brgr:shack

How I heard of this place: A good friend from Turkmenistan recommended the Afghan-​owned establishment, where burgers taste of kabob
Type of cuisine: «brgr:shack of Ballston is now… ready to serve you with 100% All Natural Grass Fed Beef Burgers and other fine menu offerings! …we also serve up a juicy chicken burger, a savory turkey burger, and a delightful veggie burger, in addition to fries: regular and sweet, onion rings, cool fresh salads, feel free to top these off with a protein of your choice! When you want us to quench your thirst we serve a number of cold beverages, for our adult friends we have beers: bottled and draft. Sweet craving? We got you covered with a nice big ‘ol shake, to keep you satisfied for hours and hours and hours.»
Ambiance: «brgr:shack provides a comfortable and clean place to sit and enjoy a great view of the neighborhood, while listening to great music, and enjoying all the creative creations from the kitchen.» The bright orange sign outside welcomes patrons to a store-​front where a sectioned, glass garage door can be opened to create one space from the sidewalk to the dining area during warm summer nights. The white walls, with only one stripe of orange, making its way from floor to high ceiling at the door, offers color to the otherwise stark white space. Funky lighting from plastic spherical shades hanging from the high, industrial ceilings, to iridescent balls of light in the center of what resembles a less-​fragile dandelion, or very intricate, perfectly constructed fireworks lining walkway from the door to the order counter. The starkness of the room grows ever more so with the plastic tables and chairs, either in plastic white or plastic wood-​textured, simple, streamlined furnishings. Two higher tables with backed barstools grace the windows for passerby to easily catch a glimpse of food on plates and in hands, with burger juices dripping down the arms. The remainder of the ten seating options are at dining table height, perfectly placed, modern and sleek, for pairs or fours to dine together, in close proximity to their neighboring patrons. Large, pale tiles line the floors from the doorway to the kitchen, where it is additionally sparse, with limited bags of buns, ketchup and mustard containers on the stainless steel walls holding the ample shelving. Two flat screen televisions, offering views of the Football Playoffs sit high up on the walls to the far left as one enters the establishment. Along with the squeeze bottles of Heinz Ketchup and Mustard, and hot sauce, each table held either a bucket tin of grass or a long vase with room only for one stalk of bamboo.
What I ordered: The burger selections were the most difficult, as we already knew that fresh-​cut potato French Fries ($ 2.50), a side of fresh beer-​battered Onion Rings ($ 3.50) and a small hand-​spun Cookies ‘n Cream shake ($ 4) were on the bill! We split our top two choices: fancy: zola ($ 8) — applewood smoked bacon, Swiss cheese, topped with Shack: zola salad, gorgonzola cheese, Shackberry sauce (of which they had run out, therefore substituting their new Shack Island sauce instead) served on a dark pumpernickel bun, and the fire: me:up ($ 8) — lettuce, tomatoes, fresh red onions, guacamole, fresh sliced jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, pico de gallo and Chipotle Shack Sauce.
What I loved: Chris most enjoyed the fancy: zola, specifically the two, crisp strips of bacon smothered in gorgonzola cheese. I most enjoyed the French Fries, the tang and spice of the seasoning chosen, and the presentation in a mini «deep fry» basket.
Why I loved it: While it’s no Ray’s Hell Burger (according to Chris), it’s proximity to home, the natural, grass fed beef and, the creativity of using pumpernickel buns, and the variety of flavorful bites makes it a place worth a return trip!
Cost: Average to high ($ 7-​$ 8 per burger, sides not included)

Perhaps a little late to the game, Burger Shack joins the better burger phenomenon. It’s more on the gourmet side than Five Guys, Elevation, or Shake Shack. The latter makes me wonder about brgr’s choice of name, and what’s wrong with using vowels? Their questionable branding aside, they make pretty stellar burgers. I had the juicy lucy, which is stuffed with blue and cheddar cheese and topped with bacon, onion, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, and their ‘shake sauce.’ I ordered it medium, and that’s the way it came, with plenty of juice, as it were. The beef is grass fed and free of hormones and antibiotics, but it’s more filling than Elevation. The fries are hand cut, and the onion rings are freshly beer battered and come with that nice mayo based dipping sauce that you sometimes see.
The atmosphere is affectedly trendy. They have those white tables that are almost immediately marked up. Each is decorated with a fake grass planter box. The burgers come on rectangular plates, and the fries are served in little replica frying baskets. It was far too hot, but it looks like they have a garage door front that could make for some good seating in the spring.

