Bareburger

Quality ingredients and inventive combinations for their signature burgers makes this place one of the best burger joints in philly. I’ve been here several times and have tried a couple different burgers and side combos, while the burgers are outstanding the sides are just average. The two things bareburger excel at are the different patty options (I have never had a duck patty before, it was good though) and organic ingredients. Unfortunately, I think it is pretty overpriced, even acknowledging that maintaining a menu that diverse must be expensive.

I’ve been coming here for about a year. I’ve noticed a major decline in the quality of the food and service over this period of time. When I first started coming here, service was fast, food was great, milkshakes were the best milkshakes I’ve ever had, etc. The milkshakes used to be so good, but recently they’ve tasted too milky. Tonight the machine was broken, which prompted this review.
Recently, especially during peak hours, service has been slow. I found myself having finished my drink, as well as no water (they give you an old wine bottle filled with water), and no waiter asking if I wanted a refill. One time my waiter completely forgot I was there. They don’t have a real host (ess), so you might find yourself standing by the front door waiting for someone to seat you.
The décor, as well as everyone who works there, is very hipster. The light fixtures are made out of wire or old forks and spoons with exposed light bulbs. One odd thing, though, is Cartoon Network is usually on the TV at their bar.
Now the food, their burgers are of higher quality than other organic burger joints I’ve been to in the city. I think I’ve had most if not all of the meat burgers. The Buckaroo and the Southern Caviar are my favorite. The duck bacon is great, although the beer-​braised bacon is 90% fat and will ensure that you have a heart attack on the drive home, it’s amazing. Prices are kind of steep for a casual burger joint, considering fries are a la carte because if you do a «Be My Burger» (create your own) with the works, you’re looking at a $ 16 – 18 burger, which would be acceptable at a classier restaurant, but not here.
The one vegan burger looks like the Krabby Patty Spongebob and Mr Krabs used to kill the health inspector.

Got a groupon for this place amd ordered the duck burger with fries and onion rings. Everything was good. All the burgers are smaller compared to other restaurants and comes with no sides so this place is on the $$$ for burgers. The flavor was great and presentation are always on point as I could taste the duck meat. If it wasn’t for the groupon, I might not come here since its a steep in my wallet. One star off since service took a while to get water and the check. Had to try many times to flag our waiter.

A tasty burger offering at Bareburger.
I started with the Lancaster Milk Stout. At $ 6 for 20oz they have reasonable beer prices.
The Wiki Wiki was a good burger. It wasn’t over the top great. Unfortunately the bison is a very lean cut, so their adherence to the 160 pork temperature standards does severely hinder the mouth feel and flavor profile of the burger. It came a bit dry though still well seasoned and moderately moist.
They top he bison with a grilled pinneapple, onions, and duck bacon. The pinneapple was only right for this burger because the meat was on the blander side. Otherwise I wouldn’t be down for fruit on my burger.
Their sauces shone: exhibitions of curry and habanero. Great experience there.
Overall, this was a very good burger. The bun was good, though not as chewy as I’d prefer from Brioche
The toppings and sauces, along with high quality ingredients saved Bareburger from a three. Id like to see them step up on execution.

Unlike so many adventurous eaters who seek elk or bison burger, deciding what to get at Bareburger was exponentially difficult. I was overwhelmed– so many burger options to choose from. The «Be My Burger» option was there to make my life easier by customizing my burger the way I want.
My first was a grilled chicken in a collard green wrap, I never had collard wraps before. On my second visit, I got a medium well beef burger, also in collard green wrap. It was organic and all-​natural. Yes it was healthy, but t’s not my idea of deliciousness.
Three Unilocal

Trendy spot to come with some friends! I wish the burgers came with fries, but both the bison burger and the sweet potato fries (as a separate side) were great. The burgers themselves aren’t very large, but with the honey shake I was plenty full by the end of it. I also appreciate that their burger toppings are all listed and you’re welcome to switch them out for others, as well as build your own burger.

Went here with my daughter (who is a picky eater).
As soon as we walked in we were greeted and sat right away. The server asked if it was our first time to which we replied yes. So he took it upon himself to give us an overview of the menu. We then narrowed down our choices. My daughter got the fried chicken sandwich and I got the supreme burger. We also ordered fries and onion rings. We were advised prior to ordering they were out of slaw, brussel sprouts and brisket. I was kind of bummed because I would have at least wanted to try one of those 3 but ah well… another time.
My daughter said her fried chicken sandwich was one of the best she had. My burger was quite yummy too. The onion rings were the best o ever had. Fries were okay. Dipping sauces were alright as well. I would go back.

