Patty Burger

Not a good burger!!! So disappointing. I really wanted a turkey burger but they didn’t have one so i ordered the Tex Mex Burger which came with Provolone cheese, pico de gallo and bacon, sounds good right… wrong!!!The burger had no flavor what so ever. No salt, no pepper, no seasoned salt, nothing, nada, zip!!! The toppings looked fresh but again tasted like nothing. I love pico de gallo and that was bland too! The only good thing was the bacon. If i didn’t have bacon this would have been an EPIC FAIL! The fries had a weird taste to them, not sure if they used old grease to fry them in or what, but they were just as bad as the burger. I ordered cheese fries and the cheese sauce did mask the weird taste of the fries a little. But i’m not the type of foodie that likes covering something in sauce just to make it edible. By the way the service was quick and friendly but the food stinks!

Saw the outside from the bus and though, «Hmm. this would be a fun place to try!» Then, try I did!
I ordered the Philly and my dining companion ordered the Bluegrass. The beef patty was pretty scrumptious, cooked just right (not too well-​done, not too medium). On my burger were the requisite cheesiness of the Philly and onions and peppers mixed in. Not sure what the Bluegrass had (ranch dressing?) but fairly certain that was enjoyed with great aplomb as well.
Wasn’t cheap ($ 24 for 2 people: 2 burgers + 2 drinks), wish i knew about the Unilocal fries deal, but in line with how much 5 guys cost.
I enjoyed the artwork on the wall very much as well. Classy.

Burger was good, I enjoyed it and the price good, very reasonable, fast service. I would go there just for the fries, they are awesome.
Thanks to Ryan M’s review I thought i would give them a chance, it was well worth it.

A solid burger. Tasty, reasonably priced, and decent service.

Their burgers and fries are pretty decent and their signature «Patty Sauce» is pretty good. And they’re shakes… Don’t even bother trying it, it’s not worth the $ 5. (If Portillo’s weren’t so far out of the way I would’ve just gone there.) This place could use quite a bit of work in the flavor-​for-​your-​money department.

Not Five Guys… But close to the office and satisfies a real burger and fries craving.
Service here is not exceptional (speed, personality, and knowledge of the menu are lacking); however, they are not angry like some of the fast food hole-​in-​the-​wall spots in the Loop.
Like Five Guys, a single is sufficient and a bag of fries can feed two.
Don’t come here with super high expectations and you’ll be fine. Also… don’t walk over here planning to eat-​in if you have a low-​tolerance for loud, corny, old ‘American’ music. Think «Sweet Caroline» too loud without a bar to overserve you.

STOP: Don’t eat here!
I’ve been on the search for the best burger for a few years, and this place sucks! Just go to the McDonald’s down the street. The staff was rude and it was over priced. The burger was sloppy and it didn’t seem fresh. Maybe I got the leftover’s from the lunch rush or something. Instead of sitting down, I should have watched the person on the grill. I ate it to get my money’s worth, but now I wish I hadn’t.
I got extremely sick a couple hours after I ate here. I spent the rest of the day vomiting and couldn’t eat or drink for over 24 hours. I know it was from their food. I will never go back here again… No, I am not exaggerating.

