I met my friend @wibia
the other day for lunch at Bagger Dave’s-- a mostly Midwestern chain of burger
places that has recently come to Indy. Honestly,
I was kind of expecting more of a fast food kind of place, but this place is a
sit down place with table service. It’s still fairly casual, but not so casual
as a Five Guys, Punch, or 96th Street Steakburgers. More along the
lines of Bru Burger. (There is also a
toy train that is constantly running around the entire interior of the place,
which might be a good kid thing).
They have several of their own combo burgers, or they have a
sheet on the table that you can design your own the way you want ($4.19 for
small). That’s what I did. Some of the combos sound interesting, but
they all are a little toppings heavy for me.
I got the small burger (which is one patty vs. two) (also, when did one
patty become “small?”). I had it with
one of their custom sauces (the “Railhouse Burger Sauce”), cheddar cheese,
grilled onions and pickles. What can I
say? The burger was fine. That’s it. It
was a little dry (overworked maybe). The
sauce was like Thousand Island dressing (which I have noticed is a favorite at
burger joints these days—when did that start? Has that always been a
thing?). I like it, basically slightly
spicy mayo and ketchup together. You could also choose your bun (sesame, plain,
honey wheat). I kept it simple and got plain.
We also split a single order of fries ($2.59) even though
the server tried to convince us we needed a double. It was a generous portion and plenty for both
of us. The fries seemed fresh cut and
were pretty tasty. I could have stood them to be a little crispier. They weren’t bad though. We got a couple
dipping sauces to try (the ranch and the horseradish ranch). Eh, I think they
were better with just ketchup to be honest.
Our server was very enthusiastic, and I think also very new
to serving, and hadn’t quite gotten his groove yet. He came to the table just a
little too much.
Overall, it’s a burger, and not a bad one, but not a really
good one either. I can see how it may
fill a niche on this side of town though—there were a lot of business people in
there having lunch. They also have a bar
in the back with what appears to be a pretty decent beer selection. They also do “craft soda” which is an
interesting concept. My soda (I just got
a diet) wasn’t very fizzy. But if you
want somewhere along that Michigan Road corridor that is kind of an “upscale
casual” restaurant, that serves beer, and has a very accessible menu, you might
give them a try. If you want a kick ass burger, I would go elsewhere.
Speaking of, what is your absolute favorite burger in town?
Bagger Dave’s
8840 North Michigan Road
Indy 46268
317/870-3531
You know what they say about great minds......I totally agree about the burger and would say that mine was totally dry and overcooked. The fries were quite tasty. I do like the fact that like Drakes, this chain embraces lots of local beverages. Too bad the wine list was so limited.
ReplyDeleteThe manager asked me what I thought about the burger and I told him. He offered to buy it for me but I declined as I did eat the thing. It was also interesting that the gentleman sitting next to me owned the building and was interested to see what I thought of the products. We had quite the discussion..........
I won't be back. Best Burger that I have had in the last few months was at The Meridian.
96th Street Steakburgers and Boogie Burger are tied for the best for me. They both have a different style but are really good at what they do.
ReplyDeleteI tried Bagger Dave's for the first time this weekend as well. I completely agree about the burger. It was a huge disappointment because when I looked around everybody's burgers looked amazing. A friend and I split the loaded fries and they were a big disappointment as well. I would suggest sticking to the plain fries. We also tried their craft sodas which tasted okay but were very heavy on the syrup. Overall it was a fine establishment, but I won't be going out of my way or recommending it to anybody any time soon.
ReplyDeleteBest burger in town? Hate to be cliche about it, but Working Man's serves up a mean burger. I also enjoy the burgers over at Bru.
John, my son absolutely loves 96th Street. We eat there fairly regularly.
ReplyDeleteJake, I have always been a fan on Workingman's Friend also, but have heard some grumblings lately that it isn't as good as it used to be (and I haven' t been in ages). When did you go last?
ReplyDeleteBest burger in town: Room Four (especially their lamb burgers), followed closely by Scratch Truck!
ReplyDeleteTwenty Tap is doing some of the best and most creative burger work in the city, in my opinion. And they update the options frequently. Try the French Breakfast, the Sal, or the Bonfire.
ReplyDeleteBeth, I haven't had either, but have heard good things about both. And last time I was in Room 4, I could smell the burgers... smelled delicious! Gonna have to check them out.
ReplyDeleteWayne, agree Twenty Tap has a good burger and I like the changes the do to the menu as well.
ReplyDeleteI know that gourmet hamburgers are all the rage - and I like them, don't get me wrong, but most of the time when I am really craving a great burger? Gotta go to Workingman's Friend and get a double cheeseburger, onion rings, and a Coke in a small glass. And then go into a food coma for 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteWe went here and the service was horrible. We could never find our waitress. We had multiple people picking up her slack and it still took forever to get drink refills.
ReplyDelete