Update: Management reached out to me to apologize and I really appreciated that. It’s all I wanted. I’m still a Bareburger fan and I won’t hesitate to order again.
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I ordered the farmstead burger for me and a bison burger for my friend through seamless in the middle of a long day of moving to Philadelphia from NYC. There were so many places to choose from and I chose Bareburger because I’m pretty familiar with them back in NY.
The order came on time but was missing my farmstead burger. I called to let them know that something was missing from my order and I was placed on hold while Steven investigated. He got back on the phone to tell me that the person who put my seamless order in forgot to enter my burger. He then told me I wasn’t charged, followed by silence. He offered no apology and no solution.
I normally wouldn’t write a review like this as my nature is to be extremely understanding and patient but being brushed off like that on top of being hungry and tired made me «hangry.» Coming from a customer service background I would’ve handled the situation very differently if I were on the other end of the line. I would have absolutely apologized and maybe even asked if the person wanted to put a new order through on the phone so we could get the missing item out to them ASAP. Customer service is crucial to the success of any business. And, I wasn’t asking for anything free. I just wanted what I had originally ordered.

(⁵³⁄₁₀₀)
I had purchased a Groupon for Bareburger awhile back. Thankfully, an email came reminding me that it was about to expire (April 24) The Groupon is only good for take out Friday-​Sunday so I decided to stop by today so I could use it before I lost it.
Ugh, I should have just stayed at home. The 25 minute trek wasn’t worth it. As I stated above, I had a Groupon and I still feel cheated. Can I have a refund?
I was surprised that it was an actual sit down restaurant. The space is small but they make it work. I walked in and waited at the front before a young woman told me I had to go to the bar to place my order. They have a bar too?! The guy that waited on me was kind of rude. He asked me a question and I guess I misunderstood him. He was really snarky with his response «yeah, so exactly what I said …» with an eye roll. Whoa dude. I don’t know who pissed in your Wheaties this morning but it wasn’t me.
I ordered the buckaroo burger and sweet potato fries. I should have stuck with my first instinct and went with regular fries; the sweet potato fries were disgusting! They were burned and just not good at all. It’s really a shame because I was looking forward to eating them. The burger on the other hand was really tasty. It was on the smaller side but I expected that.
The shitty attitude of that guy, the horrible fries, and the steep prices will definitely keep me away from returning to Bareburger again.
: 04.19.16 update :
The GM reached out to me yesterday. He seemed genuinely concerned and wanted to make things right. You can tell that he really cares about your experience as a guest. I thought that really spoke volumes.

I would recommend the duck and bison burger. They cooked the bison burger exactly to medium rare as requested. Typically burger joints feel very heavy and unhealthy but Bareburger made me feel great!
Even the ketchup has this natural taste to it. They have unique dipping sauces for the fries which was a tasty surprise.
This has been the best burger I have eaten in Philadelphia so far. :D

— — — — –update — — — — — —
I went again recently and the service was SO bad… The waitress never came to give me my check. (This place is not big and it was not crowded) I saw her standing nearby the cashier so I went up to her. She told me to wait so she can print out the receipt and bring it to her when I’m done…
WHAT? I dont work here??? But being the Asian that I am… I did wait and bring the check to her…
I will not be returning
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This place is my new favorite burger place!
First of all the restaurant interior is really cool with bears everywhere… BARE (bear)burger get it? Haha. It also has nice spoon chandelier! I love everything about it
The burger was on the smaller side but I don’t eat a lot anyways so it worked out for me! Never had no-​beef burger before so this was a nice experience for me. So yummy I’ll definitely come back for more!

I had a nice experience here and was surprised to find that it’s a sit-​down restaurant rather than a fast food place (we opted to dine in rather than do take out). The service was decent, our dishes arrived quickly, and the food was very good, but I will admit that I thought it was odd that our waitress didn’t ask us how we wanted our burgers cooked. My husband ended up having the elk burger, which he enjoyed. I went with a beef burger in a collard green wrap; despite the fact that it was on the smaller side, I did find it pretty filling.
The menu is fairly large, but easy to navigate. I like Bareburger’s focus on fresh, local ingredients. They have a lot of gluten-​free and vegan options, too. I should point out that the menu was pretty thorough in terms of what each dish contained, but the staff was also helpful with a few additional questions when I brought up my food allergies. They even have beer! Score! I don’t remember what was in this location before Bareburger arrived, but I hope they continue to occupy the space for quite a while!

