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Categories: Burgers, American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Union SquareMon-Thu. 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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i wanted to really love burger bar...i mean, who doesn't love hubert keller?? he's someone you just want to run up to and hug all the time!
my friend and i were lucky enough to not have to wait on a sunday afternoon a few weeks ago. my first impression...wow, it's pretty cramped in here. it was difficult for the service staff and hostesses to manuever around to seat and serve patrons. it's pretty bad when customers have to move and shift around in order for the staff to make their way with food and people. anyway, the restaurant has a nice view, but if you've been to the cheesecake factory, you've seen it.
i had their turkey burger...turkey because i rarely eat actual hamburgers...i can't remember the last time i had a real hamburger. i liked that i was able to add my own toppings, which i did...my typical cheese (i think i got swiss) along with mushrooms. i also got a side order of sweet potatoe fries, and stopped there...was very tempted in getting a milkshake, but i remembered how many calories i would be consuming in the very near future at this one sitting.
the turkey burger itself...eh...i wish people would learn that you HAVE to add spices to ground turkey. there's not as much fat to flavor it alone, so please, please...add some spices!! the sweet potatoe fries were okay...nothing too special...if i closed my eyes, i would think i was at taylor's or the gap cafe.
the desserts looked good, but i didn't try, so maybe i'll leave that for my next visit...which may be awhile, given we're coming up to the holiday season and union square becomes my worst nightmare.
The higher expectation, the greater disappointment.
The inefficient services ruined our appetite.
We'd waited to be seated for 30 minutes, another 10 minutes waiting for taking order, 45 minutes for having our burgers served. It only took us 20 minutes to finish our dishes, yet, another 15 minutes waiting to pay the bill. Ugh..way too much waiting, waiting and waiting.
The burgers are ok but not worth the the price, plus an hour and an half water and beer drinking. Ugh..again!
I'm glad that at least I've tried but would never go again.
Hubert Keller is definitely a business man: all the burger accoutrements are a la carte and a two-second meet and greet with the chef himself will cost you a book (although he does sign it).
The $7 milkshake is a COMPLETE rip off. Its basically 1/2 whipped cream. I had a chocolate milkshake that was absolutely delicious, but after a few sips, I was done with the chocolate and left with a cloud of dense whipped cream at the top of my glass.
The burgers and fries are decent but not worth the price and don't even think about wasting your money on the watered down truffle oil either!
I'm sad to give the awesome burger bar a 60% rating but this is mainly due to the poor service. Long story short and as the other reviews indicate - the wait to get a table, ordering, getting drinks, and getting your food took a looong time. Granted we sat at the bar and the bartenders were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but honestly, the total 45 - 1 hr wait prior to eating deliciousness totally sucked. Either they need to hire more people or train the existing ones better. I went to the LV Mandalay Bay Burger Bar and had none of these issues with service. Quite, efficient and lovely staff in LV.
Don't get me wrong - the surf and turf burger was AMAZING, and as were the fries. I'm a huge fan of Hubert Keller - love his pbs cooking show, and he totally rocked it in Top Chef Masters. Chef Keller was at the restaurant the day I came in, and although the waitress said he was in a bad mood, he was all smiles and very pleasant & gracious when we introduced ourselves. He signed a napkin for us and even took a picture with us!
overall, I would definitely come back. but maybe have a slight snack if service continues this way. the food speaks for itself and worth the price. If you ever want to treat yourself, their $60 burger is ABSOLUTELY worth every penny. they even come with a dessert burger.
I'm really confused as to why there are so many 1 and 2 star reviews for Burger Bar? If it's because of the price- I don't think that's fair! Burger Bar is a gourmet burger joint with higher-then-average burger prices- And i think this place rocks!
Yes- the average burger here will run you between $16-$22, although they do have $9-$11 options. Since this was my first time trying Burger Bar(and i wanted to give Yelpers my best assessment), I decided to go all out and get "Hubert's Favorite Choice" as advertised in their menu; the Hubert Keller Burger. Hubert Keller is the head chef and creator of Burger Bar, so if this is his favorite burger it had to be good!
Folks, this burger was much better then good! It was outstanding! I understand for $22 I could have purchased a hell of alot more double cheeseburgers from McDonalds- But I could sincerely taste a difference and believe this burger is WELL WORTH IT! The juiciness of the burger was just awesome! The caramelized onions were just falling out of the ciabatta buns! The blue cheese was so pungent, yet so delicious. The Hubert Keller burger was so flavorful- it was down right amazing.
My Girlfriend purchased a Buffalo Burger- which tasted great as well! I had a few bites, each seemingly more tender than the last. You can really taste the difference between the Angus beef and the Buffalo beef.
On top of this- they serve really unique milkshakes such as Nutella and Twinkie flavors. Plus, they have a really huge selection of beer and wine. My jaw dropped when i saw their beer list! I ended up picking some random pilsener from Germany I'd never heard of- that's always fun lol.
