May 3rd, 2014 - Atlanta Burger Tour #3 We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to explore the city. It was a Saturday, traffic was light, the skies were bright & the temperature was gorgeous. If that weren't enough, EVERYWHERE we went today we were greeted warmly. What's a Burger Tour you ask? It's when a group of really cool yelpers get together to share a burger at different establishments around town. Depending on the size, we will split burgers in two's and sometimes three's. By sharing the burgers, we have room to try different places all in the same day. This time we stayed inside the city limits for some classic neighborhood eats. ------------ - - - - - - A N N ' S S N A C K B A R Our Tour began @ Ann's Snack Bar. It's small, only accommodating about 8 people at a time inside. However, our group of 13 had plenty of space on the patio. Although we arrived 1/2 hour before opening, to our surprise Miss Ann and her staff came out to greet us, take our orders, and offer drinks while we waited for our Ghetto Burgers. My regular Burger Crew of Bill, Jose, Tanya, Lindy & Jamarcus were there as well as a few newbies like Panida, Willie, Annie, Bear, Tahnita, Jackie and Yulanda. Miss Ann was on point to day. Faster than normal service and WOW was she engaging. She sat with us for about a half hour towards the end of our meal & told us stories of her long 40 year career as a business owner. Great stories about the famous people that have entered her doors (her favorite being P-Diddy). Miss Ann is unfiltered, so it was a lively conversation. As for the burger, if you don't know, you betta ask somebody! It's the shizzle fo'rizzle my nizzle. A R G O S Y The lovely Helena joined us for this leg of the tour. I am an artist. Not by profession, but I've had the art gene racing through my blood since elementary school where I designed sets for plays and our graduation program. I dabble in interior and exterior design, so Argosy was extremely appealing to my visual sensory glands. Everything about Argosy was a feast for my eyes. I probably annoyed the group as I couldn't stop saying how much I loved the look, from the reclaimed wood on the walls, to the old fashion light bulbs & stools made out of tree stumps. The burger was also a feast for the eyes. Probably the most beautiful burger presentation I've ever seen, and its taste did not disappoint. Of all the burgers we sampled today, I could taste the quality of beef the best in the Plancha Burger here. L I T T L E ' S F O O D S T O R E & G R I L L Nestled in the heart of Cabbagetown is a neighborhood gem that has been in existence since 1929. Run by the Little Family for more than half a century, this charming little grocery store has changed ownership a few times over the years. Economic hardship caused the doors to briefly close in 2005 only to find itself in jeopardy again in 2013. But thanks to a rally cry from the local community, Little's was saved to fight another day.... and we are very grateful. The couple that now owns the store are warm & welcoming. The whole experience made me wish I was lucky enough to be a resident within walking distance, because I could see myself coming here EVERY day to eat & have conversation. I truly enjoyed my visit. We were starting to feel the weight of our task today, so we all chose to get the slider-sized regular burger they are know for. It was outstanding! C Y P R E S S S T R E E T P I N T & P L A T E Our final stop brought us to this vibrant little neighborhood joint where the air is filled with music playing on the garden patio. Kristin B popped in to take a break from her final exam studies. At this point we were stuffed, but just had to have one of the most unique burgers of the Tour. The Sublime Burger, which is sandwiched between two glazed donuts acting as the bun! SHUT UP!!! In a way it was the perfect ending to our day as this burger almost became dessert. Couple it with the sweet potatoes fries and you are in for a real treat. THE VERDICT Who won as the best burger of the Tour you ask? Well, let me just say every burger was a winner, each in it's own right is worthy of multiple visits. The clear winner for most of the group was the Ghetto Burger @ Ann's. It's a beast of a burger for only $10 (that also includes fries and a drink). But I am a fan of "the new" as Anton Ego put it in the movie Ratatouille. I'm very familiar with Ann's, but Argosy, Little's & Cypress Pint were all new experiences for me. Each will hold a special place as each had it's own personality in both décor and taste. I honestly don't have a favorite this time when it comes to the food. However, if I were going by feelings only, Little's is simply a special place that captured my heart. It's the kind of neighborhood joint that hearkens back to the days where at most you only walked a few blocks to do your shopping and where the shop owner might also be your neighbor... and friend. read more

