Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden WS — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

Good; Been here many times and up until this visit really some of the best smash\american style burgers ever!

I took 2 friends there displaced from their mountain home because of the hurricane, totally brained 6 about how good Barcelona was.

Bad; I think they are either getting complacent or it was just the B team on a bag night when we went last(a Tuesday evening and NOT busy)

2 of us ordered burgers(NO onion as they had been too potent recently) and 1 had a salad with patty on it, 1 with fries, 1 with Mac n cheese. Asked about the cider selection and the counter guy didn't know anything and cared even less to try and say so. So didn't even order a beer or cider as it was way too complicated for him. But he then decided that what I wanted was a soda and added it to my bill without asking? I caught it right before paying as the total seemed higher than the already raised prices. Since you can't see the itemized list of your order on the screen I had to ask, and this really made him incredibly annoyed that he needed to remove the drink order. A couple minutes later he yells over the counter that they are out of Mac n cheese. Totally fine with me, fries are a perfect substitute because they are great. We just initially wanted a variety of sides to share. We sit out back and put comes the order, "Burger, no onions and salad?" she asks... Yes! Well we could see the raw onions hanging out of the burger, so obviously that part was overlooked. Now usually you can remove the onion in such a situation but they were so paper thin and melted into the cheese it was hard to do so. Even with them removed the remaining onion flavor was WAY potent. But whatever, I can stand it, (my friend could not). 2nd, the pitiful 1 piece of wilted lettuce was also very sad, a burger is all about balance. Add a decent piece of lettuce on a 16 dollar burger! Oh, and what do you know out comes the Mac n cheese which they said they were out of(and I wish they had been out because it must have been scraped off the bottom of the steam table as it was just a pile of homogenous mush.)

I don't know when I'll be back, and if I do it will be alone, before taking every friend that comes to town there as I have in the past. Also next time I'll just return the counter and have them make it right, I just feel bad doing such things.

So just be aware, and I suppose also speak up for yourself if something is wrong, because they can be great.

I will edit this if they are back to 5* IF...

Had dinner here since we were in the area getting drinks one week night. Heard they had great burgers so wanted to give it a shot! Here are my takeaways:

Environment Located in the heart of Innovation Quarter this another spacious location set up like a very cute and modern cafeteria. Very clean, beautiful art and wine on the walls to illustrate the Barcelona feel in the space. This place is great for large or small parties. It's casual dining at it's best.

Service For service you order at the counter, they give you a number, you sit where you like and they bring the food out to you. The staff who took our order was great and personable and very welcoming. She was knowledgable about the menu - said she had tried everything there and was very helpful. The overal service was easy and great.

Food We tried the burger, classic fries, truffle fries, half chicken, veggies, and mac and cheese. The burger was fine but may not be just for me. It reminds me of a shake shack burger - thin meat and a ton of seasoning that just isn't to my liking. However if that is what you like I think you will love it. Again not bad but just not for me. The fries were good and the truffle fries weren't too heavily mixed with truffle and they have a good aioli sauce that mixed in that added to the flavor. The baked mac and cheese wasn't bad at all - i enjoyed it. I will say its pretty heavy so make sure you keep that in mind if you order more food. My friend really enjoyed the chicken and the veggies so I'll definitely come back to try those out along with the pulled chicken sandwich. They also have a really good desert menu that will HAVE to come back and check out.

Oh! They also have bottles of wine for sale if you're interested.

Overall Really enjoyed this space. Although the burger wasn't for me I can tell from the quality of it and the quality of the other items we had that they have great food. I also really enjoyed the mac and cheese and the fries and my friend devoured the chicken so thumbs up for that lol. I will definitely be back to try other items...

I've had enough burgers in my lifetime to last several lifetimes, ranging from the most beautiful/tasty burgers at sit in burger joints, to the half-assed, overcooked fast food burgers. I promise you, I am qualified to make this review.

Side note, the service was great, and the pricing, for once, is not disproportionate to the quality of the food. I was very satisfied with paying the price that I did.

Barcelona makes, far and away, the best burger I've ever eaten. Let me explain why.

I ordered the Madrid burger, and so did my wife.

I have never slapped the table or my knee in response to a burger's taste before, until today. I wanted an uncomplicated, flavorful burger, and Barcelona delivered. Where do I start...

The bun... It tasted perfectly yeasty, toasted lightly with some form of butter, was NOT soggy from the moisture in the burger, and just melted in your mouth after the initial bite.

The toppings... American cheese (the KING of burger cheese - if you disagree, you're objectively wrong), roasted tomatoes, caramelized onion, and a pepper sauce. That's it. Basic, yet profound. All cooked perfectly, and wonderfully flavored. I am a firm believer that if a burger has more than 3 toppings on it, then it buries the flavor of the beef, which is the very point of a burger... BEEF.

The beef... Was IMMACULATE. Well salted/seasoned, the fat content ratio, the presence of moisture and lack of dryness... It also had the best maillard of any burger I've ever eaten, giving it this slight crunch, but retaining the soft chew of a medium-thin thickness patty.

Bonus info on the truffle fries... Perfectly golden-fried French fries with a light garlic aioli-style sauce and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or just parmesan) made for a fantastic savory carbohydrate to compliment the burger. I inhaled these things, I won't lie.

My wife and I are, without question, coming back. We will also be referring our burger loving friends...