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RG Burgers
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 8:30 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
102 reviews for RG Burgers
Review Highlights
"I highly recommend the sweet potato fries."
(in 25 reviews)
"Gotta also try the cheddar bacon bison burger."
(in 23 reviews)
"their shakes are also f***ing yummy too."
(in 20 reviews)
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102 reviews in English
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Review from Zac B.
Kansas City, MO
12/21/2011
Best bison burger. EVER! Seriously.
Service is always fast and friendly. Their shakes are phenomenal too!
The parking lot is annoying, because Trader Joe's shoppers can't drive and it fills up fast. -
Review from Scott B.
ID
11/12/2011 2 photos
Great ingredients, except the white bun which was dry and over sized, but let's face it a burger is about the meat and the toppings, which were great.
Very kind service.
5 times better than the burger I had at Peter B's. -
Review from Chitown D.
Chicago, IL
11/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I LOVE this place! The food is delicious, especially the bison burgers and french fries. We tried the wedge salad last time and it was good too. The prices seem very, very reasonable for the quality.
Even when they're busy, which seems to be often, you can get in and out pretty quickly. Also, the staff are friendly and very responsive.
I can't wait for our next visit! -
Review from Mark A.
1/17/2012
I like burgers, and good ones are even better. I had the bacon cheddar burger and it had good flavor. The location is excellent right there next to trader joes. RG's is also pretty popular with the locals and like always I like that. Not the best gourmet burger place I've tried, but worth another visit and would recommend.
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Review from Alan W.
12/27/2011
Merely average experience. I got the Bearnaise Burger while my gf ordered a Bison Cheeseburger. My bearnaise sauce made the burger feel different, but different didn't equal delicious. It was just okay. And apparently if you want the bison, you have to get it cooked medium well here. Let's just say the fun of having bison is outweighed by it ending up tough and dry. They also forgot my side and it took awhile to flag a server down before that was rectified so that didn't help either. In the end, fairly classic hamburgers with a few modern twists, but not great.
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Review from Art B.
Santa Rosa, CA
10/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was pretty impressed by the great food here and the friendly service. My wife and I split some fried green beans. Unique and really tasty if you're looking for something new to satisfy your fried veggie craving.
I ordered a bacon cheeseburger out of a fairly extensive list of burgers. I figured it would be a good way to compare to other burgers I've had elsewhere. I wasn't disappointed. I got the special sauce (thousand island) on the side and added mustard instead. The burger was cooked perfectly and was very juicy. It was crispy on the outside and ever so slightly bloody in the center, just how I like it. The bacon was a reasonable thickness and crispy. It came garnished with the usual onions, tomato, leafy green lettuce and pickles. All this was served on a classic roll that was pretty darned good, not something that I'm usually impressed with.
My wife was going to order the three sliders, but the waitress explained that it doesn't come with a side. The sliders alone are almost $10 with cheese on them, so it seemed ridiculous to pay full appetizer prices for a side. The waitress made a great suggestion of a kids burger which is much cheaper and comes with a side. We very much appreciated her honesty and quick thinking of a very welcome alternative. The lack of sides with the sliders at a reasonable price loses a star on this one.
The seasoned fries I went with and sweet potato fries my wife chose were golden fried with crunchy outsides and fluffy (fries) and creamy (sweet potato fries) in the middle. I've never been a fan of sweet potato fries, and now I know that it's because I hadn't had them at RG's before!
Add to all this an awesome chocolate malt and we were extremely happy customers and will be back when we are in Monterey again. -
Review from Aaron A.
Monterey, CA
10/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Pretty standard affair, but tasty, quality food. Enough to come back to once in a while when one gets a craving for the classic hamburger. Many styles to choose from, many delicious milk shake concoctions. There's not much to harp on here. A good place to visit.
Its more of a 3.5 star kinda place than a 3 star. Knock the prices down a bit and you have yourself a solid 4. But its Monterey. At least these guys care. -
Review from Allen N.
Salinas, CA
10/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I had to check this place out after hearing all the buzz about it.
Pros:
-Bison Burger option
-Lives up to it's name for a Really Good Burger, patties were moist and juicy
-Friendly Staff
Cons:
-Prices are way too high, I don't like the fact you need to add ~$2 for sides other than rg fries, salad or rice
-Took forever just get water and the food also, they're wasn't that many people there in the restaurant so theres really justification
All in all they have great burgers but it's a little pricey. -
Review from Shiho F.