I really do plan on coming back to Burger Bar soon. I might not drop $20 on a burger again since i'm sure the quality of their lower priced burger is just as great! Who knows, i might get crazy and throw some black truffles or some foie gras- or heck, even lobster on my burger. I'm definitely a fan of this place and recommend it!
First of all, BIG fan of Chef Hubert Keller. When a friend suggested we meet up here for lunch when I was in town to visit I was more than happy to say "hells yeah". Eat at a burger joint crafted by the man behind Fleur de Lys and my pick to win Top Chef Masters? Where's my eatin' pants?!
In retrospect, perhaps that's where the problem lay. Did I put too much faith in the joy a grilled patty of meat would bring me? Was the resulting endorphin rush from requesting--and after, receiving--a healthy helping of spinach on my burger not quite the high I was expecting?
Sometimes a burger is just a burger, and sadly that was the case for my experience at the Burger Bar. No, I didn't order the Keller Special with the fois gras; I opted for the buffalo, which was tasty and a bit above average but lo and behold, my socks stayed on my feet.
(I will mention without going into too much detail that the first burger I was served had to be sent back for, uh, replacing. I was extremely happy with how they dealt with the issue, and to top it off my meal was comped so it has now become a non-issue.)
The nutella shake was a completely different story. THAT I felt like slathering all over my face as if I could drink that stuff with my pores.
I was really torn on this review. My want to really REALLY like it was high. I mean, come on, it's Hubert Keller! I rarely get to see the chef/owner when I go out, but there he was, sitting right there and walking around Burger Bar. I had a little OMG moment.
Anyway, my review. So I won't deny it, the burger was good. I got the Black Jack Burger which is one of the ones you cannot change from the menu. No really, don't ask. You can't. We just can't do it. Don't try...or so the waiter kept telling us again and again. Okay, okay I get it! The skinny fries were just that. They were skinny and they were fries. Nothing more, nothing less. The pickle was a pickle. So basically it was a pretty good burger with nothing more than average stuff to go with it. Why I struggled with this review is because I think I was expecting the sky to open up and see some form of deity or something. Didn't happen.
The location is great (Union Square view) and in Macy's if you really wanted to make a day out of it. Decor was nice, but nothing to write home about. And that brings me to the service. Not horrible or anything, but here is where I really think things should have been outstanding. Here is where you make a burger more than just going to eat a burger, even if it is a really good burger.
First, there seemed to be three to four hosts hovering/working at one time. Yes the place was busy but it felt like three airline employees trying to rebook 100 people who's flights just got cancelled. When we were seated, the TVs were really distracting. Why would you make me watch infomercials while I'm trying to eat? Our order took what seemed to be an unusual amount of time. More time that a really good burger should seem to take, then our waiter started to acknowledge it too. Clearly something had happened, or the kitchen was just really slow. Oh, and my friend's drink order was messed up. I'm not trying to be negative about the service, but there really wasn't anything spectacular about it.
I'd go back, but only after I've tried a few other places I've been meaning to give a shot.
I had heard a little bit about this place before I went, and was curious to try it out when my friend suggested it. We went at about 6pm on a Sunday night, had about a 5 min wait, and were lucky enough to be seated right by the window with an AWESOME view of Union Square and the surrounding city.
I ordered the Kobe burger(medium rare) on ciabatta with pepper jack cheese, sauteed onions and sliced avocado. I also ordered a side of sweet potato fries and a Murphy's Irish Stout to top it off. The wait time for the food wasn't too bad and our server was helpful. Now to the food. Everything was cooked perfectly. The Kobe beef was super flavorful and juicy and the toppings were very nice as well. The sweet potato fries were cooked very well and were nice and crispy on the outside. The beer menu is pretty extensive and I definitely had trouble picking from such a good selection, both draft and bottled.
I wish I had tried the deserts, but I don't think I had the room in my stomach or my wallet. Cool location, hip atmosphere(little noisy, but whatever) and great food. It's not your regular burger joint, so don't expect to come here and pay for a regular burger. I saw Hubert Keller walking around too which was cool
Totally and utterly not a fan! The pro's will take me 2 seconds, the cons.... let's see...
Pro
1. I got to see Herbert Keller
2. Great view of Union Sq (but you can get that at the Cheesecake factory)
THAT's IT!!
Cons
1) SLOW in everything! Getting you seated, taking your order, and getting your food. Oh wait, and getting your check too!
2) I ordered the Country burger (said on the menu, bar fav). I got this so I can customize it. . I added mushrooms and cheese. The burger was so underseasoned, I actually had to add salt.. TWICE! ( I never add salt to my food!!!)
3) Skinny fries were, not any better than McDonalds. I think I actually like good ol MickeyD's fries better!
4) You CAN NOT customize ANY of their signature burgers
So if you want a to pay $60 for a kobe beef burger with foie gras and truffles, this may very well be the place! But if you want a good juicy burger.... go to Joe's Cable car!
