Emma Key’s Flat-Top Grill

Really good burgers and fries. Very fast with service. Great place to eat while sitting outside

Went to have a cheeseburger but ended up having a cheeseburger hoagie (Balboa). Angus beef so fresh the cow must have been slaughtered an hour before we arrived:-) seasoned superbly. Pound cake is delicious also. Staff is very friendly… We’ll be back!

Emma Key’s is a small restaurant with the kitchen clearly visible to the customers.
We tried the patty melt, greensburger and flat top 3 way chili cheese fries and regular fries. Also tries the pound cake (both chocolate and not chocolate)
The patty melt was a pretty good burger, and the greensburger with home made veggie patty was excellent. I, unfortunately, did not realize how big the portion is for the chili cheese fries and we had a lot of leftover.
On the downside, the chili cheese fries were not very tasty, neither was the chocolate cake.
They left my regular fries order and I had to request them to give me the fries.

With Hops Burger Bar getting all the national attention, my personal favorite burger in Greensboro is here at Emma Key’s. Flat top style chopped burger greatness, and sweet potato waffle fries. The end!

I’d give it 4.5 if I could. Absolutely never disappointed, never. Emmas’ should be on the National Registry for Historic sites! It’s really got that authentic diner vibe. Fun place to go. Oh, and you really get your money’s worth.
Now, to the main course, the burgers. As simple as grilling a hamburger might sound, it actually takes some skill and expertise. Many folks assume there can’t be much to it, but why do you think it’s really hard to find a great burger? Most places try to hide this through sleight of hand. They attempt to shift your focus from the burger to all the fixings. Brioche buns, avocado, bacon, various cheeses. It’s like they know the burger can’t stand on its own, and more times than not, they’re right. I mean, how many times have you had a «gourmet» burger only to walk away underwhelmed?
The good news is that Emmas’, regardless of what you smother your burger with, the meat, and how it was prepared, will always shine through! Of course, they’re never going to tell you what their secret is. And really, who could blame them! I’m just thankful they keep on cooking them.
Hands down the best burger in G’town!

Emma keys is the spot! Great food and great service! If I am in greensboro for even a night you can bet I am stopping in for a hotel california burger. They even make their own veggie burgers in house!
Shoutout to big will on the grill and the homie vinny!

My family visited Emma Key’s for the first time approximately 2 weeks ago. I was pleased to see that they offered a gluten free bun. However I ordered my burger with one but was told they were out of them so I got my burger on a bed of greens. That was my only option of eating at all here. I wasn’t able to enjoy the fries that my boyfriend and daughter ate because they do not have a dedicated fryer for just fries. Most restaurants don’t but it would be so nice for those of us with Celiac Disease if this could be a «norm». Those sweet potato fries looked great! The burgers we got were good and my 8 year old got the kids chicken tenders with fries which looked really good and she enjoyed. I will say that the kids meal size could be cut in half which I would hope would make the price not so high. $ 5.95 for a kids meal is a little pricey at a restaurant like this.

We were pretty disappointed with them this past visit. I ordered the lone star with garlic Rosemary fries. Our total came out to be around $ 23 and with 15% tip it was around $ 27 (would have been less had I known what the future holds). Order was placed 12:30 per my receipt but we did not get our order until 1:10. For two burgers and some fries I think this is a ridiculous wait time. The fries was a hit or miss too because some were cooked crispy while others were not cooked all the way through. I was also disappointed that my burger was just well done to a crisp. I am not sure if the burger was the way it was because it was thick and they wanted to make sure it was thoroughly cooked but it was a disappointment compared to our last visit. It’s always hard to find parking to come here and after this visit I’m not sure I’ll be coming back because I can’t wait 40 minutes with my newborn! When she gets hungry she cries big time so I can’t have that!

Very artsy and a cute spot, but the food was just a little too greasy for me. It’s a nice spot to come right after the farmer’s market next door. I’d like to try another dish other than a burger here because I’m sure not all their food is that greasy, I just happened to order one that was and it was definitely tasty, just needed to tone it down somewhat.