Carmel by the Sea, CA
Updated - 8/27/2011 1 photo
5:49pm walk-in solo
5:55pm seated
6:09pm order
6:18pm food arrives
6:26pm done
6:31pm check
6:40pm out the door
Luckily my petite pretty server said "sorry for the wait" so I was fine about the slow start and I was honestly impressed by my Bacon Cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce although it could have used more of that special RG Sauce. My mini wedge was killer and I devoured it in minutes. I had just came back from the West End Festival where I downed a plastic cup of Kali Hart Chardonnay so maybe I just needed something in my system. Overall I was impressed with my food and come to think of it.. my burger was actually cooked medium-rare so another star baby.
Slow service but solid experience.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/17/2009
Can't wait to try their burgers. I went in for some fries. They were pretty tasty... seasoned. I… Read more »
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Review from Teufy N.
Elm Grove, WI
1/23/2012
The burgers here are always top notch, and fairly prompt for being freshly made. The staff is extremely gracious and more than willing to take special or vegan orders. My ONLY beef is that the prices run a tad high, but in my opinion the burgers are worth it.
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Review from Jason S.
Lakewood, CA
10/20/2011
This place looked like it would be a hit, so i stopped in. It was not too busy during lunch. The service was adequate, although they gave my table to someone else when I went to use the restroom... but it happens I guess.
The burger choices were huge, lots of options. I tried a black and blue burger on a wheat bun. The burger was suppose to be cooked medium, but was more like well done. The bun was awesome! The burger patty seemed smaller than I expected. The fries were good but paid $2 extra for sweet potato fries.
Bun = 5 stars
Burger = 3 stars (overcooked and smaller than expected with that big bun)
Fries = 4 stars
Price = 3 stars
Service = 3 stars
3 stars. -
Review from Katharine A.
San Jose, CA
10/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Burgers were pretty meh. Mine was overcooked to well done instead of medium. Flavors were just ok. Sweet potato fries were good, but not great. A request for a condiment was ignored-- even though I asked a couple of times and the waiter kept admitting he forgot.
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Review from Nathan T.
8/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Excellent burgers. Now we like our burgers... They delivered! If you are tired of seafood, check this place out.
Not the best of the best, but way above average for sure. I was very pleased that they had Bison burgers and that it was properly cooked. Just a bit pink and not overcooked and chewy.
My table mate enjoyed the turkey burger. The wheat buns were amazing. Soft and not overly dense so they did not overwhelm the burger flavor
Chili cheese fries were good but not great.
Love the milkshake selection, but could only be so bad this time. -
Review from Natasha G.
Sacramento, CA
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
We were down in Monterey for Memorial Weekend & got lucky that there was a Groupon for this place went on sale right before the weekend. I checked out the reviews here & I will say that this place definitely lived up to reputation.
Burgers had great flavor & the seasoned fries were soooo yummy! We got a cheese burger & chili burger... The chili burger was like a burger in a bowl of chili. The chili was solid but not mind blowing.
The service was excellent & they were very friendly. Food came out promptly. -
Review from Vanessa L.
Salinas, CA
10/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food here was pretty good but the service wasn't great. We came in for an early dinner around 5:30 and there were only a handful of people inside. We asked to sit outside but when we went out to their little patio every table was dirty (I wonder how long it was just sitting there like that). The host thankfully cleaned off one of the tables and said the waiter would be right with us but 10 minutes later we had yet to see the waiter. When he finally came he took our drink orders but we said we needed another minute on food and he disappeared for another 15 minutes. Other than the service, my blue cheese burger on wheat was great. They cooked the meat medium rare which was exactly what I asked for. My onion rings were a little burnt so I totally regretted not getting the sweet potato fries.
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Review from Jessamyn W.
Monterey, CA
7/20/2011
Why to say yes to RG Burgers:
-The many options of delicious milkshakes and malts. I rarely ever see places that sell many flavors other than the regular vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. I strongly sugget you take this rare opportunity and get a unique flavor.
-The totally customizable burgers. I have never seen burgers as customizable as this. There are both healthy and vegetarian options.
-The attentive and fast service. This is the most attentive service I have ever had at a restaurant
-To-die-for onion rings
What to watch out for:
-Undercooked meat
-Too much salad dressing on your salad.
-Not enough lettuce around a bunless burger. If you get your burger bunless, don't expect it to be like In-N-Out's "Protein Style" burger. I ordered a bunless cheese burger (healthy!) and there was only lettuce on top of it! -
Review from Becky W.
San Jose, CA
4/20/2011
The teriyaki bison burger was absolutely delicious! The bread was soft with a hint of sweetness (kind of similar to brioche), meat was juicy and tender, and the the sauce was a bit tangy and sweet. The burger was slightly messy, but very worth it.
