I’ve been on a quest lately to try as many burgers in Palm Beach and Broward Counties as I can. There’s no shortage of places to grab a cheeseburger with extra bacon, some American cheese and plenty of pickles. Each restaurant or bar serving up the beefy goodness has their own spin on this classic sandwich. Whether they go all old-school and give you a burger minus anything fancy or take it over the top by replacing the beef with something healthier and topping it with pineapple, there’s something for everyone – even the burger purist.
Now I’m not going to dwell on the fast-food burger chains, but when I need a burger fix fast, my go-to spot is Wendy’s. Second would be Burger King and last on my list would be the McDonalds.
I wrote about Tap 42 in Boca Raton last week and mentioned that they have a great burger and fries deal on Monday nights. $5 gets you a pretty solid burger and french fries. I did some coaxing to get my one friend to give Tap 42 a shot, and he did. He ended up saying, “they got these burgers down pat!”
I’ll take that as a ringing endorsement for Burger Night!
A new contender in the local burger biz recently opened their first Florida location in Delray Beach – The Habit Burger Grill. Located in the new shopping center at the corner of Linton Blvd. and Federal Highway (US1), The Habit has been grilling up what they call “Charburgers” for a few months now.
While I wouldn’t call them a “fast food” restaurant, I’d put them into the “fast casual” category. There’s no drive-thru, but you order at the counter, get a buzzer, take a seat and wait for it to go off. If you want something to go, you can do that, or order online for pickup.
Friday night I decided to give this Southern California burger chain a try. I met a friend who told me the “burgers are awesome,” and asked me to join him for a bite to eat. With “burger” and “awesome” in the same sentence, how could I refuse?
It was around 9pm and there were several people inside as well as sitting at the few tables outside the restaurant. With this being my first time there, I had to study the menu a bit and take my friends advice on what to order. If you’re not in the mood for a burger, they have tuna and chicken sandwiches as well as a tri-tip sandwich (which I have to try) and even grilled cheese.
Got a vegetarian in the crowd, there’s a veggie burger as well.
Salads, sides, and milkshakes round out the menu.
I decided to go all-in and order a Double Charburger (mayonnaise, pickle, fresh tomato, lettuce and caramelized onions on a toasted bun) with American cheese and bacon. Instead of fries, I went with onion rings.
The young lady taking our order was very pleasant and when I was finished, she said, “just a moment while I tell the cook about your order.” She turned around to the man who was busily working the grill and said, “order for a double Charburger coming in.” She then swiped my card, gave me the pager, and we grabbed a table outside.
In about 4 minutes the vibrating box lets me know it was time to pick up the food. As if my Double Charburger didn’t come with enough toppings already, there was a pepper bar complete with pepperoncini, jalapeno and yellow peppers that you can add to your burger at no additional cost.
The burger was huge and delicious. So huge, it was a little hard to eat, not to mention a tad bit on the sloppy side. But at the end of the day, isn’t that how you want to enjoy a juicy burger? The onion rings were similar to those you get at Burger King and were crispy and good.
All in all, I thought The Habit had a pretty solid, delicious burger. Much better than any fast food place. I’d put it on par with Five Guys, although I find their burgers to be really greasy and I’m sure loaded with calories. I would take The Habit over “the guys.”
One pet peeve. I did not like how the ketchup was served. Instead of individual packets, the ketchup was in one of those pump dispensers that hundreds of others have put the palm of their hands on. Considering this is a place where you’re going to eat with your hands, I was a little freaked out with that. I much prefer to have individual ketchup packets rather than community pumps or bottles.
Kudos go out to the store’s assistant manager. While we were sitting outside enjoying our burgers, she came out asking how everything was, whether or not she could get us a refill on our drinks and came around a second time to make sure everything was OK then cleared our table. I asked if she was the manager because you could tell she loved her job and told me she was the assistant.
The customer service here reminded me of Chick-Fil-A a bit, where everyone is friendly and it’s more like a “restaurant” than a fast food “joint.”
The only thing missing here was a cold beer to wash it all down.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, good burger, give The Habit Burger Grill a try. Then be sure to let me know what you think.
Where should I stop by for a burger next? Give me your suggestions!
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