To.B - To burger or not to burger — Restaurant in Lisbon

To.B Artisan Hamburgers and a nod to the Bard

After frequently walking past To.B in its great location by the Opera House in Chiado, we realized we had taken Hamlet too much at his word and dithered far too oft, so we finally added it to our friendly competition seeking the best burgers in Lisbon. Since the cool weather of early December had arrived, we elected to dine inside--a bit of a rarity in our nine months here--and found a cozy atmosphere and friendly, accommodating staff. The menu, in the spirit of Hamlet, features a solid array of burgers, but with an “Or Not To.B” sampling as well. Bottom line for the Prince of Denmark is that it truly is a burger place, and “though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t.” After a shared plate of some of the best nachos in memory, Sarah and I chose the first item on the To.B list, deciding to “Taint not thy mind” with too many options. We loved the To.B burger with its crispy bacon, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato, and the aptly titled To.B sauce. The burger was just the right thickness, not overwhelming, and cooked perfectly to medium rare—definitely fit for a prince. The bun was also excellent and wonderfully flavorful, a touch thinner than some, but with a bit of a crispy edge and a delightful chew. The To.B sauce--we ordered it on the side to add just what we needed--was a perfect complement to the burger with its mayo based lightness. Our friend, Kevin, “to thine own self be true,” went instead for the basic queijo (cheese) burger and loved the simplicity of its highlighting the beef. We all went for the typical batatas fritas versus the larger, rustic wedges and we loved their perfect combination of golden crisp and flavorful center. Overall, To.B “proved most royal” and we can “speak loudly for him.” A finalist for best in...

This is a place doomed to fail, and when it does, no one will remember it, because there's no legacy here whatsoever.

An hamburguer is never going to be the most exciting dish on the planet, but the lack of effort in this place kitchen is remarkable and to such level that at certain moments I thought I could be eating a BK whooper that I wouldn't lose in quality. It came with fries, but they were burning hot and therefore I had to make a choice, to wait and let the burger go cold, or leave the fries for after when they were eatable.

Also tried the salad, had good ingredients but they didn't necessarily mix. Again, total lack of effort in providing something that would make a client come back.

Finally, the price. Unacceptably expensive, for five euros more you can cross the road, go to Avillez place and eat top notch quality cuisine. I understand balancing costs is the secret to a restaurant, but just throwing expensive prices at clients for food not worth it, that's not the way to...

I didn't like that as we went just for a drink in the middle of the day we were told that during those hours the place was only reserved for those who wanted to have something to eat but since it was quiet at that point we were allowed to stay. The waitress was reminded by what looked like the manager to say the same to another group of people who ordered just drinks.

Thinking back I feel that was very unprofessional and probably a bit rude. I wouldn't have had any problem if I was told that only meals were served during those hours. I can't see, however, why we had to be explained that we were "allowed" to have our drinks as if we were made a favour. That was a petty comment and totally unnecessary.

Too bad because it looked like a...