Charred Gourmet Burger & Sandwich — Restaurant in Herndon

Honestly, I'm not sure I can rate this place accurately (yet) since we've only DoorDashed it once, which was today. I'd never heard of it and it was a new restaurant for DD, but the menu looked good and had something that I thought each of us (me + 2 teenagers) would like. Teenagers each got a sandwich (chicken and a burger), I had wings and a side of brussels sprouts (I'm keto so this was perfect for me).

I really liked the wings although I think I chose the wrong "sauce" which was truffle cheese (had no idea what it would come like but turns out it really is just a cheese, pretty good but not my favorite). I'd definitely get the wings again though and just try a different sauce, because they did have great charred flavor. I also asked for blue cheese dressing with it, which I didn't get, but whatever that delicious sauce was that it did come with, I'll be seeking out for next time because it was thick and delicious. My only complaint there is that I doubled my wing order but still only got one delicious sauce with them. The brussels sprouts were fantastic. Both of the teenagers really liked their burgers, too, which is saying something. The reason I'm giving 5 stars instead of 4 is because all of the food was prepared with such love and care (and it really was delicious).

On top of that, I almost didn't order from them because it's 20 minutes away and I assumed there was no way to keep the food warm. Well, color me surprised because it was still HOT!! I was shocked when I could feel so much heat coming out of each box as I took them out of the bag. The fries were just warm but they were on the top of the bag and left open (intentionally so they'd stay crispy) so there's just no way they could have stayed hot. Plus it's not the restaurant's fault we live that far away!

I can't wait to try this restaurant in person which we'll be doing next week. I mentioned we're keto so we'll be doing burgers sans buns and I...

This is my second review for this restaurant. Unfortunately, unlike the 1st review, this is an absolute nightmare. The restaurant was purchased, and much like any new management, the 1st thing they did was cut corners on ingredients, reducing selection, increase price, and updating the menu to lightly mimic those other chains that offer crabcake and hot chicken. Below is what had:

Initial issues: Soda machine was out of 3 of the selections. The ice machine had mildew flakes coming out of it. The bathroom was out of hand soap, and floors were grimey and sticky.

Appetizer 1: Dry Rub Wings w/Ranch Dip. The wings were slightly under cooked, slightly pink in areas, and had an odd smell to them. Ranch Dip used to be a thick, and made in-house. The new Ranch resembles watered down Hidden Valley and no taste.

Appetizer 2: Onion Rings. Only thing without issue.

Entrée 1: Anchor Salmon sandwich w/Sweet Potato Fries. Salmon was smaller portion than normal. I asked for slightly over cooked for texture only. It was slightly undercooked. The Pineapple Chutney was made with large diced canned pineapples, and the Brussel sprout slaw was runny. sweet potatoes fries were fine.

Entrée 2: Charred Burger w/Fries It came out with an incorrect sandwich, so they had to make it again. The 2nd came out really fast. A little too fast if you ask me. They took one bite and threw it away. I asked them what was wrong, and they said based on 1 bite, the issues with the wings and my sandwich, it went in the trash. Fries appeared to be ok.

Final: Don't waste your time and money. Try a more stable burger joint like Big Buns 2 blocks up next...

Extremely disappointing drop in quality since 2022-2023. Ordered 2 Farmhouse Burgers, cooked medium, and an order of Truffle Cheese Fries. We got the notification that our order was ready, but had to wait another 10 or so minutes after that for the fries to be done. We noticed after bringing our order home that the fries were the normal cut fries, not the flat fries shown on the menu. They also didn't seem to have any cheese on them, just the herb seasoning and truffle oil, and were lacking salt. The Truffle Cheese Fries cost $3 more than the regular ones, so it was surprising that after waiting for the fries, they were not correct - soggy and bland, and not what we paid extra for.

Both burgers were beyond well done, tough, and dry. Weirdly, despite no customizations, we both had incorrect toppings. Neither burgers had mushrooms, BBQ, or tomatoes. There were onions added, which we did not request and are not listed on the menu. The goat cheese was more like a watery sauce? Not sure how to explain it, but it wasn't what we expected.

If the restaurant was busy, the issues would be more understandable. However, it was a quiet Sunday and the restaurant was nearly empty. We used to get takeout from here every couple of months and loved this place. It seems like the quality of the ingredients has dropped significantly since we last came.

The aim of this review is not getting a refund, but to express our disappointment in Charred's quality drop. Unfortunately, we will not order from Charred in the future. There's far better options for a burger and fries in the area, for a similar...