3.5 stars… i’ve been here a few times when i get a burger craving and I live across the street, but recently came back since they ran their google offer. Their meat is perfectly cooked medium rare although could be more flavorful. The last time I went there though, I asked them to make it bunless which they did with extra lettuce, but they forgot the best part of my burger! the wasabi aioli!!! =(with it, the burger is light and flavorful with a light kick! i’ll have to remind them to not skip that when i go back!!!
oh and the sweet potato fries are addictive =/

Came here for a quick meal before heading over to Rustico for drinks. As we actually weren’t incredibly hungry, I liked how they offered a very small size burger — just slightly larger than a McDonald’s burger, so we left satisfied but not stuffed. Mine had bacon and avocado and was great! We split a fries, and they were tasty and spiced. I love the casual garage door atmosphere. And they had ice cream!
In the end, I liked this place though I think Big Buns around the corner is better. Big Buns has more meat options, and I like how they offer burger bowls for when you are trying to be «healthy.» Frankly, the name is also better. Bgrshak does beat Big Buns on the fries, though — the fries here were really great~!

This place is EXCELLENT — and let me tell you why. We went to Taste of Arlington 2012, and saw this huge line for a sample of this slider — it looked so good that we had to wait in line for 30 minutes to get a sample, once we got in the front of the line; we not only ordered 1, 2, or 3 but FIVE of these sliders not knowing if they were even good.
Let me tell you something, there is something about these burgers that makes it amazing, I don’t know if its the special sauce or the meat but man you gotta try it. Its juicy, tasty (sauce) and just melts in your mouth.
After Taste of Arlington, we had to go back to the actual restaurant and it tasted even better and it was bigger! Its called the M burger, yum. Also, the cashier was the owner and he was super nice letting us eat there after the place closed.
Gotta try the burger and the fries were crispy. Pretty impressed. Oh yeah, did I mention they WON Taste of Arlington Best Entrée. Good job!

Yum… I had the Juicy Lucy sans bacon and my husband had the portobello burger. Both were deeelish, well cooked and very satisfying. I didn’t need to put any ketchup or mustard on my burger… the sauce that was on it, along with the caramelized onions and the cheeses provided enough great flavor on their own. So, if you order one of the specialty burgers, I recommend trying it before you put condiments on it!
We shared one order of the sweet potato fries on the side which was more than enough for both of us with our burgers. The spices on them were really great… made them crispy and tasty.
Parking was pretty easy (street parking) and the service was great. You order at the counter, but your order is brought out to you and the table is bussed after, so definitely have tip money, or put it on your credit card! :)
Definitely recommend.

Noisy, very small venue. The waiter spilled water on my wife.
The burger I had was good. Not exceptional that I would purposefully come back, but it was a satisfying meal.

Pros:
Grass-​fed burgers
Interesting burger selection
Even more interesting soda selections (Peach Fanta and Raspberry Coke? Yes, please!)
Asparagus fries
Milkshakes are ungodly good
Cons:
Everything is over salted
A burger, fries and milkshake came out to over $ 20!
I know it’s Clarendon, but seriously, brgr: shack’s many competitors in the area charge up to half that.

