Burger Tap & Shake

I must make it clear that I’m an amateur writer who is not trying to undermine paid writers but I’m only disclosing that I share some of the places I enjoy for free as a writing passion (though I have taken it as a compliment when I have been confused for a paid writer before). During my recent stop at Burger, Tap, & Shake near the Tenleytown Washington DC metro stop, I ate a delicious Big Daddy Burger with bacon, blue cheese, mushrooms, and ap sauce. I was able to get a fountain drink with my order and my burger was served to me pretty quickly.

Wasn’t impressed and I wish I was. I ordered the Turkey burger and it was pretty good. It comes with guacamole on the top which was good!
A side order of fries are $ 3 and I’m not sure why because they are neither large or tasty enough.
We also ordered the house burger and wasn’t impressed with small bacon squares on top of the burger. The AF sauce was tasty enough but not amazing.
More than likely we will not ever come back.

I’ll start by saying that it’s tough to be a gluten-​free vegetarian at a burger joint. I was slightly disappointed by the limited burger options, because usually places have multiple options or at least a veggie patty substitute… I ordered the one vegetarian option (falafel patty) with no bun. Service was quick and the servers were very nice. I was bummed that my burger came with a piece of lettuce, as opposed to enough for a wrap-​style burger. I also found a hair on my burger, which is totally unacceptable. The flavor of the burger, however, was so delicious! The falafel was moist and flavorful and complimented the toppings perfectly!

I’ve been here many times because I used to work across the street and my coworkers and I would order here a lot. I’ve tried most of their burgers, and they’re big but not very tender or tasty. I don’t know if they’re overcooking and under seasoning, but I stopped ordering burgers there and got my burgers at Whole Foods on the other side of the block. However, I would still go here for their sweet potato french fries and milkshakes… they have really good cookies&cream and black&white shake for around 5 bucks.

Kind of hard to find parking!
Lots of seating inside which is a plus which they also have an outdoor patio!
Burger was A+ & juicy and amazing & OMG yes.
I ordered an Oreo shake and it actually tasted really good. Not fake like from Z burger.

OREO SPEEDWAGON MILKSHAKE (5 NOMs)
It brings all the drunk boys to the yard with alcoholic milkshake. After checking out some college boys and enjoying a nice Southern Comfort Burger we just had to get a spiked adult shake. It combines everything we love the oreo cookies, vanilla ice cream and alcohol. Super sweet with a nice hint of coffee liquor. Very happy that the alcohol is not overpowering the other flavors so you can still enjoy a nice dessert with a buzz. Don’t drink it too fast or you might get double vision. Highly recommend this with your burger order. After all no burger can go without a milkshake. We were so tempted to order up another one or try another one. So many to choose from so you know we will be back for more.
SOUTHERN COMFORT BURGER (5 NOMs)
Its late and night and we want some southern food loving like this burger from one of our favorite burger chains. We hanging out near American University looking for those cute college boys and decided to stop by for some late night burgers. After all big patties bring all the boys to the yard. What makes it southern? Well the deep fried green tomatoes sure makes it. We love fried things, but wasn’t sure about the green tomatoes part. It never huts to live on the edge. Ah and the choice was good, they tasted great and went so well with the juicy beef patty, pickles, onions and all that cheesy goodness. Big fan of the bread buns, they are very light, strong to hold all that meat in place and adds a nice light taste. Just the right kind of messy and greasiness to make this a great late night nom nom. Every burger must have a milkshake so check out our review of alcoholic Oreo Speedwagon shake. This place is so good, its really shame there are so few location. BTS get on it and open more spots so we can have more of your good burgers and milkshakes!
Check out my blog for more fun reviews and pictures, link in the bio.

A definite notch above most specialty burger joints, let alone generic fast food. I definitely thought they were tasty enough to be worth the 6 – 8 bucks. Shakes are also very tasty, even if a bit smaller than other places. Onion rings are among the best I’ve had in the city. A burger joint worth going out of my way to go to, or take friends to. I really look forward to trying the rest of their extensive menu.

This is a top notch Burger joint. Bring the kids, bring the wife, bring the girlfriend, bring the mistress. Bring everyone.
Top quality ground chuck and brisket. Also, the Salmon burger is equally fantastic. Get it without the bun, and it’s gluten-​free friendly!
The fries are solid. The onion rings are superb. My mom said «Best Onion Rings» she’s ever tasted. That’s a pretty great recommendation — My mom is rarely wrong.
The six buck chuck is the way to go. Juicy, filling, delicious. Puts Five Guys and all the rest to shame (and I really like Five G’s, but BTS is outstanding).
Sit outside when the weather is nice.
(NOTE: I’ve been here several times with the same results).

