Hands down my favorite burger and fries in Chapel Hill. The fries here are amazing. Fresh cut, fried and salted perfectly, and served in huge portions! The regular fries and sweet potato fries are equally good, and I would go with a half n half of each. The fries are so good that you don't really need sauce, but they do have some killer sauces here. My favorite is the chipotle mayo, which has a nice spice to it, and my other favorites are the honey mustard and dragon sauce. The burgers are also really good and are big. I've never left Buns not full and completely satisfied. The meat patties are had made, thick, and juicy, always cooked really well. My favorite burger to get is the fire roasted jalepeno burger, which has fire roasted jalepenos, avocado, bacon, and garlic mayo. I like to add pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and carmelized onions as well. The burger is spicy from the jalepenos, and the fresh, thick slices of avocado and bacon also add another dimension to the burger. It's just overall a good burger. My other favorite is the Yolko Ono burger, which has chevre (goat cheese), bacon, runny egg, carmelized onion, grilled mushrooms, and a balsamic reduction. The burger is wonderful and unlike any burger you will eat. The balsamic and goat cheese are just a magnificent combo and the egg and bacon give it an extra breakfast flavor to it. I would highly recommend this burger. Buns is my favorite burger in Chapel Hill and is a must every time I visit UNC. While the combo meals are a little pricey depending on the burger you get ($11-13), the portions are huge, and everything is delicious. You seriously have not had a burger and fries until you've been to Buns. read more

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It's a burger and fries. They serve beer, and they have interesting flavor combinations. However, it's certainly not the best burger I've ever had or will have. Is there a Five Guys around here somewhere? If I'm going to inhale 1500 calories in a sitting, I think that's how I'd do it. Besides regular burgers, they allow you to pick unlimited amounts of toppings, they have whole wheat buns, and also have great looking hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches. Don't get me wrong, it's good food, and if they're open late as I imagine they are, I bet it'll taste incredible, but don't Pokey sticks still do the trick? I mean back in my day, they still did. read more

If you haven't been, go to Buns to get the best (in my opinion) burger in Chapel Hill. I usually order one of the standing specials, the Goat Cheese Burger. It's topped with basalmic reduction, tomato, and goat cheese. I add carmelized onions and grilled mushrooms. I usually get it on a wheat bun. It's life-changing. Recently while lunching there, the younger of the two owners helped me craft a special burger which we dubbed "LambGoat." It's the same burger I just described, but with a ground lamb patty. You just have to try this. You must. Aside from that, they have great fries (I get half regular and half sweet potato) and dipping sauces. My favorite sauce is chipotle mayo, but the wasabi mayo and curry mustard are also good. They also have (good) vegetarian options, and Tuna, and other stuff that isn't red meat. Everything at Buns is plentiful. The burgers are huge, the fries are excessive, and that's awesome. The staff is great, and you get a great view of Franklin Street while you eat. read more

Buns is definitely one of my favorite places when I'm in the mood for a 'gourmet'. I usually choose between a single patty turkey or beef burger. My friend who has gotten the veggie has sworn to me that it's really good. I'll take her word for it, but I prefer meat. It's a really nice place, there's plenty of seating, although if you go to Buns on a Saturday night, it might prove difficult to find a seat. There's a television around with sports always on in the background, and the window seating provides a nice look at the people walking by in case you're in the mood for people watching. It's essentially a 'make your own burger' place, although there is a list of 'specialty' burgers on the right. I tried their goat cheese burger, it was awesome. You can get a combo along with your burger, which includes either normal potatoes, sweet potatoes, or get it half and half. There's usually bags of whole potatoes near the front, indicating that they make their own fries from scratch, which I greatly appreciate. You also get to pick your own dipping sauce. Get the dragon sauce or the chipotle mayo, both are quite good. The serving portions are quite large, so if you're feeling extra hungry, you can both get a combo, but usually when I go with a friend, either of us gets a combo and split the fries. Overall, it's a nice burger joint. Ben and Jerry's is right around the corner so you can get ice cream as a quick dessert or try your hand at at the desserts that they make themselves (I think), which are quite good. read more

I've come here twice now, and both times were a couple years apart. I was hoping the 2nd time that maybe I missed out on something truly magnificent, but still nothing impressed me. The burgers are expensive and so-so. I don't get the hype over this place. Yeah, they have unique sauces to put on the burgers, but that's it. The burger itself is truly forgettable. So yeah, nothing really tasty. Except for the sweet potato fries. Those are good. So I'd come again....for the sweet potato fries. read more

