Let’s Burger: A bit too saucy
In my mind, something called an “Original burger” should include a patty, toppings such as tomato and onion, and a bun. It should not include a slathering of what looks and tastes like – and might well be – Thousand Island dressing. Which is what came on not only my “Original burger” (RMB48), but also the “Nicoise burger” (RMB48) ordered by 8 Songs at Let’s Burger last night.
On the first floor of new Nali, Let’s Burger opened last Friday and is a long, narrow, and airy venue with Spartan decor and a friendly staff.
Here’s how the place works: You order at the counter, grab a table number, sit down, and wait for the food to be delivered. 
The burgers come in baskets. (Note: Fries are extra – starting from RMB20.) Both the beef and pork patties are tasty, the toppings fresh if simple, and the bun pretty much nondescript. The seating is comfortable enough, especially, given the weather of late, the tables outdoors.
A self-serve station includes about a dozen condiments in squirt bottles, including “bao bao hot dip,” Mexicano, and Wasabi mayo, though incredibly no mustard. (This is where that Thousand Island / burger dressing should be.)
Let’s Burger offers a small but decent selection of beers, from Grolsch at RMB25 to Old Speckled Hen, Newscastle, and Kona’s Pipeline at RMB35-38, though the wine appears to be limited to house at RMB38.
For another diner’s take, here are 8 Songs‘ notes:
When all you want is a drink while waiting for friends, it’s a little strange that you have to go up to the counter and order. Once the beverage has been selected, you are given not a drink but a numbered table tent so that the waitress can find you. Next time I won’t bother. [Note: The beer, but not the wine, is "take away."]
The décor was not quite American 50′s, not quite modern, not quite flowing, not quite right. Though the smell of the cooking induced hunger.
The drinks selection was interesting, but only one wine – a nondescript French cabernet. RMB36 for it was over the top, especially since the glass was well below half full.
As for the burger itself, my de la Nicoise (the menu board has the spelling wrong) was built on a nice slice of pork. But the toppings left me disappointed. If I wanted thousand island dressing on my burger bun I would have asked for it. A smear of coleslaw should have been aside the meat, not on top of it.
This must be the first restaurant that doesn’t automatically at least offer fries to go with the burger.
Presentation of the food was okay, with my burger on a white plate. But no cutlery. Since we were sitting beside the sideboard, I helped myself to a knife and fork.
The food arrived within 2-3 minutes of us ordering. That means the burgers must be on the hotplate in anticipation of an owner. Pity help it if I wanted mine cooked rare.
RMB48 for the burger was at the low end of the spectrum according to the menu board. And on the low end of the spectrum in terms of value for money.
To summarise, in a town where the flavour of the month barely lasts 3 weeks, this place is in danger. They seem to have a great feel for the meat, which of course makes the burger, but the rest of the offering is not likely to make it a drawcard among Beijing’s fickle diners. Let’s burger? Let’s not.
To be fair, this place has been open less than a week, so I’ll soon return for another try.
Note: Let’s Burger currently opens daily at 5 PM.
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See also:
Let’s Burger: It’s On. 5 PM. Today.
12 Comments so far
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wow, 20rmb for fries! they better be excellent
Attract people with the (not-so-cheap) burgers and tax them for the fries, that’s a clever trick, but not so subtle.
that make a burger and fries at 70rmb, twice the price of Luga’s 50m away. and I bet it’s not twice as good.
Hi Paul,
The fries were OK.
The meal itself was definitely not twice as good as Luga’s Villa, which has the added benefit of beer from RMB10, but then again maybe the place is still getting the kinks out.
Cheers, Boyce
Bummer. I was hoping the burgers would be half decent. I’ve been craving a good burger all week!
Fair report.
The place has a great location, welcoming decor, friendly waitstaff and chefs.
But they’re missing the most important ingredient for a successful burger joint: a good burger.
The ‘original’ is more of a Chinese interpretation of a burger than one that fits the comfortable & classic American style setup.
And the 20-kuai-extra fries are on the low end of the fry-scale for Bj.
I like the sauce bar idea and the open grill. Also did not appreciate the mandatory thousand island dressing. Gross.
It’s too bad because the place has potential. If the burger and fries were even as good as TGIF I’d quickly become a regular.
Way I see it, they’ve got a few weeks to kick the food up a notch and gain a following. Or else, it’s “Brown’s” for them.
@ p3wong,
I found the burger at Union yesterday (write-up coming) to be good but, again, pricey (RMB78).
@ Jingbo,
You’re right, the place has potential – location is good, that side deck is comfy, the staff is nice – but they’ve to fine-tune them burgers.
Cheers, Boyce
The place is called Let’s Burger. The staff was nice enough, the owner wasn’t too bad by recommanding the 150 kuai burger to patrons. But the burger was disappointing and price was high. They really need to improve their food quality or change the name to Let’s Burger Off or something similar.
But they did offer a chardonnay by the glass the day I visited for 38 kuai.
@ Kevin,
150 kuai. Is that the burger with foie gras, tiger prawn and gold shavings on top? I need them to deliver a good burger at the low-end, before scaling those burger price heights.
Cheers, Boyce
@Boyce,
Yeah, the most expensive one on the board. I Heart Foie Gras, but I did find the description was off, so I didn’t order it. but the double burger was dissapointing. I found Burger King serves better taste. :P
Cheers,
K.
@ Kevin,
Ouch!
By the way, re: BK, just received an email from a friend at the airport:
“28 kuai for BBQ bacon double cheese, fries, and Coke. Take that, Blue Frog.”
Cheers, Boyce
I’ve been there twice now – once with a few drinks under my belt on the opening night and yesterday straight sober so I could rejudge the burger. I also had a burger at Luga’s Villa the night before (yes, as my wife reminds me, my diet needs some examining…). I quite enjoy the burger at Let’s, and if you don’t like their home sauce (that they list on the menu as part of the burger, so you shouldn’t be surprised…) then ask for no home sauce. Seems like an easy solution. Luga’s burgers are of the old Club Football variety – tasty enough and filling, at a reasonable 2008 Beijing price, but the meat patty is quite dense as is often the case with Chinese burgers. The patty at Let’s is quite decent and preferable (although not perfect). I’ve only eaten the Original burger, not having swallowed enough bitterness at escalating Beijing prices to pay 100RMB+ for a burger yet…. This has kept me away from 25 degrees, and I’m waiting for Monday to try Blue Frog (where it is 2-for-1 burgers, at least at Shunyi and I hope downtown as well). All Star can wait a while longer for my burger business after all the negative reports from friends… And they promised In-And-Out quality!!!
My favourite burger in Beijing is still at Bite-A-Pitta – so hard to beat!
E
Okay, so I relented and went to All Star tonight, and the burgers were actually pretty good! Impressive meat, okay on the rest. Worth the journey and the price? Hmmm…. Maybe………
Still off to Bita-A-Pitta tomorrow and Blue Frog on Monday – like you, Boyce, I’m on a burger quest lately, doctors be damned!
E
@ Euchrid,
Point taken on Let’s Burger. And I didn’t realize it was “home sauce”; I thought it was Thousand Island dressing. I’ll give the Original Burger another try, but will skip those pricier options for now. If you factor in fries, even the Original Burger is RMB68, which is cheaper than Blue Frog, Union and 25 Degrees but far more than Luga’s Villa (nearly double), The Rickshaw, and The Den,
As for the “burger quest” – don’t damn the doctors, take one along for on-the-spot medical care.
Cheers, Boyce