Hopsfrog Grille — Restaurant in Virginia

We were looking for a family-friendly pub with good pretzels, burgers, and beer. The menu seemed to fit the bill and we were really excited. Upon arriving, we found that the non-bar dining section was small and almost like a walled-off addition to the bar itself, but there were open tables and we were quickly seated.

Our server was attentive and friendly. We had no issues with his service, other than that he was very busy and it seemed like they needed another server on the floor. The menu was really expensive compared to similar places, but we hoped that that meant the food would be great. The beer selection was nothing special, so we did not order beers. We ordered our much anticipated pretzels with house-made beer cheese dip. The dip was very tasty, but it arrived cold. When we asked to have it heated, it was very runny and difficult to dip in. The Pretzels themselves were clearly not fresh made, as they had a ton of salt so firmly ingrained that we had to use a knife to scrape about 2/3 off. We soon discovered that the pretzels were microwaved, as the bread became tough and chewy halfway through.

That alone would not have negatively affected our rating, but sad to say, the pretzels were the best thing that we ate that night. We'd ordered $19 medium-rare burgers. They arrived raw. Not rare, which I'd be ok eating, but RAW. I am an amateur chef and would have been appalled to serve raw beef. We politely sent them back to be cooked. The manager brought them back out and said, " Here's your burgers," and immediately walked away without an apology or waiting to see how they turned out.

I unfortunately did not think to take a picture of the raw burgers, but I am including pictures of the second round of nightmare burgers. They microwaved the same original burger patties to heck and back. Our burgers were just obliterated and they somehow only took a couple minutes to come back to us. They'd have required at least 15 minutes to be that well done on a grill. They were so cooked that the beef was bending up at the edges and rubbery. My husband's bacon was unidentifiable (pictured). Yes, that really is a piece of bacon....

We caught the manager as he walked by and showed him our burgers. We said that they were very burnt when they were microwaved. He denied that they used a microwave, but the pictures speak for themselves. We were going to ask to switch to a different menu item, but he picked up the burgers and said he'd make them again and walked away before we could say anything at all. He was very sharp with us and never even asked if we wanted more burgers.

So we waited for a third round of burgers.... this time, fresh-made patties came out, but they were medium-well, not medium-rare (pictured). The manager again just set them down and said, "here's your burgers," and walked off. We asked our server's opinion on the cook to be sure and he agreed that they were medium-well. He took them to have them made a 4th time, but we canceled the order and left hungry, frustrated, and feeling as though the place did not want our business. They even tried to charge us for the burgers that we never got to eat. We will never return and if you decide to eat here, we strongly recommend that you order something that can be safely cooked in...

My husband and I are regular customers at Hopsfrog. We've been going there for a few years and are often there 2-3 times a week. We always have a great meal (and I'm a fussy eater!)! I don't eat meat or poultry and there are many options for me. I often have their delicious shrimp quesadillas with guacamole, vegetarian bean chili with housemade chips or shrimp fajitas. I love their eggplant parmigiana with linguini and their fish and chips specials. My husband thinks their Angus burgers, pulled pork sandwich and onion rings are great. Their fries are delicious. I don't drink, but I like to sit in the bar area because I like the energy in the room. The tables are all high tops. They also offer a quieter room with tables and booths. Even though the staff are very busy, they are attentive and friendly. They remember us, know our names, the beverages we like to drink and how we like our usual dishes prepared. It is a place where we feel comfortable and know that we will have a delicious meal! I highly...

We ate here 5 years ago when it was in another location, but the food was so bad we've avoided it ever since. We decided to give it another try today since it's been a while, and I'm happy to report that it was just as terrible as the first time AND more expensive. I ordered the burger - it's $16 and doesn't come with cheese or a pickle. It does come with the cheapest Sysco french fries available (the kind that aren't even a real french fry, they're like a breaded potato puree shaped like a French fry), which tasted like they were cooked in oil that hadn't been changed in a month. I asked for mayo and was presented with two packets. We tried their appetizer on special, Fried Zucchini Sticks for $8.50 - we received 8 teeeeny tiny pieces of zucchini, barely french fry sized each, and half of them were even smaller pointy little end pieces. I wish I'd taken a picture, it was laughable.

The pickings are slim and the bar is low out here in Burke, I imagine that's why this place manages to stay open....