I was SO freakin' excited when I heard that Burger Bar in Macys of SF opened!! The first time I had Burger Bar was in Vegas at Mandalay and I was absolutely in LOVE.
I love the idea that you can make your own burger...
I love the idea that you can get lobster on your burger...
I love the fact that burgers from Burger Bar are absolutely delicious...
BUT
What I didn't love about my experience here was...
1) Peppercorn bacon was fried TOO hard. I'm glad I don't have dentures
2) Sweet Potatoes were over-fried, leaving them crispy and as they got cold, they turned hard.
3) Service was SLOW. SLOW. SLOW.
4) No Reservations
So, if they fix those problems, I would give Burger Bar 4 or maybe 5 stars. I'm down to try it again, but they honestly shouldn't strike out!
PS. The view of Union Square is awesome up here if you have a window seat. I recommend NOT sitting in the booths b/c servers can't see you and thus they conveniently forget about you.
Great atmosphere. Met Hubert Keller. Very friendly and thanked us for coming.
Make sure you get the sweet potato fries, don't waste your time with anything else.
also PLEASE order your burger RARE--otherwise just go to mcdonalds and eat their crap.
service was sketchy--slow and confused. to their credit they were only open for two days before i ate there.
The correct spelling of Burger Bar is actually S-L-O-W. It may just be because this place is brand spanking new that it is so inefficient, but it still probably shouldn't take almost an entire half of football to place an order for a hamburger and fries and to receive said order.
Aside from how slow this place can be the quality of the food is quite good, though pretty pricey just as you'd expect. Couldn't afford the $60 Kobe beef and foie gras burger so I ordered the slightly more recession-friendly priced $11 Country Natural burger with provolone on a ciabatta bun and a side of sweet potato fries. No complaints on the taste. The burger was tasty, tender and pretty juicy and the sweet potato fries were very good as well. We also ordered the Creamy Cheesecake Burger for dessert which was a thin layer of sweet cream cheese, pineapple and strawberries sandwiched in between a glazed donut sans donut hole. The dessert burger looked a lot better than it actually tasted.
If you aren't immediately starving and you are in no particular rush, then you may want to check this new hot spot out.
My facebook buddy posted this on his recent status.
"Mcdouble 1 slice cheese=$1 dbl mc cheese brg 2 slice cheese =$1.19"
My trip to Burger Bar would of resulted in this facebook status.
Kobe beef burger with pepper jack cheese and portobello mushrooms and an Irish Coffee Shake = $33.
Although my burger tasted pretty good because it was juicy and had good flavor I would get the same overall satisfaction by going to Mc Donalds... Yes, it is because of the price.
The Irish Coffee Shake was also good but I was full by the time I was done with the burger.
The menu was a little hard to read at first until the server stepped us through it. We had an option of creating our own burger from a selection of buns, meat, sides, etc. Also, another option we had was to select from a preset burger meal ("no substitutions please").
The overall experience was just ok. The service was a little off for something a little more upscale. Our booth had a tv set to ESPN and we saw Hubert Keller roaming about the restaurant.
Other than that I would say stick to your local favorite burger joint.
Bullshead, Burgermeister, Big Mouth and Slow Club comes to mind.
You know, even though Hubert Keller owns Fleur D'Lys (which is an AWESOME restaurant that has great service), he really didn't put too much care in Burger Bar.
The wait to get a seat at burger bar was a lot quicker than we expected since the restaurant had just opened up not too long ago. HOWEVER, we sat there for a good 20 minutes before I had to ask the hostess when a waiter(ess) was going to greet us and give us menus and some water.
I was sooo pissed off at how slow they were to even come to our table greet us, even though we were seating RIGHT AT THE HOSTESS STAND.... and it took us another 15 minutes after we were ready to order for the waitress to come back, and then it took 35 minutes for the food to arrive at our tables.
All the burgers on the menu were overpriced. I really wanted to try the truffle burger, but $60 for a burger? Seriously? That's a 5 course meal at a better serviced restaurant!
I'm sure that they're still ironing out the kinks, and hiring service staff that has better experience in customer service, but why would anyone in their right mind, in this kind of an economy, want to just stroll into Burger Bar for a meal that they could have cheaper elsewhere? Money doesn't grow on trees, ya know. I only wish. *sigh*
We held a team dinner here during our recent foray to SF for our annual sales conference.
Burgers, burgers, and more burgers - are the way of things at Burger Bar. There are other things on the menu, appetizers, other sandwiches, full bar - but Burgers reign supreme here! In addition to the lineup of burgers listed on the menu, there is a rather extensive toppings list - you can then customize your own burger - which is why I did.
We ordered a number of appetizers to share: Deep fried spicy dill pickles, fried Zucchini, and Onion rings. All were crisp and tasty - I'd never had a fried dill pickle before - wasn't bad - but I still prefer crisp, cold, dill pickles!
I ordered a custom Bison burger: Buffalo meat, with pepperjack cheese, jalapeno bacon, and Chipotle Aioli - with lettuce, tomato, and onion, on a wheat bun - cooked medium well. Ordered the burger with Sweet Potato fries. Plus I had a couple of beers - neither of which I had before - nor can I remember their names - both were good though!
