(fried mac’n’cheese balls and burgers) at Boston Burger Company near Berklee

At a glance:

1100 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

Price: $$

Stars (out of 5): 4

  

Ok, so BBC. I’ve heard a lot of great things and have been craving a juicy burger recently so this is a long-awaited moment. Their toppings are bizarre, out of this world, unique, but most importantly, paired well with the burgers. Go with friends so you can see everyone’s crazy toppings atop their voluminous patties. Let’s talk about “The King” that has peanut butter, bacon, fried bananas, and cinnamon and sugar. Or the “420” that has everything fried you can ever imagine including mozz sticks, fried mac’n’cheese, onion rings, and French fries. Or the “Sophie” that has candied walnuts and goat cheese (the sophistication of the burger matches the name). Or the “Vermonster” that has sautéed granny smith apples and maple mayo. Or the “Artery Clogger” that has a beer battered and deep fried patty, drenched with bacon and BBQ sauce. Or the “Bahama Mama” that is in fact a conch burger with jerk mayo. For a complete list of the awesome burgers, see the menu snapshots below. No wonder they’ve been featured on Food Network, Guy Fieri’s Triple D show, Rachael Ray, Phantom Gourmet, Boston magazine, the Boston Globe, and of course, Zagat. We had to wait 20 min to be seated, but it was well worth it. We even caught a student recital at Berklee while we were waiting!

 

They also have a cool frappe menu featuring bacon, nutella, custard, and all that good stuff. We put in an order of “mini mac-ancini” appetizer (fried homemade mac’n’ cheese ball) right away. Hello, calories. I took forever deciding what kind of burger to get. And eventually I settled on the Hot Mess (the burger featured on Rachel Ray), while my friends ordered the Killer Bee, Green Monstah, and the Rundown, respectively. Another friend also got spicy Pterodactyl boneless wings; the pterodactyl sauce is a teriyaki and BBQ glaze.

 

Great, let’s start looking at some of these burgers. But first, the mac’n’cheese balls were divine. Piping hot and nicely battered, with a kickin’ marinara sauce. The macaroni inside was still cheesy and gooey, but the shell outside was crunchy and crisp.

For a Tuesday evening, the place was packed. Though they were busy, all of our burgers came up fast.

the Killer Bee with bacon, beer battered onion rings, honey bbq sauce, and American cheese

the “Run Down” with fried pickles, potato sticks, horseradish sauce, and your typical lettuce, tomato, and cheese

the “Green Monstah” with homemade guac, pico de gallo, and cheddar jack cheese

All my friends praised their burgers but lamented that the portions were too big to finish. Well, I had no problem finishing my “Hot Mess” burger with diced pickles, red onion, jalapeno, bacon, shredded lettuce, homemade thousand island dressing, sweet potato fries, and American cheese. Basically, I had a nice, flavorful salad on top of my burger. And then sweet potato fries! Haha. I also added on a side of their homemade bahama mama mango salsa and it was amazing.

 

The sweet and tangy mango salsa went well with the kick of the jalapeno, while the thousand island dressing and the sweet potato fries became a match made in heaven. The meat itself was cooked well for medium, with just the right amount of red and grilled smokiness, but a bit dry. I wanted a more juicy burger.

In terms of the bun and sides. The bun was toasted and oiled, which made it all nice and buttery. The house fried potato chips had a great crunch, but the baked beans and creamy coleslaw were a bit heavy to pair with the huge burger.

 

And lastly, the spicy pterodactyl wings. Though not spicy at all, the glaze was sweet, smoky, and tangy all at once, while the chicken was juicy and all white meat. The bleu cheese dressing was quite creamy. I had no grievances.

I devoured my burger bite after bite. After the meal I was practically groggy from such a heavy, but satisfying burger. Boston Burger Company, you did not disappoint.

Eat on!