There is no end to the different burger places to try. It’s not exactly the mission of Wendi’s Weekend Trips and Whatnot to try them all, but then again having the chance to try a new is always a winning opportunity for us. So when I made a trip with my husband, Bobby and my parents, Bud and Dolores to North Olmsted and found out there was a Brown Bag Burgers in town, I was interested. After reading a few reviews saying they were better than Five Guys … well let’s just say I had to see for myself. Interestingly, when I had taken some time off work earlier in the month, Bobby wanted to make sure that we did something fun. So he did a search for best burgers in Cleveland and Brown Bag Burgers came up as one of the selections. However, he remembered how much I had enjoyed Arthur Treacher’s as a kid, so we ended up going there instead. You can read about our adventure here.
The way you order at Brown Bag Burgers is the same as Five Guys. You place your order and then move down to wait for it to be prepared. Although, there were no peanuts to munch on like there is at Five Guys. They do have tons of burgers to choose from, including a burger of the month and a shrimp burger, too!
While the shrimp burger is intriguing, I had come to try a hamburger. I chose the All American burger and made it a double. It is a burger with cheese, bacon, pickles and mayo. You could get onion on it if you want, but of course I didn’t! My parents both got the Brown Bag Original which is a burger with lettuce, tomato, mayo and sauteed onions. Bobby decided to try the burger of the month, The Big Kahuna. This burger came with provolone cheese, onion straws, ham, a slice of pineapple and teriyaki sauce.
My burger was really good. The burger was pretty big, which for a half second I thought maybe I should have opted for the single. It was pretty moist, too.
My parents enjoyed theirs, although I think my dad would have preferred to have his with just onions, pickles and mustard (that’s his go to style for a burger).
The nice thing about places like Brown Bag Burgers is that you have the convenience of fast food without it tasting like fast food. The struggle with it, is if you are new to the place, you feel a little intimidated the first time you order. The people are nice, so it isn’t that they are making you feel that way. It’s more of an internal struggle. I’m telling you this, because had my dad had a little bit more time, he may have created his burger the way he would have most enjoyed it, instead of just ordering straight from the menu.
The Big Kahuna was a sweeter burger than I think Bobby was expecting. His initial thought was that the hamburger was sweet. However, after trying mine, he realized the pineapple and teriyaki sauce was the reason for it. When it comes to a choice of sweet or salty, Bobby tends to go with the salty. So having a burger like the Big Kahuna was a bit out of his comfort zone. In retrospect, I think I probably should have tried The Big Kahuna — without the onion straws — and Bobby should have gone with a more traditional burger, like the Macdaddy. The Macdaddy is a burger that has pickles, onions, Macdaddy sauce, lettuce and American cheese.
In addition to the burgers, we also ordered fries. Mom and Dad got small fries with their burgers. Bobby and I ordered the large size to share between us. I had read online that their chili fries, named Foo Foo Fries, were really good. However, being more picky than I like to admit, I’m a little hesitant of chili. I don’t care for beans, so unless I know for sure there is no beans (or bean paste), I will not order it. I did get a side of nacho cheese to go with my fries, which was a nice addition
Brown Bag Burgers food is “100% fresh” according to their website. They get Ohio raised ground chuck delivered fresh–never frozen–to their locations. They cut their fries to order using Idaho potatoes. They make their own buns every day and prepare the other burger toppings from the “freshest” ingredients. When we were enjoying our meals, we could definitely tell it was quality food.
Another thing I really liked about Brown Bag Burgers has nothing to do with the food. The artwork and decor show that though they take their food seriously, they have a great sense of humor. Their Brown Bag Betty is the icing on top of the cake.
I enjoyed our time at Brown Bag Burgers. The food was good and worth the trip to North Olmsted. I also discovered there is another location in Lorain. Would I say it is better than Five Guys? Well, let me just say that I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision. If I stay close to home, I can get Five Guys and have a great meal. If I’m out and about in North Olmsted or Lorain, I can return to Brown Bag Burgers for a great meal. So I guess you can say I can have my made especially for me burger and eat it, too.
