So. Sick. Of. Burgers. - Ok. This place looks nice. The beef is cooked right. They don't put weird spices in it. The buns are made at a local bakery (the owner's father's bakery), and the toppings are right. BUT. This place isn't special.
Despite the fact that the restaurant tries to distinguish itself from the other 1.2 billion burger joints in Warsaw, it falls short when it comes to making a superior product. Yes, the name is "between two buns" instead of "something burger" - and yes the mantra behind the brand, "homemade taste," gives the restaurant a specific goal beyond jumping on the burger craze bandwagon. However, the ideas that distinguish the restaurant in fact hold it back in other ways. "Between two buns" makes me think of a lot of other things than burgers - wink wink nudge nudge - let's face it, it sounds more like the title of a porno. Perhaps not in Polish...perhaps my mind is warped. Actually, I think it is in line with another Warsaw trend - clever restaurant names. There are as many clever restaurant names as there are burgers in Warsaw.
As far as "homemade taste" goes, I'm afraid that this has resulted in there being "no taste." The food is extremely bland. It is quality, but bland. For example, I had a soup. The soup was creamed cauliflower with a drop of what I assume is the restaurant's homemade "pesto" which is really just parsley chopped up in oil. I've managed to sample two different burgers at this place, including the classic and the blue cheese burgers. Don't get me wrong, the meat is high quality and they don't overcook it, the buns are pleasant and crusty, and the toppings are balanced and light, but there isn't a lot of flavor. There just isn't. The homemade sauces are strange too. The pesto isn't pesto at all. The aioli sauce tastes like it has broccoli in it even though it doesn't. And the one sauce that actually tasted good was nothing more than a runny ketchupy thing doctored up really good with Worcestershire sauce. I heard good things from vegetarians who've eaten there. The one thing that I will admit was rather good was their french fries. They are a very good balance of crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and they have a nice even golden brown color.
The one thing that I did really like about this place was the service. The people who work here are aware of their place in the bigger scheme of the burger spectrum and they try hard to make their restaurant significant and outstanding. They smile a lot and are extremely helpful. The focus on quality is also tangible. The motto of the establishment is that once the burger trend begins to fade (oh I pray this happens sooner than later - hint Warsaw :TACOS) and the dust settles, Między Bułkami will still stand due to the fact that it is Quality (notice the capital "Q"). There is a focus on quality, and they are serving quality food with quality service in a quality space. But, where is the pizzazz? Where are the fireworks? Where is the flavor? It isn't there. Plain and simple. And I am still So. Sick. Of. Burgers. read more