Punch Burger

Always up for a good burger, hubby and I decided to try Punch Burger for lunch.  It is pretty new, and I have been hearing a lot of good things.  I have also heard there has been pretty long lines at times, so we went a little early. We didn’t have to wait long in line, but by 11:40 or so, the whole place was full (there isn’t a ton of seating, but the tables turn over fast).

This is a place where you order at the register and then they call your number and deliver your food to you. So you sort of have to listen, especially if you are in the back room, because they won’t know where you are.  The service was pretty darn speedy—it only took about 5 minutes to get our burgers.

We both did build your own, although some of the specialty burgers sounded pretty good. I almost went for the “good morning” ($6.25) which is a burger, bacon, fried egg, and cream cheese, but the cream cheese idea just didn’t appeal to me.  I do like cream cheese, but pretty much on a bagel. Not in my sushi, and not on my burger.  Anyhow, I just created my own (and there are a TON of toppings options, most of which don’t cost extra) with a 1/3 pound beef patty (you can also get turkey or mushroom), an egg (over easy) and cheese (I went with American) on the classic white bun (they also have wheat and pretzel) ($6.25). I also got a side of waffle fries ($1.50).  Overall, it was a good burger—the beef was really very tender despite the fact that it was cooked pretty well done (they don’t ask) and had nice flavor. You can tell from the irregular shape and the tenderness that they aren’t overworking the meat here. The egg was runny just like I wanted it.  Size-wise, the burgers are in a middle ground between the really thin burgers (a la Steak n Shake or Workingman’s Friend) and the thick burgers (a la Boogie Burger or Fat Dan's).  The bun was nicely toasted and was really soft. I didn’t get the pretzel bun because I always worry they will be too hard and chewy, but I caught a glimpse of them and I am thinking about trying one next time for a change of pace—they didn’t look overly dense.  If I could change something about mine, it would be that I would like the meat to be a little pink, but I still really enjoyed it. The waffle fries were good too—seasoned and fresh and hot (you can’t really get THAT excited about waffle fries can you?).

Hubby had a “build your own” as well with cheese and bacon.  Burger-wise, he pretty much agreed with me on the actual beef patty itself—he liked it.  The bacon though-- it was pretty bad.  I was kind of surprised in a place like this that is using such high quality, fresh Indiana beef and turkey that they aren’t sourcing bacon locally when we have a great resource like Smoking Goose (or other local Indiana bacon). The bacon was limp and tasted too much like fake smoke.  Think cheap hotel buffet bacon and you know where I am at with this.  Hubby pulled it off the burger after the first bite but the flavor still lingered even after he took it off.  It was a little bit of a bummer since the burger itself is pretty darn tasty (and they charge an extra $.95 for bacon).  The sweet potato tots ($2) are interesting—little tater tots of diced sweet potato.  I loved the crispiness of them- and they were perfectly cooked.  If you are a fan of sweet potatoes, I think you will like these.

boo on the bacon

Overall, I like the place. The food is good and reasonably priced, the people who work there are friendly and they serve beer and wine.  If I worked downtown, I can see how this would be a good addition to the lunch options (particularly if you need something fast). My only warning: stay away from the bacon.

Punch Burger

137 E. Ohio Street

Indy 46204

317/426-5280

www.punchburger.com