Black Napkin — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

This is a rising star in Grand Rapids! They have great food, excellent service, and an overall positive outlook on their posture. I can see them relocating to a larger location and excelling.

Classic Double - $12: WOW, the burger patties are true smashburgers and full of savory goodness. The searing is there with the juicy center still maintained. It was bigger than I was expecting. 3oz patties doesn’t seem like much, but it was plenty big for the price.

They really need bigger buns because they droop over the sides a lot. The sesame seed buns were soft and toasted on the inside (if I remember correctly). Can’t go wrong with Nantucket buns!

The toppings were great and well balanced, even considering the bun size. There was a bit more mustard than what I typically see on most other burgers, but it was good mustard and I was okay with it. I’d ask for light mustard next time (but that is a preference).

Fries Just Salted - $3.75: Excellent battered fries, but with too much salt. It was a huge serving for the price. They are medium cut and full of flavor.

Water is available from a dispenser opposite the counter you order at. It was VERY clean and cold.

The menu is fairly simple without a lot of variety, but it is focused and what they do is really good and well thought out!

Service: Extremely careful to get everything right and take care of you. They are not over the top cheerful, but are very positive and spot on. You order at the counter (no table service).

Atmosphere: Small, but okay. There are about four tables with two or so chairs each. Two of those tables are along the walkway where staff hand off orders. We sat at one of those tables and it wasn’t too cumbersome, but worth mentioning. It was very clean even with how many people were coming and going (it was busy).

The customer area is someone opened up to the kitchen and counter area. It is a bit confusing of a setup, but it is a hole in the wall place and probably the best they can do with what they have. I see them as quickly rising in business and able to move into a better place in short order, though. The food is amazing.

The decor of the place has teenage grunge vibes, but was not over the top and almost anyone can still visit without feeling too uncomfortable.

They have it posted on their front door, “Notice: Firearms welcome. Please keep all weapons holstered unless need arises. In such a case judicious marksmanship is appreciated.” Thank you for upholding and valuing our second amendment rights!

Conclusion: Looks like they’ve been around for only a couple of years, but I can see them being around a while and doing well. They have a lot of the hallmarks of a great restaurant starting out strong and growing.

Visited on a...

Pitiful, I want my money back.

I really wanted to liked this place considering all the raving reviews but im now started to think there all paid sponsorships. First visit: Classic single, Double Malcom, Orange pistachio soda and rust fries. Service was atrocious, actually the “service” barley even existed, stood at the register for longer than I can count while the man taking order stood behind the counter chatting with another customer, and when he wasn’t doing that he was doing nothing just standing there almost as if I was a ghost. Finally when we ordered dude never even made eye contact and seemed bothered by my existence. AND continued his conversation on and off while taking order. Classic single: very bad, worse than McDonald’s, Malcom was the same, fries were pretty good and soda was great. Second visit: Classic double, Malcom double, golden cola and orange pistachio soda, and two rust fries. Service was way better this time, but the food got worse. Classic burger is honestly just so terrible. I got a double which should equal to 6oz of beef but there’s no way it was more than 2.5, a small amount of bad lettuce topped off with an abused amount of ketchup and mustard making everything soggy, I’m assuming they do this to cover up the nonexistent flavor of the rest. Malcom burger I can’t rate because I never got it! Ended up with a suspicious chicken sandwich on accident, and of course couldnt even contact them about the mix up because they don’t have a phone! How convenient. Maybe they don’t know how to use one? Not a crazy thought because they don’t know how to make burgers.. (hey bad napkin you owe me $2). Anyways that also sucked. Fries weren’t as good this time just way too salty. Sodas are really good! $52 for a meal equivalent of McDonald’s sitting in a hot dumpster is absolutely absurd and I need a price breakdown. Anyone who likes this place, you’ve never had real food and you’re getting scammed. Go to...

2/20/24 - 1st Visit. Overall: 3.5 stars.

I ordered the Big Malcolm + Fries with Kimichi + Cheddar Dust + Thai Basil Mayo dip.

🍟 I would go back for the fries alone — the thicker cut + crispy-crunchy texture is amazing.

🍔 The burger was mid. While it was well-seasoned, I'm accustomed to smashburgers having a "rich" juicy flavor from an appropriate amount of fat that enhances bun + other toppings.

Unfortunately, the challah roll (which I wanted to love) wasn't the best vehicle for a single patty smashburger:

1. It wasn't toasted or buttered, which is essential for this style. Note: When I later asked whether one could request that their buns be toasted, the server misunderstood + confirmed that the buns get toasted in the prep process. I explained that mine had been cold, which they were surprised + apologized for.

2. The Challah Roll texture.

I like a bun that doesn't overwhelm the meat, so my hope was that the challah (which I generally enjoy) would work well with a smashburger. Never thought I'd ever say that a bread was TOO airy + fluffy...cos I genuinely enjoy that texture!

However, without the sponginess + warmth of a traditional bun, it detracted from the meat. Perhaps, if the roll had been properly toasted, it would've better absorbed the flavors of the sauce, but the roll is better suited for deli meat.

Atmosphere is cute. The space is tiny with 2 high-top window tables that seat 2 + a larger table for 4. I can't recall if there was a 4th table or whether the 4-top was average height to accommodate folx with physical disabilities or mobility challenges that would make it difficult/impossible to sit on the stools.

Parking: Paid street parking in front. I found free parking around the corner on a residential street in the...