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God I love burgers. Prior to the Burger Tour, I would have said that I could eat one a day and be happy. After the Burger Tour, I didn't want to see another burger for a long time. We stopped at three different establishments on a lovely Sunday morning/afternoon to determine whose burger reigns supreme. Holeman and Finch Our first stop on the tour was at Holeman and Finch. We strategically planned this outing on a Sunday so that we would be able to grab one of these suckers. I am not one to sit in a bar for hours on end waiting until 10 pm to be able to grab a coveted burger. Fortunately, they offer their burger on the Sunday brunch menu. The restaurant opens promptly at 11:30 am. I arrived at 11 am and there was already about 15 or so people in line. Fortunately, some people in our group are early birds and were the second ones in line. The line had stretched around the side of the building by the time the doors officially opened. There was a mad dash for the entryway instead of an orderly filing inside the building. Good luck not getting run over. We were seated at one of the larger communal tables. Everyone talks about how great this burger is. One would expect to be let down when trying it out for the first time. I was not let down. This burger was a thing of beauty. Two beef patties smothered in American cheese with onions and pickles. I'm not a pickle on burgers fan so I picked mine off and Brent H. happily consumed them for me. I normally add mayo to my burgers, but this burger does not need anything added to it. Pure greasy perfection. Totally worth the wait on a Sunday morning. I'm still not willing to come during the week, though. One Eared Stag Brent H. mentioned that One Eared Stag now had a burger that we just had to try. I called the restaurant to find out if they happened to offer said burger for Sunday brunch. They told me that I would need to call the day of to find out. I was also warned that they ran out of burgers on the day I called so we should come earlier in the day to be on the safe side. We debated what our second destination would be while we were sitting and Holeman and Finch. We ended up coming here second so that we would be able to grab some before they ran out. They call their burger The Meat Stick here. Our server assured us that this burger would beat Holeman and Finch's burger hands down. That's a ballsy statement. Their burger is also a double patty with American cheese. They add pickles, onions, and what our server called pickled onions that tasted like banana peppers to me (and looked sort of like banana peppers). The burger is served with a steak knife. Perfect for our group as we were splitting all of the burgers. This burger is not as greasy as H&F's. It was really, really good. Just not H&F good. OES did have the best fries of the group. I almost got sidetracked while sitting here waiting on our burgers and watching all of the delicious brunch items pass us by. I love eating brunch here. I did get a Pimm's Cup to enjoy with my meal. It was the best Pimm's Cup I've had in town. Another reason to head back soon. Seven Lamps We headed over to Seven Lamps for our final burger of the tour. This place offers a 50/50 burger that's not on their menu. Just ask for it and they will happily prepare it for you. This burger was one big patty with some sort of melted cheese, bacon, onion, pickles, and a sauce reminiscent of the kind served on Big Macs. Sadly, this burger was a distant third when compared to the other two. The bun had an obscene amount of sesame seeds on it. I felt like I tasted the sesame seeds more than the actual burger. Very distracting. The fries here were also disappointing. A lackluster ending to our afternoon. I will say that I returned here recently and someone in our group ordered this burger and it looked a lot better than the one we were served on the day of the Burger Tour. The fries were also amazing. So much better than previously. Maybe they have a third string cook for Sunday brunches? It's a shame because I definitely would have liked the burger I saw served to my friend. Overall, it was an amazing afternoon. I'm looking forward to the next round! read more

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I had been looking forward to going to Atlanta Burger Tour and was not disappointed. The place is very chic & clean. Everything was so tasty. And also, the service was great and the staff was very helpful. Atlanta Burger Tour - Highly recommended. read more