This place has gotten a pretty bad rep I see. I’m really stuck between giving a 2 or a 3… hopefully I’ll have a clear choice after organizing my thoughts…
Well, I have been here a couple times considering that it is extremely close to my job… actually the closest place to get lunch not considering the cafeteria downstairs. Anyway, I have probably been here about 5 time total in my 3 and a half years of working by it. Every time I go, something about it keeps me from going back for a good couple months. I never wrote a review before and I guess I just forgot the experiences.
Today, I decided I will finally get my thoughts down…
So, it was lunch time and I didn’t know what to eat. I wanted to grab something pretty quick and run back up to work. Naturally, Patty Burger came to mind due to proximity. I decided to look them up on Unilocal to refresh my memory and saw the horrible reviews. I thought, «I knew I didn’t like something about this place.» I was about to go somewhere else when I noticed there was a note for free fries with a burger purchase. I figured this was my opportunity to go in and give them one more chance to win me over.
I walked down and looked at the menu. Everything looks a bit overpriced, but I decided on «The Que». It comes with the normal condiments… lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and the special sauce. In addition to that, it came with cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled onions, and bbq sauce (btw, I have always found it weird that burgers that come with grilled onions will still come with raw onions at some places. Am I the only one that thinks one of the two is all that is needed? I almost see them as a substitution for raw… not an addition to.). So then I asked about the Unilocal promotion and was told they are not responsible for that and it wasn’t their doing. Great, they got my business because of a false freebee. No fries for me.
So, I just got the burger and waited… and waited… and waited. The place wasn’t even busy. I got in and 3 guys were waiting against the wall and one guy was in front of me. I ended up waiting over 10 minutes for my single burger (a double is $ 2 more). I have never waited that long in other burger places… like Epic Burger or Five Guys.
When I finally get to eating, I unwrap my burger. The patty was pretty close to the size of a quarter pounder from McDonalds. Not horrible size, but I expected more for the cost ($ 6.38 with tax for a single… no fries, no drink). The meat itself is loaded with little balls of fat. I guess this is to keep it juicy or something. They are small and not noticeable unless you look at the meat somewhat closely. They are probably about the size of the period on your keyboard (no bigger than that and not hard that you would notice when biting through it). Anyway, I’m not a fan of that. The bacon on it was pretty questionable. I prefer my bacon to not be super crispy (which this wasn’t), so I can kind of handle this… but it was very borderline not cooked enough. If I had to pick burnt to a crisp or this slightly undercooked… I’d still pick this.
So, in summary, the burger was ok tasting. On taste alone, I would give this place between a 3 and 4. For me, it loses points in the cost considering the product. For that price, I want a better tasting beef without the fat and grease dripping everywhere. I would like to not wait more than 10 minutes. If I do wait that long, make sure my bacon is cooked more. Despite this place being extremely close, I will not go back unless they have a deal. I can get a way better meal elsewhere.
Oh, and just as I’m hitting the one-​hour mark, my stomach is turning. If I can take down White Castle sliders fine, I don’t know why this is bothering me…
I’m giving this place a 2. If I weren’t tricked into going in by a fake deal, I may have given the 3.

UPDATE: An hour and a half later and I feel sick to my stomach. I will never step foot in there again.
Had some terrible service today and it wasn’t the first time. I understand that a popular burger place in the middle of the loop is busy at lunch time, but there is no excuse for me to wait 28 minutes for a barely warmed through, greasy mushroom cap haphazardly slapped on a bun for almost $ 8 with a regular sized drink. I waited until the 5^th number after mine had been called before going to the counter and they hadn’t even assembled it yet. It’s complete BS and I won’t be back. Also, their fries are gross.

Not great. Needed to find some food before a concert at Symphony Center and we were glad to find this place. Burger wasn’t great, not much diversity on the menu (but it *is* a burger place so I am not sure what I expected! Maybe a salad?!).
It’s stark, the food isn’t terrific, but the price is right and it’s quick.

Very good and reasonably priced compared to everything else that’s around. Very clean, fresh & fast. I had an original burger (nothing fancy) and a small fry and ended up spending about $ 6. Not bad plus, unbelievably, this meal is less caloric than having just about any sandwich at nearby chain café-​type restaurants.

I would give this maybe 2.5 stars, but a solid enough 2.5.
The décor is pretty cute, as the location is conveniently located near the SAIC campus to which I wish I was aware of it earlier. I could’ve had real food instead of a sandwich which just doesn’t fill a person up.
The burgers are fairly priced and taste okay (though that abundance of weird orange sauce grossed me out), a little on the bland side and not fully moist in comparison to other burgers. I love fast food just not fast food in terms of McDonald’s or anything, so I think this place does the trick. It should probably be graded in terms of quick food which would then receive a higher rating. Not great, just enough.
More importantly, I’ll probably be back for a quickie lunch.

I think this place is good. Used to be better but I think by expanding the menu they lowered the overall expience. Very similar to 5 guys

Unsanitary & Disgusting
A customer brought a smelly dog into the restaurant and the staff let it stay. Later, one of the employees came out to pet the dog and then went back to making food.
Also, while I was there two homeless men came in with a lunch they had just picked out of the Au Bön Pain dumpster and sat down to eat. The staff just gave them a friendly wave.