I love Buns. I am stunned I have not written this review yet. I don't live in Chapel Hill, so I don't get to Buns but a couple of times a year. Usually I am going with someone who has never been before - and whoever I take always falls in love. I rarely eat meat anymore. When I do, I want to make sure it is going to be a great experience. I always get the goat cheese burger which has a wonderful balsamic reduction on it. I also get cheese fries with chipotle mayo for a dipping sauce - might sound strange but it totally works. Buns does two things right that are important to me: (a) Burger size: At most places, I would get a gigantic burger that would be way more than I could eat. Buns gets the serving size right, and you can add more patties if a single isn't enough for you. I think this works out well. (b) Cheese: Buns has a generous amount of goat cheese on their burgers. And while I love cheese, too much can get in the way. Buns doesn't give too much or too little. It's perfect. You get a huge amount of fries with your order. I can never eat all of mine. Extra dipping sauces (you get the first one free) are just .25. So it's not that expensive to buy a couple of more if you need them. I usually get one extra. Service it super friendly, and the place is clean. If I'm going for lunch I try to hit there just before noon to beat the rush. It's worth it! read more

Had seen the positive reviews, but was pretty disappointed when we finally made it over. 1. OVERALL. It is a local Chapel Hill version of Five Guys. The menu, pricing and serving style are almost identical. If there was a Five Guys across the street, or any other half-way decent burger joint in CH this place would not be in business. 2. BURGERS. Went here with my wife - the burgers we got had effectively been dumped into a vat of pepper. To the extent they advertise local produce, any flavor to be associated with said local produce was overwhelmed by the enormous amount of pepper. 3. FRIES. I was excited to see cheese fries on the menu. It was just cheez-whiz dumped on what would have been perfectly good french fries. It was good to see that they also had sweet potatoe fries as an option. 4. AMBIANCE. It was 80s retro on the interior. Last comment - I've got Celiac disease and follow a gluten free diet. They were very knowledgeable about this, knew that their french fryer only did french fries and had a bun-less burger option. Kudos to them for being so helpful in this area. read more

We are huge fans of buns. In fact it's our go to place through Tarheel Takeout when we have visitors, and only yesterday someone was asking me where we got those amazing burgers. Good menu selection on the burgers, wished they had a comprehensive list of slider options, but that aside it's a family pleaser. I always get the large fries and then wonder days later when I throw them out why I can't learn! It travels well in takeout, burgers are YUGE, and I can highly recommend the consistency! read more

The campus drag of Franklin Street has great food of many varieties, but has long had a sizable gap in the American fast food area. No longer. Buns is not just a burger joint. It's fast food with a gourmet flare. Everything that Fuddruckers, In-And-Out Burger, and the like have tried to accomplish is in practice here, and it works beautifully. Sandwiches are the name of the game here. Hamburgers are naturally the staple, but selection runs the gamut, all the way up to a sesame-encrusted Ahi tuna sandwich. Everything is made to order, so you get to build your burger from the bun on up. The quantity and quality of the fixin selection is impressive, and there are literally dozens of unique burgers that can be created by switching things out. The portions are excellent, as well; I'm a big guy with a big appetite, and I was stuffed by their medium-sized burger combo (which I believe was a half-pound burger, though they don't measure things on the menu in those terms). Prices are very reasonable (stuff yourself silly for under $9 or eat light for under $5). The staff is incredibly friendly and seems to genuinely care about their customers. The location is convenient to the UNC campus and the Franklin Street bars, which is doubly nice since they are considering becoming a late-night venue (a welcome higher-class option to those of us who don't want a burrito or a bucket of bones). Go to Buns. Eat there. You'll love it. read more

Buns - Burgers Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

We first visited "Buns" on Halloween night, so, needless to say, it was PACKED! However, it was well worth the wait. The food is fresh and they have a creative burger menu, which I appreciated! Also, the variety of dipping sauces is neat and they were all so yummy. My husband ordered the sweet potato fries and I had the regular french fries; They were both great, though, I liked the traditional fries better. This is a great place to get a quick, delicious meal. read more

I guess I'll catch a lot of flak on Yelp for this, but i just didn't realize why this place was so hyped. A burger with fries and the dip will easily set you back 11-12 bucks and honestly I was not impressed. The best part of the meal was probably the dips. They were good, not great, but at least they were the one bright part of the meal. The burger itself wasn't exactly flavorful or special. To be honest, five guys probably makes a better burger. The burger is filling, but it's nothing too special. You won't leave Buns thinking the burger was the best you've ever had. The toppings are good, but nothing unique or impressionable. The caramelized onions were good i suppose. I honestly thought they overcooked the meat and the "buns" do not lend themselves well to holding onto all the excess toppings. The fries were way over cooked, and not the best, I don't think they lived up to the hype. At the prices Buns are charging, I simply expected more. I guess I went in with too high expectations. read more

