Treated Like A King At Bobby's Burger Palace

by Lucien Zeigler · September 27, 2011

    When Guest of a Guest DC heard that chef Bobby Flay [pictured] was getting into the DC burger game with a new restaurant in Washington, we had to check it out.

    After all, DC is holy turf for believers in the boutique burger. The area gave birth to 5 Guys, and the opening of Spike Medelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill in 2008 changed the way Washingtonians thought of a burger restaurant.

    Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace is hard to miss, on K and 23rd in NW. The menu is a similar concept to The Burger Joint and other boutique burger houses, but the excellent service and retro-chic atmosphere at Bobby Flay’s are the deciding factor.

    After ordering your meal, patrons seat themselves with numbered placards and are served with haste by a friendly staff. Our drinks followed us out, and our burgers and fries were served within five minutes. The atmosphere on a Saturday night was lively; the place was almost packed at about 9:30.

    It’s rare to find a $3.50 beer anywhere in DC these days, but the fact that Flay’s Burger Palace has Anchor Steam for that price means that the chef knows how truly delicious a beer with a burger really can be. Their fountain soda selection is good, but it’s $2/soda, one of the few things we disliked about the place.

    Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace is all about the sauces. The fries (one order of which can easily be shared on a date) come with a “BBP Fry Sauce,” billed as Bobby’s own blend of mayonnaise, roasted red and chipotle peppers, and spices.  Within reach on every bar table is the restaurant’s “Burger Sauce,” ketchup, chipotle ketchup and hot sauce.

    Last but not least, the burgers (we tasted the blue cheese and bacon burger and the Palace Classic burger) were perfectly cooked and were in front of us within five minutes. The size of the burger was large and the bacon on mine was thick and crispy. Hard to beat.

    With service faster than some fast food joints, and the food in a league of its own, Bobby Flay’s new Burger Palace should be on your radar as you navigate the growing burger options in a D.C. transformed by innovative fast food ideas.

    Top Image Courtesy Esquire