Spin Burger Bar

Spin Burger… you will be missed. With your burgers we could never get tired of the same old stuff.
Hopefully we’ll meet again at another time and another place

SBB, you done pissed me off :/
So if this was about 3 months ago, I might have given them 5 stars, but my last experience left a bad taste in my mouth. An over priced, over-​pomegrate-​ketchup taste, to be exact.
Friday night shenanigans led us to SBB, and then I remembered I had a Groupon — don’t judge my baller-​on-​a-​budget status ;)
Let me do say, the DJ was spinnin fun music. Mostly old school and classics (karaōke classics to be specific), but it was entertaining and a good atmosphere.
From my previous visit I remember my burger being HUGE, like the circumference of my face HUGE with another HUGE portion of fries on the side. It must have been a clouded memory or an illusion, because when I ordered the Turkey burger… it was like any ‘ol food. Pomegranate ketchup is good in theory, but not on my burger.
Their pricing structure is like up-​sale Heaven. I switched my cheese on my burg and I was charged. I asked for half reg & half sweet potato fries, I was charged for this. The later is acceptable, but to switch a flavor of cheese? Gimme a break.
Service was there, but not memorable. Never refilled my soda or even attempted to ask. When I asked about the cheese fee he said it was their system and it was set up to charge for everything… Its about principle people, customer service = retention… come on!
Bistro 33, you are truly missed!

I’m not sure what happened to Bistro 33, that place always seemed so packed… but I suppose Spin Burger works in this location.
I dropped in for lunch and sat at the bar. Service could have been a little quicker, but they were fine.
I ordered their home-​made gardenburger, an option that is always appreciated. With fries and a soda, it came out to $ 10 even, which was reasonable. The gardenburger was a little bland, but with the fancy bun and some toppings it was fine. The fries were a lot like the type you find at In N’ Out… natural and lightly seasoned but kinda mushy. I’ve never been a huge fan of their fries, so this was not a plus for me, but I know others will disagree.
In the end, Spin Burger is a decent burger joint that isn’t anything worth raving about, but there really wasn’t much to complain about either. I’d go back if I was in the neighborhood, but there are better spots nearby.

Dear Spin, if you’re going for a bike theme, at least have a bike rack out front. How disappointing!

I really wanted to like Spin Burger. I did. I liked Bistro 33 and was confused as to why it closed and was revamped to be Spin Burger, but I was willing to try it. I bought a GroupOn $ 12 for $ 6 to do just that. I went tonight (a Sunday evening around 5:30pm) and it was pretty dead except for about 3 other tables eating and people drinking Pabst at the bar. I came with 2 other friends and we ordered 2 burgers and a salad. We discovered that even though we each had a GroupOn, we could only use one per table.
I ordered a Spin Cheeseburger with Bacon and made sure to get it without onions or their special sauce. The first problem was that it took 30 min. for us to get our food. That might be acceptable if it were busy in the restaurant, but it was dead. There was no reason for that type of wait. When I did get my burger, it had the special 1,000 island sauce on it that I didn’t want. So, I told the waiter and he said they could remake it. I told him that I didn’t want to wait another 30 min. for a burger and he said «The burgers DO take a while.». I told him I didn’t want that type of wait and that I just wanted to take it off my bill. He wouldn’t do that without me giving back the burger. Then, a manager came over and said it would take 6 min. to get me a new burger. I agreed.
It, in fact, took only 2 min. which makes me wonder why it didn’t take 2 min. the first time. My 2^nd burger came and it didn’t have bacon. So, I told the manager and he took it back again. By this time, my 2 friends were almost done with their meals. So, being perturbed by the 2 wrong orders, I approached the manager and told him to not bother bringing me the burger. His response was «I tried». They didn’t do anything else to make up for the dual mistakes. No free nothing.
So, I went without a meal at Spin Burger and am now trying to get rid of my other GroupOns because I don’t really want to test out the waters again. Speaking of water… all of the plastic water cups were cracked around the lip. Sad.

