Al's Burger Shack — Restaurant in Chapel Hill

Ate here yesterday because we had overheard at the unc cancer hospital how good it was. I ordered the Kenny j because I saw spicy pimento cheese and you know I just had to get it. It had a cheer wine sauce on it which was phenomenal as well. The cook on the burger was suppose to be medium, it was definitely closer to rare but still very tasty and the potato bun was good too. There were a lot of flies and that is because it is a burger SHACK! It's not a burger fine dining experience. I mean seriously with the people who rate on the flies, have you never eaten at a bbq or outside period? There are flies in the world, get over it. Staff was friendly and clean and eating space looked clean as well. I spotted 0 spider webs outside so somebody has to be maintaining that daily. The only reason I'm giving a 3 star review is because of the handling of the food after I mentioned I have an allergy to sweet potatoes. I could not try the normal fries because they are fried in the same vat as the sweet potatoes. Now that isnt the reason for the drop. The reason I'm giving 3 is because I did not see a glove change in the kitchen when I mentioned my allergy. Having worked for red Robin and a small diner in princeton nc when somebody mentioned an allergy there were special procedures for handling it. I wasnt expecting them to pull down the allergy box, yes that is a thing is restaurants, but a glove change would have made me feel more comfortable. When I told the cashier he was understanding and he had forgetfully offered fries to me at the end of my order and immediately apologized. I thought he was genuine and really didnt want me getting sick. I just think there are certain protocols to be followed in...

I've driven by this place several times in the past and there is always a line. Possibly there was no line for our visit because it was 100 degrees, and 4 p.m. on a Tuesday. We did not notice a parking lot or other obvious parking near the restaurant so we had to hike a few blocks from our parking spot.

There is some counter seating inside but most of the seating is outdoors. We sat at some oversized picnic tables that were under a shade structure with some ceiling fans providing a little relief from the heat. The outside picnic tables looked normal sized but the ones we sat on seemed to be oversized - made for tall people. Who knows. Maybe the basketball team is a regular at this pace.

Service was fast and friendly and we were given free samples of Cheerwine before we ordered. We had some burgers, a hot dog, and we all shared a large order of the Amazing rosemary crinkle cut fries. I had a chocolate milk shake too, that, while tasty, was nothing special. My hot dog was great and those rosemary were the stars of the meal.

We loved the funky casual vibe of this place, definitely a local hangout. I can't wait to go back.

If there were any negatives, my one tiny quibble was that during our entire visit nobody from the staff came by to clear the fourth picnic table that had some leftover food on it when we got there and it was still there when we left. Someone did go by the trash bins to scoop up the trays on which your food is served, but no member of staff ever looked at or walked into the actual outdoor dining area to see if anything needed removing or...

After a cross country trip from Denver to Chapel Hill, Al's Burger Shack seemed like a great place to terminate our journey.

What a disappointment.

The three burger sizes feature a massive price gap, and not much else. My buddy got the Big Al size, and I got one step down, the junior. To our untrained eyes, the two burgers were nearly identical. At any rate, nothing could justify the $3 premium for the big size.

The burgers themselves were nothing special. A BK Whopper elicits a more animated response from my taste buds. The fries appeared to be of the frozen variety. There was very little seating space, but the flies were plentiful inside the crammed eating room. They desperately need a fly trap.

Lastly, their menu proudly declares that they cook all their burgers with pink in the middle, just the way they like it. Apparently pink means well done in Chapel Hill, NC. I took one bite into a dry, completely brown burger. I sent it back to be remade, and I rarely send food back. In the meantime they offered my my money back. I declined, and instead opted for a drink on the house.

The remade burger came out. By this time my friend was finished with his. I was starving. I bit into it, expecting delicious juiciness, but was met with a burger more dry and well done than the first one. It was pathetic. I didn't bother to bring it up again, since pink must definitely mean brown at Al's.

If it weren't for the splendid service, this place would be deserving of the single...