Overpriced, slow service, and just OK food. I keep trying to give this place another shot at impressing me, but at this point I don't think I can chalk it up to just bad experiences. They have lots of topping choices for burgers and dipping sauces for fries, but they don't cook patties to order. I've only ever had dry overdone burger patties that are only partially redeemed by my favorite choices of toppings. For about $10 for a burger, fries, and drink this is very disappointing, and pricey considering you could pay the same (or less) at sit-down restaurants on Franklin. To top it off, I've always had to wait 15+ minutes to get my mediocre, not-cooked-to-order burger. This is the case whether the place is super busy or practically empty. Maybe I'm impatient, but that's a long time for a short order spot. read more

We went here late on a Sat night with friends. So, second dinner basically. The burger I had was pretty good. Not bull - city burger style, but good. The jalapenos in it were spicy! Staff was courteous. The missing one star is because they forgot one milkshake order. Seemed like they were busy watching a basketball game on tv. read more

Hands down the best vegetarian burger I have ever had. The fries are great almost on par with Burger Shack. Interesting options for toppings. The Service is friendly and prompt, the place is clean. read more

This is a great burger joint. The concept is simple, choose a patty, or two, and add as many toppings as you want. Some toppings cost extra like bacon or avocado, but they probably have 10 different choices for you. It's pretty similar to a Five Guys, except the portions are bigger here. A single patty will cost you about $5, or get a combo for $7 or $8. Be warned though, when you get a fries, you will get a huge portion of fries. You can probably split those with one or two people. They also have a few different kinds of dipping sauce, another differentiator from Five Guys. I strongly recommend this spot if you want a great burger however you like it, for cheap. read more

Best dang veggie burger & sweet potato fries. Warning, the veggie burger is HUGE. I got greedy and got the double patty and had a difficult time eating it all. Also, a large portion of fries is seriously a LARGE portion so plan to share. Buns definitely serves one of the finest veggies burgers around. I got beets and goat cheese to complement and it was great. Bottom line: if you want a veggie burger, you really can't do better than buns. (I think I just created a slogan for them) read more

After only having been here one time, I am not sure what I think of it. I got the Cajun Burger which was very tasty. A hefty beef patty seasoned with Cajun seasoning with andouille sausage and pepperjack cheese. I also added caramelized onions to the mix as well. The onions were a very nice addition, they were definitely caramelized, to the point where they were very sweet (they probably added some sugar too). The hand cut fries were very good with some chipotle dipping sauce on the side. Buns is similar to the nearby Sandwich. I actually prefer Sandwich though. The atmosphere at Buns was lacking a little. I prefer Sandwich in that regard. However, Buns is a little cheaper than Sandwich. The name "Buns" is a little questionable... read more

Best burger joint I've been to yet! The burger was LOADED with toppings that I chose myself but was still incredibly light. My husband had the brunch burger which was a single beef patty with cheese, bacon, and a fried egg on an english muffin. I had a single beef on a wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, raw onion, bacon, cheddar cheese, mayo, ketchup, mustard, and a fried egg. Delicious is an understatement. The sweet potato fries were baked so not as crispy as I like but still had good flavor. Try this place, you won't be disappointed. read more

Buns - The brunch burger! - Burgers Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Absolutely delicious! Buns has become one of my favorite restaurants in Chapel Hill! Soooo good! They're burgers are amazing and fries TO DIE FOR. Their fries also come in big portions which is a plus. The guys that work there are especially great. Always make you feel at home when you're at Buns. A little pricey but worth every penny and coming from a poor college student that means a lot! Keep on keepin on Buns! read more

I had a question about the menu, and the owner responded within an hour. Terrific customer service, and still the best veggie burger I've ever had. read more

I went with a group of friends after hearing a lot of good things about this place. Got the regular burger with just cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo, and side of fries to share. Burger was very juicy and bun was perfectly toasted. Only downside was the soda I got was flat, but it happens. Would def go again. read more