Ugh. How to turn off customers (taken from Spin Burger’s handbook):
1). As they enter, don’t acknowledge the customer. After many minutes, they will waylay you. Don’t interact before they approach you.
2). Let the customer get their own table. Have them move all the dirty dishes to the edge. You can get to them in your own sweet time.
3). Spend about 30 minutes crafting the burgers. Yes, burgers can cook in under 10 minutes, but don’t let that stop you. After all, our burgers are SPECIAL.
4). It’s perfectly alright to to have a snide, yelling tête-​à-​tête on the restaurant floor.
5). It is also perfectly okay to leave your customers after that tense argument. After all, you have to chill out. They’ll understand being abandoned for more than 15 minutes.
6). So the customer has put money out to cover the bill. No biggie. It will be worth the same now as in 15 minutes from now. No rush. They will love the opportunity to drink more water and, gasp!, will it be? Can the meal truly meet the two hour mark? YES! Congrats! You have made the meal! They will not soon forget about Spin!
One well deserved star for the bar tender who was nice, responsive and helpful. Fire everyone else and start over. The burgers are fine. The fries are greasy, but edible. Are bikes that big of a draw? I just don’t understand how this place can remain in business.

Yippeeee! I tried a couple of new things today! And Spin Burger Bar has MORE items on their menu that I have never tried. Another day.
First new item… Fried Pickles with Sriracha Ranch. The pickles were soooo good, with or without the sauce. I was reluctant to try this strange sounding food thing that I had heard so much about, but I am glad I decided to go for it. Live on the edge, baby. The pickles had some kind of a crunchy, fried coating – loved it. They were served hot. The Sriracha Ranch was creamy and flavorful. They were great together!
Second new item… Ostrich Burger with roasted red pepper and Pesto Goat Cheese. The flavor of the burger was well balanced, and delicious.. It was served hot. The produce on the burger was very fresh. The bun was fresh and good.
The burger came with a side – I chose a salad with Blue Cheese Dressing. This was the real surprise… the dressing was wonderful! I am so used to mediocre Blue Cheese Dressing at restaurants, but Spin Burger Bar’s salad dressing far exceeded my expectations. It had so much yummy blue cheese flavor! And the lettuce was fresh.
If you go in the daytime, take quarters for street parking.
Employees were nice. There was plenty of seating.

I believe in second chances, and Spin Burger Bar definitely EARNED their 5-​star review today. After my last experience, I felt compelled to write to the manager (Brian), who cordially invited me to come back and give them another chance.
So, today, the hubby and I went back for a Saturday lunch, as we did three weeks ago, with high hopes. I can say that we were kindly rewarded for returning. Our server (Eva) was more than accommodating, and the manager on duty (Chad) made sure we were well taken care of.
This time around, i had the Kobe sliders, since I’ve never had a Kobe burger before… I know, sad but true. All I can say is OH MY GOD! I had no onions on my order, but the greens, mayo, and cheese were perfectly enough. I cannot describe the flavor, beyond phenomenal. Soooo loved it! Oh, and this time my fries were PERFECT; they taste really good when served fresh ;) Hubby had the Spin burger with bleu cheese, which was huge and juicy and cooked perfectly.
Spin Burger Bar redeemed itself, and I look forward to returning to try their ostrich burger. I recommend folks try Spin Burger Bar!