Ordered on Unilocal the first time for take out, put in very detailed order on what’s needed and what’s not. They still missed a couple of things after saying how I put in a very descriptive order. I ordered a turkey burger without onion and there was onion.
It was good burger. A bit pricey tho since it’s organic. Also ordered fries but they are all saggy and oily. And they are very price

Officially my favorite burger place ever.
The décor is awesome. It’s like sitting inside a fancy barn. Slightly creepy though because of the animal portraits… it’s almost like they are watching me eat them. Ahh!
Food: AMAZING! Best onion rings ever. The seasoning on the batter was great and so were the variety of dipping sauces. My personal favorite is the «special sauce» You can never go wrong with a burger here — there are just way too many options. It’s overwhelming. Best thing: there are SO MANY healthy options! Organic, cage-​free, gluten-​free, everything you want! This place is definitely going to be my go-​to lunch spot (I go to Jefferson). One more thing, the food is priced well!
Service: As good as it gets. Everyone was so nice and attentive. We didn’t have to ask anything! Everything was explained well, waters were never empty, and overall everyone was just hospitable.
I highly recommend this place. It’s awesome.

I would really like to try other burger places around the city, but I can’t help but always come back to Bareburger whenever I’m craving a burger. Here are a couple of my favorite menu items:
1. Anything with a turkey burger. I don’t think I’ve ever had a turkey patty that has not been dry before coming here, and Bareburger’s blew me away. The Socal (which is one of their signature burgers) is so delicious — super moist with a little bit of tang from the pickled onions.
2. Fire Quacker — I love love love spicy food, and the Fire Quacker gave me just the right amount of spice in my burger in the habanero mayo and jalapenos. The duck patty itself is great– you can actually taste the duck without it being too overwhelming.
3. Sweet potato fries — They come with the «special sauce» and that’s basically the best part. The fries also always come out crispy and hot.
Ambience is also nice — everything is very open with cool-​toned wooden furniture so you don’t feel too stuffy while scarfing down your burger. Overall, can’t wait to come back here (for the 100 0000^th time) to try something different on their menu.

Delicious, reasonably priced burger with plenty of options, Bareburger definitely should be at least in the conversation for best burger in Philly.
I really like the eclectic and artsy feel of Bareburger — it’s a bit all over the place in the best way possible. There’s a focus on organic and free range sources for their various meats, from beef to bison to duck to elk to boar. Reading the description of burgers is almost as much fun as eating them. The inside is decorated exactly the way you’d think for a place like this (minimalist in that trying to be hip way), with plenty of table seating and a bar with an excellent selection of microbrewery beers in enormous glasses.
My girlfriend and I ordered the El Matador ($ 12.65 — bison, queso fresco, pickled jalapenos, guacamole, green leaf, spicy pico de gallo, brioche bun) and Blue Elk ($ 12.15 — elk, amish blue, country bacon, stout onions, tomato fig jam, sprout bun). Both burgers were cooked medium, although it looked closer to medium well, but it didn’t take too much of the juiciness away from the burgers. It’s hard to pick a favorite, as they both offered something completely different. I loved the toppings of the El Matador, especially the tangy and spicy pickled jalapenos. However, I have to give a shout out to the sweet tomato fig jam on the Blue Elk — the surprising sweetness only enhanced the salty and crisp country bacon. We also ordered the Onion Rings and Sweet Potato side ($ 9.95), which was totally worth it as you get a massive basket of rings &fries and those delicious dipping sauces (that habanero mayo was heavenly).
Overall, I waddled out of Bareburger very impressed. If you are wary because of the prices, just keep in mind you get ALOT of food/​beer for that price, and if you’re lucky you can snatch a groupon before going. When talking about the best burgers in Philly, Bareburger is definitely in the conversation.

The well known Brooklyn/​Queens Bareburger has entered the Philadelphia dining scene with this outpost on Walnut Street right near Jefferson University. It aims to distinguish itself from other burger joints by using very fresh ingredients and serving up many different unusual burgers. This is not an order-​at-​the-​counter but a sit-​down waiter-​service operation. Bareburger is hitting some good notes. The Elk Burger I had was most excellent — topped as it were with Amish Blue Cheese, bacon & onions, and fig jam. The elk meat itself was extremely tasty. However the side I ordered had to be one of the most disappointing sides I’ve gotten recently in Philadelphia or anywhere. It was a wasabi carrot slaw that sounded so good and tasted so bland. It was also mushy — probably from sitting around a little too long … and I couldn’t even definitively taste the wasabi. The portion was very small and yet it cost $ 3.85. The mark-​up and profit on this side dish must be huge. So why mention this disappointing side when the obvious main attraction is the burger and that was excellent? Well with all the burger joints that continue to head Philadelphia’s way, it is going to be the little things that differentiate the various franchises… probably even more that the burgers themselves.
The atmosphere with lots of woodwork kinda def fits in with the cuisine. Service was fine … although I was never asked how things were after the food was served. And the bill with tax and tip for this rather small-​in-​size lunch without ordering any beverage came to twenty dollars. That’s my report on Bareburger.