Probably 1 of the most underrated fast food burger joint. Either It tasted freaking awesome or maybe because I was also starving at the time? Regardless, it left a very good impression for me.
Fire Me Up ($ 8) — Grass Fed Beef, Guacamole, Pico De Gallo, Pepper Jack Cheese, Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapenos & Chipotle Shack Sauce. The burger’s very juicy!!! And also since it’s grass fed beef, the patty felt leaner. If you love burgers with a little spicy kick into it, this is definitely the one for you. All the condiments blend perfectly together; I was really impressed!
Sweet Potato Fries ($ 3.50) — Pretty good. They’re crispy, sweet & salty all at the same time. I’ve always enjoyed them!
Overall: This place reminds me of Five Guys (decoration & atmosphere). However, they serve beer in there; they even have Happy Hour. The burger’s juicy, tasty & their portions’re decent. The workers’re really friendly; they took the time helping me which burger to get. I’d definitely come back here!!!

Like I sometimes do, I waited until the last minute to use my Google coupon to try out the brgr: shack. There’ are a lot of burger places in the DC area and that’s a good thing it keeps everyone on their toes.
I ended up creating my own burger which starts at a very reasonable $ 7. I pretty much loaded it up with all of the «veggies», cheddar cheese and added bacon to top it off. Unfortunately they were out of onion rings which had me puzzled. The place was slow/​dead at around 12:45 so not sure how many folks before me had ordered onion rings instead of fries.
Now I will give them props for making my burger to order. Unlike Bobby’s Burger Palace which seemed to have done that the first week it opened, the last visit the burger was lukewarm and not hot and juicy like brgr: shack. You can see them putting it on the grill as soon as the ticket is received which the same can’t be said about BBP.
Now let me quickly tell you about the fries. Not very impressive, in fact BBP’s fries are better executed. I didn’t see much of a push for dipping sauces but did see that there were some options but they were not really visible and didn’t see an signage to inform the customer about dipping options.
Also the portion size of the fries is very disappointing. Yes the fry basket is a cute presentation, but I don’t need cute when I’m about to devour a juicy messy burger. Finally, the bun. I was happy to see that they had a wheat bun option. The bun was nice and buttery and to my surprise held up very well to the burger, considering it felt like my thumb was about to go through the bottom bun but it held up! High marks on that!
I would encourage those who are burger lovers to try each place and judge for yourself. I think they all do a pretty decent job some have nice twists that others lack. I have yet to have found the holy grail of burger joints.
brgr:shack is on point and is now in my book above Good Stuff Eatery and slightly above BBP.
Buen Provecho!

In my frequent bus rides from Crystal City to Tyson’s Corner and back, I get a glimpse of brgr: shack on every route. It always sounded pretty cool, but I’ve secretly been kind of creeped out by that little stretch of Fairfax Dr that starts with Hunan Gate and ends with First Down Sports Bar & Grill. I really can’t pin point why I dislike this location so much, but I do. As much as I love a hamburger, I was never too enticed by the idea of visiting that dreaded stretch of establishments, until a wonderfully gracious Unilocaler offered up her Google Offers coupons to brgr: shack that she would be unable to use.
I decided if I was finally going to make the leap to crossing the street from the Metro stop, I should do it at a discounted price.
I was given two coupons, so I visited brgr: shack for lunch AND dinner during the same day.
Here’s how lunch went:
I arrived about 12:30 pm on a weekday afternoon. The design of the place reminded me of a cafeteria/​deli. It wasn’t that busy at all, which should mean I should get my order rather fast, but nope. Only one person was working the register, and when I arrived, they were taking a phone order. The cashier did acknowledge my presence and whispered an apology, though I wasn’t really in a hurry, so I didn’t mind too much. However, is it really that hard to have one or two more employees? Phone orders can take a while. My order didn’t arrive for at least 15 minutes.
I ordered the yum: brgr, and «Tagged it Up!» with french fries and a drink.
I ordered the burger well done, and Well Done it was. It was a little too charred for my tastes, but after the first mouthful of charcoal, the charred factor seemed to have diminished/​been disguised by all the other wonderful flavors popping out of my burger.
I disliked the fries, a lot. They are way too crispy for my liking. They basically taste like potato chips, which isn’t a bad thing, if I ordered potato chips. brgr: shack had me craving crinkle cut fries/​potato wedges from the freezer aisle. I don’t mind a crispy outside layer on a french fry, but I wanted a tender/​fluffy inside.
My drink was delicious. I ordered water.
Here’s how my dinner went:
In attempts to change things up, I ordered a chicken burger. While ordering, the cashier informed me that the chicken burger would be made of chicken breast. OK? Was I supposed to be expecting another part of the chicken in my burger?
Was he suggesting I not order the chicken burger? I now realize I should not have ordered the chicken burger. After receiving my chicken burger, I immediately noticed that one of two things needs to happen: 1) brgr: shack needs to find chicken with bigger breasts 2) brgr: shack needs to feed me both breasts. The chicken patty only took up half of the the bun! I love all forms of carbs, and will eat hamburger buns as a snack, but when I order a burger, I expect each bite into the bun to come with a bite of meat, not a bite of air.
This time I ordered the sweet potato fries, and I replicate my feelings from lunch. I was reminded of eating Sweet Potato Popchips, which are good, except when I want fries instead of Popchips
I skipped out on a drink this time. I was being cheap.
If I went back, which I won’t go out of my way to do, I’d stick with a hamburger, which I would be willing to pay full price for, but I would definitely never order a chicken burger again. I’d rather go to Chick-​fil-​A if the burger is going to be that tiny.

