Burgermeister's Kitchen & Tap

I learned of Burgermeister's from an article I read in the Asheville Citizen-Times' Take 5 and was curious and anxious to try it out, I do love my burgers! The restaurant was very easy to find, in West Asheville right on Haywood road. The restaurant is in a small strip center with several other businesses so parking on this Friday evening was a slight problem, ending up having to park in the church parking lot across the street. However, there was a well designated cross walk to help cross the busy Haywood road.

Our group of four arrived at about 6:30 and were immediately seated in a booth, tables and a small bar area were also available. The interior was exactly what you would expect from a converted strip center business location, less than inspired decorating that included some signs and such. I'm not knocking it, they are not trying to be some kind of theme based or five-star establishment here, simple yet good food is their priority. The crowd was a mixture of mostly younger and middle aged patrons and it was a little on the loud side, not uncomfortably though. This could be in part to the large party seated next to us or the fact that there were a good number of children. A nice touch was the restaurant's policy of no smoking until after 9 PM, another fact I am sure that lead to the number of children present, not that I mind well behaved kids. "Well behaved" being the operative words!

The service was very good. The waitress was very friendly and was very prompt in spite of her busy tables. The wait staff supported each other very well and either refilled drinks or asked if we needed anything regularly. We did not wait on any item or for a refill of our beverages, important in my book! Tables appeared to be cleared quickly and the turn-over was fast. The restaurant quickly filled and we thanked ourselves for coming before the rush hit although there did not appear to be a long wait during our visit.

As for the food, it was quite good, not earth-shattering, write home kind of good, but good! The four of us split an appetizer of fried pickle chips and we did not come near to finishing them, the order could have easily served 8! The beer/spirits menu was pretty well stocked and I ordered a Boddinger's Cream Ale that was served in a pub style pint glass. The glass wasn't chilled but the beer was delicious and came with about a half inch head, just as it should.

I ordered the The Longhorn, a 1/3 lb burger with chilli and cheddar cheese that comes with a choice of potato wedges, home-made chips, or fries as a side. The burger was quite good and had just enough chilli and the cheddar oozed off as you squeezed the bun, not too messy — just right. Other possible additions to the burger are the standard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, etc plus some other selections at a slight charge. The burger offerings were good and I had a difficult time deciding which to choose. The Saint Patty's Melt looked quite good. The burger came on a sourdough style roll and was fresh and tasty. The burger and service was overall the best part of the meal.

Other items included sandwiches, salads, and 3 vegetarian sandwich selections. Appetizer prices ranged from $3.75 for Chips & Salsa to $18.95 for a pound of Peel & Eat Beer Boiled Shrimp. Average appetizer prices were about $5–$8. Burger prices averaged $7.50 and ranged from $6.55 to $8.25. You also have the option to substitute grilled chicken for the traditional beef at no additional cost. Sandwiches were similarly priced as were the salads, except for the Sesame Tuna Steak Salad.

The side of potato wedges I ordered was a combination of white and sweet potatoes which were good but not very hot, more of a luke warm than what I would have expected. I tried some of the homemade chips and was disappointed that they were room temperature, not hot as you would expect homemade potato chips to be served. They were, however, sliced to a nice thickness and well seasoned, not too salty. The sides were by far the lesser of my experiences at this restaurant.

In conclusion, I would rate this restaurant a total of 3.5 forks out of a possible 5. The burger was well cooked — I must say I wish burgers could be cooked medium rare, but that is a state issue not the restaurant's — the sides however were unexpectedly not hot. The service was very good and the atmosphere was typical of a burger style restaurant. Cleanliness was pretty good and the health department rated it a 96.5% at their last inspection. Seating was adequate but the booths were a little close to one another and resulted in a few near brushes with the posteriors of those walking by. The space in the booth itself was good, being slightly larger than average size myself, this can become a concern in cramped booths. I can say I will go back in the future, not as a destination itself, but in conjunction with some other plans in the West Asheville area. Most will enjoy the good food and service in this family style restaurant.