When the burger arrived, I spread the Chipotle Aioli on the top wheat bun, slapped on the lettuce, tomato, onion, and took a big bite. Very tasty - BUT the Burger was cooked Medium Rare/Medium. Turns out pretty much everyone's burger came out at that temp - regardless of what temp was ordered.
We were sitting in a large private room of sorts - sharing it with one other group.
Service was decent - I would come back here again. Next time I send the burger back if it is not cooked to my specified temp!
Ohhh, Hubert....... :( How ashamed you must be.
Really, man? Your buns are packaged, your fries are delivered frozen, and your place is filled with the ugliest fixtures from the cheapest catalog. It's ok - you can be honest - please tell me you didn't actually have anything to do with this hot mess.
You have one of the greatest views of Union Square in the City and your bar faces away from the windows? Really? A twinkie shake? Really?
P.S. You're in Macy's - knock it off with the $60 burger unless it's going to stand up to it's name.
Shame, Mr. Keller. Shame.
OK had my 2nd visit tonight. The burgers dropped from 5 to 4 stars. Pretty good but not "wow" like the last visit. We saw Hubert Keller in the private event room talking with someone, so cant' say it was because he wasn't there (maybe less chatting with the young ladies and more time at the grill? Just kidding Hubert). The service was very slow on the burger delivery. After the waiter's second "your burgers will be out in just a little bit" we pleaded for some fries to tide us over, which did come in a matter of minutes. And my martini order got completely mangled, so much I sent it back. Had a sip of my friend's and it was weak and lukewarm.
Burgers this round = four stars, but overall down to three stars. I'll go back some time in hopes of that "wow!" burger I got the first time.
Best burger I've had in the SF area.
I discovered Burger Bar on biz trips to Vegas. This October's…
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I'm not normally a huge burger fan. But WOW, it was a super fun and delicious experience! I got the Hubert Keller burger--with buffalo, spinach, caramelized onions and lots of vavavavoooom!! And the skinny fries that came with it were made and salted just the right amount.
I would highly recommend this place. Only slight downside was that our service was slightly slow. Not enough to deter me from coming back again.
Oh, and I met Chef Keller too. He was lovely.
The burgers are truly kick ass, but the service is still pretty challenged at this joint. Several items were missing, the server struggled with figuring out our check, and he was definitely overloaded.
Also, the graphic design on the menus and business cards is hideous. For a world renowned chef like HK, you'd think he's have a classier design for what appears to be the beginning of a casual chain for him, but it looks like he hired an inexperienced desktop publisher to design the menu and all the materials on the table. I know it probably sounds like a stupid nit, but good design sets the mood for the meal you are about to eat.
My only other complaint is that is was brutally loud in the restaurant and it was hard to carry on a conversation. It felt like we were eating inside of a 747 engine and it might be a while before I go back because when you go to a casual restaurant with friends, you kind of want to kick back and shoot the shit without having to scream.
However, the food was damn tasty and HK is a nice guy and I hope this place is successful...
To be frank - I came here for a corporate event, and it was the first private function for the SF location, so maybe that's why the folks at Burger Bar were super special to us.
The menu of the night consisted of an open bar, sliders and various fried sides - all were DIVINE. I had a chance to sample the Angus, Kobe, chicken and salmon. Sides wise my favourite was definitely the sweet potato, though I was quite impressed with the fried pickles. They also bought out some dessert burgers... yes it's a heart attack in a mouth full but it was so, so good.
Some guests preferred ordering a milkshake (these are decadent), but I stuck with the red wine and they had a pretty sweet selection on offer!
We had the whole bar section (right hand side of the restaurant when you exit the elevators) closed off and they did a great job setting up the room so folks can mingle/ eat/ access the bar pretty much all at the same time.
I did have a chance to look at the menu - mainly to see if this is a place I can afford to come back to - and yes, it's a bit on the steep side but for the experience, and the view, and the Hubert Keller spotting... occasionally, it may be worth it :P
Got here in time for an early lunch, fifteen minute wait.
The decor is really disappointing, it tries to give off a vibe of luxury but honestly beer signs and cheap looking tables tell me differently.
I just went with the American Classic this time around, bacon cheeseburger was really dry. Fries were pretty decent.
I've had so many better burgers here in SF that this isn't worth my time.
Honestly this place is like if fine dining and Applebees had a love child- it'd be Burger Bar.
Great burger with many selection. Delicious milkshake. We'd waited to be seated only 15 minutes on saturday which it's not bad at all. Fast service, fast food.
We will come back again.