Beer Beats & Bikes
Seeing the menu and then seeing the rating– how could that be? After experiencing it. okay.
I thought it was cute that old record album covers were used for their menus. Food on the backside and cocktails/​drinks as an insert.
Our server was nice. Very nice to the ladies and bro-​man-​ly with Nick. I asked him how he felt about our server bro-​ing it up and he said it didn’t bother him. Spin Burger Bar is a casual place to eat and if it was a finer dining option, it wouldn’t be appropriate.
Well said.
We started off with Fried Pickles. It came with Sriracha Ranch. It was good but I’d like it better if the pickle wasn’t sweet. Fat Wings — fried to a crisp, tasteless meat but a good flavored sauce and not saucy. served with blue cheese. Wouldn’t order it again. And Fat Wings doesn’t mean it’s any bigger than the norm.
Then there was the Corned Beef Burger. Ground up corned beef in the shape of a burger patty. Salty with Russian Dressing, Swiss Cheese, and Sauerkraut on an Artisan Bun. Soggy bottom Artisan Bun. It was okay. I think I wanted to love it like I love reuben sandwiches but turns out I prefer the reuben sandwich. You get a choice of fries or mixed greens with your burger. The fries were described to me as like In-N-Out’s but crispy. The mixed greens comes tossed in the dressing of your choice. And it’s simply greens tossed in dressing.
I also got a taste of the Lamb & Hot Italian Sausage Burger. The sausage was prominent. I swear it’s that fennel. The burger comes with Mango Curry Sauce and Brie on it but I didn’t really taste it. It’s that fennel, I’m tellin’ you.
I like that you can customize your burger with such a variety of things. But at $ 1 a topping seemed like a bit much. and then $ 1.50 for their «premium» selection. Shit adds up. It’s not like it’s the circumference of a pizza.
Overall, it’s a decent place. They do have outdoor seating but after standing in front, talking. and getting hit up for money several times, some in lengthy requests. I think you should sit inside.

This place is a great addition to Downtown Sacramento. The ambiance is really cute with bicycle tires spinning over head and the menus are on old record cases.
We were overly ambitious with our ordering and started with three mini burgers.
They were cute, petite and dripping with sauce. They were a perfect little nibble to get us excited about the rest of our meal.
I ordered a macaroni and cheese burger while my boyfriend ordered a cheese burger with a fried egg and the roasted garlic mayo. We also ordered a side of the Dr. Pepper meatballs.
The macaroni and cheeseburger was pretty good, I just wish it was a bit cheesier.
The fried egg was perfect on top of a burger! I’ve alway seen this, but never tried it. An egg is a great addition to the burger! So yummy!
Probably the best thing they have is the sweet potato fries! I could have eaten a bucket of them!
I can’t wait to go back and try different combinations on my burger!

Dr Pepper Meatballs + Spin Bacon Burger + Sweet Potato Fries = YUM!!! After hearing of the new burger joint in town, I had to come by and give them a try. Everything was delicious, though I wont go as far as great.
The Dr Pepper meatballs intrigued me, because who doesn’t like Dr. Pepper? and who doesn’t like meatballs??? So naturally, why not combine them? Why wasn’t this thought of earlier? They were amazing, the sauce was indescribable, but lets just say I had to fight the urge to lick the plate. My only complaint, is that for $ 5, you get 6 teeny-​tiny –yet very delicious — meatballs… that’s near a dollar a meatball, well above market price.
Then the main event. The Burger. The Spin Bacon Burger (added avocado) was pretty good. It could have used a bit more seasonings or flavor of some sort, but ketchup worked well enough.
Next time I’ll try the Nutella milkshake, though the burnt marshmallows on top scared me off this time.

A cool kick back, trendy bar.
Definitely different from what it originally was (33^rd street bistro) so my expectations were I guess a bit confused. Not a bad thing.
Customer service was good and portions are pretty big so if you have a small appetite be prepared to share!