I’ve been there a million times and its still one of the best burger places I’ve ever been too!
I always get the Lone Star, but everything is delicious.
The sweet potato waffle fries are amazing too, I get them with chili and cheese and that just makes them that much better!

We love to bring the whole family here to enjoy the outdoorsy atmosphere here. The burgers and delicious with many different styles to choose from. The kids love the hotdogs. Everyone loves the regular or sweet potato fries. If you sit inside — be prepared to smell like a burger diner, but outside is the place to be so a really hot humid night means you better hope to get a spot near one of the many fans. Parking can be tricky and limited at times for this entire Walker street area as many of you should already know.

Emma Keys is my favorite burger place in greensboro! The wait can be horrendous, but I will suffer through it for that burger. I like the thin burger patty style better than huge, gourmet burgers (like in n out or steak and shake) so I love emma keys because they’re smashed all flat so I don’t feel like I“m eating a whole cow. My burger comes out juicy, hot, and full of flavor, without fail. I hate that I love this place so much, because the seating inside is as bad as the burgers are good. This joint is tiny so don’t be surprised if you literally can’t sit anywhere. But most of the times, other patrons know that you’re waiting for a seat so they’ll hurry to clear out.
I highly recommend emma keys to anyone stopping by greensboro and are looking for a good, unique bite. This a a great place, and I fully vouch for this unassuming gem of an eatery.
p. s. Get some fries too! Hot and plentiful!

I was hopeful that Emma Key’s would be the first good restaurant in the Lindley Park neighborhood. But, alas, it’s not. I’m not sure where the positive Unilocal reviewers and foodie bloggers were eating, but the negative reviews are pretty much spot-​on.
For one thing, after ordering it takes an inexplicably long time for a burger to arrive — even on a not-​crowded night, with plenty of employees.
And the burger is not really good. It was a small, sad sliver of a patty that seemed like the not-​unpleasant crispy char that had been sliced off of a much better burger. Mostly it was just below-​average bun. The bit of grey meat in it was drastically under-​seasoned (if it was seasoned at all). So, it was basically flavorless. The meat itself, though, did at least seem like it had once come from a high quality cow.
As with most trendy places that think very highly of themselves, American cheese is not an option — often a bad sign of the burger to come. There are lots of funky things you could put on your burger, to presumably distract you from its fundamentally poor quality (sort of like Coldstone Creamery and their «mix-​ins»).
There is a large lemonade dispenser where you can get your own refills. This was nice, even if the weak lemonade was more like lemon-​water.
Greensboro is usually one of the cities in North Carolina where you can find reasonably good food. But, the Lindley Park neighborhood is an exception — ignore the strangely positive Unilocal reviews and eat in a different part of town (it’s a very pleasant neighborhood, and filled with docile shaggy semi-​hipsters and lots of alcohol — this presumably colors reviewers’ opinions).
Two stars, since it’s still a whole lot better than fast food burgers, it’s not totally overpriced, and I haven’t gotten sick (yet).

I come to Greensboro once a year and every time I make sure that I stop into Emma Keys to grab a burger on my way out. The thing that is so special about this place is the variety. They come up with some awesome combos that many would not even think of. From traditional to wacky, they have them all. They also have awesome veggie and vegan options with bean burgers and falafel burgers too. This spot is awesome! Great beer selection too.

Great little lunch stop. I had the diablo burger and sweet potato waffle fries, which were both excellent. Burger had a nice spicy heat, balanced with a juicy beef patty. The large order of sweet fries was plenty to share with a friend or two, and we ate then all because they were perfectly crispy on the outside and buttery smooth on the inside… Just like a fried sweet potato should be. The staff was nice, and patrons were friendly, giving this place the feel of a local hangout. The overall feel is retro and no frills. Feels very genuine.
On the downside, there was limited parking on the street, and it’s somewhat of an entrapment situation. A meter maid spent the entire lunch hour writing tickets to patrons, and got me on a technicality. I was parked completely within yellow lines painted on the roadside to mark a parking space. Unfortunately, that marked spot was located within 5 feet of a driveway. So be careful.
Another minor downside, the prices were a tad high. My burger, large fries, and sweet tea cost about $ 14+ with tip included. I assume the prices reflect the quality of the food ingredients, and the laws of supply and demand. This place is now very popular, so they could probably increase the prices even more. On the other hand, I know there are other places in town that offer similar quality at a better value.
Overall, I enjoyed it, and I’ll be back again, but the parking and prices will cause me to visit Emma Key’s slightly less frequently. I think this would be va great place to take any out of town guests, to give a genuine local dining experience. Perfect stop for a TV show such as diners drive ins and dives.