Service here is friendly and efficient. Definitely come back again if I'm in the area! -
Review from Raqi R.
Marina, CA
5/20/2011
When I'm craving a burger locally, this is the first place I think about! I've been here about 10 times, and I always love what I've ordered.
*servers - friendly and prompt
*seating - clean, comfy chairs and booths
*menu - lots of choices, and better pricing than other burger places
When you order, they ask how you want your burger cooked, and if all the standard fixings are okay. In my experience, the food always comes out really fast! I order my burger done medium, and the meat is so juicy and flavorful. My favorite thing to order is the ortega swiss burger. Onion rings are good too, and you can order a half or full portion (nice to have the choice). Oh, and the fries are really excellent - never soggy or greasy, just crisp deliciousness!
I removed a star here for one reason - on warm days it gets really stuffy and hot inside the restaurant. So ventilation is one thing they could work on. Other than that, I think it's a wonderful burger place! -
Review from Jasmine A.
Marina, CA
10/30/2011
I got the classic RG burger. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad... Just okay. The service was pretty bad though - we waited quite a while for drinks and our order to be taken. And there was only one other table occupied.
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Review from Sarah J.
Merced, CA
6/25/2011
We went to RG Burgers to use a Groupon during our trip to Monterey. We had eaten a late lunch but were in the area so we decided on an early dinner of lite options.
My son and I had shakes: banana for me and orange freeze for him. While there were no actual bananas in the shake, it was still really good. My son loved the orange freeze but I didn't think it was very flavorful.
I had the lemon pepper chicken salad and it was definitely the right one! A bit too lemony and peppery but still fairly good. The bleu cheese dressing is kind of thin so I had to ask for an addition side of it to get the whole thing covered.
My mom got the hot dog and she said it was good. I tried the accompanying potato salad and was happy that it wasn't TOO strong, like some potato salads can be. She said the hot dog was good.
My son got the children's chicken strips with coleslaw and he said the chicken strips were good but didn't care for the coleslaw. It tasted fine to me. Again, not too strong as coleslaw can be from horseradish.
The staff was a very friendly and attentive group of guys and we will definitely be checking it out again to try the burgers. -
Review from Christine L.
San Jose, CA
6/20/2011
Yummy Yummy Burgers and awesome seasoned fries.
The service was good and the atmosphere was great.
It could be a place for a quick sit down or a place you can hang out for a while! -
Review from Aaron L.
12/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
I'm not going to spend much time on this...
Burgers are nothing special flavor, size, or creativity
Prices are WAY too high for the quantity - especially charging $2 more for sweet potato fries and getting crappy frozen ones you can buy at any grocery store and getting barely a hand full of them.
This is honestly no better than a Carls Jr and far worse that Red Robin, Chilli's, etc. Go to a real gourmet burger place it would put this place to shame.
I usually don't comment on the reviewers but if you think this place has good burgers you should really try burgers at other places, you are seriously missing out. -
Review from R. A.
Seaside, CA
10/11/2011
I've eaten here twice and both times have been good. A huge plus is that they cook it how you like it, a lot of places have a difficult time making a burger med-rare. the sweet potato fries are awesome and the chocolate milkshake is well worth all the fat and calories. Good size portions, sometimes my husband and I split a burger and we are both satisfied. Service was a bit slow when they were busy for lunch, but its just a cheeseburger and drinks, we really didn't need that much attention.
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Review from vicky t.
Decent turkey burger....
Overall service is good...
have the burgers gotten smaller or is it just me?
I personally love their shakes.... -
Review from Agustina G.
Reedley, CA
10/10/2011
Good Burgers. Great menu. It's just PRICEY! Fries are better elsewhere.
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Review from Martin K.
Monterey, CA
I came in with a burger-shaped hole in my stomach, and I left satisfied. The service and atmosphere were good, the burgers were really good, the fries were exceptional. Even my salad was good. I can't remember the last time I had a good salad at a burger place. Their beer selection is not-awful, too.
The menu in general is pretty extensive, and makes me just want to come back and try more things off of it. -
Review from Kyle R.
Monterey, CA
10/19/2011
The burgers a actually quite good but like most things in Monterey, over priced. But if you do stop in get a milkshake, they are great!
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Review from Eddie W.
11/13/2010 1 photo
I ordered To Go from RG Burgers a few weeks back. I was extremely eager to try the bison burger, unfortunately they were all out. I opted for the beef burger with seasoned fries.
The burger was juicy and cooked medium rare just like I requested. Fries were crispy yet retained a soft interior and had a nice seasoning.
