Hill East Burger — Restaurant in Washington

So a few disclaimers. 1. I veery rarely give out 5 stars across the board. 2. I'm an every now and then burger person, 3. I generally don't like the qr code/quasi self serv place. 4. I generally don't visit the same place twice as I'm all about variety.

This place blew all of that out of the water.

Dinner and drinks: The first time I came here was 1 day ago on a Thursday night with a bunch of people and that first night was epic. I'm right back here Saturday morning. That first night we ordered a bunch of plates for the table and there's something for everyone! The sauces are awesome my fav is the HEB sauce. They even have veggie chicken nugs and veggie patties. My bf didn't even realize they were vegetarian they were that good. I'm not a fan of the breading per se but that's just because I like minimally breaded chicken.

Brunch I came back Saturday morning with my bf we were one of the first two parties of the day. We got the first half smoke of the day, the heb breakfast burger, the banana fosters casserole thing (it's huge sweet and amazing!), the cluck city, and breakfast potatoes. Splitting everything gave us a chance to taste it. I've been in DC for several months and hadn't had a half smoke yet. This place way exceeded my expectations.

We definitely will be back

Some things to know:

It's an intimate place which is great because it doesn't get super loud. But if you have a big party do the place a favor and give them a heads up so they can accommodate you.

They use the qr code system to order. Once you're setup it's pretty seamless!

They add 20% service charge which frankly I'm here for. Pay living wages and that way I don't have to tip (becuase tipping culture in America started as a way to steal wages from emancipated black Americans but I digress) I'm here for that plus it's double digit inflation just charge more, be transparent and that way I can...

Update! Hill East Burger is definitely worth the visit. The food was piping hot this time, and they added several gluten free options (GF bun).

I’d still encourage a gluten free French fry, but I get the curly-ish fries are unique. The price point on the appetizers is really reasonable for what you get - especially the fries. We actually ended up trying a few appetizers and splitting the larger burger it was more price effective. The pork Rinds were average - I know it goes with the theme but a solid chip - something a little more salty and less porky- would be great. The cheese was awesome.

I actually think the double burger was bigger this time. It was temp hot and juicy.

The cocktails (while a bit pricy) we’re tasty. We didn’t love that they’re pre made, but appreciate when alcohol comes fast and understandable for the size of the bar.

They are still charging 20% service fee on the check - stay conscious !

Old review:

Full disclosure- we live nearby so really want this place to succeed but have to be honest. It’s a good neighborhood spot, but there are needed Improvements:

(1) Hotter food - my cheese was barely melted. My partners was warm-ish.

(2) any side that’s gluten free - ideally Fries but another side without gluten would be nice.

(3) price. Sorry but over $20 (20% service fee + 20% tip) for a burger, no fries. The burger is good but not that good. The competition (shall not be named but in very close proximity) has a delicious burger and fries for $20, and they have a Gluten Free Bun.

We shall try it again because we really want to love this place. But charging so much for mediocre...

Yucky. Everything about this place was not good. My boyfriend went there in the past with a friend and had the best burger ever and a great bartender and was really excited to take me there to hopefully have a similar experience. That did not happen…. We parked a block away and I was concerned my car would get broken into, it’s in a really gross area that stinks. We get there and decide to sit outside, a huge dude comes and sets down two (plastic) glasses of room temperature water without saying a word. I said thank you, he seemed strained to say “you’re welcome”. This is just weird…the people next to us were getting glasses with ice in them for their cans of soda…all of this is just strange. Why would I want lukewarm faucet water? That’s never happened before, we didn’t ask for that or anything at all, or even get a hello. The only way to order is via the little QR code menu thing, super impersonal service, AND it says that you will automatically be charged 20% gratuity on your check. Whatever, we look at the menu and it’s small and there is a burger literally called “the ok burger”. lol, no, I don’t want an overpriced OK burger with horrible weird service in an atmosphere that literally stinks like urine from homeless people and be forced to tip for exceptionally awful service. Nope! We left, did not even order. Would not recommend this place at all. The owner can save their response about why they enforce 20% tips…I don’t care, pay your employees fairly and hire some friendly staff. This place is currently actually disgusting and weird in a...