Looks can be deceiving… pictures of the burgers and food look amazing (so do the ones I uploaded); however, lots of other better burger places in DC. Meat was bland, buns so greasy and bread was flakey. Huge salty chunks of bacon. Honestly the burger tasted like nothing but pickled red onions. The amount of red onions made the burger taste unbearable. Fries were over cooked and dark brown (oil too hot). Worth a try if you are a foodie but stay to the main stay of burger spots.

Everyone remembers where they were the minute the economy collapsed during The Great Cupcake Boom of the early 21^st century. I was at an Arby’s. I remember reading the headlines that DC had finally opened one too many cupcake shops and the end was nigh. It’s the same thing with hamburger joints.
Even as I write this review on my overpriced iPad, the Unilocal app is listing eight different burger joints on the left side of the screen within a one mile radius.
I went in here for a burger. I stared up at the menu for way too long: «What’s a six-​buck-​chuck? Why is that the entry-​level hamburger? I just want a bacon cheeseburger. Okay… Can I get a six buck chuck but without any of that stuff you have listed up there. I just want bacon, cheese, lettuce and ketchup. And some onion rings.»
«How do you want it cooked?»
«With fire? I don’t know. Surprise me.»
My burger looked very adorable when it came out. They cooked it medium well, and put little McBacon chunks on top. It tasted… like nothing at all. It wasn’t bad. It also wasn’t good. It had no flavor. Even the bacon chunks were bland. I ended up going back to get some of that AP sauce of theirs (a mix of random condiments) but it didn’t really help.
The onion rings were no better. They were fairly large but overcooked so they became greasy and brittle. Also, no flavor. The service was great, and the place was clean. A little bit of salt and I might give them another try one day.

Solid burger and fry place with beer, wine and adult shakes. My burger was basic (cheese and bacon) but very good. Fries are decent but could be crispier. I sat at the bar otherwise this is a bit more like fast food where you order at a counter and pickup your order when it’s ready.
The location is convenient just a few steps from the Metro.

OK. Caveat. When you’ve just had a baby, leaving your house feels like a world-​class experience, so being able to walk to BTS is beyond exciting. But I don’t think I’m delusional — BTS surprised me with just how good it is. Take the salmon burger — it’s absolutely decadent. As is the turkey burger. I would forego the somewhat limp sweet potato fries in favor of the thick, perfect onion rings. And, if you’re in the mood to inch toward a heart attack, throw a delicious shake into the mix too.

The veggie burger here is excellent! They describe it as a falafel patty, which is generally not super appealing to me. If I want falafel, I’ll go to a falafel place, but if I want a veggie burger, I’m looking for something that won’t clash with a variety of toppings. Good news — it is actually a well-​made chickpea burger that will go nicely with any number of toppings. Also, the cilantro raita on the Haight-​Ashbury is infinitely more delicious than expected. It tastes more like the cilantro-​mint sauce one finds at Indian restaurants than something yogurt-​based.
My husband absolutely loves the spicy Apache Sweat Lodge burger. Although he generally likes to try different items each time he visits a restaurant, this one has an irresistible pull. He gets it every time. They also have terrific french fries, onion rings (his fave), and sweet potato fries (my fave.) The portions are substantial, especially for the prices and they have a nice selection of beers, also at very reasonable prices.
And the milkshakes… these are just so good. Super thick, great flavors, and they come with a big bubble tea style straw, which is brilliant. We’ve tried a few now (cherry, BTS, and cookies n cream) and they were all delicious. Here’s the only sad part — I can only do a burger or a milkshake, because they’re both so filling. Consequently, there is much hand-​wringing about this difficult decision when we visit BTS. If only there was a slider + wee shake option!

Of all the beefy burger options, my boyfriend ordered the falafel burger– big mistake. We just wanted a snack, so we split the burger, thankfully, because it was no bueno. The falafel was just dry and lacked flavor, and the little amounts of slaw we got helped to offset the dryness. Nothing standout about the buns either. The sweet potato fries were good, but nothing I haven’t had before. There’s a good selection of beers on tap. Maybe I’ll give this place another try, but it’s hard when Shack Shack is just in DuPont.

