Crave
Kanzi Kamel

Three Burgers Kicking Up Beirut’s Food Scene a Notch

For the past few months, Beirut’s been all abuzz with talk of burgers. Three words have dominated the delicious-sounding conversation: Truffles. Bagels. New York.

BRGR Co., Crepaway, and Shake Shack have been on the gastronomical radar, and I for one couldn’t wait to try out the three infamous specialties and, more importantly, discover why everyone was going crazy over them. Let me start by saying that this took an awfully long time.

I’m talking about a month here, folks.

As amazing as it sounds to go on a hunt for new and interesting burger dishes, my arteries can only take so much heat before collapsing into a cesspool of burger grease.

BRGR Co.

We begin our journey with BRGR Co.’s newest Truffle burger, which I now affectionately refer to as The Love of My Belly.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, “truffles” are a sort of fungus–much like mushrooms–that are very rare, and very difficult to harvest. In fact, they’re dug up from the ground by specially trained pigs (now called “truffle hogs”). Basically, they’re very special, and very, very expensive.

So it’ll come as no surprise when I say that I was awfully shocked to hear that BRGR Co.’s monthly specialty was the truffle burger. Their budding reputation as one of the best burger joints in Beirut, coupled with their expansion into London and New York, set the bar quite high.

Needless to say, my expectations were met. Surpassed. Run into the ground.

A perfectly grilled patty, custom-made and delectable bun, and overall balance of flavors made this little beauty one of the best burgers I’ve had in Lebanon.

This month, BRGR Co. has introduced a Brie burger, which, if history is any indication, will no doubt be fabulous.

Crepaway

I’m a die hard bagel fan, and burgers are one of my favorite pastimes, but I’m not too sure about this pairing. Crepaway’s “Hole Good” burger sounded good to me for three reasons: angus beef, cheddar fries, and a pun for a name. Right?

Wrong.

First things first: the platter costs a whopping 24,000 LL. Crepaway explains on their facebook page that it’s because of the expensive cut of meat, special fries, and cheddar cheese and sour ranch dip addons, but I still find it to be an obscene amount for a chain whose burgers aren’t typically above 16,000 LL.

As for the burger itself, I’d give it a solid 3 out of 5. The meat was amazing. Beyond amazing, actually. I’d probably order it separately with a side of A1 steak sauce. The bagel alone would have been great, but there was way too much of it, and a burger should never be about the bun. The thickness and dense texture of the bagel took away from the meat, which was a travesty.

I wouldn’t call this particular experience a failure, but that’s because Crepaway’s other fantastic items will always have a place in my lunch box.

Still, I had such high hopes for the burger-bagel combo. Sad day. (As of publishing, the bagel burger is no longer being offered at Crepaway)

Shake Shack

Though I’ve never actually tried New York’s Shake Shack, I’ve heard good things. Many good things, in fact.

Actually, just about every friend I have in NYC raves about their burgers. So when both Beirut City Centre and ABC Mall announced the opening of Lebanon’s very own Shake Shack, I was pretty excited.

For good reason, apparently.

It tasted like a better McDonalds, if that makes sense. Not quite a gourmet burger, but expensive enough to surpass the fast food classification. It was quite delicious–and quite small–but very much worth the trip.

It takes a very special kind of burger to taste that good while still staying so simple, so if you’re not into the truffles or bagels, then Shake Shack is the place to go. Bonus? You can get a milkshake for dessert, or just drop by Cinnabon, which is conveniently located right next to it.

What’s not to love?

Photo via Gino’s Blog