Thrifty’s Burger Review – Carytown Burgers and Fries

There was no way I would skip a Burger sanctuary like Carytown Burgers and Fries (3500 W Cary St) on my mission to find the best bargain burgers in town.  I think of this place as a college hang out.  They have greasy food for cheap prices every day and they deliver.  Sign me up!

In plain terms, this place is like the dive bar of burgers.  When we walked in, we were slapped in the face (or the ears) with the death metal blaring from the speakers in the kitchen.  We waited for a couple of minutes and overheard some funny conversations coming from the kitchen.  Something to the effect of “We are going to run out of buns.  I’m going to hit up 7-11 to get some more.”  Just in time, we were greeted by a dude in a tie-dyed t-shirt, placed our order and headed upstairs.

Upstairs is a small eating area that was filled with hungry twenty-somethings.  We were lucky that there was one table open by the window.  Part of the experience of eating a Carytown Burgers and Fries is the anticipation every time you hear someone coming up the steps.  Is it your burger? Is it the burger of the couple at the next table? Or is it just another customer coming up for a table?  When ever the stomps up the steps result in a man with burgers in hand, guests’ eyes light up like Christmas morning.  For us, this was no exception.  When our burgers arrived, you would have thought we won the lottery.

The Burgers are definitely the highlight of the experience.  They are juicy and delicious, melted cheese oozes on all sides and the bun is buttery and melts in your mouth.  There was no way that bun was from 7-11. It is clear why we waited through the death metal greeting, hiked up the steps, squeezed into a table way too close to the people next to us and waited with bated breath for the arrival of our dinner.  These burgers are the BEST.  Plus we paid only $14.12 for a Cheeseburger, Mushroom Swiss Burger and an order of famous fries to share. 

Personally, I enjoy the authenticity of the entire experience, but if you are faint of heart you might just want to call in an order to delivery.  Either way, these burgers are totally worth it.