Burger Jones Review

Burger Jones
3200 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55416

Pros: family friendly, good shakes, patio seating, great location

Cons: distracting TVs, service is a bit slow, too much on the burgers, a bit pricey

Before I head to a restaurant, I usually read reviews first. I like to see what others are saying, good or bad. Typically, the masses are not to be trusted at reviewing restaurants. Why? Because the masses like sodium-rich foods that don’t take a ton of care or creativity to make. They don’t think about the many factors that go into making a great restaurant or meal. Nonetheless I take in the reviews as a way to research my purchase prior to buying. In the case of Burger Jones, the masses were pretty spot on.

Burger Jones boasts award-winning burgers on their website. However, the reviews rant about slow service, over-the-top toppings and prices that befit a more upscale establishment. If you read my cons list above, you’ll see those exact sentiments echoed. The service was a tad slow, but nothing to complain about. Our server was friendly enough to make up for it. The menu is packed with burgers full of toppings. From cheese curds to salsa to hot sauce. You can build your own burger and add any of about 25 toppings, or all of them if you wish.

I chose the White Trash burger (chicken fried bacon, cheese curds and Velveeta) with maple bacon sweet potato fried (for extra $), a Goober Monkey shake (they charge you an additional $1 to split it) and a Sam Adams Boston Lager in honor of National Lager Day (this guy drank a few too many lagers!). My wife got a build-your-own burger and shared my shake and fries. The total came to about $32 +tip.

While the actual beef patty was cooked pretty well (some pink with a slightly crispy outside), I couldn’t even taste it. The cheese curds, bacon and Velveeta completely drowned out the beef flavor. When I go to a burger joint, I better taste the beef. That was the biggest knock on this place.

One thing I don’t get about Burger Jones are the TVs hung throughout the room. They are distracting. Half were showing sports while the other half aired The Voice. Not only were they a huge distraction to conversation, they were muted so even if you wanted to watch, it was pointless.

On the up-side, It’s a very family friendly place, with enough open space for strollers (or walkers) and crazy children; in addition to a good kids selection on the menu.

While I won’t be going back to Burger Jones, I will say that if the White Trash burger was sold at the State Fair, I might buy it.