I know, I know. Shake Shack is by far the most ridiculously popular burger place in town right now. Every single person with whom I have spoken has said the same thing – the wait is at least 45 minutes long, if not well over an hour.
Why am I not writing about that place yet?
Did I ever tell you how I hate lines?
Anyway, this post is not about Shake Shack, though it is about new burgers in Boston and also a chef whose food we have always enjoyed.
We were first introduced to Bobby Flay’s bold and flavorful Southwestern dishes from Mesa Grill, his popular restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Bryan, who has always loved Mexican food and has a weakness for anything bold and spicy, consider Mesa Grill one of his favorite stand-bys in Vegas. He almost always goes there when he has a chance.
Interesting, Bobby Flay first became famous through his burgers, more specifically his burger bar in New York. So of course, when we found out he was opening up a place here on the outskirts of Boston, we knew we definitely wanted to see just what caused such a hype around his burgers.
Bobby’s Burger Palace is a casual but stylish burger joint with colorful walls and a well designed layout. This one is located at the Burlington Mall (one of the biggest malls north of Boston), though the entrance is separate from the mall itself.
We went several weeks after opening, but the place was still super packed. The line went out the door and spilled onto the sidewalk, though it moved relatively quickly. I was really impressed with the quality of the service and the general cheerfulness of the employees in spite of the crazy crowds. The wait for the food was not too long, and everything moved along quickly and professionally.
You have all different sort of creative burgers from which to choose. You can opt to “crunchify” any of your burgers. This just means they add some really crunchy potato chips inside the burger. For fun, since it was so highly recommended, we both went ahead and “crunchified” our burgers. 
Check out these onion rings! They are heavily battered and really crunchy. Although it was well executed, we both agreed that we preferred onion rings with less batter (more in the style of Kelly’s Roast Beef’s onion rings, not in the style of Burger King). 
The burger, on the other hand, was very good. All the ingredients were really fresh and everything came out looking like it was assembled with great care. The burgers were cooked a perfect “medium”. They were juicy and flavorful, though they didn’t have much char (which was something I missed). I guess maybe the crunch of the chips make up for that lack of crunch from the char. 
It’s not the best burger I’ve ever had, but then it only costs $8. In this price point, I think it’s a very good value and I can totally see why this place is so popular.
I probably wouldn’t drive out all the way to Burlington from the city just to eat this burger (we have plenty of excellent burgers in Boston), but if I happen to be shopping at the Burlington Mall and I don’t feel like spending a lot of money or time for a really solid meal, this place most certainly delivers.
How about a Mesa Grill in Boston next?
Bobby Flay Burger Bar
Burlington Mall
75 Middlesex Turnpike
Burlington, MA
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