Standard Beer + Food — Restaurant in Raleigh

My first time in here was crazy busy and we had to share a table with another couple. There was a tiny learning curve figuring out how to use their ordering system, you’re gonna want your smartphone, but if I can get through the process I like everybody’s chances of figuring it out. Once I figured it out, ordering was easy and we just sat there ordering plates and drinks from my phone and the food/drinks showed up quickly after. No need to try to get a server’s attention in a very busy place. Food was great drinks were great. It was awhile before I returned on a Saturday afternoon way before any rush and sat at the bar. Ordering from the bar is old school so if you’re technically challenged and there’s a place at the bar that might be your move. Anyway, my second trip in was to try the Standard Smash Burger after its inclusion on Raleigh Magazine’s top 10 Burgers List. After trying it I definitely understand why it made the list. So good. I’m guessing by the texture and fat/salt content they are grinding the meat in house. It’s seasoned perfectly, on the greasy side of wonderful, and has more texture than most fine ground beef but at the same time falls apart better with a bite. Cheese and sauce make an already juicy burger decedent. The onion and pickles are a totally necessary addition of acid to balance the fat. Finally the burger arrives wrapped in a fast food wrapper that does a terrific job steaming the bun. This is a throwback burger. A time traveling burger from a time when fast food was often delicious food. A burger of nostalgia. Oh, and my wife got the tacos and loved them. We...

this is a lovely and very popular restaurant and there's a lot to like about it. But let me offer some brutally honest observations about Standard Food:

1. the restaurant is chaotic, which I think lends to its extremely family-friendly vibe. Lots of kids there, and it's a relatively noisy atmosphere. But there's no system for seating, and when it's crowded, people tend to hover expectantly waiting for spots to open up.

2. this is not a table service restaurant. The ordering system is exclusively app based, so you'll get someone that drops off some waters for you and otherwise you won't see a server until your food is delivered. And then if you have a problem with your food after that (like I did), good luck finding someone to help you. Now when my companion and I finally flagged someone down for help, they were awesome and super helpful.

3. the food and sides are all excellent… for example, I recently had their fish sandwich recently with a side of fries. What I realized about halfway through the meal was that I was basically eating an upscale recreation of a McDonald's filet o'fish sandwich, even down to the style of the bun. And it was a really great McDonald's filet o'fish sandwich with an excellent side of McDonald's style shoestring fries. And it was $15. Ooof.

I'm not offering any of this feedback to dissuade folks from trying Standard Foods, I just raise these points for customers to be aware...

Visited first time this weekend and have to say I was pretty disappointed. The place is closer to fast casual than an actual sit down. Wait staff was decently friendly but never checked back. We didn't get water beyond the initial glass. I had to wander around for a bit to hunt down someone to ask for water.

The food wasn't bad, but not really memorable in any way. We ordered chips with guac as appetizers which were served promptly. But it felt off from the start - the portion size was seriously bad. There were so few chips I was easily able to count them, which I realize is a strange statement to make but that's exactly what it felt like.

For the entrees we got shrimp tacos and the smashburger with fries. The portion size was seriously comical. I thought I ordered the wrong thing. It looked like a white castle slider. Size was small just like a slider. And it was just buns and two small patties. A tiny slice of pickle and literally maybe 5 thin strings of onion. The shrimp tacos were more like kids meal portion.

I paid before the food was brought to the table and had tipped the now basic 20%. The overall experience just left us sad and disappointed. We had to make a proper dinner afterwards...