BRU Burger Bar Lafayette — Restaurant in Lafayette

A Disheartening Encounter with the Burger Enigma: Amidst the tranquil ambiance of a midday in Lafayette, Indiana, I embarked on a culinary trip to savor the masterpiece known as "Melt Your Face" – a moniker that once held for me an aura of promise and delight. Alas, what transpired was a symphony of flavors that left me disconcerted, as if a veil of mediocrity had enveloped BRU Burger Lafayette. I have not been to town in a couple of months and to BRU, maybe more than that. A mystifying transformation has taken place within these culinary confines. Could it be the hand of the maestro in the kitchen, the alchemical dance of ingredients, or perhaps the very essence of freshness itself that has shifted its cadence? The answer eludes me, yet the undeniable truth remains – a lamentable decline in quality and presentation has manifested, leaving a threefold chorus of disapproval in its wake. The burger, a once-proud spectacle of indulgence, has suffered a transformation of disheartening proportions. Its visage, once a beacon of allure, now possesses an air of inexplicable austerity – a shadow of its former self. Nestled between buns that exuded a mournful dampness, this burger expelled an anomalous crimson fluid with each bite, an unnerving dance that belied its true nature. But the ultimate affront was not merely visual – it was the taste itself, an unrelenting bitterness that marred the symphony of flavors I had anticipated. The burger was BITTER with every bite! In my quest for understanding, I engaged in discourse with my dedicated server, a quintessence of sweetness and grace. Her overture of goodwill extended to a waiver of charges, an offer I politely declined. Instead, I insisted on contributing my dues, urging that my experience be relayed to the culinary auteur behind the scenes. As a complement to this enigmatic burger, I had summoned the humble onion rings, once a paragon of golden decadence. Alas, today they appeared cloaked in a shade of brown, an impression reminiscent of a second encounter with the frying pan. Where once they possessed the crispiness of a sunlit morning and the siren call of flavor, now they bore the mark of a forlorn reprise. BRU Burger Lafayette, once a bastion of gustatory delight, now stands shrouded in uncertainty. The tapestry of flavors woven by this establishment has taken an unfortunate turn. A single remaining chance lingers on the horizon, a trial by fire for the culinary prowess that was once celebrated. Should this final venture yield naught but the echoes of disappointment, the veil shall fall, and the curtain shall close on my affiliation with the BRU chain – a decision born not of haste, but of a solemn acknowledgment of the narrative that has...

The BRU Burger Bar isn't a cheap meal, but it's worth paying for just the same.

My wife and I ate there late on a Saturday, well after the dinner crowd had moved on, so we mostly had the place to ourselves. But while we were eating near closing time, we never felt rushed or neglected. We truly appreciated that.

My wife had a burger called "The End" which was served with an over-easy egg atop the patty and other ingredients. It was delicious, but sloppy and messy to the point that a knife and fork were far better for eating it than just hands.

My burger, the "Bourbon" burger (which I requested with a bison patty instead of ground beef) was ok as a whole, but the bison was fantastic. The whole burger certainly wasn't bad, but the bourbon sauce was quite savory, and when paired with the bison, it desperately needed a touch of sweetness -- either a sweeter sauce or caramelized onions would do the trick. Perhaps with ground beef in lieu of the gamier bison it would have been better, so I acknowledge that my experience might have been atypical. I'll also say that this was my only complaint about the burger and I finished it easily.

We were undecided about appetizers, so we instead upgraded our sides with onion rings and chili cheese fries to share. The chili cheese fries were good, but the chili had beans in it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you don't like beans in your chili, it might be off-putting. The chili as a whole was a bit underwhelming, neither spicy nor smoky nor sweet nor even especially flavorful. The cheese, though, was terrific, and if I go again, I would like to see if I can get just cheese on the fries, rather than the chili.

The onion rings were the only part of the meal that was actually a negative for us. They might have been beer-battered, but the batter was closer to tempura in both texture and taste. This wasn't awful by itself, but they were oddly paired with a forgettable marinara sauce which did not complement the onions at all. A different sauce -- something with some horseradish or even a simple aioli -- would elevate them. But they were dry enough that they needed something to ease then down. As it was, we struggled to finish them.

All of these notes are minor and in no way diminished the burgers which were really good. Freshness was obvious in everything from the patties to the buns and everything in between. And if you're going out for burgers, that's what counts. I don't know if Lafayette has better burgers, but it's difficult to imagine that many could be. Just stick with the regular fries and you'll have...

Big variety on burgers, but I personally go there for the Valencia salad! Good quality of food, nice ambiance BUT the last 3-4 times we went there, we sat outside and every time there was a loud party next to us. The first time there was a table of 13++ people celebrating someone's birthday, but they were that loud that even the waiter wasn't able to hear us. We asked the waiter if he could ask them to lower their voices but he said they weren't able to do that. The second time, there was another group (right behind us) of 12 people. These guys had the audacity to play their own music through a speaker they had with them and they were yelling to each other and laughing super loud. Again, we politely asked the waiter if he could ask them to be quiet but he ignored us. We left with a headache on Easter Sunday! The purpose of having a restaurant is to try to accommodate all of your customers. When some customers misbehave the restaurant managers should bring them back to order. Why should the other customers suffer? Also, I want to say here, that it wasn't just our table that had this problem. I noticed another couple left right after they sat to their table, and another table paid as fast as possible to get out of there. By not asking some customers to behave you are pushing away other customers. What kind of business do you wanna run? A hennery or a restaurant? It's your call. I know that me and my friends won't come back...