The Burger Shack - Alexandria — Restaurant in Virginia

The first time I ate here was a decent experience. The burger tasted fresh and was cooked to order (medium), and the pretzel bun was on point. The ranch sauce that comes with the tater tots was OUTSTANDING and tasted scratch-made. It was a bit pricey overall though. I should be able to get a burger and a side for $12 or under in this area easy.

Today was a totally different story though. I wanted to call ahead and place an order for pickup, as preparation time can take 20 minutes here. I called at 11:30 am and was promptly placed on hold. I waited on hold for 10 minutes before deciding to just drive to the restaurant and place the order in person, and see if someone picked me back up on the drive. Nope. I walked in the door at 20 minutes on hold and watched the single cashier place another customer on hold.

I saw one cashier and 3 chefs in the kitchen. I looked around the restaurant and saw all of the people waiting for their orders, and decided to leave. I understand and sympathize with the fact that people "call in" and restaurants get short-staffed. I really do. But it is also a fact that EVERY restaurant has to deal with the same problem. It is one thing for orders to get backed up when you're short-staffed. It is another thing entirely to leave customers on hold and...

A new champion emerges! With the closing of Zinburger, I needed to find a new burger place, so I checked this joint out. It's a fast casual restaurant, not full service, but I generally don't need any frills when I'm in the mood for a burger anyway.

The 7 oz. patty was beefy, juicy, and well-seasoned. The brioche bun (the only way to fly) was perfect, and the grilled mushrooms and onions had a lot of their own flavor. What a great balance. The fries were not the best things. They were kind of limp and a little on the salty side. They did have decent flavor, but not the character of Five Guys. I'll skip them next time and get the pickles or maybe a shake. A large was more than enough for 2 people though.

Overall I would highly recommend this place as the new standard for a good burger around here. The only thing in 2020 that can really top it is Capital Burger, but that's a good 30+ minute drive from Springfield and half again as...

Ordered a Kids meal, and 2 Cheeseburger Combos to go at lunch time. Took several conversations with the cashier to get my order placed…not sure what the issue was. Took about 15 min for food not terribly busy for lunch rush. Burger was well cooked for kids meal (as ordered). Adult cheeseburgers came out still pink despite asking for them to be cooked Medium. The burger wasn’t anything special…they do serve it on a brioche bun. Nothing you couldn’t make at home for yourselves. Cheeseburger combos didn’t have fries as restaurant forgot them with our order. Manager compensated me with a small Chocolate shake for the inconveniences and a $7 credit. Thx!

Go to Five Guys if you’re in the mood for a good fresh burger, a bag of fries and a...