We had 17 or maybe it was 21 people in our party so we got stuck with a fixed-price menu, and somehow a burger and fries (after tax and tip but without drinks) ended up being $29 per person. For a burger and fries. For a burger and fries that to be honest wasn't all that great. Not that it was terrible but it was far from the best burger I've ever had, far from the best burger I've ever had in San Francisco even, and frankly it wasn't even the best burger I've had in the past month. Apparently the quote-unquote chef is famous, and I'm not sure how you can get famous making average burgers. Plus the service sucked. That having been said I'll give it another chance with the full menu under the assumption that the food and service'll be better when the staff is focused on two people as opposed to 21.
We went on a Saturday night for a friend's birthday. We knew it would be busy since it just opened recently, and with a party of eight, we knew there could be a significant wait. We were told it would take about 45 minutes to seat us, which was fine -- but in the end it was more like 15 minutes. Excellent! I guess we got lucky that two adjoining tables happened to open up simultaneously.
Since it was a birthday, we decided to splurge and go all out. I got the kobe beef hamburger with "fat fries" (aren't all fries fattening?) and a mint chocolate chip milkshake, which includes creme de menth (I think ... some sort of alcohol, at least).
My kobe beef was excellent, but a little too rare. I ordered medium rare and another friend ordered medium. Both of ours seemed pretty rare. Maybe it's the style to cook kobe on the rare side? It seemed to only be that way for those of us who ordered the kobe beef. Anyway, it was excellent but I would probably err more on the cooked side by ordering a medium or medium well in the future.
I *love* that some of their milkshakes include alcohol. But it's not a lot. I really wanted to be able to change my FB status to say that I was getting tipsy on a milkshake, but the truth is, I'd probably explode if I drank enough milkshakes to get a buzz. However, the sugar rush had me trembling. That was one decadent shake! Another friend got a beer float. Not root beer, real beer. Actually, it sounds rather gross to me, but he enjoyed it.
One friend who came with us is vegan. (I know, why would a VEGAN go to burger bar? Because it was a birthday and that was the plan.) For people who don't eat red meat, there are many other options like salmon, lobster, and chicken. For vegetarians, there are other veggie burger options, but they include cheese so they aren't appropriate for vegans. There were a few vegan options, but they included some ingrediants that my friend didn't care for (like eggplant). But here's the thing: my friend told the waitress what sorts of things she liked and the chef whipped up something custom just for her. Now that's excellent service!
Speaking of service -- yeah, it was slow, but it was a super busy Saturday night with long waits. Any new, popular upscale restaurant would have the same experience. And you have to treat Burger Bar like an upscale restaurant, not a regular burger joint.
I really wanted to try the chocolate burger for dessert, but we brought birthday cupcakes and we were already about to explode. Next time -- and there will be a next time -- I'll try to save room for it.
BRAVO hubert keller!! You have officially made a cash cow in the heart of commerce San Francisco!! I was really REALLY wanting to love this place. My boyfriend is a chef and I consider myself a food snob and the idea of this place really sounded appealing!!
Went here at 3:00 on a Wednesday and still had to wait for 20 minutes. The decor definitely reminds me of some sort of Applebees or TGIFs or something. We didn't get that spectacular view everyone was talking about, instead right next to the shake making station.
We ordered the brown cow shake, which was vanilla ice cream with fudge and chocolate whip cream. A big meh. Had better shakes at Mel's!! Very small too, usually you get the extra in another container BUT we didn't. Not really worth it.
Then my boyfriend and i split the Kobe beef burger on an onion bun with pickled tomato, beets, mozzarella, caramelized onions, aioli and the truffle sauce. The only thing worth ordering in said items was the aioli. The truffle sauce was one big disappointment and all the pickled items were way too vinegary and boring!!
The burger itself was under done. We had ordered it medium and it looked more medium rare!! My boyfriend liked it that way so we didn't send it back, but if that was ALL mine it would have been a goner! The beef itself was very bland. I couldn't believe it did not taste better!!
Also got the skinny fries with the burger, they were another 'meh.' Were not seasoned at all and were very plain.
Didn't have room for anything else but read later the dessert burgers weren't all that great.
If i want a good cheap burger i will go to burger meister, in n out or flippers! If i want an upscale burger that matches its price in taste, i will go to Spruce!!
WILL NOT BE RETURNING!
Had a very good Kobe-style beef burger (with bacon, avocado and blue cheese) with some fat fries, on a quiet Monday night. The place does indeed live up to the hype (though things quickly get expensive as you add on the various extras and fixins...) Service is very good and very friendly. We shared a burger and side-salad between 2, and the order was split in two very tastefully. (Half a Keller burger is almost the ideal meal, in fact.) And indeed, Hubert was there too - the complete experience!
All-in-all, I recommend Burger Bar for a casual weekday drop-by. (And we got a wonderful table with a view overlooking the ice rink in Union Square.) Not sure if I'd want to brave the crowds and wait in line at the weekend, but for a casual meet, it's perfect.
It's never a good sign when the best thing about the place is the view.
Given that it was the lunch hour, the service was slow, but ridiculously for a place called "Burger Bar" -- they cannot cook a burger according to order!
