Bocado Burger

My husband and I were out at Avalon one night and were in the mood for a burger. We decided to give Bocado a try since it had good reviews and we were in the area. Walked in and were told the wait was 20 minutes. After an hour, we were finally seated. I normally wouldn’t mind waiting, especially since most places are under staffed, but I had our baby with us and to be off by that much seems excessive. Had we known the wait was 3x longer than quoted, we would have come back another time. After being seated, we waited some time before the waiter came by. We put in our order immediately. Positive note, the fried green tomatoes we ordered were fantastic and the best thing we ate. (Reason for the two star over the one) However, we were given plastic takeout silverware to eat it with since they ran out regular? While other tables around us had regular silverware. Our burgers were just ok. I ordered the southwest burger, which was VERY bland. No heat or spice. My husband got the Avalon burger and said it was nothing special. We split some sweet potties fries. While good, it looked like we got the bottom of the barrel on options. When you pay a $4 up charge to get fries, you would think you would get better options than the half burnt leftovers. We also ordered cocktails. While they seemed to have a heavy hand on the pour (another reason for two stars over one), they weren’t all that great either. They also came out as we were getting our food since the only bartender was also waiting tables. Overall: there are much better sit down burger options in the area, especially for the price (almost $20 for a burger and fries) and the wait.

The service was excellent, we were served very quickly. The young man who attended us was super friendly and attentive. We ordered brussels sprouts which were delicious. We ordered a THE DOWN SOUTH hamburger, pimento cheese, poblano pepper, bacon, fried green tomato, spicy mayonnaise. The truth is that I would not ask for it, I did not feel that the flavors stood out, only the poblano pepper was the one that stood out. The truth is that I would not ask for it even though its presentation is very striking. We ordered BACON BEER CHEESE BURGER Guinness and smoked gouda cheese sauce, bacon jam, but no vegetables. this was delicious. This one just felt the gouda beer cheese but didn't feel the bacon jam at all. but it was delicious. We love the truffle fries, we loved them. not all of us are going to have an excellent experience of places where we are not going to have the same expectations. I think the burgers still need more strength.

We finally made our way around right at opening today. It sits next to an Arhous so we thought it would be a higher prices boutique burger place. BUT, we were pleasantly surprised that the prices were very reasonable. Aside from some cursive writing on the menu that's a little hard to read, we had no complaints at all. I opted for the Bacon Beer Cheese Burger. Their burgers are smash burger style and stacked. Mine was a triple stack with Guinness smoked Gouda cheese sauce and bacon jam with a side of herb fries. Their soda dispenser was on the fritz so we stuck with waters, which was fine. My burger with fries was about $15. The burger was very juicy and flavorful. I bit in to it and juices just flowed out and down my hands. So keep a napkin or three handy. 👍 The building is set up so that the big garage doors open so the place gets a lot of fresh air. They also do milkshakes. But we were so full we chose to skip that this time around. Might stop by another time just for shakes though.

I'm not sure I'd go back. In the end I was content, but definitely less than happy. The issue was that my wife got upset because she couldn't find anything on the menu that wasn't a burger type meal, and she settled on a hot dog, however it did not come with a side. She would have to pay 9 bucks for a basket of fries, over already paying 9 bucks for a hot dog. Yeah, no. My kid got a kids hot dog and fries, that it did come with, and the waitress just said it was a smaller size. Idk. She also loves brussel sprouts, but it turns out they come with some onion type thing baked in, so that wasn't going to work. Yeah she was not happy. Well then the food came. My kids hot dog was exactly the same as hers, but he got fries and she didn't. Seriously. I don't get it. Instead of complaining we just won't go back, simple enough. I will say that my burger was ok, definitely not bad, but then the overall experience and ambiance inside wasn't my favorite. I just don't care for that type of table and chairs, not as comfortable as I'd prefer, especially for that kind of money. I think they must be overcharging because the rent is crazy high, I can only assume given the other types of shops in this place.

Update: 5/25/22: Why do I keep Coming here? Ted's across the street is better. If you want the actual Bocado burger, go to the midtown restaurant. Update 2/16/20: I've come back a few times since my original review. They've gotten better but really not consistent. They break down the milkshake machine 30 minutes before the time they close which is bad service. Lowering it from a 3 star to a 2 star just for that. Original review (3 stars): want the highly acclaimed Bocado Burger Stack that graces so many top burger list, DO NOT come here. The burgers here do not do the original Bocado in Midtown any justice. I only come here cause it's close, hoping for them to prove me wrong, but every time it's a let down. Don't get me wrong. The burger is good, but definitely not good enough. They do have a lot more burger options so you can customize what you want so that's nice. Took forever to keep my burger. It was fresh off the grill....just long wait. Surprisingly these "servers" are paid $2/hr and expect tips, yet they really don't do anything. You place your order at the counter, and they bring you your food. Refill your drink if you need it. Strange. Not sure why anyone would tip anything nor who is silly enough to work here. I usually sit at the bar where it's a normal experience.

We had the Bocado and Southwestern burger and both were delicious. Always give two thumbs up to burger places that do fresh cut fries. Only downside was we ordered one side of herb fries but got regular fries instead of herbed and ordered a kids chicken tenders but the tenders were a little over cooked.