Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on February 18, 2024.
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The following review is based on our visit to BRGR's East Liberty location which closed in 2020. The chain has seemingly closed its remaining locations since then.
One of the fastest growing burger chains in Pittsburgh is BRGR, which has locations in East Liberty, Cranberry, and even PNC Park to name a few. Featuring gourmet burgers, ample side combinations, and a fully-stocked bar at their full service restaurants, BRGR was created to satisfy the burger needs of hungry Pittsburghers.
Unfortunately for us, our visit to try these popular burgers amounted to a rare miss.
Stick to the Beef Burgers and Fries with Truffle Cheese Whiz
During our visit we tried two burgers. The first was the Fire in the Hole, a beef burger topped with jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, chipotle mayo, sriracha, and guacamole- my go to burger style if it is on a menu.Â
I'm not sure if I am just becoming desensitized to heat, or if restaurants set themselves up for failure in claiming something is hot when it really isn't, but I found myself wishing that the burger would deliver more heat than it actually did.
Getting past the desire for my mouth to be engulfed in flames, one of the highlights was that the burger was cooked perfectly to my medium rare request.
For those who have endured years of Pittsburgh well-done burgers, this was a welcomed sign that I can't say enough about.
The second burger we tried, the Santa Fe Hippie, was a vegetarian patty made from a mix of black bean and roasted corn topped with tomato, guacamole, creme fraiche, and more. Now, before you say it, we know that our mistake was ordering a vegetarian burger at a beef joint even though a good percentage of the burgers were not made of beef.
We were lured in by the menu description as this one is very similar to a recipe we've made at home in the past and loved. Unfortunately for BRGR, the vegetarian patty was completely dried out and had little to no moisture in it, making the patty incredibly difficult to eat without slathering on spoon after spoon of mayo and mustard.
In the end the highlight of our visit was neither of the burgers, but was instead the side of french fries with truffle oil infused cheese whiz for dipping. The dipping sauce is an addiction waiting to happen, even if is made out of cheese whiz, and the truffle oil infused dip worked magic on just about every thing we put it on.
If only we had a bit more to save that veggie patty.
Is BRGR Worth Returning To?
Overall I have to ask myself a hard question: can a burger being cooked to what we request, and a side of absurdly addicting cheese whiz, be the saving grace of a restaurant?
In Pittsburgh that is a definite possibility, but compared to anywhere else in the world that does burgers right every single time, I am not so sure.
For me, I think I'd opt for the delicious beef at Tessaro's, gourmet toppings at Bier's Pub, or my beloved Kaya burger instead- even if they are likely to be delivered well done.
BRGR had several locations in the greater Pittsburgh area, as well as a food truck but all are seemingly closed now.
For more burgers in Pittsburgh, check out Tessaro's, Burgatory, or Kaya Pittsburgh (home to our favorite burger!). Or, for more reviews of Pittsburgh restaurants, click the previous link to be taken to our directory of every review on Discover the Burgh!