Will be back to try their more adventurous burgers
Sidenote-order ahead...THEY TAKE FOREVER
Final Thoughts
What more can I say, it was your basic burger done right -
Review from Christine K.
Menlo Park, CA
11/24/2010
Just a basic burger joint with a 50's diner vibe. Friendly waitress who refilled my Coke super quick and my hot dog and fries were good (not great).
Just nothing remarkable to report. -
Review from Matt W.
Niskayuna, NY
9/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
We've been to this location (and the original location in Carmel, and the original Monterey location over on Alvarado) a fair number of times over the years, and R G is consistently excellent. The ambiance at the Monterey location isn't quite as airy as Carmel, but the service and food have always been excellent. I can say I don't think I've ever had anything but excellent service at Monterey RG, and I'm a bit picky about this sort of thing. I have never been there where we haven't been asked just the right number of times whether we wanted drink refills or anything else, and while I know every place has its odd delays from time to time, we've never experienced them here. They do a good job of getting appetizers and drinks to the table fast. And, thank you, no false chummy chitter chat from the servers.
The menu is burgers-with-flare; nothing horribly original per se with the genre (the Mediterranean Burger has sun dried tomatoes and feta; the California burger has avocado and jack) but the food is well-made and comes out quickly. There are non-bogus vegetarian options (although the old portobello sandwich seems to be missing from the recent minor renovation of the menu), and sandwich and salad options, although the burgers are the main fare to be sure. The salads are a bit pedestrian, but I'll also say they use salad mix and not pure iceberg, which is a nice change from most burger places. The milkshakes are real and made on spot. And you can get a beer with your burger, the way the Good Lord intended. (One of the little secrets about this place is, if you're in the mood for a beer-and-fried-food appetizer, it's a really reasonable happy hour destination -- 3-5 for the specials. Try the pork sandwich sliders.)
If you are picky about doneness for your meat, they do a great job. Rare is rare, medium well is medium well. I appreciate this a lot.
Their sides are very nice, in the fried realm - crispy green beans and sweet potato fries among our favorites. They do have a kids menu, fairly standard, but the burgers are right-sized and the grilled cheese is awesome. (Warning, the fries are their own nice relatively non-greasy style, so kids expecting McDonald's fries may be disappointed - but I think they're great.)
You're going to pay $9 for your burger, so it's a bit pricier but well worth it.
The only downsides have nothing to do with the menu. First is parking is impossible to wretched, because the current location is in a parking lot with a Trader Joe's and a Peet's (although the latter gives you a coffee and dessert option if you don't want to do the ice cream thing). You're sort of hit or miss about a parking spot, or you have to go around the corner and walk. The second is the furnishings are tired and a bit battered and dirty, even though this location was only re-opened new a few years ago; they went a bit cheap on the booths and they show stains and dirt a bit much. These are quibbles, however.
I'd be tempted to give it five stars, for the type of restaurant it is, but I'm pretty choosy with limiting 5-star reviews to the extremely special experiences of life. That said, you won't do any better for good old burger fare in downtown Monterey. -
Review from Seung Hyun Y.
San Francisco, CA
9/17/2010 1 photo
Bison Burger, Sweet Potato Fries and a soda all the way!!!
That's all I'm gonna say.Listed in: American Home Cook'n
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Review from Luke S.
Pacific Grove, CA
6/13/2011
Yes, you can count on this place for a good burger, nice folks and killer milkshakes. And for me, I hate ordering a huge burger, so I get the kids burger and even the owner said that's fine! So, yay for getting exactly what you want.
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Review from Elizabeth G.
Stockton, CA
7/11/2011
Went and got a cheeseburger today, and was pleasantly surprised that when I asked for medium rare, I got medium rare! I also was a fat ass and got the beer battered onion rings. No shake this time, but maybe the next time I go I'll indulge. I've been to the Carmel location a few times, and I'd say both places are well above average for burgers. I'll be back!
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Review from Jennifer C.
Queens, NY
7/9/2011 2 photos
I've had a burger craving for weeks and I was determined to satisfy it on my trip to Monterey. RG burgers made me one happy camper. Their selections all sound pretty good. You choose type of bun, type of meat (they even have vegetarian falafel, which I definitely want to try next time), type of side, and type of burger (regular cheeseburger, cajun, hawaiian, etc). I opted for the beef Hickory burger w/ seasoned fries, and bf got the bacon cheddar burger w/ guacamole and chili fries. The burgers were smokey, juicy goodness. Seasoned fries were great, but the chili fries were kind of gross. The chili was some bland, shlop of meat and beans. Portions + prices were just right. Only other negative is that the food took a while to come--service was still decent though.
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Review from Julie N.
