Burger 21 - New Tampa — Restaurant in Tampa

I have Celiac Disease, so have to go gluten free, and it's not a choice. If you know exactly what to order, you may have a good time, don't ask for help, and if they make a mistake, don't expect a refund.

Overall, not the worst experience I've had dining out. One of the worst ordering experiences. Myself and another stopped by, since I'd heard lots of positive things. I got to the counter just before a large rush came in behind me, great timing, right? Wrong. The cashier didn't take any time to listen to the words 'food allergy' and failed terribly in suggestions.

Told the cashier it was my first time, and I needed gluten free due to allergy (celiac disease), and asked if they could suggest something. They suggested two burgers, so I ordered the shrimp burger, since I like shrimp. Extra buck for the bun to be gluten free and it came out a breaded burger. My first experience with shrimp patties. I returned it immediately and the manager came over to find out why.

He stressed they take food allergies seriously, explained it was a mistake, she should never have suggested that. They have training, and charts, and a bunch of other things that really amounted to nothing due to the failure when asked for help.

I then got more than a minute with a menu, and found the notations the cashier failed to point out. Ordered a replacement which was a few dollars cheaper, and got no refund in difference, and just a heartfelt apology next time would be different.

I liked the burger I ended up getting, and wasn't 'glutened' by it, and liked the atmosphere, but really, paying over the top because of a mistake on the part of the person I asked for assistance, and having to wait an extra 25 minutes to receive my food was a bit much.

Since I see every review as 5 stars with points off for reasons, I'm knocking off 2 stars for suggesting a food in direct conflict with food allergies, and 1 for failing to provide a refund in difference after changing order because of their mistake.

I won't be returning to this location in the foreseeable future, though I...

UPDATE Yet another horrible experience with this restaurant. Ordered 2 of the Wednesday burger & fry meals, asked for my burger WELL DONE!!!!...guesss what I got?...a very pink, not well done burger. Some people may enjoy that however it's not my thing, not to mention i asked for it well done. Not only was the burger under cooked but the lettuce was old & brown, just a terrible experience yet again. Oh, did I mention they forgot an order of fries!!...and we left a $5 tip in the jar, hoping that would help with the service & our food but no luck what so ever. Only thing that changed this time is when we called someone answered but asked us to come back up there after we already had gotten home! They said our order sould be refundedbut never asked for the name on the order so we'll see how that turns out. One thing is for certain, this was our last visit to Burger21

Usually our Wednesday dinner spot, however today was a mess. Not only did I order the cheesy combo with bacon & didn't get the bacon, I also ordered another cheesy combo with no cheese due to a family members stomach issues, and guess what was on the sandwich?...cheese!!! Not happy at all! And to add to the frustration, I attempted to call when I got home & seen the mess that was made & got hung up on 3 times! I finally get someone to answer & they simply said "hello?"...I asked if I was speaking with someone from Burger 21 & the response was "yup"...I asked for a manager & immediately heard elevator music, wasn't asked nor told that I'd be put on hold. A minute later they came back & said "I'm looking for the manager" & back to the elevator music. I was then told there was no manager at the store so I asked for the shift supervisor & guess what the response was..."there's no supervisor here either"...I guess it's true, when the cats away the mice will play...this place is expediently headed in the wrong direction. A mistake on an order is one thing, however being asked to deal with lousy customer service, no accountability & being hung up on 3 times...

I came upon this Burger 21 because I had been getting some work done at Christian Brothers and they had given me a coupon for a sandwich. (So glad that they did!)

I liked it right away and have been back several times since, as well as brought a friend.

I love the atmosphere, it's original, relaxed & comfortable. Most importantly to me, they're impeccably CLEAN... (I'm very fussy about that & if I see anything that even remotely hints to me that an eating establishment ISN'T clean, I'm leaving and not returning.)

I like the little details like the sauce bar, the fact that they bring your food out to you when it's ready, and that you can eat inside or outside and most importantly...

THE FOOD.... (what I have had so far...) has been DELICIOUS! The menu is awesome, it has something for everyone... great side choices, (love the shoestring onion rings) and they even have floats & shakes!

Their sandwiches may cost a few dollars more than other sandwich establishments, but in my opinion they're totally worth it because you can TASTE that they're FRESH and truly hand CRAFTED.

I had the Shroom burger 1st and loved it - I don't even eat beef much these days but this one made me CRAVE going back when I DO want a burger ....

This visit, I got brave and tried "The Ahi Tuna" -- I have to admit I was apprehensive... I LOVE sushi and especially Tuna, but it HAS to be fresh!! I was NOT disappointed!! In fact it looked so amazing when I got it that I nearly forgot I was going to take pictures before I ate it to review them... (So you can see that my photo had a few bites before I remembered to snap the pics! sorry :-O) It was Fan.tas.tic! No lie. If you like Ahi you MUST try this sandwich...

My lunch companion had the Black & Bleu with "Half and Half fries" (regular and sweet potato) - she loved hers as well (we've been back a few times) Just writing this is making me want to go for lunch. #smh Where are they hiding...