I ordered mine medium rare and got it rare -- disappointing, but whatever. One friend ordered her's medium and got it medium rare -- silly, but no big deal. Another friend ordered hers medium well and got it almost raw! FAIL!! Sadly, we were on our lunch break and didn't have time to send them back. Nothing special in the taste department either.
The onion rings were okay, the skinny fries are better at In-N-Out, and the fried jalapeno pickles were just weird.
For a great fancy burger, try NOPA. For a good cheap burger around Union Square, try Best-O-Burger.
I would maybe come back with a date for a milkshake and the view or something, but definitely not for a meal.
I'd give Burger Bar 3 1/2 stars. I suppose I just had higher expectations since Hubert was running around like crazy stopping for an occasional photo op. They use high quality ingredients, but nothing out of the ordinary. I was a bit disappointed with my vanilla, reeses milk shake which set me back +$7 as most of it was whip cream. After a few sips there was nothing left:(
I enjoyed the kobe burger and zucchini fries and would be willing to come back to try something else.
I was confused.
A1 Steak Sauce has no business in any classy restaurant, let alone a Hubert Keller establishment. Something must be awry.
I decided to go basic -- Kobe beef burger without all the frills. Couple that with a chocolate shake. That should have been a winning combo.
However, the beef was not particularly flavorful nor moist. The whole wheat bun was dry. Oh and the shake -- it never showed up because apparently the kitchen was "really backed up." Not a good sign.
That said, I will be back. They'll work out the kinks; I'll get the Hubert Keller Burger next time and all will be right in the world. I just hope they get rid of the A1.
Wow, is all I can say...to be succinct, I arrived at 11am today to beat the crowds for a nice early lunch. :) Smart move, because it got packed..:-)
I sat at the bar, had THE BEST customer service from the Gentleman tending the bar section, "Tim". If you sit at the bar, and Tim is working, tell him that Patrick sent you...:-) If you get the luck of being in his area, you're in for great conversation, kindness and informative info on beers. This guy knows his stuff.
He suggested a Maui Brewing Company, CoCoNut Porter beer, it was sooo good, I had a 2nd. Thanks Tim!
For my decadent feast, I only eat meat when I am out...well, I had the Kobe burger, and it needed NO adornments of ketchup, mayo, mustard...N A D A.....BLISSFUL!
And, I ordered a side of sweet potato fries to boot, delicate yet with just the right amount of crunch and soft inner texture.
All in all, would I go back? Hell yes. I love having great customer service, quality food, and a fantastic view of the Square...resplendent with the Ice Rink and Xmas tree.
I hope Tim does read this review as I told him that I had to brag about him on Yelp...:-)
Patrick ;)
This is a shame. A real shame I spent my hard-earned $$s here. A shame my 100% success rate is tarnished. I moved to San Francisco from Dallas 3 months ago, and this was my first bad food experience, at any place, any price. Unfortunately it came at a relatively high price.
Had my first ever $25 burger, the surf and turf. As a marketer, let me applaud you oh Burger Bar and chef whatever your name is. Your margins must be incredible as you generate incredible revenue per unit while saving on seasoning - none used on my burger - offer just enough lobster to be visible - thanks to good lighting - and call it "surf", and source your french fries from McDonalds.
My recommendation to consumers...take your $25 to All Star Donuts, enjoy a superior burger yourself and share the remaining 6 with the needy folks waiting outside.
First off, i dont know why people are going there in hopes of the experience of something amazing.
The best thing about living in the city are the hole-in-the wall restaurant s that offer excellent food, great atmosphere and amazing experiences with family and friends. Burger Bar is in the middle of union sq (that should be enough said) so obviously its going to be over priced, long waits with tourists, with probably not the best atmosphere and/or tasting food. Why would it be any different than its cross-corner counter part; cheesecake?
And for people who complain about the waits while there are open tables have never worked in a restaurant before. It has nothing to do with the server or the hostess not wanting to sit you. Its from the kitchen that has placed a hold due to the amount of orders coming in. There is no point in getting upset over a wait either; by the time you sit down you already have a negative connotation towards the place; grab a beer and chat.
Best advise, go to Burger Bar when Emily and Michelle are the hostess. They seem to have everything set and know what they are doing. The others seem to be a little lost, new, confused or just plain don't wan to be there.
Good Luck...
Dear Hubert,
You can do better than this. San Francisco expects better from you.
Why is Burger Bar a HUGE disappointment? Because you hired waitresses with a collective IQ of 12. My beer had to be removed from my bill because it never arrived at my table. My water glass never refilled. All of this on a slow Tuesday night with plenty of people to ensure we were actually waited on.
You hired cooks who have something against salt. There is no guarantee that the burger will arrive at the temperature specified by the customer, and even the specialty items are 'blah' at best. Even the bacon is crappy...BACON!!!
Last but not least, you charge me $52 for a couple of crappy bland burgers, a chicken caesar salad that was no better than Wendy's, horrible service and no beer.
This was my 3rd (and final) attempt to find deliciousness hidden somewhere at the Burger Bar.
