Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House — Restaurant in Dallas

Please don't take my 3 star rating as a bad thing; the service was great and the food is fine, but... there are some pretty obvious problems with Goodfriend that can't be overlooked. For instance, let's start with their location.

What kind of sick joke is Goodfriend playing here? They're sharing a small shopping center with two other restaurants and a super small parking lot. I was told by a friend to show up early, check out the another lot in the back, and it seems to be ok to park in the car wash lot next door (though I'd suggest parking across the street personally). But it's easy to see that there's not enough parking available.

Also, do you want to play a fun game with friends/family? Ask them to meet you at this location; you'll all find this hilarious if they've never been there before.

See, there is a Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burgers (this location) and a Goodfriend Pantry (across the street). Goodfriend Pantry has a huge easy to read sign showing you where they are. But, Goodfriend Beer Garden, well... they have a small vinyl decal on their window, behind their patio, and a quarter of it is covered by their specials. It's almost like they're keeping it a secret and I'm guessing that most people trying to meet others who've never been here struggle with half their party thinking it's the location across the street (like our Google Local Guides party did).

Finally, let's get to the food. I can describe this pretty quick and easy. Small-ish portions, high-ish prices, and it seems like everything (and I even mean their Fried Mac & Cheese) is spicy-ish for... reasons? But, then you eat their Waffle Fries and they're so meh that you were wishing that you had smuggled some in from Chick-fil-A.

So, what is Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House good for?

Well, I'd say that this is the kind of hole-in-the-wall place you take friends/family/co-workers to show how hip and in-the-know you are. The patio/interior give off a vibe of many past weekend shenanigans, it's so difficult to get into that it might convince others that this place must be good, and it's practically invisible so it'll feel like a hidden gem. Plus it's dog friendly so it's got lots of cute patrons to pet.

But, there are far, far easier places to meet nearby so if you're not trying to achieve what I stated above, I'll suggest meeting somewhere else (especially if you're not into...

The Bourdain Burger at Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House @goodfriendbg is claimed to be one of the best burgers in the Dallas area by D Magazine and The Dallas Observer. We definitely had to find out for ourselves!!

The Burger: 🍔🍔🍔 Again, we came here for a purpose, a mission, and first people at the restaurant when it opens at 4pm….just so we can try….”The Bourdain Burger”….was it worth it??....”Oh, Hell Yes!!” ….This burger is made up of only a few ingredients: 2 beef patties, American cheese, kewpie mayo, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes. Although there were only a few simple ingredients, this burger was so very flavorful. The patties were seasoned from top to bottom and inside/out, I literally could taste the seasoning with each bite. Clearly, they are using the best ingredients, especially with the American cheese, which tasted phenomenal and melted just right onto the patties! I can honestly say I now see why this burger has the awards, accolades, and recognitions. Well deserved!!

The Sides: 🧀🧀🧀🍟🍟🍟🍗🍗🍗 For side orders, we had the Cheese Fries and the Chicken Wings(KFC Flavor).. The cheese fries were ok. The waffle fries were crunchy with some good cheese and tasty toppings. Unfortunately, the chicken wings weren’t my favorite. I didn’t really care for the way they were cooked, nor did I like how they were seasoned. I initially wanted to try the Frito Pie, but the server talked me out of it and said I should get the wings….😂😂….ill get it next time….

The Service: I enjoyed the owner, Matt, coming over to our table and explaining how the infamous burger came about and how the chef came up with the concept. He was very cool and welcoming. Thanks, Matt!

Restaurant Rating: 89 out of 100% (B+)

Thank you, @goodfriendbg 1154 Peavy Rd, Dallas, TX 75218

IG:...

Came here for a meetup with some other area local guides. We picked this places as they used to have the #DallasBIG campaign B&G letters in their parking lot. Unfortunately, i was sad to learn the city has taken up all but the Deep Ellum letters. We were disappointed but still stayed for a great lunch.

I had the Greek taco (basically a gyro) with sweet potato waffle fries. The “taco” was good. I feel my lamb was a bit overdone, but considering it’s probably not traditional Greek lamb on the spit, I give them a pass. My fries were honestly meh. Waffle fries in general are hard because they get cold so fast. But these were largely inconsistent. Some soft and yummy. Some super crispy and almost not edible.

The other food at the table looked pretty good. The going thought seemed to be many things ran on the spicer side—even the patty melt. One person order the fried Mac and cheese balls. To me these were a misnomer has the inside was orzo (totally different texture than macaroni). These too were on the spicy side but good overall.

Our server was friendly and pretty efficient. We got there early and were glad because it did start to get busier as the day went on. We sat on the patio which was nice and inviting. I could see beer lovers hanging out all day and trying out different brews they have.

Overall it was a good experience and I’d come back.

My biggest complaint though was half our party ended up at Goodfriend Package across the street as their sign is much bigger and easy to see. If I didn’t know where GFB was, I’d have been quite confused as there is no big sign...