Josh Henderson is a chef local to the Seattle area involved with opening many different restaurants over the last 13 years. His restaurant group Huxley Wallace was behind Quality Athletics which I was able to review several times for various french fry dishes. I once volunteered at FareStart for a charity guest chef appearance (but he wouldn’t remember me). Chef Henderson has recently narrowed the focus of Huxley Wallace, with Burbs Burgers being one of the newer concepts.

Burbs Burgers has been on my radar for over a year. I saw a local news article saying that there would be a new burger place in the shopping center a couple blocks from my house. The opening has been a bit delayed, but fortunately there are two other locations already open that I could visit and try it out.

The menu is simple, but it’s exceptionally well executed (and affordable). These are smash burger style patties of high quality beef, with a high quality bun, and a keen attention to detail. I tried their standard Burbs Classic (one patty, American cheese, ketchup and mustard) as well as the more interesting Burbs Special (patty, American cheese, special sauce, shredded lettuce, grilled onion, and pickles). I got that one as a double. The burgers were great, but I liked the Burbs Special more than the Classic. The only note that I have is that the pickles could have been more pickled. Beyond that, it’s an incredibly satisfying burger. The bun is delicious and perfectly toasted, the beef is crispy and well seasoned. The price point is extremely approachable with the Classic coming in at $4.00, and the Special starting at $4.50.

  • Classic
  • Special

All that being said, the fries were the best bargain. At $3, you get a generous portion of what I’d call classic American fries. They’ll feel very familiar. You’ll take a bite, close your eyes, and see the golden arches on the back of your eyelids. They’re about 6.5mm thick, fried to a perfect blonde, and seasoned to perfection. No, a bag of well cooked fries is not a groundbreaking achievement. However, it can turn a bad day into something at least above average.

For now you can visit Burbs Burgers in Pioneer Square or Montlake, but hopefully the Mountlake Terrace location opens up before the end of 2021.