10/31/2010
You know, after a long day of travel (up at 4am, a two hour flight, a 1.5 hour drive, 8 hours of working, and I have yet to make it to the hotel), the last thing I wanted to do was WAIT for my dinner-to-go. I purposely picked a place that didn't have a long line, and I could get a salad and make it back to the hotel in time to see most of game 1 of the world series.
There was NO ONE ahead of me in line. The guy taking my order was nice enough, and enthusiastic, to say the least. :p I ordered a cobb salad (ixnay on the dressing and avocado----see how easy I make it?) and sweet potato fries---to go.
After about 15 minutes, he asks the kitchen, 'how about that salad, guys?'
The 'guys' in the kitchen (2) are so damn slow I assume they are slaughtering my bacon and going to the garden to harvest the head of lettuce and tomatoes that go into my salad.
LAUGHTER. They must be having fun milking the cow to make my cheese for the salad
20 min later: "Hey guys, that salad almost ready?"
LAUGHTER .
23.5 min later and then my salad appears.
Happy order-taking dude: "How about those sweet potato fries?"
LAUGHTER and a faint voice whispers (though apparently not softly enough since I could hear him all the way out in the restaurant--dumb ass)---"oh yeah".
25 min-- fries go into the fryer.
28 min later I FINALLY get my order.
35 min later---in my hotel room---turning on the game--pop up fly--game OVER. :p
LESSON TO BE LEARNED---if you're thinking of going to eat at RG Burger, do one of two things. 1) make sure you have at least 2 hours to dine---I can just imagine how long it takes to make a burger if my salad took almost a half hour), or 2) look to the right. There's a Trader Joe's--go there instead.
I'll be seeing the guys at Trader Joe's next time for sure. :p -
Review from Johnny B.
Santa Cruz, CA
7/31/2011
Tasty Burgers perfectly cooked. The old fashion style Milk Shakes rocked! The music sucked and was way to loud. Top 40 teen Disney style music is great for stores in the Disneyland mall but make it hard to enjoy your food and conversation in the restaurant. Maybe that is why 80% of the costumers were getting food to go.
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Review from Debby F.
Monterey, CA
After eating a salty, overprocessed burger at a fast food joint (last week), I wanted a char-grilled burger. Stat. RG Burgers scratched my itch. My burger was hot, juicy, char-grilled and flavorful. Love the bun, too. I tried the fried potato wedges, and I was a little underwhelmed with it. They weren't bad, but I'm more of a traditionalist with fries-- unless they have garlic added... then it's GORE-MAY! $7.95 was the tab, and the service was quick and efficient. So far, it's my favorite burger in town.
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Review from John V.
Seaside, CA
9/3/2011
Services sucks. Told to seat ourself and he will met us at the table. Waited 10 minutes, no server, we departed the place.
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Review from Brian B.
9/26/2010
They make a pretty good burger. Some are better than others. The shakes, though, are good no matter how you look at it. They also offer a good amount of other items, like chili dogs, salads, wings, etc. All in all, it's a decent place to get a meal.
Parking can be awful. It shares a lot with Trader Joe's and it seems to more or less always be full of cars. One night when we went, they kept it especially open for us, though, which was awesome and very nice of them. -
Review from April W.
Monterey, CA
7/13/2010
I just moved to the area, and on 4th of July weekend some friends from my home town came to visit. We decided we wanted burgers, and went walking around town looking for a good place to eat. As we stood outside RG looking at their menu, a woman walked by and exclaimed sincerely that the food was "really good". We laughed, and decided to give them a try.
The staff was incredibly friendly, especially the tall, short haired host. He was so attentive! I made eye contact with him from all the way across the room, by accident, and he walked right over to ask cheerfully if there was anything we needed. Impressive! That's good service. Give that guy a raise!
We really enjoyed the variety on the menu. I'm a huge fan of yams, and I'd been raised to think they were a once a year treat. Having them in the form of french fries with my burger was amazing. I just wish they'd been a bit crisper, and thicker. They were kind of thin, so they got cold fast and didn't have that crispy outside, tender inside that larger fries have.
Between three people, with two beers, one coke-float, and three burgers - one with sweet potato fries and one with bison - our tab, before tip, was $58. I was a little surprised. I had expected to splurge a little that weekend, so I wasn't really penny pinching, but I was imagining it would be more around $40 for three people to order some burgers and fries. I don't drink beer, so I didn't realize the beers my friends ordered were going to be $8 each. None of us had refills. Things just added up fast, I guess.
The food was "real good", as advertised. I'd go there just for the fries! Still... for a $70 casual lunch, I do wish those fries had been thicker and crispier.