Very good sweet potato fries, decent burgers. That pretty much sums brgr up, although you may want to also throw in expensive too. Not a cheap place with their $ 8 burgers which are on par in terms of price with Ray’s Hell Burger. Despite the tough local competition, I’d return to brgr since it’s close to home and pretty good, although I’d probably skip the drink and fries and walk my burger home.
Burger bun was cold, meat was not super flavorful, but still decent. Not too greasy, and it was cooked exactly right at medium with a hint of pink. brgr has plenty of potential, it wouldn’t take much to make them much more competitive, although they have created unrealistic expectations with their pricing.

**3.5 Stars**
This place falls into my «not to shabby» category for food. I guess I was impressed for the following reasons:
1) I went in with very low expectations
2) I went in like everyone else with my $ 7 for $ 1 coupon
I ordered «The Melt» which came with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and cheese of the Swiss. In placing my order, I asked that the burger be cooked to a medium temperature and also ordered a «basket» of fries.
My coworker and I found a spot next to one of the fans as the air conditioning at BRGR seemed to be on the fritz as it was a bit warm. Plus we had just ridden in my non-​A/​C car and were two sweaty mofos.
Less than 10 minutes later our burgers were brought to our table. The burgers actually looked great and mine was built upon a nice looking whole wheat bun. The «basket» of fries was a bit small and the fat kid in me was secretly happy I had decided to order my own fries… I hate sharing my fries. :-)
Biting into the burger, I was happily surprised as it had a good fresh taste and was cooked PERFECTLY to a medium temperature. BONUS! There’s nothing worse than ordering a burger to a specific temperature and getting it overcooked to a juice-​less well-​done state. Ugh…
Not so with BRGR, the burger was cooked perfectly and the flavor of the meat was fresh and perfectly complimented by the caramelized onions, ‘shrooms and Swiss cheese. I was one happy camper and devoured my burger. The fries were okay (lightly salted and sprinkled with parsley) but definitely too small of a basket for a man of my hunger and immense girth. A size that makes it impossible for me to share with anyone.
**hangs head in shame**
When we were done, my coworker and I were a bit confused as to what to do with our plate and metal french fry basket. There were no signs and the trash cans contained no bins or receptacles where we could leave our plates and baskets. Being the good boyscouts, we picked up as much of the trash as we could off our plates and threw them away while stacking our now empty dishes on our table. A lady at another table looked at us and mentioned, «I’m watching you guys ’cause I have no idea what to do either.»
A minute later the same man that delivered our burgers and fries came to clear our table. Mental note, leave trash on table. Got it! Just wish there was a sign near the trash cans that told us to leave the our stuff on the tables. Now another conundrum, did we need to tip? Before we could decide another group of people sat at our now empty table and the young man had already disappeared into the back room of BRGR.
Next time we’ll leave a little something for the burger bringer/​table clearer-​upper dude.
Despite the lack of A/​C and small fries (which were still tasty), I’ll give these guys the extra ½ star to bump them up to 4 stars. Not a bad value with my coupon and they were quick with my perfectly cooked burger. I’ll definitely be back for some more burger goodness.

