Burgers and Shakes — Restaurant in Hollywood

Review

I heard about this place about a week or so before we decided to go. The name itself was intriguing and made me want to sample their "natural fresh burgers". Words like "100% beef" and "freshly ground whole meat" caught my attention as I was browsing their. I had read a few reviews online about the joint before I finally pitched the destination and it seemed liked a place we had to try.

Burgers& shake sits in the heart of Hollywood, FL , just south of hospital intersection. The joint itself is rather small and offers a few tables and chairs for customers. But this location, being on the edge of the Hollywood downtown core, must see a lot of walk-ins from men in business suits. The menu has some very interesting items I wanted to try but didn't want to spend a whole lot on. I went with the simple option and gave their original "bacon and cheese burger&shakes" a try. I ordered the burger with a side of fries, as they gave me a number and I went to grab a seat. About 10 minutes later, my order was ready. At first glance, the burger looked small - I only added onions and ketchup to my burger, after all. But when I took my first bite, I was amazed by the taste. The meat was well-cooked, sandwiched between two sesame buns, and the addition of onions and ketchup, captured a well-balanced taste to the burger. From what I was able to sample, the meat was definitely 100% freshly ground beef and that's just what I was expecting; tender and the originality of a good burger. The fries were quite appetizing as well. They came golden brown; some big, some small, and reminded me of the fries you get from a truck stop. Any gravy or malt vinegar and they would be incredibly delicious with fish, which is what I'll have to try next time I dine at Burgers&shakes. Overall, this is your modern burger joint that offers a wide selection of burgers, poutine and salads. The one thing I like about this place is that they don't add anything to the meat; other than a sprinkle of sea salt. You take it for how it is and how it's supposed to be. Sure it may lack in flavour, but there is freedom in choosing the toppings you want to get the burger you crave. As it says on its website, it's the burger we grew up liking as a child, the burger we remember from a vacation, or the burger we can only dream of eating which is what Slab Burgers is achieving everyday. *Just an FYI, the menu is on the website so easy to use and plan has a lot more options to choose from than the menu they have on the menu board in their restaurant. So keep that in mind if you do wish to specialize your burger and go...

Overall the service was good and the place was neat and well kept. The 3 stars aren't for these factors, but more rather the food. The patties they use look like the preformed ones you buy in the frozen section of your grocery store except thicker. The texture and requested doneness were on point, but the seasoning(or lack thereof)and bun are big weak points for those seeking a burger to stand on its own merits. The toppings were adequate and I had no issue with that. Seasoning was sorely lacking and while I could've reached for a shaker and addressed the issue myself, the end result is not of the same quality as a burger that is seasoned in the cooking process.The bun is somewhat weak for a burger of this size, the juices come pouring out to the point where the bun is rendered ineffective quickly. Normally this is par for most burgers, to saturate the bun quickly, but for the bun to become a soggy mess is a big problem

I ordered onion rings on the side since they don't have combos, this too, had faults too big to ignore. The breading in particular blooms too much to the point that to find the onion in question is an endeavor in and of itself. Some were also notably overfried to the point where not only did the color become a dead giveaway, but the texture and taste as well were notably more akin to burnt bread.

All said, what they do well they do well enough, but thats a problem in and of itself. Service is A+, but the star of the show is the food and if that falls flat... well I can't say another trip is warranted with alternatives not too far away that can deliver a superior product for a similar price point.

As a side note, I also previously visited this place not too long after its grand opening and found that the same issues I discovered with the food were still present. I attributed this at the time to growing pains given the proximity to its opening, but I was mistaken to...

We rarely post any reviews. If we like a place...we go back...if we dont... we dont. But we HAD to share this. We were excited to try for the first time last night at 9pm. After calling 3 times to order...we were forced to order online. We made a mistake ordering an extra burger. Upon pick up...we were told the online order couldn't be changed or removed. The guy was very nice by telling us we should've called...which we explained we tried in which his response was...they are really busy. Saturday night...understandable. So bottom line is the simplicity of the menu was attractive but the results were very diasppointing. Mahi mahi was super soggy and flavorless. 1 medium well burger was very well done...salty and tasted like a frozen patty. 1 medium rare burger was well done...also salty and tasted frozen. All buns were extra greasy and toppings wilted. Fries were cold... Onion rings over fried... Sweet potato fries were by far the best we've had in awhile. Needless to say the "extra" burger was trashed with more than half our order. Was a waste of time and money. We see the great reviews and wonder if being "busy" and in demand is a reasonable excuse for poor quality. Unfortunately this was a first visit and our last.

When attempting to "contact us" my everyday email is said to be "invalid". After trying 2 other valid emails...same result. This experience has been just short...