"My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun" Sir Mix-A-Lot said these words in his prolific 1992 Grammy award winning single "Baby Got Back." Of course he wasn't talking about this hamburger joint. But let's say, hypothetically speaking, that he been able to try one of these burgers back in 1991. Well that could have changed the course of history as we know it cuz baby's got burgers! My personal recommendations: - Only order the "Tar Heel Triple" if you lifted hard earlier that day (it's a lot of meat) - Dragon Sauce is definitely the best dipping sauce (honorable mention to the Wasabi mayo) - Salted caramel milkshake if you're into that kind of thing read more

Oh Buns, if only I hadn't seen the light while living in Atlanta, and if only you hadn't used the words "superior" and "handcrafted". Unfortunately, I don't have a replacement for you. However, I won't be able to return. Buns, why don't you grind your own meat? You are a BURGER place. Yes, your fries and dipping sauces are good. And you have some really nice looking new interior signs. However, if you want to be a superior burger place, you need to put more effort into your product. read more

I can't find anything to complain about. Buns is always good, always friendly, and they just did some simple renovations that look nice. Their veggie burger is fantastic, as are their grilled cheeses. Vegetarians and omnivores alike will find a favorite here! This is my father's and my brother's favorite place when they visit me in Chapel Hill. I also recommend Buns often to guests staying at the hotel at which I work and people often thank me for the suggestion. What I tell guests is: They will give you a TON of fries, so be prepared to be unable to finish them Get a mix of sweet potato and regular fries All of their dipping sauces are fantastic You can fully customize your burger to your own personal perfection Service is friendly, food is delicious read more

I don't know why, but I've tried this place so many times to figure out why it's so popular and why so many people purport to love this place but it just has never really done it for me. The fries I got were so incredibly burnt and dry I just couldn't stomach them. No amount of sauce and salt could rescue those things. I made my own burger because I wasn't sure if one of the pre-made combinations would do it for me. All of them had just one odd thing or one thing missing for me to want to order them. The burger I got was alright. It was nothing special or anything I'd go out of the way for. I went on a weekend as well so it was crazy busy and took a while for my food to come out. read more

Really good salmon burger minus Wasabi mayo. Exceptional amount of fries come with combo. Burger was really good and fresh. Definitely recommend giving it a try. read more

My family and I stopped for lunch on 12/29. We are from NY ,my wife and I have three boys and they enjoy their burgers and fries. The burgers and fries did not disappoint. Fresh made to order,singles, doubles. Outstanding. We ate around 330 and we were still full at 830 that night. It isn't often my boys say they are still full with no need for dinner but BUNS did the trick. The place Has a simple set up. Order at the counter get your number and have a seat. The service was friendly and welcoming. It was another place that we enjoyed while in Chapel Hill. read more

Oh my stars. I keep having beautiful daydreams about the curry mustard dipping sauce from this place. It is AMAZING with the sweet potato fries, specifically. I want to go back. There is a lot to experience here, food-wise, and I want to go back and experience more of it. The veggie burger is good and you can put anything you want all up in it. ANYTHING. There are so many choices. The variety, the specials, yeah it's all great. BUT THE CURRY MUSTARD GUYS. You need to try it. If I lived closer, I would be here all of the time. And really, really, morbidly obese. If you go here with someone else, share fries because you get so much food it's kind of crazy. Curry Mustard. read more

I don't know how I've been coming here so long and failed to give a review. I love this place. The people are always incredibly nice, the prices are decent, and the food is great. What's not to love? They have gluten-free buns and vegetarian options for those who need them, and I'm personally glad to be able to have a turkey burger instead of beef without an upcharge. read more

I'm rating Buns with 4 stars based on their turkey burger, fries, huge variety of toppings, and the fry dipping sauces. All great! Where else can you get a huge slab of brie on your burger? And I love that whenever we come here, we have so many fries that I can take them home to reheat and enjoy again with the dipping sauces! Ironically, I find that the one thing I don't like about Buns is its buns. They are boring and bland. I also think that their beef burgers are a bit dry, which is why I go with the turkey. My wife thinks that the veggie burger is pretty decent, compared to what you get at some places. Also, be careful when you go. During the school year, and especially in the evening, this place is packed with students and it'll take you forever to get fed. We prefer going for lunch on the weekend as its been easier to get in and out. read more

Buns is just ok. They have a good selection but their food doesn't really do anything special. I like their turkey burger and the fact that you can add pretty much anything to it. I actually agree with previous posters. I didn't like their buns. I also thought their fries were just mediocre. All around okay place to eat. read more

