Dempsey’s Burger Pub

The food is an absolute 5 star. But the service is mediocre at the most. The 2 stars are expressing how I feel about their customer service. I order a salmon burger just about every day when they are not out of Salmon. 1. They always get my order wrong and get an attitude when I correct them. The first time I let it go. Second time the waitress apologize and offered me a free meal. I called the next day to redeem the free meal and the girl that picked up tells me «you know this is only one time you’ll get this. Don’t try to call for more». I felt disrespected but didn’t say anything because I didn’t want them to do anything to my food. I got over it and kept ordering salmon burger and sweet potato fries from them. What led to this review was my recent encounter with ordering food for my whole staff on Wednesday. I ordered 2 salmon burger with bacon, fried egg, and sweet potato fries, 2 different burgers — 1 with truffle fries, and a salad. The salmon burgers were missing the bacon as usual, we wanted the egg cooked hard but it was runny when we got them. The burgers were switched so the person that wanted fries didn’t. Which they were pissed about. We called them to make a complaint and they said the girl that took the order was new. I can tell you that that was not the problem because the cook is the one who ALWAYS forgets to add whatever extras you want on whatever you purchase. They were rude on the phone and told us to bring it back to get the bacon. We are working individuals we cannot just leave when we want. They did not offer to deliver it to us or even refund us for it or anything like that. I was raving about this place and wanted to show my appreciation to my employees. This was disappointing to say the least. I have finally given up. No matter how delicious their food is, customer service should always come first. You just lost a customer who could have brought you many more customers due to how much she loved your food. I’ll take my business elsewhere. Free advise to you, I know it’s a bar and all but teach your waitresses about the importance of customer service. It does MAKE or BREAK a business.

The wait staff told us they were out of fries. HOW CAN A PLACE KNOWN FOR FRIES BE OUT? Stayed a little longer and had a few beers, saw people with fries at their table on the way out. WTH?

Stopped here with my hubby on a Saturday afternoon. The service was excellent. We were torn between the hot & medium wings — our server recommended the pineapple — glad she did because we wouldn’t have ordered otherwise & they were delicious! Can’t say we tasted the pineapple but they were crispy & the sauce & heat were perfect! We prefer our burgers with no pink — and they were — but still juicy and very flavorful! I had the bleu burger with sriracha fries — should have gone with the truffle fries but they were still good! LOVED the garlic aioli! I had the horsefeather to drink and it could have used a little more whiskey.

Friendly staff, good drinks, & not as crazy as some downtown restaurants. Classic American burgers and more, I would recommend Dempsey’s if you’re downtown and want a burger.

Burgers sounded good for a late night meal after some heavy happy hour drinks. Being gluten free, I always wonder if the burger place would have a gluten free bun that I can have. This place did not, so that made me a bit sad. I ended up with a bunless bacon, bleu cheese, onion marmalade burger. It was sub-​par. I couldn’t quite figure out what was so offputting but I think it might be that the whole burger was weirdly sweet given the onion marmalade business. Even the funky bleu cheese couldn’t manage to cut the sweetness. Another bummer, but certainly not uncommon at all!, was the fact that I couldn’t have an fries. Very few places have contamination free fryers for their potato products so from what I smelled, they looked yummy. Just can’t speak to their texture or flavor. Overall a solid place, if you can eat gluten.

As a visitor, I visited Dempsey’s based on Unilocal reviews and it seemed like a good bet since we were having a craving for fries… But unfortunately we were not impressed. Good, not great. Atmosphere is fun, with a couple of TVs if a game is on, but not accessible to see from all spots. Burgers were fine, but I wouldn’t say worth $ 9-​$ 11 to only get a burger… a basket of fries is $ 4-​$ 5 extra, or $ 2 for a side. We ordered the truffle fries basket, which come with a variety of different sauces (homemade it sounds?), but they came with our meal instead of beforehand as an appetizer which we would have preferred. I’m sure if you have a preference though, just tell the server ahead of time. There were maybe five different sauces that come in little sample cups which are nothing to complain about but I’d probably double up on the ketchup next time! The fries themselves were good but the only difference between the truffle and normal fries is that they have shredded Parmesan and bits of parsley… I’d probably go with the original next time because the cheese just gets brushed off anyway.
I tried the portobello burger which was pretty tasty, pesto was good, and my boyfriend had the smoked stack barbecue burger which was decent but not over the top impressive. Our server was polite but was by no means in any sort of rush to clear the plates or bring the check. All in all, there really wasn’t much to entice me to come back next time I’m in town.
On a side note, parking wasn’t too much of a problem… on Sunday’s we were told that all meters are free! Not sure how it is any other day of the week though… you probably will want to bring quarters assuming that every spot seemed to be metered.

