Burger Paradox — Restaurant in Duluth

I've been a fan of the Duluth Grill family of restaurants (Duluth Grill, OMC, Corktown Deli, etc.) since day one and I eagerly look forward to and support their endeavors and their commitment to real food and the Duluth community. In this review, I'm actually going to say negative things, but YMMV; don't let me stand between you and the amazing food. The menu is small but mighty. Once again, the Duluth Grill people have knocked it out of the park: fresh and crispy fries that are somehow not greasy, appetizers that are good enough to eat as your meal (those Brussels sprouts!), and messy, wonderful smash burger flavor combinations that are inventive but still true to the burger form. Resist the urge to ask for ketchup, because that caddy of squeeze bottles contains four swoon-worthy house-made sauces that are good enough to eat with a spoon. You won't actually get a spoon (or a knife, or a fork, or napkins) unless you specifically ask for it, but that seems to be a permanent unfortunate trend in casual dining, so deal with it. The prices are crazy low for food this good in the heart of a trendy district. Two significant obstacles to happiness, however: People who like to sit at the bar are going to be deeply disappointed and uncomfortable. The bar is so shallow (narrow?) that your knees will knock into the wall under the bar. To reach your food or beverage, you either have to sit side-saddle in your bar stool, or kind of stand up and hover over your food. The bar also has a giant "lip" on the edge so you can't comfortably rest your arms. The bar surface is weirdly angled so your beverage will slide away from you unless you hang onto it or can wrangle a coaster from the bartender. No matter how careful you are, there is a 100% chance that you will spill food or drip liquid in your lap. The restrooms are single-room and gender neutral, which is awesome. However, they also have urinals in them. One of the few advantages of being a woman in this world is that your public restrooms are usually guaranteed to be urinal-free. Add a urinal to a single-room public toilet and there will be urine on the floor, and Burger Paradox is sadly no exception, because when men see a urinal in their field of vision, they think the whole room is a urinal. I wish this were...

Ok Burger Paradox... I see you. I'm a 20+ year former cook, chef and food service /hospitality veteran and I emphasize that I'm deeply upset I haven't been here sooner.

I just finished the Phoenix burger and Korean BBQ Brussels sprouts.

1st, WOW. What I expected was NOT what I got and I mean that in the best possible way. The smash patties were indeed true smash patties... deep red crusty sear on the outside, juicy and flavorful beef that was perfect medium well in the center. The flavor of that beef- wtaf. The ghost pepper and habanero cheese was every bit what I wanted from something labeled "ghost pepper" which is not normal at most burger spots and combined with the hot sauce drizzle AND grilled poblanos and onions- mouthgasm. Tomato and lettuce were firm and fresh, tomato had actual flavor and wasn't just a slice of red water fruit but the pretzel bun stood out to me... Not super firm and chewy like other places, it was divine. Fluffy on the inside and warm, with awesome warm pretzel flavor. It seemed to be toasted well but by the time i thought to look It was mingling with all the burger things inside of it- regardless, all together this burger was incredible. The Korean BBQ sprouts were a nice twist on your normal crispy fried Brussels sprouts. All the flavors were present, cilantro and lime were optional for those who dislike such heavenly delights, I opted for both because Korean BBQ without them is a disgrace lol. Portion sizes were on par with what I paid, with was $34 including tip. Food was ready exactly when they said it would be and although the place was empty at 10 pm, I walked in and looked upon a window FILLED with bags of to go orders so I know my food was made at a busy stretch in the kitchen- food quality can suffer in a busy kitchen but mine was impeccable all around. I didn't think to take photos because I was euphoric while stuffing my face with all those glorious flavors.

One million percent will be back soon for one of the other unique burgers on the menu. I am not easily impressed by something so widely available in a million different configurations like a burger... But this experience is the best one I have had in a very long while. Well done guys and gals, well fkn done...

Quick, affordable food even after 9 p.m. 😊

The kitchen is opened LATE (meaning after 9 p.m.) which in Duluth is HARD TO FIND. 👍

The overall menu relies on spice and sweetness to cover food preparation. 🧐 I'm OK with spice and sweetness but it is NOT yet balanced. ⚖️ But the menu has "fun" choices for Duluth. To me there was nothing paradoxical on the menu. If anything, the paradox needs to be further explored.

Overall not enough acid in food items. A few more wedges of lime or lemon could satisfy a foodie and still be full. The fries need work. The fried brussel sprouts need less time in the fryer and less sweetness. they were just as sweet if not sweeter than the shake!!!

Fun colorful atmosphere.

Music- 90s and early 2000's. While we were there the Backstreet boys were playing.

I did not have any alcohol as I wanted to give an honest food review that wasn't skewed by a hard malt.

Service relies on hierarchy which means you will have three different people interacting with you (one to order/pay, another to bring out your food, and a third to ensure quality), but all that allows for communication errors. Example, the person delivering the food doesn't know who had what, and who customized what. And all it takes is one of those three people to not do a good job to affect the team.

I also wanna know who my tip goes to..? and that is done behind closed doors.

Great start, just needs to take some customers feedback and reevaluate menu and service often until a balance...