Went here because I am currently attempting to do a LOW FODMAP diet and I saw that they had GF buns and I knew I was allowed to have burgers. The GF bun was actually really delicious!! I also got a side of sweet potato fries which was delicious. They had cool choices for sauces such as "dragon sauce" and a thai one. My boyfriend got the veggie burger and loved it. read more

Simply awesome. Good food. Good diner atmosphere, and even good background music. Come here for the burgers and come BACK for the amazing, perfect fries, and great dipping sauces(try the one with Sriracha if you like spicy stuff) Oh and the people who work here are great! read more

I've been to several of the restaurants on Franklin St, and have now learned that finding a good eatery is like finding a needle in a haystack (or more like a hay in a needle stack). Buns is one of those rare places that I wouldn't mind going to for a meal or two. First of all, parking is pretty hard to find. You will most likely have to park in a nearby lot, or just take the bus/walk here. Once you go in, you see a rather small restaurant with two different menus. The menu on the right has all of their special burgers, which range in price from $4-$10. On the left is their regular menu, which has your choice of burger/sandwich/salad/etc. The burgers are all customizable with your choice of sauce, veggies, cheese, and miscellaneous goodies. It is about $5.75 for the single stack, but you can go all the way up to a triple stack for around $9. If you don't feel like choosing, feel free to pick one of the choices from the menu on the right, or a salmon sandwich, which comes with an Asian slaw, wasabi aioli, and a hunk of salmon and lettuce in between two pieces of bread. It was pretty good, but is a bit pricier at $8. Be creative with this! You can also make whatever you get into a combo (+ drink and fries) for an extra couple dollars. They give a lot of fries!! The burger+fries+drink combo should be more than filling for your average Joe. Also, they offer one choice of their array of dipping sauces for a regular order of fries, and two choices for a large order. Any extra sauces are 25 cents each. Overall, not bad! I don't really like the idea of being charged for my sauces, but they are pretty delicious and you may find they are generally worth the quarter to try. My favorite was the chipotle aioli. Unlike most restaurants on Franklin, I will be back here soon! David's VPP (Value per price): 6.5/10 read more

Awesome burger joint. Their burgers are great but their sweet potato fries w/ dragon sauce is something else. Price is reasonable too. read more

Good burgers, especially on being able to pretty much customer it any way you want. However given the proliferation of gourmet burger shops in the Durham area not sure if there is anything outstanding anymore. Big plus on the huge basket of delicious sweet potato fries you can order as side. Probably a great place for UNC folks or anyone visiting Franklin Street, but probably not worth the effort to walk, drive or bike from a far. read more

We ate there with a small group on a week night. The wait staff was very pleasant and, as we'd not been there before, helpful. Order your sandwich from a smallish menu at the counter, with a large variety of free and inexpensive toppings. We both got burgers, I got the double. We shared an order of sweet potato fries and a drink. That was plenty. We were quite happy with our burgers; to rate them as plain burgers (as some have) we'd have to eat them plain which we didn't. With the toppings they were quite good and of appropriate size. The sweet potato fries were also good (and the regular fries, which I sampled). As was the dragon dipping sauce. It's noisy but that's to be expected in a place like this. It's more expensive than McDonald's but there's more variety and more atmosphere. For what it is, it's very appropriate. read more

This was my first experience here, and most likely the last. As my wife will confirm, burgers are what I enjoy more than anything, particularly from local joints. Upon entry I had high hopes: the staff was friendly and quite helpful, the menu was neat with lots of options. I got the single, with nothing special on it, fries and drink. The fries were enough for 2, but I kept them all to myself as they were fresh cut and quite tasty. Now for the centerpiece of the restaurant, the burger. For the price, this was about as lackluster as it could get. The bun was nothing special at all, and the meat was chewy and didn't have a good flavor. Service was great, food was ready quickly and there was plenty of seating. read more

Buns - Burgers Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Don't get the hype at all. People will kill me but their burgers just taste weird. They charge for their dipping sauces and they refrigerate them so they're always cold. Not a big deal but cold honey mustard is worse than cool honey mustard. That doesn't detract from the stars rating though. It's also wildly expensive. A cheeseburger, fries and a drink is over 10 bucks. Especially when I don't enjoy the burger at all. I'd avoid this but others love it. Not sure why. Even my friends love it read more

Buns is the best! It's all about the options here. There are about 1 million different toppings you can put on your burger, they carry whole wheat buns and you can get either beef, turkey, chicken, fish or an awesome house made veggie burger which (as a meat-eater) is delicious! Oh yeah, at sweet potato fries with varied dipping sauces. Need I say more? read more