Next time I will head to Macy's basement and save some money on mediocre food.
Sincerely,
San Francisco
Let me start by saying I love burgers. Period. They are my favorite food. Add fries and you have my last meal.
I also love Hubert Keller. I think he is one of the best chefs in a town full of greats.
Combine those 2 things and Burger Bar should be my heaven, right?
Not even close.
Basics:
-The service was really good, and we also say HK walking about.
-Decor is ok, view is great. The non view booths have TV built in, but are a bit claustrophobic and stuffy. They also have a ton of server traffic down that aisle including a bus pan of dirty dishes wheeled past on a cart!
-The noise level was seriously loud. I have never noted or complained about noise before, but this was over the top. I will admit It may been been louder in stuffy, booth land.
Now here comes the real bummer. The menu is creative but the execution was awful. A burger asked for Medium was full out Rare. Massive mistake. The 'fat fries' were hand cut, but so uneven that only the smaller fries were cooked. The trio of sliders had three different burgers and was pretty , but 2 of the 3 were just not good. Way too many caramelized onions on the buffalo burger and no flavor or seasoning at all on the angus. The bacon was not crisp or particularly flavorful. We didn't try the shakes since we opted for beer and knew we wouldn't get there.
Last note is on the price. Yes, it's pricey, but this is Union Square. I was a disappointed to note, however, that wine prices are almost triple retail.
Once I get over my heartbreak, I will probably try one more time to make sure this wasn't an anomaly. A girl can hope.
I first have to say...I read all the reviews and all the comments about how it wasnt that good, and Vegas was better, and this was a disappointment, but thought...it was so awesome in Vegas, how could it be wrong? Well...IT WAS!!! First we asked for a booth and were told since we were only a party of two, we werent allowed to sit in a booth. Ok, whatever. Then we were sat in the hallway. Four little tables, against the walls in a hallway...whatever, my hopes were still up for a great burger. They werent kidding about the service. The girl we had was awful. It took her forever to come to us and ask for our order. After that she was walking around and never bothered to get our drinks. Finally those come and then it was a 30 minute wait for our food. We both ordered our american kobe burgers medium. His was medium...oddly only on the right side of his burger, the other half was well done. Have you ever seen that??? A burger that is pink on the sides and well done in the middle and the other side? Odd. Mine has no sign of pink. It was dry, well done and just awful. I then waited for our waitress to come back and she didnt appear for another 15 mins. I told her "Im sorry, this is well done and dry" and she asks me "well what did you order?" with an attitude, as if she wasnt there when I ordered my burger??!!!?? No apology no nothing, she takes the plate and goes into the back, not asking if I want another one or anything. My husband is done eating now, and finally she reappears and I tell her I do not want the food, my husband is done eating. With an attitude she goes fine, goes into the back to tell them not to recook me a burger. She comes with the bill and goes "so you just want the check" and then walks away. When I open it, she did not take my burger off the check. $24 for 2 bites...I dont think so. I asked for the manager, and he was very nice, he took the check, reappeared another 10 mins later and removed the burger from our check. But then it took the bitter waitress another 20 mins to take our check. I wish I could tell you I was being dramatic or making this up. But I wasnt, and for her attitude and her crappy service her tip was nada...which we NEVER do. We usually are great tippers, and if someone was a douche then usually we tip a little. But that is how awful it was...nothing...zip...nada.
My husband burger, even though he said it was cooked right just was not the same quality, flavor, or even size as the Las Vegas Burger Bar. I will NEVER go back to this one. NEVER! Next time I am in Vegas though...this will be the first place I go to in Vegas...best burger ever...IN VEGAS!
Very disappointing. We were looking forward to having the best burger ever, and our burgers wouldn't even have made our top ten in SF. For a place that has a very reputable celebrity chef at the helm, they can't even do good burgers. The Kobe was a total disappointment. And they charge for condiments (other than the yellow - yes yellow - mustard and heinz ketchup on the table). The decor is pure tourist trap/chain restaurant. Was I sitting in Cheesecake Factory or Burger Bar, I wouldn't really know. They did refund comp our check after our complaints, though, which gives them 2 stars. The two couples on either side of us were also comped due to complaints about the sub-standard fare. At those prices the consistency and quality better be good, or people won't go for it at all. No money in that now, is there?
Hubert, really? What are you trying to pull over on the foodies of San Francisco? You might do well with the tourisimos, but we went the second week and walked right in (expected a wait), so I think the word is already out. Might want to re-think your quality control in the kitchen, and in the front of house (socializing wait staff - pretty uninterested).
Their burger was delicious especially with the truffle sauce. Not gonna lie, I devoured my burger.
The desert burger was VERY disappointing, bringing my rating down to a 3-star because I'm a girl, and dessert is a HUGE deal to us.
So the burger came out all cute and pretty, but don't judge a book by its cover... the donut was almost stale tasting, not like the fluffy hot kinds you get at a more upscale restaurant like this. The chocolate was really, just a piece of cold chocolate, not melted and doesn't have much flavor. And the passion fruit jelly was too sour. Overall, unimpressive.
