NN Burger Tappahannock — Restaurant in Tappahannock

My girlfriend and I recently moved to the Tappahannock area and were genuinely excited to try NN Burger. With all the signs, stickers, advertisements, and word-of-mouth buzz, it seemed like a local must-try. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most disappointing dining experiences we’ve had in a long time.

About three weeks ago, we stopped in during our weekend outings. The second we walked through the door, we noticed it was hotter inside than it was outside. I don’t know if the AC was broken or if they just cut it off to save money, but it was completely uncomfortable. We were seated, ordered some waters, and browsed the menu. It was honestly too miserable to stay though. I’ve eaten in 100+ degree warzones… I shouldn’t have to feel that same heat in a local restaurant.

Fast forward to today. We figured maybe they’d fixed the AC and should give it another shot. Nope. Still hot. Fans next to almost every table helped slightly, and since the outdoor temps weren’t brutal, we decided to tough it out and give the food a real shot.

Despite being called NN Burger, the menu was shockingly limited. One page of appetizers, one page for chicken/seafood/salads, and a single page with maybe 7–8 burger options. The rest was mostly desserts and alcoholic drinks. For a burger joint, I expected a lot more creativity and variety in, well… burgers.

My girlfriend unfortunately couldn’t find anything that looked appetizing, so she settled on the jumbo pretzel only to be told by our server that they “accidentally” ordered the wrong ones and they were much smaller than usual. The server even admitted they weren’t worth the price. That level of honesty was appreciated, but also, why is that even being sold if it’s not up to standard?

She ended up ordering chicken nuggets off the kids menu just to have something. I went with the BBQ bacon burger. After a 25-minute wait, our food finally arrived and it was a joke. The chicken nuggets tasted like they’d been fried in the same oil used for every meat imaginable. They were greasy, mushy, and just gross. My burger had zero flavor. The patty tasted like it came straight from a frozen grocery store box (maybe a Bubba Burger at best). The BBQ sauce was the only thing providing any flavor, and even that was barely noticeable. The fresh veggies were decent I’ll give them that… but that’s the bare minimum. Whoever voted this place “best burger” seriously should get either their taste buds or brain examined by a doctor.

As for the chips? Completely plain. No salt, no seasoning, no effort. Even worse, instead of real condiments on the table, we were given a couple of ketchup packets. Want more? Gotta ask and wait.

I’m glad we chose to try this place so we could determine that we will never go back.

The service was the one redeeming part of the experience. Our server was friendly, honest, and tried their best to make the most of a bad situation. They were the only reason this review isn’t a flat one-star.

TL;DR: The AC doesn’t work. The food is bland, flavorless, and overpriced. The burger was a joke. The chicken nuggets were barely edible. Menu selection was pitiful, especially for a place built on burger hype. NN Burger might have won a “best burger” award, but I seriously question the credibility of that vote. The only good part was the service.

Would not...

We visited in early October 2024 on a Saturday for lunch. Parking wasn't bad in the adjacent lot but it was getting quite full when we arrived. There was plenty of seating inside.

There was live music which was great. The atmosphere and staff were all super friendly. The most annoying thing was the number of flies that kept flying around us. The kids were entertained for a bit trying to catch them with no avail.

Ordering was also VERY confusing. We saw registers on one side but also many patrons who I assumed ordered take-out and were just waiting for their orders. There were menus everywhere so we just started looking. We grabbed a table and sat down. There were cards everywhere too that had a QR code to order online. My sister and brother-in-law were like yeah, just scan and order. They had already put there order in when a staff member came over to ask to take our order. We were confused and said we already started one in the app. My sister had their number called and apparently it was all packed in take-out containers instead of for eating in-house. So we quickly ran to the front and asked if our order could be made for in-house even though we just ordered through the app. They said fine but that seemed to cause a lot more problems later as when they brought our sandwiches they couldn't tell what sandwich was what and it was just a burger on a tray. Presentation wise it wasn't great. They are large burgers but when placed on an even larger tray with no sides it was a little sad.

We ended up ordering a Truffle, Hot Honey Mambo, French Onion and Korean Barbecue Burger. Also got a side of Crisper Chips, Sweet Potato Fries and Fresh Cut Fries. We could not taste any truffle on the truffle burger. We all agreed the Hot Honey Mambo was the best of all the burgers we ordered. The chips and both fries were also good. For the price we paid and how much we got it was okay. Overall the food was good but not sure if it was worth the total price we paid. The quality was similar to that of Red Robin Burgers but for the same price there, you get bottomless fries.

We did try the freak shakes. We were visiting from out of town and we have been to places with shakes like this before and we thought it'd be nice. We ordered Cotton Candy Shake with Cotton Candy topper, Mint Chocolate Chip Shake with Brownie topper and I wanted a Coffee Shake but they didn't have any and settled for a Salted Caramel Shake with Brownie topper. We watched them make it and were a little disappointed that it was just vanilla soft serve machine they added flavoring to and blended it. The ice cream also was filled all the way to the brim or neck of the glass before they put the topper on. They tasted fine but don't think they were at all worth the cost. We've paid similar at other places for much higher quality shake. But it was worth doing once I suppose.

Overall it was a good experience and I would probably come again as a special treat like on vacation or weekend trip. Not sure if I was local if I'd be eating...

This was not my first time here. My first time was fantastic. Food was great service was excellent and the atmosphere was phenomenal. Fast forward to a few years. I hyped this place up to my wife and friends and decided to take the wife on a lunch date. I’ll first off by saying we were one of the first few there when they opened. I had high hopes that I was going to relive the experience I had a few years back. This was not the case. It took what felt like forever to be seated. This was strange considering as I said they were only open for maybe 20 minutes when we got there. We were finally seated. Wife had to use the ladies room so I waited at the table and the waitress took my drink order and I explained the wife would be back soon. My wife was not ready when the waitress came back. Within 5 minutes the waitress circled back maybe 6-7 times with 3 minutes. My wife, now feeling rushed made her drink order. Now the time came to figure out what she wanted to have. She explained to the waitress that she needed more time. The menu is quite larger with all the choices you have. Still the waitress continued to come by what felt like every 30 seconds. My now frustrated wife completed our order and now we waited. Our order was very simple a cheese burger with fry’s and I, the “New” Lobster Mac an Cheese. 20 minutes passed and we finally received our order, now this is where it gets interesting. First I would like to say, the description of the lobster mac an cheese was a complete lie. This dish I strait from a big box store shelf. Secondly for $24 I would expect more than 4 small pieces of lobster. Lastly the Mac an cheese was cold, as in it tasted like it came out of the fridge cold. I expressed my concern to the waitress who strangely stopped coming by so frequently as she did before our meal. She asked if I wanted them to warm it back up and I kindly declined because I don’t like microwaving these types of dishes. As I finished my cold meal I looked and noticed my wife just nibbling on her meal. I asked what was wrong? She just looked down at her burger and I noticed the cheese on her burger was not even melted. I tried one of her French fries and to my surprise they were cold and tasted burnt. My wife did not finish her burger or fries. When the waitress came to bring the check I explained everything that was wrong. Not once did she offer to make it right. Mind you this isn’t about the money but more of the experience that I remember. To walk in to an establishment and to leave disappointed is nothing but upsetting. This “date lunch” turned into a “hate lunch”. I would have possibly had a better experience from the Bbq food truck we passed. Be careful when selecting this place for your next outing. Unfortunately we will not...