Anyone who knows me knows that there’s nothing I appreciate more than a good burger. While the occasional trip to Manhattan to refill those special tanks that can only be filled by such establishments as Shake Shack and New York Burger Company are almost necessary, Hoboken has of late developed quite the variety of burgers, a delight to few more than myself.
One of Hoboken’s newest burger joints is Bareburger, located at 515 Washington Street at the location of the recently-departed Piri Piri Portugese BBQ. While Bareburger is fairly well-known to the Manhattan food scene as an organic, eco-friendly burger/foodie haven, the proprietors of the chain’s newest branch seems to be hoping to cash in on that same culinary desire sweeping through Hoboken and Jersey City over the last few years.
The décor is pretty interesting, it’s kind of a cross between what you’d expect at a steakhouse (there’s a restaurant in Dutchess County, NY called Bugaboo Creek that I’m recalling, but that’s neither here nor there, except it’s there) and what you’d expect from an eco-friendly, organic establishment. I guess the best way to describe the décor (wood everywhere, lighting fixtures made of utensils, etc.) would be that I think I’ve seen Bareburger previously in a Lumineers music video.
Taking a risk on my weekly stipend by bringing two friends for this review, we went for lunch and were mildly surprised to find Bareburger packed; with outdoor seating not an option (they have it, but last Saturday made anything outside incredibly uncomfortable), we waited for a table for about 15 minutes, nothing unreasonable. For drinks, we ordered the lemonade and strawberry lemonades, which were very refreshing, came in rather large glasses (one glass lasts you easily through the meal), and were garnished with basil.
Now, while Bareburger prides itself on organic, non-GMO foods, the primary quirk that drew your narrator in was their variety of meats. While they have a number of beef burgers, they also have bison, elk, goat (which I wish was brave enough to try), and wild boar; they have vegetarian options as well, but those of were little interest to our taste buds. Between the three of us, we ordered the Grindhouse burger (elk, manchego cheese, country bacon, and relish), the Buckaroo (beef, cheddar, brisket, and mushrooms), and the Supreme (beef, Colby cheese, country bacon, onion rings, and French fries). The burgers were solidly good, with unique ingredients that blend together well. One of the interesting things I learned from the Grindhouse is while medium rare beef burgers come pink on the inside, medium rare elk burgers come more on the purple end of the spectrum. I was a bit thrown by this color change, but pleasantly satisfied by the elk, which is a bit gamier than beef (kind of like venison, but that’s not too much of a shocker) but very tasty. The brisket on the Buckaroo burger was a nice complement, and the presence of onion rings and fries to the Supreme made for a nice starchy twist to the burger.
For sides, while you can order smaller portions for yourself, a more economical and portion-friendly option is to get the “Bare snacks,” which are family-size portions of sides. We ordered the rings and fries, which came with four sides; curry ketchup (my favorite of the four), habanero mayo, smoke sauce, and special sauce, which the waitress can explain upon request. The fries were honestly not the greatest, and could have served to be quite a bit crispier (think fries from Five Guys as to an indicator of texture), but the onion rings are large, expertly engineered, and absolutely delicious. While you would expect large onion rings to have “slippery onions,” a condition where the onion slides around inside the batter casing, Bareburger has found the secret and used it to society’s betterment!
Finally, dessert; having already blown through my stipend and appetite, we ordered dessert as a table to share, and upon the waitress’ recommendation, settled on the Snickerdoodle Sammie, an ice cream sandwich made of snickerdoodle cookies and caramel ice cream, drizzled in a caramel sauce. Word cannot describe the bliss experienced at our table by this marvelous concoction; you’ll have to try it and their other varieties of “Sammies” for yourself.
Bareburger is as billed, a foodie haven full of exotic meats, tastes, and flavors for all to enjoy. While their prices (~$25 per person after tip for our meal) are a bit on the higher side for a casual, burger-oriented lunch, they offer something unique and a first to my time in Hoboken; a relatively accessible trip on the wild side of burger creations. With Bareburger’s opening, maybe those trips to Manhattan don’t have to be quite as frequent anymore.
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