Y-​U-​M.
More than just a good burger. We’re talking grass-​fed beef (translation: you can feel better about chowing down) with just about any topping you could hope for. And while it is still a burger shack, it doesn’t feel like the greasy spoon you’d expect; you can feel good about yourself relaxing in this semi-​chic joint.
There are plenty of suggested burger options, but I like to build my own. Veggies are complimentary (including red wine sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions), as are many cheeses. Only a buck to upgrade your fromage to brie or or Gouda, or to add a special extra like avo, fried egg, or crispy onion rings (but beware — onion rings are apt to run out as they are muy popular — for good reason).
Throw in some good sauces (I love the sweet pete bbq) and a side of sweet potato fries (done SO perfectly) and this is the kind of meal you will get crazy messy enjoying, so stack up on the napkins.
Finish off with a shake (can you say NUTELLA) and you’ll be ready to be rolled home. Mmmmmm.

Probably more like a 3.5, but I was really craving a burger and they were running a deal on Living Social Instant Deals so .5 bump.
The space is small but neat and wasn’t crowded at dinnertime on a Wednesday. The acoustics are terrible, so I felt like I was YELLING to place my order. They have a small menu of salads, specialty burgers, and an option to design your own burger. There’s also a monthly specialty burger and shake. Both my friend and I got the fire me up on wheat bun with bacon added ($ 1 extra), and it was nice thick fancy bacon. We split an order of fries which were super fresh and deliciously seasoned with Old Bay. There’s a selection of bottled beers and Peroni, some sort of Flying Dog, and Yuengling on tap. During their weekday happy hour (5−8pm) you can get a cup of Yuengling for $ 2 and a bigger cup for $ 3.
There was no discernible difference between my friend’s medium and my well done burger, so be extra adamant if you want your beef still bleeding. When I’d asked for my burger without onions, the guy taking my order got all concerned about whether I was ok with the pico de gallo because it had onions, so I was surprised to see that they’d left the onions on my burger. The wheat bun was good and did a nice job of holding the burger together. The patty itself was flavorful though it didn’t have the most tender texture – there was a bit of a fibrous feeling when biting into the patty. All the fire me up toppings worked extremely well together though and left me with a happily spiced mouth and a very full stomach.

Saw Tara L.‘s review and decided to give it a try because 1. I LOVE avocado on my burgers, and 2. wasabi sauce ftw! The menu is simple and I like it that way, not so many choices that you’re standing there forever trying to pick between 10 cheeses and 5 sauces. They know how to put a burger together and ask you to trust them! If you like them super greasy and falling apart, this isn’t the place for you (I rec. Good Stuff Eatery. or Five Guys, of course, if that’s your pref).
The bun, which you can choose between white or wheat, actually holds the burger and toppings together like it’s supposed to. You’re not reaching for the napkin every five seconds because the bun is soggy full of grease. On top of that, it was fresh, toasty, and tasted great.
Fries: I love, love, love sweet potato fries. brgr offers regular and sweet; and when they’re freshly cut and fried, it can really complete the whole meal. and it did!
All in all, my yum: brgr was very nicely composed and cooked to order (I like medium) with just the right amount of toppings. brgr: shack would be suitable for a good lunch spot if you’re in the area. PS. The furniture and décor looks like it’s all from IKEA! Not complaining, just sayin.