Ready for some unique meat burgers?
From Bison to Elk, Bareburger has you covered. Not to be left out, they also boast a nice selection for vegetarians.
While here on a visit, I had the El Matador. A Bison burger with Queso Fresco, pickled jalapenos, guacomole. green leaf, and pico de gallo on a brioche bun.
Can you say mouth party?! Between the juiciness of the bison burger and the snap of the jalapenos & pico de gallo; I was delighted.
In addition to my burger I noshed on the spicy pickles and fries with an assortment of dips.
If I ever find myself in the area again, I will not hesitate to make stop.

The only reason we went here was because they had three different veggie burgers, so we figured they must be doing something right!
Bareburger is all about organic, Pasture-​raised food. They had 3 veggie burger options which were all pretty boring. Luckily we could make substitutions for the meat patty with a veggie one. Unfortunately, they don’t sub out the bacon for any veggies (you have the pay extra, which makes no sense). But building a custom burger was super expensive. We got the onion rings which were crispy but over battered. And the fries were nothing special.
The veggie El Matador: way to much guac, the quinoa patty was gross and mushy. All and all, no flavor, no texture, just awful
The veggie wiki wiki: took out bacon but had to pay to add mushrooms (makes no sense). The sweet potato patty was good with a crunch.
The veggie fire quacker: mushy quinoa burger and now much flavor.
All in all, a terrible vegetarian place. There’s plenty of better veggie burgers in the city. Go there.
Decent service. Food came quick. Clean. Only reason this place got 2 stars cuz the food was no worth it.

When you enter into Bareburger, you feel as though Brooklyn came up and spat into Philly. And lo and behold, BareBurger began in a now-​defunct bar from your favorite hipster borough in NY. Since then, it’s expanded beyond the Tri-​State region, with 23 franchises and counting.
Bareburger is all about being as organic, lean, and as pasture-​raised as can be. Regular readers know I’m all about ⁸⁰⁄₂₀ cuts, if not fattier. But sometimes you just need to branch out and see what else is out there in the burger world. And much to the joy of the GF, we stopped by one weekend afternoon.
The Standard [$ 9.85]
Beef Sweet and wild rice, stout onions, dill pickles, special sauce, brioche bun
The GF went with the standard, but subbed the beef for the vegan sweet and wild rice patty. This features a nicely crisp exterior, with a hearty mélange within. The stout onions imparted some savory heft, with the dill pickles providing some acidic crunch. The bun to «meat» ratio was on point.
Blue Elk [$ 12.15]
Elk, Amish Blue cheese, country bacon, stout onions, tomato fig jam, sprout bun
I love that Bareburger offers your not-​so-​typical protein options. I went with the elk, which is all-​natural, pasture-​raised, hormone-​free, antibiotic-​free, and 90% lean. All the stuff I frankly care less about than taste. But the taste was tantalizing indeed! Definitely not gamey, and featuring a slightly sweeter flavor than beef, the elk patty was well-​seasoned and moist. The country bacon was crisp, but substantial and provided some salty savoriness to each bite. The Amish blue cheese provided creamy funk, with the stout onions providing depth. The balance with the fig jam was really nice as well. Delicious.
Large Rings & Fries [$ 8.95]
Smoke sauce, special sauce, habanero mayo, curry ginger ketchup
We obviously had to try their rings and fries combo. The onion rings were well-​seasoned, with great crunch. The fries were disappointing though, limp and almost to the point of being wet. Getting the large portion of this side nets you 4 dippers. The special sauce is what gets standardly dressed on most of the burgers here. The curry ginger had nice depth to it, while the habanero mayo had a light kick. The smoke sauce was essentially a smoky BBQ sauce. Definitely a filling side for less than $ 9.
With the exception of the limp fries, BareBurger hit it out of the park for me, especially considering its focus on the leaner cuts and the organic lifestyle. And while Bareburger Philly is casual, do note that if you’re dining in, you don’t order at the counter as servers are there to take your order at the table. Somewhat surprising for a burger joint. The menu extends far beyond just burgers, with shakes and cocktails on offer as well. Be sure to stop in for brunch which features everyone’s favorite — chicken and waffles.