This place is hit or miss. Sometimes the food is great, other times, it is average.
The staff are pleasant, but the wait times are often too long.
Also, this makes two times now, I have called for a take out and been PUT ON HOLD only to be LEFT ON HOLD AND FORGOTTEN. The first time I was comped an order of fries, so that was thoughtful, but what a horrible act of service, to be LEFT ON HOLD AND FORGOTTEN, only to hang up and call back to get a busy signal because the phone is off the hook.

Every now and then you want to eat a place that makes good basic foods and doesn’t mess things up with roo many frills. Emma Keys is just such a place. An old fashioned burger joint.
Flat top burgers to be precise. Flat top fries to go along with them. Toasted buns. Simple burgers if you want, like the Americana. Or if you prefer, you can go vegeterian, vegan or gluten free.
They have sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, a kids menu, deserts, really they have something for almost everyone.
Don’t look for fancy atmosphere here. Mostly outside seating and that is in a mulched area with large fans to keep it cool on hot days and to deter the flies everyday.
Food is good. Everything is down to earth. Relaxing.
Sometimes you need just that.

My friends and I decided to walk across the street to Emma Key’s Flat-​Top Grill for a milkshake and dessert, after dinner. My girl friend was set on getting a chocolate milkshake, and get one, she did. However, it took quite a bit of time to get it. We ordered at the front of the tiny, retro restaurant and took a number.
We sat at the first table and waited. My boyfriend and I ordered the grilled pound cake dessert that comes with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. We asked if we could substitute one scoop of the vanilla ice cream for strawberry instead. Our order came fairly promptly, but we got one scoop of chocolate and one scoop of strawberry ice cream on top of the dessert. I wasn’t too disappointed as I can eat chocolate any day, but it was not what we ordered. The young lady that brought our order quickly handed it off with only one plastic fork. My boyfriend asked for a second fork, and the young lady walked quickly to get it. When she came back she handed it so closely to my face and kept walking, I thought she was going to let the fork hit me. Fortunately, my boyfriend was able to grab it in time. It happened so quickly, I was thrown off a bit. I thought it quite rude that she had to rush so much that she didn’t pay attention to where she was handing off the silverware. My friend had to wait another 7 minutes before she got her milkshake and she ordered right behind us. I felt rude sitting there eating while she waited.
The desserts were quite tasty, but I’m not too impressed by the wait time, the rushing of the employees, and the lack of organization. I doubt I will make a second trip to Emma Key’s.

Gluten free buns, gluten free beer, and gluten free fries! As a gluten free diner (celiac) this is music to my ears. They don’t fry anything breaded so the fries are safe! I had the California burger with sweet potato fries and it was SO good. The fries came with caramel butter… amazing! I honestly had to eat it last after my burger cause it tasted so much like dessert. Delicious either way.
The ambience is casual and excellent in the spring time when the weather is nice. There is a large outdoor seating area with umbrellas. Perfect! Everyone who worked there was very nice, especially the lady who took my order.
The only thing that was terrible was that when I went to order my burger they told me they sold out of the gluten free buns! No!!! I was so disappointed but oh well. They put my burger on a bed of lettuce which was also super tasty. Check this place out!

Burgers were fresh beef, not frozen and cooked when ordered. Good for taste but bad if you are in a hurry or even expect to be in and out in less than an hour at lunch time, on a weekend. As long as you don’t mind the small space, little indoor seating and a wait, stop by and enjoy.
Service was OK, but I would have expected a bit more interaction and «fun» between patrons and staff. You are sitting in their work area, watching their every move, within touching distance. I really had the urge to help out on a few occasions!