Gastro Grind Burgers — Restaurant in Palm Desert

Really wanted to like this place but I've had better. I'd rate it a solid 5 (on a scale from 1 to 10 for the food) and give it 3 as far as service. The service (or lack thereof is what prompted me to write this review) When the claim to fame is burgers IMO it better live up to the hype. There are a ton of burger joints all over but when you start to get creative I think you just lose what at the end of the day is a good old-fashioned juicy BURGER. We went on a weeknight and first off, the menu opened and out popped a document that said that Due to the rising price of pork products anything on the menu with pork in it would be an added upcharge. Hmmm...??? What charge would that be? Well, it doesn't say. Here's where they lost me. The server kept referring to the document like it was so clear, but it wasn't. Maybe redo your menu altogether? What I have an issue with is that it didn't give you a price or a percentage on the paper that they inserted into the menu. You had to ask your server what the price was going to be, and hope she tells you correctly. Our server was annoyed x's 10. She could've handled it better but you could tell she simply didn't care. Her whole demeanor just changed in an instant. She didn't want to explain it, let alone in a nice manner or any manner. She said it was the owner's decision and I could speak to him if I wanted to and walked to the kitchen probably to complain to him about us. Lol. I wasn't demanding to speak to the owner but it was clear she didn't want to speak to me about it or give any further context. Meanwhile, she took our order and never checked on us again. Crickets. Ok, I ordered a Chicken BLT sandwich and because I got bacon on the sandwich the price increased $4.00 making it $22 . My fiance got the Cubano burger and the waitress said that pork belly WASN'T going to increase the price. Really? It didn't make sense. Bacon was $4 extra but Pork Belly no extra charge? She assured me repeatedly her iPad was correct and that his sandwich didn't warrant a price increase. Remember these are already standard offerings for items on the menu, unlike the *add guac for $3.00 at Chipotle. Minutes later the owner comes over and was about as friendly as our waitress. He basically reiterated that because the price of pork products has increased so much he was forced to now charge extra for them and pass that onto his customers. Dude.. I get it. Running a restaurant is expensive and produce, meat, veggies, etc are an expense. But it was the way in which they are charging that annoyed me. And btw, no other restaurant we've eaten at in LA or Coachella Valley has this type of document regarding the price of pork products and due to it - we will have to increase the price of your item as we see fit. I order bacon and eggs across the street at Keedy's Diner a couple of times a week and the price has not changed in a year. We eat at Mexican, Thai, and American restaurants all over Coachella Valley, and no price increase. The owner informed me that the Cubano with pork belly would be an extra $2.00 increase as the waitress looked on with a stank face. I pointedly said that's not what our waitress just told me. He didn't care and wouldn't honor what she had told us. If you have to ASK your server repeatedly and if the restaurant cannot post the actual price (like it's going to fluctuate daily?!?) then I think something is not cool about that. Especially if your waitress can't even give you the correct price on menu items. The chicken sandwich was small and dry. Dry bun, dry chicken breast, smallish, fried dry onion shavings. Not worth $22. The Cubano tasted good but didn't blow us away and we felt for the price we've had better. We will not be back - not because I don't believe this place could redeem itself, it could; everyone can have a bad night but the service on top of the prices can't make an okay burger taste better. It can definitely make you think twice...

I am a burger lover and I am always on the hunt for a good “burger joint” to satisfy my craving for this delectable meal. I found this place and read the reviews, which were very good, so I met a great friend and decided to try it out.

We went on a Saturday afternoon and got seated right away. The place started to fill up quickly. Gastro is not a big restaurant with about 10 tables. We perused the menu and found a plentiful offering of burgers, 12 in all. Remember this is a “burger joint” so the burger is the king in this restaurant. You also have a smattering of sandwiches, 4 salads and a small plate section.

The burgers offered at Gastro are different in the type of accouterments offered, very different in what you will find in other burger establishments. It will take a while to read each description to find just the one that will satisfy your burger craving.

The service is very quick, and it doesn’t take very long from order to having that beautiful burger in front of you ready for sampling. I ordered the Oinker, with thick pork belly over the burger accompanied by lettuce, arugula, crispy onions, fig sauce, and stone mustard aioli. I must say the arugula instead of standard lettuce, gave the burger a uniqueness I have never tried in a burger. It was different but very good. The order came with a plentiful amount of fries that were hot a very tasting.

So If you are a burger lover as I am, you must put Gastro Grind Burgers on your “must do” list. You will not be disappointed....

I visited this restaurant in a group of four. It wasn't very busy. We were told that we would only have to wait around 15 minutes for our food. 13 minutes and 21 later, our meals were served. I ordered the smasher burger, with avocado. It wasn't quite what I expected. The meat was more ground than I thought it'd be, but it was very good. I put the excess meat on my side pickle, and it was VERY good. I think the burger would have tasted a little too smoky/barbeque without the avocado. As my side, I wanted to try the maple cinnamon fries. They tasted more like a dessert, similar to small soft churros, rather than fries. They were interesting, but I can't say I'd order them again. My dining mates ordered: The Bistro Burger, The Hangman, The Cheezer, and The Bread Pudding. The person ordering "The Bistro Burger" and sweet potato fries reports: "The meat was juicy. The buns were crispy, test soft. The vegetables were fresh. It was a great combination of cheese and sauce. The sweet potato fries were delicious." The person ordering "The Hangman" reports: "It was tremendous; the egg the hash browns, all of the ingredients." The person who ordered "The Cheezer" says: "So crispy, so much cheese, so good.". The general consensus on the bread pudding was positive. I always enjoy a cold scoop of ice cream paired with a soft, warm dough. Others say it was good, and it...