It all started with brothers from Queens, NY and their bar Sputnik in Brooklyn, NY. Their love for burgers led them to opening the first Bareburger in Astoria, Queens in 2009 serving all natural and organic burgers and shakes. Now they’ve expanded to 31 locations internationally including Philadelphia’s own Bareburger which opened in September 2014. Stop by Bareburger at 1109 Walnut St. for brunch, lunch, and dinner.

The atmosphere at Bareburger is causal, but fun. The colorful decor and bear accents make this a great spot for families. Reclaimed barn wood, tin, and table tops are used in the restaurant to reiterate their message promoting sustainability. Just because you want to enjoy a burger, fries, and a shake doesn’t mean that you need to feel bad afterwards.

Bareburger serves only top quality burgers made with organic Pat La Frieda Organic beef. If you’re feeling adventurous they also offer elk, wild boar, and bison patties from Fossil Farms made which animals are raised non-GMO,  with no antibiotics, free range, and grass fed. Organic Sir Kensington condiments and Maine Roots Soda are also offered along with organic ice creams.

Grab one of their awesome milkshakes to cool down on a hot day. Flavors include favorites like Vanilla, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana, Strawberry, and Raspberry. I tried the Banana Foster Shake with vanilla ice cream, bananas, and caramel sauce. It was definitely more exciting than many of the shakes I’ve had before. The Hot Honey shake also has a kick of heat if you like something a little spicy. They also make Root Beer floats. Vegan customers can also indulge in their carrot cake for dessert.

Of course you’ve got to try the burgers here. I got the Supreme with a beef patty, colby cheese, country bacon, piquante relish, green leaf, special sauce, and topped with an onion ring AND chopped fries. Looking at this burger I knew it would not disappoint. Unfortunately for me, Bareburger offers the calorie count on the menu for each item so I was well aware this burger was not the healthiest thing for me.

Luckily, Bareburger serves a variety of sandwiches, burgers, and salads that all fall well within a healthy meal range. Any burger can be made wrapped in collard greens which is great for vegetarian and vegans, as well as a gluten-free bun option. The Falafelwraptor is a great vegan and gluten-free option made with fava falafel, spicy pico de gallo, cucumbers, pickled red onion, and lemon tahini dressing wrapped in collard greens. I’m also a big fan of their Buttermilk Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich, you can opt for grilled chicken on it if you want to be a bit healthy.

They’ve got 14 signature burgers on the menu, but many customers opt to create their own which could include up to 5,645, 376 combinations! Some of the favorite signature burgers include the Wiki wiki made with wild boar, gouda cheese, duck bacon, chickpea onions, and grilled pineapple on a brioche Le Bus bun. Looking for something which heat? Try the Fire Quacker with duck, pepper jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, red onions, spinach, tomato, and habanero mayo on a brioche Le Bus bun.

Vegetarians and vegans can choose from a sweet potato and rice patty, black bean patty, or farmers quinoa patty. Daiya vegan cheddar cheese is also served here. Duck, chicken, and turkey are also offered for meat eaters in addition to beef, bison, elk, and wild boar.

On the side or as a starter try the new Sliders on the menu or Macho Fries loaded up with guacamole, pepper jack cheese, spicy pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, and buttermilk ranch over sweet potato fries. The Crispy Brussels Sprouts are also a great choice and you can’t forget about the homemade pickles. Gluten free customers will appreciate that Bareburger has separate fryers so that sweet potato and regular french fries are safer to eat.

Don’t skip over the salads because they’re great here too. The Cali Fresh is a great option and vegan too. This salad has baby kale, green hummus, red quinoa, grape tomatoes, watermelon radish, red onion, alfalfa sprouts, and a lemon tahini dressing. Any protein can be added for an addition charge. I also really enjoy the “Crops” options for a heartier serving of whole grains and vegetables. I recently tried the Wheat Berry Chickpea Salad with green chick peas, red wheat berries, feta, buckwheat groats, cucumber, red onion, grape tomatoes, and a red wine vinaigrette. All these salads come in small or large portions, the large is easily enough to share for 2 people.

Bareburger also has a full bar! Check out the local beers and Smuttynose Grizzly Beer created specifically for Bareburger. Stop by for happy hour Monday-Friday 4-6pm to enjoy $5 Red Sangria, $4 Mules, and $2 Narragansett 16 oz. On Saturday and Sunday 11:30 am-2pm  for brunch you can order $5 Sangria and $4 Mimosas too! Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday 11 am-4pm. The Avocado Toast and Cuckoo’s Nest are very popular. If you’re feeling ravenous you should order The Hungry Bear which includes a choice of buttermilk waffle or carrot cake french toast, served with two eggs and choice of bacon or sausage.

Stop by or grab delivery via Grubhub and grab your ticket to see Bareburger competing in the 2016 Philly Burger Brawl, June 26th at Xfinity Live!

-Lea

We would like to thank Kevin Gadsby for letting us stop by Bareburger and learn about the restaurant.