For a tiny little restaurant practically hidden between Au Bön Pain and an alley on Adams by Michigan, Patty Burgers tries really hard to get herself noticed. Personified as a 60’s era saucy cartoon redhead, Patty Burgers (Ms. Burgers? it’s unclear) grabbed my attention on my way to said ABP with her many assertions: She ALWAYS serves breakfast («Wake up with Patty,» she demurely winks from the sandwich board on the sidewalk), she always «delivers,» and she always gives students 20% off – which appealed more to my student budget than an overpriced scone next door.
I ordered a sausage egg «sandwich” – put between burger buns, and quite deliciously so. Bonus points for the quality sausage, and for putting a lid OVER the egg while it was frying to make the cheese melt perfectly. None of that Waffle House unmelted-​kraft-​single-​thrown-​on-​top-​as-​an-​afterthought business here. Dee-​lish.
The fries were questionable. They were all stubby – literally all but 4 or so – but they had skins still on it, which I was a big fan of.
The décor is clean and retro, and perhaps overdoes it with illustrations of Patty everywhere, always winking (on a spatula: «You’ll Flip»; on a hamburger: «She’s stacked.») In short, a nice little nook for a diverse demographic (lunch during work, students, families visiting the Art Institute) and is kid-​friendly in the way that they’ll like the cartoons while totally missing the quasi-​provocative undertones. Stay away, I suppose, if you don’t like winking redheads.

For a «fast food» hamburger joint, I like it! Obviously, they sell only burgers, fries, and shakes, but come on, that’s why I go… at least once a week, that is.
The burgers remind me of Steak n Shake burgers, but better. My friend tried the veggie burger which is a portabello mushroom and said it was okay, not the best.
And, I hear if you show your student ID, you get a discount.
I’m giving Patty 4 stars b/​c it’s definitely better than any other fast food burger joints in the area. For a good greasy burger, this place rocks my fast food cravings!

I have to downgrade Patty Burger, because for the last three weeks everytime it crosses my mind that I want a burger for lunch, I think ‚“No, I don’t want to go to Patty Burger.” While I think the burger is pretty good, it just isn’t worth the long line, aggravation, and high price.
Now that I’ve found Max’s down the street, I don’t know if I’ll ever go back!
But, I have to respond to something that a lot of people have written – some of you seem to think the fries are «unnatural» or have a «spray-​on» texture. You’re nuts. I’ve seen them slicing whole potatoes in the kitchen and tossing them into the fryer – just like that. The fries are probably TOO natural for you – you who are used to McDonald’s scrubbed and polished version of fried potatoes that can sit out for weeks without even beginning to grow mold (seriously).

Do you want a Chicago style burger that’s grilled to a crisp, laced with veggies, and has a toasted bun? Well don’t come here.
While I thought this place was OK, I can see why lots of people are angry about eating here. From other reviews, I got the impression that it would be some rundown restaurant, but in face the entire place is brand new, very well-​lit, and reminds me more of a café than a burger joint.
That being said, the sparse menu is nothing to write home about as burgers come in singles (¹⁄₃ lb), doubles (²⁄₃ lb) or triples (1lb). Cheese is 59 cents extra, regualr fries are like $ 1.49, milkshakes all run for $ 3.99, and the chicken sandwich is $ 4.99.
I don’t think the burger was that bad, there is some kind of house sauce that is heavily laced with pepper and I thought it was fine. My friend who ate with me declared that he would not want that on his burger ever again. Seating in this restaurant was limited and we had to split our table with two random stuffed shirts, so we really couldn’t talk like we normally did.
Value is where this place is sorely lacking. One cheeseburger, one chocolate peanut butter milkshake, regular fries cost me $ 10.66. Like the Battle of Hastings, it was a historical moment in burger joint eating paying that much for so little (without being drunk).

I should have just given up. But I didn’t. I plowed forth with utter disregard for my gastrointestinal welfare and common sense.
Despite the fact that Patty Burger consistently serves me a disgusting, amorphous ball of peppery ground beef topped with a mysterious, salmon-​colored sauce of flavor unknown, I’ve somehow managed to return three times now in large part because it’s right near my office and I have a terrible memory.
$ 9.16 for a double cheeseburger and a small drink? What is this shit, a Siberian tiger’s jowl meat dipped in black truffle oil? Here, put it on my platinum card.
Five stars for service, you poor hourly bastards. I’ll zealously support the class action lawsuit you file against whatever parent company is behind this atrocity.
Patty, may my free burger punch card never see its fifth hole.

This tiny burger joint is just west of the Art Institute, and is easy to miss if you are just walking by. The menu is very limited, as is its seating capacity, so lunchtime can be very crowded. The first burger I ate was very juicy (similar to a better version of Wendy’s) and you can get toppings like grilled onions and mushrooms (at additional cost). The first time I ate here I thought this was one of the best fast-​food burgers ever, as were the crispy fries. Subsequent tastings have unfortunately lowered my overall rating by a star, as perhaps the initial anticipation has worn off. I’d say if you are in the area have a go at the burger and fries, but otherwise don’t make a trek to Patty Burger.