I absolutely love this place. The food is fantastic, the beer is good, and the atmosphere is nice.

It’s good, it’s not great. Go there for a beer and to watch the game, go to the Burger Stand if you want more choices overall.

First time going was for my birthday! They have a special of a free burger! Definitely worth going!
Atmosphere is fun, with a couple of TV for the sport games going on, but not accessible to see from all spots.
I didn’t rate it 5-​stars since I’ve only visited the burger joint once, but I was happy with my visit and would recommend it to friends.

IMO Dempsy’s is better than the Burger Stand. Why? Because the atmosphere is way better and less crowded, full service, pool tables. The burgers are about the same quality as the burger stand, maybe a little greasier. The vegetarian burger is awesome: just a big portabela muchroom head with a thick slice of mozzarella and tomato.

Dempsey’s fulfills every desire of a burger pub. With a little bit of an Irish feel to it, the atmosphere is very comfortable. Time it right and you can get half priced burgers on Tuesdays! Great local beer selection on tap and bottled. SO much better than The Burger Stand on Mass, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Still my favorite bar in town. Great burgers, awesome fries, and always my favorite bartenders, even when they get new ones. And that Jameson special is still one of the best you’ll find anywhere.

This is an update to my previous review which was selected « Unilocal Review Of The Day». The burgers and fries are still good, maybe the best in town, but this visit was fraught with issues. I hate to replace a previous stellar review with this, but I have been left no choice.
First, between the AC and the fans, it was quite a bit too chilly. Pick one or the other, you do not need both. Go with the AC.
Second, my wife ordered a «root beer» and our server brought her a «Not Your Father’s Root Beer» which is actually an alcoholic beer (5.9% — $ 4.50). Fortunately, my wife is not a recovering alcoholic or a Muslim. but she does not drink alcohol and that is a huge problem. So much for our designated driver!
Third, when I explained to our server that my wife does not drink alcohol and that they should warn people about the alcohol in the root beer, she did not seem the least bit concerned … which should be a BIG concern for management. No apology, no nothing.
Finally, I was more than a bit dismayed when told that they had no dill pickles. What kind of burger joint does not have dill pickles? They have «sweet» pickles, but they just do not belong on a good burger, so I passed. So sad.
CombatCritic Has No Choice But To Downgrade Dempsey’ Burger Pub To 6 Bombs Out Of 10 For Their Various Faux Pas … More Bombs Are Better!

Food was great. Yummy burgers and fries. The truffle fries were great. Terrible service. We had to wait forever for our drinks to be refilled and the place was not busy. The dirty restrooms were horrible. It was 3pm in the afternoon… unacceptable.

Ok it’s kind of a dive but HELLO! Amazing burgers! Our table ordered bleu burger, smoked stacked, and salmon burger. All delicious! We had 2 different sides of fries with sauces and they did NOT disappoint. Truffle cream was to die for!
Only disappointment was that our draft beers were warm. Our waitress Mackenzie compensated us w a discount on our bill. Score! She was very attentive and friendly. Much appreciated!!!

