Plan B Burger Bar

I like this place, but I simply cannot love it. I want to. But I cannnot. The food is delicious and high quality. The atmosphere is hip and upscale. And the service, while rarely dropping the ball on the little things like refilling empty water glasses, is usually friendly and attentive. And yet, every time I go there, I get the impression it is desperately seeking an identity.
You see, the décor of meat hooks and the «Bourbon, Beer, and Burgers» moniker simply does not match the ambience. This is not an upscale steakhouse as you sometimes see with this décor, nor is it the manly «burger bar» one might expect. The clientele is basically the same as at any nondescript corner joint in anytown USA. But, I do come here often and I come for the food. Great selection of beers and bourbons too, but I am here for the food.
So, the food. Nice selection of appetizers. A darn good lobster roll. Great salads. A passable although underspiced chili. And burgers. Lots of burgers. Delicious meat for us carnivores. Two caveats though. Despite the temptation to sample the toppings, some of them overshadow the beef which is, after all, the main attraction of the dish. I stick with basics… occasionally with cheese, bacon, or a dab of chili, either in the grass or on a rather tasty pretzel roll. Otherwise I feel like I am eating blue cheese or mushrooms, for example, with a side of burger. The second one is why can I only get some pink or no pink? A quality place should serve meat any way one likes it… for me that is rare. Is there an issue with the meat quality that requires cremation before serving? Despite those two issues, I enjoy the flavorful burgers and the sides are all quite good, particularly the rater tots. And, despite what other reviews state, I still get those delicious pickle slices every visit.
Now, I do want to mention, my favorite menu item used to be the macaroni and cheese with pulled pork. This was, in my opinion, the ultimate comfort food… delicious and satisfying. Served in a cast iron dish in a generous portion, this one dish was enough to make Plan B a regular destination for me. Then, the decided to change perfection. My order came in a seemingly lighter portion on a regular plate. Now, I don’t know if it is psychological or real but it just does not taste the same to me and has dropped off my personal menu. And so have my visits dropped off.
Desserts. Great desserts. Usually, I am too full but they have one peanut butter delicacy I find irresistible when I am splurging on calories.
Overall a darn good place with a potential to step up in a couple of ways to be great.

I came here on a Thursday afternoon (1−2pm) and it was pretty busy. I had to wait about 15 minutes for a table of four. However, I have to say the food was worth it!
I ordered the West Coast burger with Parmesan fries and tater tots. The West Coast burger has avocado, a fried egg and a mayo-​tasting sauce, and it was one of the best burgers I’ve had. It tasted really fresh and natural! The tater tots were amazingly crispy. I don’t usually like taters tots, but I ordered it because I saw Unilocal users say it was great. And it was. Thumbs up to the fries too!
Btw, If you’re looking for an appetizer, I would recommend the Nachos with homemade potato chips.

This review is just for the bar section. The bartenders waited about 5 – 10 minutes to acknowledge my friend and I and the place was not super busy. it was a Thursday night. It looked like the employees were drinking and hanging out with their friends instead of working.
The service was really unfriendly. In nicer places like this I expect better service.
Also there was no music playing which I found pretty weird. It made the place seem a bit dull or lacking when there are so many other options for a night out on a Thursday.
I would like to go back to try the food but I would not sit at the bar.

We’ve been here quite a few times since they opened. Definitely DON’T go at popular time if you are in a hurry, as You can’t get near the place. Eric square does not have ample parking and plan b can be so crowded! We usually get a buzzer and wait if this is the situation. We sometimes opt to sit at the bar high tops when want quicker seating.
We’ve tried sitting on the outside patio, in the bar or dining room. All good experiences. Happy hour is very popular here with a special menu of smaller plates.
What’s all the fuss about? It is a super hip place and a great location. It’s just plain fun and the food? It’s pretty darn good! If you like to feed your inner carnivore and have a social conscience, this is the place for you! The beef is all humanely harvested and it shows. I’m a purist and get my beef patty «in the grass», no bun. Perfection!
Drinks are good, service is adequate depending on crowd factor. It is loud, so be prepared to up your volume if you want conversation. It’s a great place to go with friends to hang out and have an awesome meal. They have an interesting menu of great food and good additions like the pretzel bun. It’s amazing! Though the price point can be high for American fare, you’re paying for the quality of the beef and specialized ingredients in their dishes. If you want less pricy, there’s a five guys in town, but it doesn’t quite have the same ambience. If the price doesn’t deter you, It’s always a satisfying and fun experience.