I like ‘em real thick and juicy…
My burgers of course. Just give me a fatty patty between two buns and I’m goodies.
So when topped thoughtfully with sliced avocado, tomato, brie and wasabi sauce, I’m a happy girl.
I ordered the yum: bgr, fries and a drink, which brought my total to around $ 13. Not cheap, but certainly not foreign these days when ordering a burger. The fries were freshly cut, with bits of the skin still on them. They were hot, crisp and not too greasy, but unfortunately were lacking in the flavor department. My burger on the other hand was great. The wheat bun was fresh and perfectly sized for the burger and the toppings were neatly assembled.
The restaurant was also well lit, mod and extremely clean, almost sterile to sight if not for the little bamboo plants on each table. Service was also great and I was in and out in just about 10 minutes.
I would definitely return if I was in the ‘hood again and fittin’ for a juicy one!

I gotta agree with the reviewer formerly known as BooM on this one… 3.5 stars. Somewhere between «A-​OK» and «I’m a fan»
Things that make it lean toward 4 stars:
I went on a nice day and the restaurant transforms into a very open space as they can take out the front wall to make it nice and breezy inside.
They have I think four beers on tap? One of them being Yuenging (being very close to my heart… and liver) and one of the others was Flying Dog. Awesome.
The fries remind me of home. They use old bay seasoning so if you’ve ever had crab fries at Chickie & Pete’s you know what I’m talking about. (Chickie and Pete’s are still better though)
Things that make it lean toward 3 stars:
And this is a major one…
The burger wasn’t THAT good. It was ok… the cheese wasn’t melted on it. It was in a half solid, half melted, wilted kind of state. Also, like other reviewers had mentioned, they will cook your burger to death. Why do they even ask how you like it cooked (MEDIUM, by the way…) There as absolutely no pink in the center of my burger.
I might return but probably won’t be running back anytime soon. Maybe next time I’d try the turkey burger which is SUPPOSED to be cooked all the way through. Maybe that’s their forte.

It’s unfortunate that this place has been open a whole month (since the end of January 2011) and still absolutely has not got its service together. The concept is cute, but the menu says «brgr» this and «brgr» that and I starting feeling hungry for vowels.
The burgers were fine, nothing special for this area, what with the much-​better Ray’s Hellburger 2 a mile away, the decent Big Buns a few blocks away, etc. The prices seemed quite high, up to $ 10.99 for a burger with cheese, a sickly white slice of tomato, some strange cranberry chutney, and some salad greens on top. The rolls are brioche-​style, and there’s no way to assemble your own burger — only pre-​set combinations. Fries are ordered separately, and $$, as are shakes ($$$).
And then there’s the service. While we waited 20 MINUTES for our burgers (the place only seats 20 people, so… really?), I watched as every order was sent back for some kind of mistake, or because the host couldn’t figure out whose it was. My burger was mislabeled and he walked around with it for a while until it got cold and he decided it was mine. He kept saying «882? 882?» to each table, even though the actual table markers have numbers like «12» and «8.»
They had the entire front of the restaurant open to the weather (it’s like a garage door) at lunchtime even though it was only 50 degrees out, and the two tables in the sun looked fine, but everyone else had to keep our coats on and well-​bundled up. Not smart, guys. No wonder most people wanted take-​out.

«Uninspired» and «Forgettable» were two words that escaped my mouth during my experience at brgr: shack.
«Uninspired.» My burger (the «mlt») had no flavor. Mushrooms, swiss, and… something else that didn’t even hit my palate SHOULD have flavor. As much as I hate doing so, I was forced to douse my burger in ketchup to get anything out of it.
Overall, the experience was «forgettable.» I’ll likely try it again, but I’m not rushing out of the door to do so.
With all the quality burger options in the area, brgr has a lot of work ahead of it if they intend to stick around.
Other Notes:
— Ketchup and napkins are guarded commodities to the point of actually being annoying. I ended up making two trips to the counter to ask for more. I was handed a single napkin and enough ketchup for a couple of fries.
— The fixed menu is annoying. For a fraction of the price, even Burger King lets me get it my way.
— The sweet potato fries earned them a star. On burger alone, this experience was a 2.
— The owner is apparently a fixture at the store. He can be found lending a helping hand, but also has a table to himself piled with papers and other business nonsense. I’m all for keeping an eye on your establishment, but don’t make it so obvious, and don’t take up 10% of the seating area in your already crowded little shop.