My first - but certainly not my last burger tour (hopefully) took place this past Saturday, and it was a blast! Without a doubt one of my favorite UYEs to date. There were four stops - each stop was fairly unique from the next, but I was impressed by each location. Excellent choices! First Stop: Ann's Snack Bar | Burger: Ghetto Burger The Ghetto Burger is legendary in the A, and having been born and raised in Atlanta, I can't believe I'd gone this long without having one. Richard R. warned us of it's massiveness - and he was right. It's huge. Our half of the table split this one into fourths and it was still about the size of a slider! The staff was absolutely charming and they were all so helpful and sweet. Miss Ann, however - was the highlight of our visit; She actually came out and sat with us for a bit, entertaining us with stories from her 40+ years in business, which are priceless! Second Stop: Argosy | Burger: Plancha Burger This was another first for me, and it was love at first sight. Argosy is one of the most aesthetically stunning restaurants in Atlanta, it's the epitome of rustic chic with wooden floors and carved wood panel walls. It is located in East Atlanta, so, yes hipsters and high wasted shorts abound - but I enjoyed the atmosphere - fairly casual for such a lovely restaurant, which is right up my alley. Out of the four burgers, the Plancha certainly had the loveliest presentation; served on a wooden cutting board, already cut into halves, garnished with pickles. Third Stop: Little's Food Store & Grill | Burger: Sliders Also a first, but this one's been in the bookmarks for a while, and it did not disappoint. The aesthetic of Little's is a hybrid between a convenience store and a small town diner - complete with bar seating. We all opted for the slider, as there was still another stop to go and we were becoming pretty full. The slider did not disappoint, my favorite aspect was the cheese. The cheese! Talk about melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness! Little's is also the only stop of the four to use potato buns instead of wheat - excellent choice Little's, excellent choice. Final Stop: Cypress Street Pint & Plate | Burger: Sublime Doughnut Cypress is the only stop of the four where I have previously dined and have had the burger. I loved it the first time and it didn't disappoint the second time. How can it - when the buns are glazed Sublime doughnuts, and the patty is topped with bacon?! It can't, sweet and [slight] saltiness is always a winning combination. Overall, my favorite out of the four would have to be Ann's Ghetto Burger, it was also the favorite for the majority of the group - I'll definitely be back to enjoy one of those bad boys all to myself. Second place goes to the Sublime Doughnut - Again, those doughnut buns are just killer. However, there was no clear loser, I thoroughly enjoyed each tasting from all four stops and I look forward to returning to each restaurant - relatively soon. Thank you so much to Richard R. for a lovely UYE - I'm eagerly awaiting the next burger tour! read more

Richard R. And William G. did this some time back and I decided to tag along for this one. Shout-out to Tanya C. for giving me a ride. What we did: Go around to places in Atlanta who's Burger was rumored to be the best that Atlanta had to offer. We visited the places on a Sunday and split a burger with another yelper. The places we visited are: 1) Holeman & Finch: We got to H&F 30mins before they opened since we were informed of the crowd that usually forms, and they weren't kidding. The line at opening time was about 40-50 people long. Luckily we were towards the front and got seated with the first group. I didn't take a good look at their menu but it wasn't very big. We ordered, waited and chatted about the rest of the places. The burgers were out in no time and they looked good and were a good size for the price. After splitting up the burgers and I took a skeptical look at what I had. I then said 'what the hell "and took my first bite. What I tasted was unreal! The meat, the cheese, the toppings, and the bun all combined to produce a flavor greater than the sum of their parts. This was a burger worth a 45+ minute wait. The group wanted to stay but we resolved to get to rest of the places on our tour. Honestly I would have been happy staying and getting another round 2) The One Eared Stag: I like The One Eared Stag. It's on my list of places to take people who visit me in Atlanta. I was looking forward to their burger which they called the "meat stick". Pro tip from the other yelpers: call ahead to check if they are serving it that day. We arrived at The One Eared Stag and were promptly seated. The waiter went over our menu and since it was 12:30 I was able to order their Kimchi Mary (F U Atlanta blue laws). Some of us wanted to order their vanilla pancakes but were promptly reminded of the purpose of the visit. We ordered our Meat Sticks and discussed what H&F had offered and the possibility of something beating that experience. I thought "nothing will come close to H&F". And I was wrong. The meat stick was brilliant! The burger was just as juicy the cheese just as gooey and the combination with the topping brought it so very close to the H&F experience that for all intents and purposes it was the same. All I could think about was that in a span of about an hour that I've had 2 burgers that have beaten all the burgers I've ever had! 3) Seven Lamps: After two brilliant burgers I was starting to feel a bit full. However, we pushed on to Seven Lamps. This would be our last stop