. I prefer my burgers medium-rare to medium, so I specifically asked for it to be cooked medium. They obliged, but unfortunately, it came out very well done – everyone’s did. It was still very tasty, and luckily no one’s was dry; however, I expect food to come out how I order it. If they couldn’t cook it how I asked, I wish they’d have told me upfront.
Cheeeeese fries
For a $1 upcharge, you can get cheese fries with your burger. I’m glad I did. The fries themselves were good – but I’m a sucker for that gooey queso-like cheese sauce that’s served on fries. Guilty. Pleasure. I wish they’d had more variety of cheese sauce to choose from, but overall, it was delicious.
Solid burgers, but not gourmet
So, the real question, would I go back?
The short answer: yes.
The long answer: with caveats.
1) They boast having gourmet burgers – gourmet they are not. But they’re solid burgers. To me, if they want to be gourmet, they need to add things like a truffle cheese or truffle aioli, tomato jam, or even have some unique meat choices, like bison or ostrich. Do not expect a gourmet burger if you come here – just expect a solid burger.
2) I will ask for my burger to be cooked medium. If it comes out well again, next time I’m sending it back. While it was good well done, it would have been excellent if it had been cooked how I asked.
3) I will ALWAYS order the fried pickles.
