earlier today i said to some guys..
what if we did a taste test of all the best burger joints in cincinnati
and
that is exactly what we did.
we started off with a place called arthurs located in hyde park. it is known for their burgers so we decided to give them a shot. there were 5 of us and we did not want to indulge ourselves but simply savor the taste.
at each location we where going to get the original burger with the original toppings
at arthurs. the burger comes with fries ($7.50) on a toasted bun with a thick juicy burger topped with lettuce.tomato.ketchup.mustard with fries on the side. the burger was definitely a good burger but was not a grand slam to my taste buds. the fries were definitely good and even better with some of the best ranch around. so if it wasnt the best burger they definitely had some serious homemade ranch.
sun-tues they have a special of burgers that will run you $7 for a burger and fries with up to 6 toppings and $4 burgers during happy hour
the atmosphere is great here. the best place to sit is outside in the patio area. it is a fun reasonable place in hyde park.
up next is zip's cafe in mt. lookout
zip's is a small hole in the wall burger joint that dates back to 1926.
it is a seat yourself type of place that is most always busy. this place is hyped up to be one of the best burger places in cincinnati. the atmosphere is pretty noisy all the time.with a low light dark saloon feel and a neat train zipping around the walls of the cafe.
once again we ordered the original burger one with cheese($5.25) and one without (4.75).
the burger comes out with lettuce.tomato.onion.special sauce.ketchup.mustard. you can add fries for another 2.25 but we werent out to rate fries so we just stuck with the burgers
the burger was a lot thinner than the burger previously at arthur's but boy did it have a taste. the fresh bite of lettuce.tomato.onion with a well seasoned burger with special sauce was delicious. the burger could compare with an in n' out burger, with the special sauce they have going for them. if you are looking for a old fashioned burger then this is the place. it was ideal for original burger that would hit the spot and make savor the test as we went to the next place.
the next joint on the list is a place called terry's turf club
now terry's is a place you wont forget because of its unique look. it is on a street where not much is happening except this place. when you pull up to to terry's you may think is this vegas or an antique shop?
the wait is usually long for this place because it is a small place that always seems to be full. so we went ahead and called ahead because we were not willing to sacrifice 45 min just for a wait because we had one more place to go.
we grab two burgers to go and continued our taste test. the burgers are very plump served on a toasted croissant with lettuce.tomato.onion.ketchup.mustard and very juicy with some substantial amount of grease making them a little messy. the burger was definitely a big burger but for a classic burger taste it was nothing spectacular for $8.
now from what their menu had there are plenty of other crazy burgers to try out along with peanuts while you wait for your meal just like the good ole' days at the steakhouses. prepared to go home full if you get a burger and fries because they do not mess around when it comes to size. terry's is a very good.messy burger but what really makes this place fun is the environment.
last but definitely not least.. Quatman's Cafe
Quatman's is located in norwood right off montgomery road. it was about 9 when we showed up to our last well.known burger joint.
we heard that this place was a bar and was not too big. i believe this place is bigger than most of the burger places we went and if not the same size. we thought this place would be busy but little did we know we went at a perfect time. as we walked in the door we all said that this may be a hidden jewel but we had to eat the burger to find out the truth.
as the waitress .sheila.employee of 18 years. came to our table she asked what we would like tonight. we said that we were doing a burger challenge and she said this was the perfect night because a burger.fries.and.drink. is 6.19! we all said 6.19? we could not believe it and were thinking this may truly be the hidden jewel once again...but we didnt want to speak too soon. we asked for the original burger with the basic toppings lettuce.tomato.onion.ketchup.mustard.
sheila quickly interrupted and said that lettuce and tomato go on a salad not a burger.. at this point im really started to dig this place.
a few minutes later our orders came out on a paper plate with half of a plate full of fries and a well over quarter lb. burger with ketchup.mustard.onion.pickles. sheila informed us that there is a local meat locker that grinds Quatman's meat for them daily so their beef is always fresh.
as we tasted our last burger of the night we truly felt that we found a hidden jewel. this place is a old style bar/restaurant that used to be half bar. half grocery store that delivered now there is just a bar/restaurant with some quirks of the grocery store left including the meat & cheese counter.
the burger tasted really fresh with a perfect amount of condiments and flavor that left your tastebuds wanting more. the fries reminded me a good ole' fashioned diner and really this entire visit felt like that. with the excellent waitstaff. hometown personable feeling. a small grocery store area and the honor system of paying! they do not bring you a bill so when you go up to the register you tell them what you had and they ring it up for you. and for three years now they have been accepting major credit cards.
whew!
what a night.
what an experience.
fun.
tasteful.
exciting.
simply a fun way to find the best burger place in town..
so we had to do an overall rating at the end of the night and ..
..and the award goes to.. is Zip's Cafe. the special sauce.with pickles.onion.tomato.lettuce.ketchup.mustard. and the well seasoned burger.
coming close in 2nd is Quatman's Cafe with the fresh fresh tasting burger
3rd Terry's Turf Club with the huge juicy.greasy. burger
4th Arthur's plump original burger with lettuce.tomato.pickles.ketchup.mustard
now all of these burgers were delicious and some places may have better speciality burgers but this review is simply on the original burger
..what an experience..
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