U Street’s Desperados Burgers & Bar hosted their 2nd Annual Burger Tasting on the evening of Wednesday, July 24th. As you walk in, the décor and ambiance seem more of like dive bar than a burger joint. The atmosphere gives off a great happy hour or late night drinks kind of vibe.
But why this “special” event with the tickets to get in? This event was promoted as if it was an exclusive event; however, the restaurant was still open to the public leading to quite a bit of confusion as people walked in. The person at the door checking tickets gave no introduction or instruction as to what to expect. The burger samples were not ready at the event’s start time.
One small tray of burger samples comes out as a server walks around and offers them to a full house of burger enthusiasts; there were not enough to go around until the next round of samples 15-20 minutes later. Two hours later, we were only able to munch down on 2 quarters of a burger.
It was hard t talk and be heard over the top 40’s music pumping so loud that could have given U Street Music Hall’s sound system, two blocks down the street, a run for their money.
But that’s not what you’re reading this for, right? You’re here to learn about the burgers. The two samples that I was able to get my hands on were the Desperados Burger and Cheese Lover Burger. The Desperados Burger had a nice peppery kick that will stick with you minutes after you’ve finished the burger. The ground chuck patties had flavor that could possibly have us coming back for more, but the dryness left us wanting to move on. There wasn’t much to love about the Cheese Lover Burger unless you favor a cheeseburger containing cheeses that doesn’t really add flavor to the beef patty. The combination of American, cheddar, and Swiss cheeses that Desperados used was underwhelming, especially when covering a dry burger.
Would I return? Sure for a happy hour throw down. But if I’m aiming for a good juicy burger at an affordable price, I’m walking around the corner to Black and Orange for their Ciao Down and that’s exactly what we did.
-ADT (Angie)
One Response
I stopped by Desperados tonight and would like to add this mini-review. I was there on Happy Hour, and they had some good specials on drinks and appetizers. But were out of 2 of the food items (one was green fried tomatoes) and they have to update the on tap happy hour beer list so it reflects what they actually have on tap. While updating the happy hour specials menu, they should change the format because it is not designed in a clear way. This was just a printed piece of paper, so should not be difficult to update.
I enjoyed the Abita Restoration Ale ($3.50 on happy hour) but there was no reason to serve it in a Bud Light glass since I could see plain glasses on a shelf. I also enjoyed the Southwestern Turkey Burger.
I have never seen a higher urinal…but it (like most of the restaurant decor) is left over from the previous establishment. It was also odd that they block the urinal with a trashcan. Between those 2 problems, I assume they have to wash their men’s room walls often. 🙂
I would go back for happy hour despite the vibe of disorganization the place puts out.
-JAY