CLOSED! A/o 2011
THE BURGER STOP
No. 26, Ln. 137, Yanji St.
(02) 2711-7079
MRT: SYS Memorial Hall
website: burgerstop.com & facebook page
hours: Sun-Thurs 11 AM - 9 PM; Fri-Sat 11 AM - 10 PM
$
Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted. 2 floors of seating with a few tables on 1st floor
Visit reviewed: 5/5/2010
Burgers, burgers, burgers. Just after I mentioned how there's been a burger explosion in Taipei, I get an email of yet another burger place opening nearby. There's mention of onion rings and shakes so of course I have to give it a try.
The checkered Americana decor definitely stands out in the alley, hidden not too far from ZhongXiao and KuangFu, aka the Pizza Hut buffet corner.
With the checkered theme, the Burger Stop reminds me of Triple O's, which I tried in Hong Kong, which is not a bad thing. The bright red and white interior has ample seating with two floors to sit, with American Top 40s pop music playing in the background. I love that it's open at 11 AM too because a lot of lunch places seem to open closer to 11:30 AM or noon.
Ordering isn't too complicated- choose either a single or double stack (one or two patties), with or without cheese, combo or not combo, french fries or onion strings, soda or shake. A double stack combo with onion rings would cost about NT$190. You can see them grilling up the burgers and frying things to order in the open kitchen. There wasn't any other options besides burgers when I went, but I hear word that they should be adding chicken and pork patty burgers to their menu soon.
I ordered a single stack burger with onion rings and a chocolate milkshake (NT$225), while my friend got the single stack with cheese combo. I got the chocolate milkshake first while I waited for the food and it made an excellent first impression. It was SO good. Creamy, thick yet easy to suck up, that made me feel like I was drinking a Jack in the Box milkshake. I used to drive through Jack in the Box just to order their cappuccino shake. I think the Burger Stop's shakes are decently priced (NT$70 or plus NT$40 for combo), which will give them an advantage from other burger places in town that charge NT$150+ for their shakes. And their sodas have free refills.
I would go back to Burger Stop just for a milkshake.
When I went, Burger Stop had just opened just days before and they hadn't gotten their trays yet, or their timing down. I got my burger, but then we were still waiting for our fries and onion rings. The burger was a good size and will get the obvious comparisons to In-N-Out, and the patty is grilled nicely and has a good flavor and texture, but I was wishing the patty was just a tad thicker for everything else that was going on in the burger- the crispy lettuce, tomato slices and healthy spread of sauce which tasted a lot like Thousand Island dressing. Maybe because I was comparing it to 1885 Burger Store which offers juicy, thick burgers in the same price range, and just visited the month before.
When my friend and I were finishing up our burgers, we looked at each other and knew that we had to split another burger. So if you're on the hungry side, I recommend getting a "double stack" burger.
One weird thing I noticed halfway through eating my burger was that the lettuce and tomato were at the bottom of the burger instead of above the patty. It gives the last taste to be more lettuce than beef, so I just flipped it over and ate it that way. Do you care about the order of the beef-lettuce-tomato?
The fries came not too long afterwards, and then the onion rings about 5 minutes later and they were nice enough to bring it upstairs where we were sitting. Instead of thickly sliced rings, they have thinly sliced, crispy strings that have some seasonings in the batter that give it an addictive quality. They aren't too greasy and I even stuck a few in my burger. I was happy with the quantity of the sides too, which some places can be quite stingy on. It would be cool if they had ranch and bbq sauce available too to dip the onion st/rings in.
The Burger Stop should quickly become a neighborhood favorite for some, especially if they can find fans from those who have gone without In-N-Out for a long time and have been desperately craving something like it. I wonder if you'd be able to request some "animal style" grilled onions on your burger as well?
Hungry in Taipei burger lovers, what do you think? Will the Burger Stop be able to compete for your fave burger place in town?
17 comments:
they DO kind of look like in-n-out burgers! haha now I'm craving an in-n-out burger...
They almost look like In and Out burgers! So close! Just the order is off and I can't see the spread. :)
And if In and Out served those beautiful onion rings I would be visiting right away...
"The burger was a good size and will get the obvious comparisons to In-N-Out..." lol Joan, before I even began to read the post I was already waiting for an In-N-Out comparison.
I'd recommend you check out Bravo Burger. They have been the best burger I've grabbed in TPE thus far. This place looks like it deserves a whirl though....thanks for the review!
food je t'aime: hehe! i am that crazy about in-n-out, but it's nice to have something like it here
eatTraveleat: yes, onion rings always get me!
roger: hahah! thanks.. are you in taipei?
matt: ok, sounds good.. Bravo will go on my to-do list! let me know if you try this place..
In-N-Out or maybe the Big Buford at Rallly's...anyway now I'm hungry. Great blog. Nice work!!
FYI, Burger Stop uses the same order as In-N-Out (lettuce on bottom). http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp
I actually prefer it this way since it's how backyard BBQ cheeseburgers are made in the States. The patties are turned, the cheese is added on top while it's still cooking so it melts a little, and then the bun is added onto the patty and cheese, so all three merge into gooey deliciousness...
So how is it compared to in-n-out? Is it a worthy substitute or just an decent impostor?
bookmarked btw.
There's yet another burger place...in the Shida night market, check out Ghostburger. He's American and has two options - the mini burger (35 nt) and the regular (75 nt). It's opposite Toasteria next to the Indian restaurant. Open nights only. Very tasty! Everything is made fresh! A great deal when you want to skip the fries, onion rings and shakes.
Just tried this place out tonight - had the double cheese with onion rings and chocolate shake. All were excellent! Onion rings had nice seasoning and I actually liked the patties on top: seemed like I had a better taste of the meat. It's like a little more expensive than McD or BK, but the quality's a lot better (even though you have to wait a bit for them to cook it). Definitely repeatable.
Avoid the 担々麺 across the street on the corner - it's mediocre. However, I will try the 博多ラーメン closer to the entry of the alley - it will be interesting to see how close they can get to the real stuff in 福岡.
We tried it last weekend and I have to say the milkshakes were AWESOME. Burger was yummy too - a little heavy on the lettuce but that's an easy fix. I'm anxious to try their onion rings...and I might as well try every shake flavor!
Ginny: their onion rings are well-seasoned and crunchy, and a bit greasy - extremely addicting. I also like their shakes - I usually get a chocolate shake and a single.
BTW, they increased their prices about 10% recently - they've also added a TRIPLE burger!
I just went here last night. I'd have to say at first I was rather pleased with the meal. The burgers were quite good with a nice cheesy taste you can't get at normal taiwanese burger joints. I also got the chicken finger combo, and the chicken fingers were also quite tasty.
The only gripe I have about the entire experience is that shortly afterwards I experienced what I'd like to deem as the "McDonalds" aftertaste, ie the taste u get shortly after eating mcdonalds dolalr menu foods. I'm not sure exactly what causes it but it is not something I associate with good quality food and will likely regulate my frequenting this store in the future.
I'm going to try this place. So far the best burger place I've found in Taipei is "Awsome Burger". It was just that. Everyone I take there agrees. It is small and hard to find at Xinyi District, Keelung Road, lane 190. My favorite is the Chili Burger.
They're Closed
It's a shame, I liked this place. In Taipei is was the closest thing I found to Five Guys. I need to start hunting again. I haven't had Five Guys since August. :(
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