for the afternoon. Seven Lamps was empty when we arrived. We were seated and we continued the discussion of the menu and the past places. Seven Lamps has a large and varied drink menu. They have something for everyone from jerk sodas to barrel aged cocktails. Now, Seven Lamps doesn't have the burger their menu but don't hesitate to ask for it. The wait for the burger was about the same as the other two places. When we got our burger I started to wonder if this would be the third burger of the day that would blow my mind. Sadly, it was not a mind blowing burger, my mind was only about 84% blown. It was a great burger but not H&F or One Eared Stag good. Honestly I think it was the combination of someone other than the main chef and the number of sesame seeds on the bun Conclusion So what can I say about this tour? What has it thought me? Simple Flip Burger's burgers are GARBAGE (I'm still bitter about my experience there) and that I really need to try the H&F burger at turner field. Also I'm looking forward to the next tour. read more

Different people all have different tastes. Some I know are very closed minded about food, denying themselves the pleasure of delicacies from other cultures. Yelpers I know have no such hang ups, often delighting in the breadth and depth of their palates. And then there are my companions and I from this burger tour. Whilst we do enjoy variety, we share a passion for an American staple: the hamburger. Thus we found ourselves travelling to three different destinations one fine Sunday, to sample some of the best Atlanta has to offer. For our first stop, we chose Holeman & Finch. This establishment treats its burger as an event, with limited numbers available at 10 PM on weeknights, but if you come for brunch on Sunday, it is freely available. That being said, do arrive early, as we did, because quite a line forms outside. One might wonder, can a burger live up to this hype? Can such an item be worth waiting in line for, or counting down like it is New Years' Eve? If you don't believe this is possible, then I suggest all the more you head to Holeman & Finch, because brother, it is worth it. The flavors on this one gel together so fantastically, it is difficult to label what is special about it. Having reflected on the experience, I tell you it's all in the beef. Such quality, flavorful meat perfectly blended with the cheese and sauce, I burst out with the exclamation "This burger makes me feel better about life." Now I hope none take offense, but this wonder literally improves your mood while it proves vegetarians are wrong. It is accompanied by decent fries for $12, not much considering the trouble I already told you it was worth. We head now to our second stop on the tour. There were big concerns about whether it was fair to the other burgers that they have to follow Holeman & Finch, but we pressed on. Astonishingly, our second stop does actually approach the first in greatness. We pointed our myriad GPS devices to One Eared Stag, a favorite restaurant of yelpers and one of my first recommendations to people looking for a good restaurant in Atlanta. The burger, the meatstick, is a recent addition to their menu, thus making a great place even greater. (I am so sorry, vanilla pancake stack. I will come back to you at some point. Probably. You know, if it doesn't work out with meatstick.) True to form for One Eared Stag, this was two patties of great tasting beef, complimented by excellent cheese and bacon. As pointed out by my good friends Brent and Richard, comparing this with Holeman & Finch is like comparing super models- you're just happy you're with either one. While I would give Holeman & Finch's burger a razor edge advantage over this one, the fries accompanying the meatstick are vastly superior, and all for the same price. One Eared Stag changes its menu daily, so be sure they have it before you head there. No, check that- if they don't, you'll still love the food, so just go anyway. For the last stop- hey, even I can only eat so many burgers in a day- we went to Seven Lamps, a restaurant nestled in the shopping center near Lenox Square with the American Apparel. Again for the same price as the previous two stops, you get a double cheeseburger and fries. These fries, called hand cut cottage fries, were distinctive in shape and taste. A little salty, but decent. The burger was good. Served on a sesame seed bun, with a nice sauce, it does deserve a place on the same tour with the previous burgers. Certainly the weakest of the three, but don't misunderstand me. I'm not negative about this burger, and the restaurant itself was lovely, with a nice selection of drinks, including house made cane sodas and a number of interesting cocktails. So that concludes our burger tour. I will add only that this was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon, at three excellent restaurants with five excellent friends. Take it from me, that's math that really adds up. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) read more