It just turns out that my quest to experience the best burger joints in the Washington, D.C. area was made a lot easier because one of the leading contenders happens to be a 5-minute walk from where I am currently working in Arlington, Virginia. brgr:shack is a gourmet burger joint which serves "100% All Natural Grass Fed Beef Burgers." It is also literally across the street from the Ballston-MU metro stop on the Orange line.
So, there's no excuse for District-dwellers to venture into the 'burbs to experience the fast food ecstasy which is eating at brgr:shack.
Although the date on my review says that I ate at the establishment on February 7, 2012, I have actually been there almost half a dozen times since I moved to the area in August 2011. There's a reason; I am pretty confident that brgr:shack has the best burgers in the Washington, D.C. area. I have had several items from the menu, such as the {melt:brgr} (caramelized onions, red wine sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, shack sauce; $8), the {m:brgr} (lettuce, tomatoes, fresh onion, pickles, American cheese, shack sauce; $7) and designed my own {brgr} (lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, cheddar, applewood smoked bacon; $8). Every single burger was sublime, perfectly cooked (medium-rare), extremely tasty and awesomely filling.
In addition to excellent burgers, the brgr:shack also pays attention to the sides. One of the failings of other pretenders to the throne of burger primacy is their lack of attention to the things you eat with the burger. (This is not the case at the best burger place in New York City: Burger Joint, I hasten to add, or at brgr:shack.) I'm looking at you, Ray's Hell Burger , Wiinky's and Five Guys! On the contrary, brgr:shack has astonishingly good onion rings as well as fries which perfectly match the high quality of the burgers. If you do not walk in to the joint absolutely starving I defy you to finish a burger-and-fries combination (which can generally be had for $10-$12 with a free soda thrown in for good measure). So, not only is the food quite good, but it's also cheap! Why are you not making your plans to eat there right now? Even more incredibly, on Mondays the burgers are all only $5. I'm seriously trying to stop myself from eating there every week!
But, wait, there's more! Usually in this kind of review you would hear me talk about the rustic but simple nature of the decor and ambiance, with a comment that its good to see that they are focusing their attention on the food instead of where you eat it. But in the case of brgr:shack the ambiance is a definite highlight of the eating experience. It is in a small but airy space, with large glass windows and very high ceilings. There is ultra-chic, modern furniture, with lots of chrome and polished hardwood.
Get thee to brgr:shack, you won't be sorry that you did (unless you show up not hungry, but don't say I didn't warn you!)
Name: brgr: shack.
Location: 4215 Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22203.
Contact: 703-647-9191.
Visit: February 7, 2012.
AMBIANCE: A.
SERVICE: A.
VALUE: A.
FOOD: A+.