Best burger in New England, maybe ever. I’ve ate at top notch places like Thurmans in Ohio as reference.
If you go here and focus on the food, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking for Michelin star service, this is a pub, you aren’t getting it; and rightfully so as the staff is constantly dealing with local drunks and teenagers.
But the burger, oh me oh my, delicious quality beefs. The truffle fries, decadent. The drink and cocktail selection is hipster and trendy, also great.
Nothing else like Plan B in the Hartford area clogs my arteries and stretches a smile across my face like a philly-​cheesesteak burger with truffle fries and a moscow mule.
Get a booth to ignore the crowd, order your meal ASAP with your drinks so service isn’t as big an issue, and reduce your life-​span one bite a time, it’s probably worth it.

Since I work in the area I come here from time to time. It’s pretty popular with coworkers for lunch and happy hour.
This place has been here a while and was on the cutting edge of the fancy burger joint trend in Connecticut. It’s pretty nice inside, though parking can be tricky depending upon when you go. It can also get crowded. There are other Plan B’s around the state and they are all pretty similar as fans I can tell.
They have a number of special burgers or you can pretty much make your own. I like that the will make any of the special burgers as a turkey burger. With the burgers you can get a salad, fries or tater tots as a side.
The pretzel buns are pretty good, as are the pickles they give you when you first sit down.
The service is generally pretty good. The prices are about what you expect at a place like this, which is to say expensive for burgers but fair for what you get.
All that said if I could I would give this place 3.5 stars. For some reason this place lacks something I can’t put my finger on. Some of the other upscale burger places are just better for some reason. But absent any tangible reasons I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and rate it with 4 stars.

This place is pretty good, and they have a a good whiskey, cocktail and and beer selection. So there’s your third star from me.
As for the burgers, some of the combinations are good, but the temperature has been off quite a bit the last two times, and the pack was so loose it was borderline sloppy joe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good burger, but if location or drive time is not significant location, I would personally rather go to Corey’s Catsup and Mustard in Manchester, Max Burger in West Hartford, Artisanal Burger Company in Manchester, or maybe even one of the Ted’s Montana Grill locations. …though Plan B may have most of those beat in terms of drinks and cocktails…
The drinks and food are leaps and bounds above Rooftop 120. Go here instead, unless you are just dying for overpriced underwhelming food and drinks served primarily to wealthy GBury College kids that don’t know any better (or maybe they don’t care).

I got the flight sampler of 3 burgers… pork, chicken and beed. Delicious! No Pappys :(Will try in November to get a taste of Pappy Van WInkle here.
Very casual place with good food and drinks!

Plan B… where do I begin with my love for this place… Plan B is located in a plaza off Hebron Avenue, right in the heart of downtown Glastonbury. There’s a parking lot just outside the restaurant, as well as free underground parking a short walk from it’s entrance. On Friday and Saturday nights, they also have valet parking as an option too. They’re most known for their beers and burgers, but there’s truly something for everyone here. It also gets pretty busy late night (for both drinks and late night food specials).
Pros:
–Happy Hour is fantastic here, it’s from 3 – 6 pm Monday through Friday and has inexpensive sliders (beef, turkey, veggie, chicken) and chili, soup, caesar salad, nachos, chicken tenders. They also have drink specials (house wine, bourbon) during this time
–They have an outdoor patio with umbrellas and shade, nice place to relax
–Restaurant is well set up and decorated with a large bar and a couple rooms with booths and tables
–They have a gluten free menu which is a pro for many
–Food is fantastic and consistently well done, I’ve tried many of the burgers (some of my favorites: pretzel burger, west coast burger, and the squealer) and fries (parmesan, truffle, sweet potato, tater tots) and there’s really no bad choices here. The mac n cheese, southern sliders, and american nachos are also great choices.
Cons:
–It can get super super busy on weekends so plan to wait or get their early
–That’s really all I can think of!
Would highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area (and if you’re not, make a trip to stop on by!).

I was visiting the world’s best aunty from Chicago this summer. She picked me up at the airport and drove me to Glastonbury for an early dinner at one of her favorite restaurant’s: Bricco’s. Unfortunately, it was too early and Bricco’s wasn’t open yet, so we walked across the parking lot to the much heralded Plan B for hamburgers.
I have eaten many times at all of the best burger spots in Chicago (Au Cheval, Kuma’s, etc.) and Plan B measures up! It’s the real deal. My bacon burger was juicy and pink with tons of pure beef flavor, along with char from the grill, crispy bacon and melted cheese.
The most awesome part was the way Plan B grinds their meat: it’s a little more finely ground than most, which seems to allow the seasoning to penetrate all the way through, making each bite more addictive than the last. My aunt loved her mini burgers but only ate ²⁄₃. I have serious regrets that I forgot that last little guy in her refrigerator.
Connecticut is back on the burger map! Plan B is smart, with local craft beers, complimentary pickles whose recipe seems to have to come straight from Rein’s Deli, and a juicy, unique burger. Not to take anything away from Harry’s Hamburgers, my favorite CT burger, but I’ll be going back to Plan B!