Got a chance to finally try Spin Burger last night with the HH crew. While I had heard mixed reviews that covered the spectrum of «…best burger in town…», to «…better off at In-​N-​Out…», I decided to go into dinner with an open mind and appetite, and no expectations except for having a fun night with some of my favorite people.
We started off with beers. With such choice brews as Sierra Nevada seasonal and tall can PBR on the menu, how can you go wrong? I was very impressed to see they had Fossil Fuel on tap. Full points for pure moxie on that one! The special cocktail menu had some interesting blends in it. Root beer vodka? Maybe next time.
Appetizers were ordered and offered around. I tried the sweet potato fries and they were good. Crunchy, lightly salted ans (duh) sweet. They definitely stand up to some of the others to be had in our fair city. The fried pickles were very tasty. Thin-​sliced pickles generously beer-​battered and fried to tongue blistering perfection. I didn’t get a chance to try the meatballs but I have a feeling I might have to come back and give them a go: People were raving about them!
On to the burgers. Now, I’ve learned that when I go into a new dining establishment, I do better when I keep it simple. Adventurous ordering has backfired on me more than once. So this evening, I chose the Spin Cheeseburger, just as the menu describes it. It turned out to be a wise decision as the burger was delicious and half of our table got the wrong order. Yes I was impressed with the burger; simple, nicely dressed (Spin sauce) and grilled perfectly medium. They do offer a build-​your-​own burger which thoroughly confused either our waiter or the kitchen, hence the extra wait for some of dining companions.
As far as ambiance goes, its a little confused for me. Sure, the music was a smart 80s pop mix (if a bit loud) and the people watching from inside was entertaining (covet my burger, pedestrians), but the décor seemed forced and unfinished. And what’s up with the bicycle race simulator? Don’t get me wrong; I was rooting for Katie when Jefferson won by half a tire’s length, but I can’t justify mixing greasy ground beef slabs with spin class.
Ok, minor bitching aside, I liked Spin Burger. Not the best around, in my humble opinion, but definitely more substantial than In-​N-​Out. I will assuredly return; maybe for the BBQ Meatballs or a Nutella shake or even on of those lamb and Italian sausage burgers. Just keep me away from the stationary bike.

A nice location that offered a not so nice burger. I was extremely underwhelmed by this place — mainly for the burgers. I will say that I had tasty appetizers — so if I were you, I’d skip out on the burgers and dive right into the Dr. Pepper meatballs and Sweet Potato fries. Ask for a side of pomegranate ketchup, and you’ll be good to go.
First of all, I would like to say, a lot of toppings does not a good burger make. Lesson Learned.
So, obviously, what appealed to me was the extensive list of toppings — however, the prices were a bit damaging. There’s no set price to the burger for the «Build your own burger» menu… but all the toppings are $ 1 or more… seems like a money pit to me.
Expecting culinary greatness from a menu that offers fig jam, balsamic mayo and roasted chilies, I was disappointed from the lack of flavor. And the burger was extremely plain, no seasoning what-​so-​ever. I get that the bland burger is in preparation for the use of the toppings… but please add some sort of seasoning to the patty. Dear God! Some salt would be nice!
Stand-​out toppings:
Siracha Ranch (comes with fried pickles) — while the pickles were battered to death, the Siracha Ranch was delightful.
Pomegranate Ketchup — great with sweet potato fries, as mentioned above.
Weak Sauce:
Melted Onions — too many of them, not caramelized, almost flavorless.
Brie — where the F*** is my brie? They buried it in melted onions and sliced off a piece meant for a mini mouse trap. Penny-​Pinchers!

This is a nice go-​to spot after a night of bar hopping. I thought their menus were unique, being that they were actual old school record cover; plus, I love that this place is loud with house music!
I always get a regular cheese burger, because it has never disappointed me. I’ve recommended their mac & cheese a couple of times, but sadly, the last time I ate here, the mac & cheese was a dry, solid block of BLEH. WHY?! It’s usually oh, so, creamy. Maybe next time it’ll be better.

I’ve been wanting to go here for a while now. The menu looks like there are so many options.
I ordered a Bacon Cheese burger and added mushrooms to it. It is like a 1.00 for each topping. A bit pricey for me. Anywho, my burger was so big! It was good, but I’ve had better burgers. A lot of the toppings fell out when I was eating my burger, so be prepared to get messy. I think if the meat was more seasoned it would be better. But it was a good place for a burger fix.
I do wished the fries were better as well.
I do want to come back to try the Nutella shake. It looks and sound soo good!