We racked up a $38 bill for a SHARED burger, some sweet potato fries and that disappointing dessert... eh.
Still would go back for that truffle sauce though...
Can't say it is the best burger I have had it is just ok. Nothing special, nothing to write home about, nothing to say bad things about. It is a burger bar in Macy's with a little more hype because Hubert is the owner. And by the way he was there today walking through checking on his empire.
The fries, onion rings, fried zucchini, etc were nothing to write home about. I have had much better fried stuff elsewhere. Being a "gourmet" burger place you would think the batter they fry this stuff in would have a twist to it or come with some sauces that make you just want to dive in again and again. How about some flavored salts? Maybe throw in some truffle salt?
They did have a fun dessert for the birthday girl. It was a cheese cake in the shape of a hamburger. The cheese was passion fruit gelatin and there was chocolate underneath with a bun made of a donut dough.
If you are in Macy's and shopping and tired and you have a choice between Burger Bar or one more floor up to face the madness of Cheesecake factory I say hit Burger Bar. At least the customers were not as overweight as they are at Cheesecake factory.
So we've all seen the famous mane known as Hubert Keller on Bravo, PBS, and gracing the advertisements of Macy's. I was enthused when I discovered that Hubert Keller was bringing this place to SF, telling everyone I knew the week it was opening.
Fast forward to last Friday, a week after their official opening. We arrive at around 9:30p and are promptly seated. My first impressions was that this place had a feel of an Applebees or a TGI Fridays (you know trying to be something bigger than it actually is). Upon sitting down at the table, I discover that the table is a little sticky and greasy. More people we know ended up joining us so we switched tables. STRIKE ONE - Dirty Table.
Also, the first waiter we had seemed like he was a bit in a hurry. We sat down, he comes over and we politely say give us a second as we hadn't even opened our menus. No more than 45 seconds later, menus still closed and still getting situated, he comes back and says, "Are you guys ready now?" But, then we switched tables so not a deal, just kind of annoying though.
So I go to order my beer; it's true that Burger Bar has a huge beer menu... IF ONLY THEIR SERVERS KNEW WHAT THEY SERVED. I order a Goose Island Bourbon Stout, to which the waitress then said, "I don't think we have that." As I look back over the menu, I seriously thought I was loosing my mind because it wasn't there. I quickly grab another menu and discover that there are two menus, one with more beers than the other. I point to my selection and they DID have it. STRIKE TWO - Not knowing your beer list, not knowing you had two beer menus (admitted to me as a new and old menu), and not updating the two menus.
We got our food. The food was pretty good, I mean it's a burger joint. But it wasn't the epicurean revelation that I hoped it would be. Additionally, someone at our table ordered the fried jalapeño pickles. When ordering them he asked if these were whole jalapeños that were pickled or if they were pickles brined with jalapeño spice. The waitress had no idea how to respond and stalled a bit. My friend slowly asked, to make the distinction clear, "Are they fried jalapeños or pickles?" She looks back at him, with that, I hope I get this right look and says, "Jalapeños." The end up being the pickles. STRIKE THREE - Know your menu!
Training, training, training... the service here makes what would have been a decent experience into a mediocre one at best. And for that price, I could probably get better service at the afore mentioned food chains (though I haven't been to either of them in at least 7 years).
Bottomline, if your stuck in Union Square and you want a burger, save your money and go to the food court in SF Center because I'm sure there's something better there. If you want the best burger in SF with no BS, go to Chez Maman and make sure you get the egg topper.
Monsieur Keller, I think you're better than what was portrayed to my visit to Burger Bar SF. I really wanted to like this place... check that I really wanted to LOVE this place. I'm sure there are people like me who were/are excited to have a Hubert Keller experience that would motivate me to finally make that reservation at Fleur De Lys, that I've been stalling on. But for now, when I think high end food, I'll trust my palate and pocket book with the other famous Keller in Northern California, Thomas.
Service:
Abysmal.
Hostess didn't want to be there, and certainly didn't want to give me the time of day. Forgive me for wanting to eat alone, I don't really need dirty looks.
I'll sum up my complaints: I shouldn't have had to spend two hours getting a burger and fries. It was a Monday afternoon, not a Saturday night. My waiter was really nice, but so. very. slow. I know I was not alone in being annoyed at the waitstaff. Other couples (with different waiters) had a lot of the same service problems I had.
Food:
Eh. Burger was overcooked. They put the wrong cheese on my burger, but after waiting 45 minutes for it, I wasn't going to say anything. Fat fries were decent. The best part of the meal was the chipotle aioli. I was overcharged for a beer, which meant I had to spend even more time sitting at my little table, staring out the window.
Oh yeah - I had a hard time finding the place (didn't realize there was a dedicated entrance). I figured I'd smell delicious meat wafting through the 6th floor - not so. However, you CAN smell the burgers elsewhere.... Like the women's section two floors down.....
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