Helluva burgers. Heavenly shakes. I've had a few friends try Burgatory (get it? Purgatory, but with burgers?) and report back to me with amazing reviews - "You MUST go!" "Best shakes ever!" "Burgers to die for." So it's been on my radar for quite some time, and just recently was I able to dine at the heaven and hell-themed restaurant with Afton.
Burgatory has three locations - all of which are in Pittsburgh: Robinson, Fox Chapel/Waterworks, and the Consol Energy Center. Because we were heading up on a Friday evening, we went to the Robinson location thinking it'll be the least crowded.The parking lot was swarming, so we knew we were in for a wait. Luckily, when you go inside, you give them your name and phone number, they'll give you an estimated time and text you when your table is ready. Genius. They told us we'd have about a 60-70 minute wait, so we went to a nearby plaza for some half-priced books (my fav!).
We were only gone about a half hour before I got a text saying the table was ready and we had 10 minutes to get back. Panic sets in. We weren't far, but traffic was a little iffy. It only took us about five minutes to get back, so no worries there. We were seated at a fairly small table against the corner. This place gets packed tight, so be prepared to get to know your neighbor. Ours was a lovely couple who enjoyed their meal. It's kind of dark and cool inside. Very modern and hip.
After careful consideration of the menu, I first put in an order for a milkshake. Tell me this doesn't sound like heaven: caramel pretzel ($6). Classic combination of sweet and salty. They also have alcoholic milkshakes, but I passed on that this time.
It is a large helping with a thick straw suitable for sucking up all the crunchy goodness in that shake. They even give you the cup with the extra in it.Okay, delicious. It's kind of like this shake was made for me though with caramel and sweet/salty. The caramel was the dominant flavor, but the pretzel had its moments throughout. Chunky pretzel and smooth, luxurious ice cream. Mmm.
We ordered an appetizer of truffled gorgonzola fries. Super good. Lots of gorgonzola all throughout - not just on top - and melty to the salty fries. Yum.Okay, onto the main course. You can make your own burger with a custom creations menu. But Afton and I both chose something off the menu. I went with the Meat Your Maker ($13.5) - "Dry Aged Wagyu Beef with Sweet Onion Crust, Aged Gruyere, Roasted Tomatoes, Organic Field Greens & Truffled Shallot Aioli. So good you’ll think you died and went to heaven."
And it was pretty good. One of the best burgers I've had. It's clear they put some time and consideration itno the ingredients on each burger. Because this had a beautiful blend. Everything melded together seamlessly to create a fresh, hearty, tangy, well-balanced burger. I loved the onion crust paired with fresh veggies. The aioli and cheese topping the burger were savory. Burger was juicy - I got mine pink. You can get it red, pink, or cooked through. All in a well, a great burger and a much better option over Five Guys or other burger chains.Afton got the Morty's Steakhouse, which was my second option I wanted. It was "Peppercorn Crusted Beef Burger with Horseradish Cheddar, Haystack Onions & Cabernet Sauce. Like the greatest steak dinner you’ve ever had reincarnated as a burger."
Hers was good, but I didn't taste the sauce as much. The dominant flavor was definitely the burger, and everything else kind of took a back seat. Not that that's a bad thing, but I liked that mine had a little more depth.And at the end - you get a fortune cookie, of course.
Grade: A
