Restaurant Type: Cheap Eats
Location: 2710 N Brevard St Charlotte, NC 28205
Sometimes it is difficult to weigh various goals; these are the first world problems I face while trying to lose weight and simultaneously run a restaurant review site. When I decided to take a well-planned cheat day, I went for what is, to some, the best burger in Charlotte, NC. Brooks Sandwich House is a Charlotte institution, which has people waiting longer than an emergency room in Venezuela for a burger. Dubbed as one of the best burgers in the country by Thrillist, I needed to try this for myself. I took the long and frustrating drive to NODA to test this burger. Make no mistake this is a good burger; I just think Thrillist needs to get their head examined to call it number eight in the country.
The Good: As mentioned Brooks Sandwich House serves a tasty burger. I actually ordered four separate items, this was a cheat day after all… So I decided to give my arteries a good clogging. My order included one burger “all the way” (chili, cheese, onions), one regular burger with onions and ketchup, one “all the way” hot dog and a ‘dog with just onions, and of course fries. The burger with only onions was the best item of the four. The thin meat patty held a spicy- sweetness from the onions, melded with a great charcoal flavor, highlighted by a drizzle of common ketchup. The fries were thick cut and hearty, and while not crispy, they are some of the better fries in the area.
Brooks Sandwich House is priced just right for an old school establishment. Unlike other inexpensive places like Greens Lunch, I actually liked the food. At hardly $3.50 for a burger, you aren’t making that much of a monetary investment for this meal. If there were no other things to consider (and I would not get caught by my wife) I would return here quite often for a quick meal..
The Bad: The food was good here, but not without its flaws. Starting with the hot dogs, that really weren’t anything special. Yes, they were fine, but they were no Vic the Chili Man, they also lacked nostalgic variety. There were very few choices of toppings, and maybe it is a Northern thing, but I like sauerkraut. That goes double for pickles on a hamburger (there were none), I am old school, and pickles on a burger should be an almost Pavlovian impulse…
The burger as mentioned was good, but not great and certainly not exceptional. First, the bun is your standard (see also, generic.. not a yeast roll, not a potato roll, not a Hawaiian roll..you get the point.), eight to a pack, bun. A great burger starts with a great bun, and this is not the start I was looking for…Secondly, I am not sure what I expected from a burger that goes “All the Way“.. It certainly wasn’t the life changing experience I was promised by so many Yelpers… The chili was pretty good, but not spectacular. If I am being completly honest it lacked spice, I wanted a kick to it (Ok, a definitive taste!) but received none. Moreover, the cheese wasn’t fully melted and the bun was not toasted..These may seem like trivial things, but I was sold the on the story that this was one of the top burgers in the country so my standards must be high..
Brooks Sandwich Houses hours were also enough to drive me crazy! The restaurant is closed on weekends and only open until 3PM on weekdays. It is almost better that my experience was only fair. If it had been outstanding, I still wouldn’t be able to visit them due to the fact they work fewer hours than Congress. They do work hard though (when they are open)the lines were out the door and the people never stopped moving. It gets even funnier when I read the sign that reads the grill closes at 2PM, given they are open until 3PM. Apparently, If I show up at 2:15 I am really just SOL.
The Ugly: One word that can describe my visit to Brooks Sandwich House is aggravation. Not everything was their fault, but I was aggravated just the same. I drove 25 minutes each way due to some strange Charlotte midday traffic (77). I then, fight for a parking space and ended up parking around the corner a couple of blocks down .. I am met with a huge crowd waiting outside, with no instruction as to how to order. I finally figure it out: place my order and wait….and wait, and yes WAIT, 42 minutes later. After a while, I wasn’t sure if I ordered a hamburger or a kobe filet from a cow slain during the 8th hour of the first full-who gives a sh!t, it took a long time for a burger that costs 3.50! As previously mentioned, this is a pretty good burger, this is by no means a 45 minute burger. I can get in and out of the DMV faster.
Once you get your order you have a couple of options to eat it. You can stand or put it on one of the tables with no chairs. Of course, in this case I was trying to decide if putting my burger on the same surface where a rather large posterior was previously located would take away from its appeal. It is always appetizing to see someone sitting where your food will shortly be. You can also just take it home, which was great. I just drove 25 minutes to get the burger, waited 45 minutes now I have to drive another 25 minutes to eat it. If this isn’t a 45-minute-long wait burger, it sure as hell not an hour and a half wait burger.
I am not sure why they can’t just put a couple of chairs near those run down picnic tables, or maybe adding a few, dare I say, regular tables.
The Verdict 5.5: Brooks Sandwich House reminds me of a good backyard burger. The only problem is by the time I got my burger from them I could have made the burger myself. Hell, I could have gotten a calf, raised him, turned him into chopped meat and made the burger myself. The food at Brooks Sandwich House is certainly better than Zack’s Hamburgers, I am just not too sure by how much.. The burgers I had were CERTAINLY not a top ten in the country burger. It may crack my top ten in Charlotte, but even that is pushing it. Although, I have a ton of places to try (and retry) the best burger in Charlotte is STILL at Reid’s Fine Foods. I love Thirllist, it is usually a good resource. I am not sure how a pretty good burger makes its way toward the top of the burger list in the country. However, even with its faults it is better than your average..cook out.