I’ve been here twice and it was great both times. They cook the burger exactly as requested. The bar allows you go have a full service experience which is nice. I wasn’t a fan of the long wait between payment and pickup when I got a to go order.
I love the burger with chili it is delicious and flavorful. The French fries are also tasty.

Oh man, I only wish this place was around when I was going to AU!
I went there with my friend after seeing that it was new. The cashier girl was really friendly, with a big smile and cracked joke with us. The food was ready in about 10 minutes (ok, me and my friend’s burgers were fairly simple, but still). They didn’t kick us out, even though they were almost closing and we were the only people inside (there was another group outside tho).
About their food: overall, it was pretty tasty. The bun was amazing, and the vanilla shake I got was really good too.

Burger Tap & Shake is by far the best boutique burger place I’ve been to in all the land (land=the DMV)! I had a great meal there yesterday and will definitely return whenever I’m in the Chevy Chase area.
When you walk in, you notice that the food preparation area is quite open. In a lot of restaurants, like at IHOP in Atlanta, this is done wrong and it seems like everyone is breathing on your food. At BTS, they got it right and made it open without putting it too close to customers. When I looked and saw them cooking, I thought, «Wow, their grills are really clean.» In fact, the whole establishment was pretty much spotless, and there was a worker standing near me who seemed to be on watch for a single crumb to fall to the floor so he could sweep it up.
When I placed my order, a few things stood out.
1) How would you like your burger cooked?
2) What kind of cheese would you like?
These two questions alone let me know that BTS cares about the quality of the customer’s food.
Moving on to the actual food, I had the six buck chuck burger and a peanut butter shake. They obviously made both fresh, and both were GREAT! I started with the shake first because I’m a dessert guy, and it was hands down the best peanut butter shake I’ve ever had anywhere. There are chopped peanuts atop the shake – and not those strange, semi-​flavorless peanuts that you get at some places – they are good peanuts. My burger was cooked to perfection and basically was right in every way. Warning: The burgers are so juicy that there may be drippings on your tray, so carve out a dry spot on it.
I really don’t have anything negative to say about BTS. And that really says it all!

As being the first customer to be served in this restaurant and having my picture taken by the owner, I felt like I had hit the big time! Soon after ordering, the crowd started entering and quickly filled up the place for a «soft opening.»
Aesthetic Appeal & Atmosphere: Was small in terms of many customers they could serve inside but there is patio seating which is sure to please all those Washingtonians & Marylanders who really do like their outdoor seating. The seating inside is comfortable, the noise level is as expected for a casual burger joint infused with alcohol,
Service: Was friendly and warm welcoming. Since being their first customer and on their soft opening day the cashiers at the register were still learning the register system and I’m sure will be faster in time.
Meal & Drinks Quality: Their High Thigh chicken burger was most delicious and juicy with their lemon garlic aioli adding a very nice touch. Their Talladega Nights shaketail would make Ricky Bobby & Cal Naughton Jr. very proud. All of their shaketails have memorable and catchy names helping customers remember what to order the next time they visit, as I plan to do personally!
Aesthetic Appeal & Atmosphere: 5 of 5
Service: 4.5 of 5
Meal & Drinks Quality: 5 of 5

Was so happy when I saw bts was opening in Tenleytown. I live in Cleveland park.
First week open and they were packed. Location is a little smaller than foggy but similar.
Nice patio and same menu. There was a big line but moved fast.
Got socal turkey burger. Avacado, soo good. Fries are good but not the best. Ap sauce is excellent. Fast efficent friendly. I’ll be back many times.

Yay! another BTS, metro accessible just like the one by Foggy Bottom Metro.
Red line to Tenley. Up escalator, look right — there it is… great corner spot.
Soft opening this past weekend: July 18 – 19.
Nice to see the owner greeting guests as they walked inside.
I ran to my seat at the bar so I could order my favorite milkshake!
Nice cushy booths and ample seating. Very family friendly too. Plenty of outdoor patio seating.
My go to: falafel burger and mom had Six-​Buck-​Chuck and fries. Piled high — we ate everything!
That delicious AP sauce… goes great with the fries.
Great mural of the American University Clawed Eagle mascot on wall — boom — really great artist work.
Ate so much I had to go swim laps afterward — worth every bite!