Basic Burger’s veggie burger

This burger joint popped up last year in pentagon row and I finally had the chance to check it out! With shakes made from organic milk, locally sourced beef, a theme like “redefining basic”, and a veggie burger on the menu, I thought I should probably give it a try.



I’ll definitely come back for the moo shakes because that just sounds fun. They have a simple, yet clear menu. The cost is around the same as shake shack, but I thought overall it was a better value product.









The fries were delicious. Thin cut with house seasoning that was something like Cajun with a little sweetness, but very good dipped in their simple sauce.

Looks like they also have fun soda flavors, although I didn’t try any on this visit.





The burger came with a wooden stick in it, which is a bit excessive I think but did give it a nice touch. It smelled sooo good when it was ready.

Very impressed with the veggie burgers at this place. Made from lentils, carrots, celery and mushrooms, it holds together very well and had a delicious, simple taste. Almost like stuffing. 5 stars and I’d definitely go back. Basic sauce is great—kind of like Utah fry sauce but a more pickle flavor. They also had recycling bins and didn’t give you extra bags or packaging. Only thing that could be better is if they had glass water cups instead of plastic. 

Open City lentil burger

We were recommended Open City as a great brunch place but when I heard about the lentil burger, I realized The veggie burger blog needed an update. 

Although I usually love lentils I was not overly impressed with this lentil burger. It didn’t see to have much flavor. The bun was very thick, and the fries also could have used some more flavor. 

Presentation was great! This is the chicken sandwich my fellow reviewer ate, which also had a thick bun. 

It’s a cute place with nice vibes, but only a 3 star veggie burger. 

Tonic Baja Jaja burger

Tonic is a favorite iconic downtown hangout spot, especially for GW students. While perhaps best-known for its wings, nachos, tater tots and totchos during happy hour, Tonic also has great entrees on its menu. It's also very cool to be eating in a former historical pharmacy. I have heard very good things about their signature Mac and Cheese, and decided to try out their veggie burger.

veggie burger topped with grilled avocado, pepper jack, tortilla chip strips, served on whole wheat kaiser bun

The first bites were very good. The lettuce was crisp and lively. The tortilla chip strips gave the burger an extra crunch. The portion of avocado was generous.  The tomato seemed fresh. The burger itself was full of veggies-black beans, etc...

Although the burger and overall experience was good, there were a few things that could be improved. First of all, the bun was a little dry. Additionally, about halfway through the burger, it started falling apart. This is common in many veggie burgers that use black beans. Lastly, I think it could use a little more flavor. The last couple bites were a little bland.

Overall, I would give this burger probably 4 stars. It was tasty and good, and with a few small changes could be exceptional.

2036 G St NW :: Washington, DC

Bobby's Burger Palace

I had great hopes for the veggie burger at Bobby's Burger Palace. Founded by reputable chef and Food Network star Bobby Flay, I thought for sure this would be a treat or at least an impressionable veggie burger. I was impressed they even had a whole vegetarian section on the menu! Walking into the restaurant, I was feeling very good vibes coming off of the twisty lamps and tables. While not super crowded, the people who were eating there seemed happy and well fed. But not very many of them seemed to be eating the veggie burger.

We'll start with the good. They offer a side called "The undecided", where instead of choosing between fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings, you can do half and half of each! How many times have you been standing in line thinking, "Do I do the fries or the onion rings?".  Bobby Flay clearly knows the feeling and lets you choose a bit of both worlds! Yes you have to pay a dollar extra, but I thought the idea was fun.

The sweet potato fries were good, but the onion rings were on the disappointing side. Their lack of flavor could be covered up by the ranch dipping sauce, which was much to rich to make it a nice flavor combination. Each meal also comes with a pickle, which could be plus for some people, but as more of a non-pickle lover myself, it didn't really get extra points.

Now for the burger itself. The menu described it as: BBQ wild mushrooms, chickpeas and quinoa, with American cheese, tomato, pickles, romaine, red pepper chipotle mayo. Sound exciting right?

Not so. Or maybe too much so. As one food critic described it, "I feel like I took a bite out of some herbal medicine."

For me, my biggest issue was i wasn't sure what it was trying to be. The barbequed wild mushrooms had kind of an earthy taste and could have been good, but combined with the romaine, American cheese and quinoa, it just felt like too many things were being combined into one. I liked the chipotle mayo sauce--it made the burger a little spicy, but it was probably what I liked the best.

Not terribly impressed by the bun. 

So interesting? Yes. Would I recommend this burger or order it again? Probably not any time soon. 

I'll have to try the shake next time.

K STREET

2121 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
T: 202-974-6260

Busboys and Poets

This place has great vibes. I guess they do a lot of community events and poetry evenings, so it makes sense that they would have some great hipster and vegetarian food options.

I ordered the Vegan burger: homemade vegan burger served with arugula, avocado, tomato, vegan chipotle mayo on vegan multigrain bun, and it was excellent! The pickle on top was a great addition, but the overall best thing about the burger was the cool vibes of the thing.

They also had great sweet potato fries. With cinnamon on them. Which I've never had before, but I liked, but not dipped in ketchup.

Guest Post: D'lish on McGregor

Although this veggie burger was not in DC, the quality and flavor make it worthy of any veggie burger blog. (Plus take a look at the scenery behind it -- breathtaking eh?)

This is the vegan burger from D'lish on McGregor--a fabulous little coffee shop on the JCU campus in Cairns Australia where I've been staying for about a week. 

I got mine with cheese, but it honestly would have been perfect without. The veggie patty was curry flavored with veggies chopped so that some were not quite recognizable but definitely not pulverized. The bun was also a thick with a nice texture and the perfect moisture level.

Oh and the weather was perfect with the rainforest behind it.

Whole Foods

The Beyond Burger at the Whole Foods food court is very good. It is a close second to the Impossible burger from Founding Farmers in terms of veggie burgers that taste like meat. Although the texture and flavor was very meaty, it was not quite as convincing as the impossible color, and the coloring seemed a little off to me. 

I think the main reason I give the impossible burger the higher rating may be because of the fixings on it. I got the goat cheese impossible burger, which had awesome accompanying flavorings and was a complete package. Although when I was a carnivore, I would have enjoyed a plain meat burger with only cheese, tomato and iceburg, the veggie burger in these surroundings seems to be a bit of an imposter. Perhaps if it had had better tasting toppings I would be converted. Also the quality of the bun was also better in the Impossible Burger.

The advantage of the beyond burger is that it is also available for purchase. You can buy them uncooked and then season them up like a pro and add really good toppings and eat it from the comfort of your own home. I can see this being a really great addition to any summer barbecue.