Good thick greasy tasty burger and a beer. Great place for a quick and easy brithday lunch with some of my cycling pals. Since we’re all riders, we of course love the cycling theme.
Busy but not crowded for our mid week lunch. We arrived early, were quickly seated and had good attention from our server… well until we were done eating. One person in our party seemed a tad bent out of shape that we weren’t offered any dessert. I wasn’t phased.
My burger was great. It was so thick and heavy that it started falling apart. And a previous reviewer was right, they are really greasy. The basket of napkins at each table is all the clue you need that it’s going to be a messy event.
I was never here when this was Bistro 33, so I got nuthin’ to miss. We did get on the bikes for a quick photo, but no lunch racing option was a available. Make races part of the lunch scene and this review will be edited to 5 stars. SPIN on… SPIN on!

I miss BISTRO 33!
I couldn’t believe it was really gone. I couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of those succulent Kobe Beef sliders disappearing from the face of downtown Sacramento.
So with a sigh of relief I was surprised (and excited) to see them again on the menu here as «B33 Kobe Sliders». I didn’t, however, get to try them out because I was too distracted and intrigued with everything else on the menu: «Spin» burgers, Ostrich burgers, Buffalo, Lamb, Nutella shakes, Crunch potato, Mango curry, Pomegranate ketchup, Sriracha mayo, fried pickles, and… Mac and Cheese!
I felt compelled to try everything. But I took a deep breath then tried to keep composure. I decided to start with one of their staple burgers; I opted for a Spin Burger with bacon topped with mac and cheese and homestyle fries. That’s what I call a BURGER. It was huge, juicy, tender, mouth watering, and savory smooth.
I cannot wait to try the rest of the goodies on the menu.
Say hello to Spin Burger’s newest fan.

Totally indifferent to the décor — let’s talk about food.
Our burger club party of 8 was generally positive about the burgers, giving grades in the B range. They liked the topping choices, were generally positive about the bun, and about both regular and sweet potato fries.
I gave the place a C — totally average. I thought the bun was too dense, burgers were not cooked to specification (if you’re not going to cook them medium, why ask us how we want them done?), and the fries were cold when they came out. That said, this place is new, open late, and has a full bar. I’m not boycotting, but I’m not dying to go back… it may be a legit post-​bar option.
Two reliable club members reported that the house made veggie burger was delicious, and that the mac and cheese was bad.

I came here with some friends after a late night gig. The good thing about this place is that they are open until 3am on Friday’s and Saturday’s.
The place used to be called Bistro33 which served amazing Kobe Sliders, but that’s another story. From what I heard they remodeled and opened Spin Burger.
For about $ 8 – 9 you can get a basic hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions, each additional topping is $ 1 extra. The toppings are what make this place cool. You can pick from mac and cheese, to bacon to mini potatoes as your toppings. Unfortunately, fries are NOT included with your burger.
I ordered a hamburger with mac and cheese and bacon. no fries and some water. I paid around $ 12. The burger was a decent size but not sure if it was worth $ 12 after tax. The toppings we’re great, but I’m not sure how I felt about the meat patty. A little bland and tasted more well, (since I ordered the meat prepared medium).
Inside I could tell they we’re going for a retro hip music dining environment. They used old album covers as dining menu’s and the place attempted to decorate itself with the same theme.
Unfortunately, the ambiance music was way too loud! If I just got done playing 4 hours of music blasting in my ears at a nightclub and I’m complaining that the music is too loud, then it has to be true. My friends agreed and they knew the owner and asked him to turn down the music since everyone at the restaurant was literally screaming at each other to have a conversation. It was funny, but at the same time not comfortable. They turned down the music for about 10 minutes and it was blasting again. On the bright side the music selection was not bad. We heard some tracks from the 90’s that I haven’t listened to in years.
Overall, I’m not sure if I would come back. The place is not bad, but it’s just something I would not crave to eat again. I really liked Bistro 33 and for the price of the food you can find better places to eat late night in Sacramento.