All I can say is wow wow wow! The burgers here are ridiculous in all the right ways. Cooked properly to order. Tender. Seasoned. Brioche buns that melt in your mouth. I had the Picante Burger. The pepperjack cheese had melted in nicely. The purée of peppers was rich, earthy, and had a late spice to it. The fresh jalapeños added a lot of vegetable flavor and pop (I was sweating a bit!). The banana peppers added acidity and flavor. Genius!
The fire fries are among the best I have eaten. Red pepper flakes from the chili garlic oil are visible, and the crispy spuds do light up your tongue over time! The best thing about these slightly spicy fries is they go with just about all the dippers.
The place was busy for a women’s world cup soccer match, but our server was a sweet pea. She all over the place and handled us like a pro. :-)

These burgers and fries are among the best in town and the price is right. The sliders were 4 for $ 8 and my standard burger with cheddar was 8. Fries are 2 for a side and 4 for a basket. A side is a lot of fries. We had regular fries and sweet potato fries. They give you the option on sweet potato to have them sweet or salty. They make their own sauces and ketchup. Both the garlic aoli (which I put on my burger) and the ketchup were so delicious. Our burgers were perfectly medium well. The bun is very soft and slightly buttery. We’ve been in Lawrence 8 months and finally tried this place. Should have done it sooner. We’ll be back.
(This place and Burger Stand could be twins food wise.) Dempsey’s is smaller and a little harder to find when you drive by. The trees are blocking the sign and front.)

Hubs and I decided to stop by here after a KU basketball game because I was craving a burger. It was pretty busy on a Saturday afternoon but we managed to get seats at the bar. I had the Hot Hawaiian Kobe Burger and he had the Smoked Stacked Burger. We also ordered Truffle Fries. My burger was cooked perfectly and it was juicy and messy to eat but I enjoyed it. My husband liked his burger, too. The fries were a little burnt but they were salvaged by the dipping sauces. The garlic aioli sauce is bomb!

Ate for the first time at Dempsey’s last night. I was impressed. The bar is a great venue… just what every town needs. Great atmosphere and very good burgers/​fries.
I found out about Dempsey’s because I asked people familiar with Lawrence about the best burgers in Lawrence. Every person put Dempsey’s and The Burger Stan I even got some of the divergent history between the two joints. Could be true, could be lore… so in this review I am going to compare the two after writing about my experience last night.
I wanted to watch some college basketball. Dempsey’s is good for that. Get there early and you will have a great seat to watch the game. They have lots of TVs. I got there a little late. There were tables open but they did not have visibility to TVs. If they added two TVs or moved a couple, all seats would have perfect view.
Time to order my burger. This place is a dive bar. A clean one but a dive bar. Dozens of beers to choose from. A nice bourbon list. When I looked at my menu for the first time I was a bit confused by the menu. In a dive bar I normally would not expect to see ingredients on the burgers such as ‘micro arugula’ or ‘onion confiture’ or menu items such as a Quinoa Burger. It seems to have a bit of a bi-​polar personality.
I ordered the blue cheese burger and added a side of mustard and pickles. Wow… it was really good. The burger was perfectly cooked and mildly seasoned. The blue cheese was strong and wonderful. The onion confiture was sweet and crunchy. Just delicious. The bun seemed to be a day or two old. I got the fire fries. They were good. Not horribly spicy. Not bland either. I got a side which was more than ample. I eat a lot and I left some of the fries. They had too a number of sauces they brought with the fries. All very good. If I wanted more sauce, I am certain the waitress would have brought me more.
I will write a separate review on The Burger Stand on their page but here is my comparison between the two…
Atmosphere: D: 90, BS 75
Burgers: D:90, BS 95
Fries: D:85, BS 95
If you spend time in Lawrence you need to try this joint out. You will not be sad or hungry leaving.

I came here Sunday noon and absolutely will be back for their truffle fries! We had wonderful service and were quickly seated. Me being clumsy dumped my entire glass of water into my friend’s lap by accident… and the waitress was very helpful (and I did not feel judged for being a klutz… hah!) and brought out towels to clean up my mess.
The servings were ginormous and I brought half my burger home with me because I couldn’t finish it. It was still delicious. We both ordered the bacon mushroom swiss burger in a pretzel bun with a regular order of truffle fries. The fries came with 4 dipping sauces and I loved all of them, especially the garlic aioli one. They were crispy and just right and so so well flavored. The bacon mushroom swiss burger —amaaaazing. My burger was cooked just right and the melted cheese, crispy savory bacon, and buttery mushroom were a perfect combo.
Best of all it’s located in downtown Lawrence and we could easily go shopping afterwards to walk off some serious food coma!