Daniel B.
Yelp
BGR - The Burger Joint opened Summer 2012, overtaking the former Doc Green's space in the ever-changing landscape of Atlantic Station. I was disappointed to see Doc Green's go because it was one of the healthier food options in the development. When The Burger Joint opened, I thought to myself, "not another burger joint."
Flip Burger, Yeah! Burger, Bocado, and the Vortex are all within two miles of Atlantic Station. Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Googie Burger are about three miles away. That's plenty of good burger options and unfortunately for The Burger Joint, they are all better.
The Burger Joint has over 20 locations nationwide, stretching from California to New York. This location in Atlantic Station is so far the only one in Georgia. Many lackluster reviews steered me away until I received a birthday gift certificate in the mail. I have no idea how I got on the restaurant's mailing list. The gift certificate was good for one free burger (any kind) during my birth month. As is probably intended for restaurant gift certificates, off I went with others in tow.
The restaurant has an open, casual setup. Minimal, modern decor with indoor and outdoor seating. The kitchen is completely open and in full view of the customers, so that's cool. You can see all the meats being grilled over an open flame. You order upfront and pick up at the kitchen counter when your order is ready. Drinks, silverware, condiments, etc. are self-serve. Drinks are served out of a single Coca-Cola Freestyle machine.
Unless you order the weekday lunch special known as "The Box Set" (available Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm), expect to spend $11+ for a burger, fries, and fountain drink. The Box Set gets you a regular burger, regular fries, and fountain drink for $8.49. If you don't come when The Box Set is available, everything on the menu is only available a la carte. In other words, you have to order the burger, side, and drink separately.
A regular burger starts at $6.49, a regular fries is $2.29, and a fountain drink is $2.25, so you can see how the prices add up quick for a burger, fries, and Coke. There are specialty burgers ($8.49+ each) which include ahi tuna and lobster. Sweet potato fries ($2.99), grilled asparagus, and onion rings (both $3.49 each) are also available as sides. Milkshakes are available for $4.99 each.
I don't believe the beef is grass-fed, but it is dry-aged and hormone free, so that counts for something. Everything is cooked fresh to order. I tried the following:
Burgers:
Greek Burger - ground leg of lamb seasoned with cumin, mint, garlic and topped with tzatziki and feta
Turkey Burger - blended with portabello mushrooms and gorgonzola cheese
Sides:
Sweet potato fries
Grilled asparagus
Onion Rings
The burgers were humongous. Everything about them was huge and thick, from the patties to the buns to the slices of tomato. Holy crap. Needless to say, they were filling and messy to eat. Not only were the burgers ginormous, but so were the onion rings. I've eaten a lot of onion rings over my lifetime and The Burger Joint easily takes the cake for biggest onion rings. Look at how they dwarf this burger: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bgr-the-burger-joint-atlanta?select=f3e_FGxEgUqy5Hp7tjQoeQ#f3e_FGxEgUqy5Hp7tjQoeQ.
Generally, the burgers were okay. The Turkey Burger patty was loose, falling apart even. The ingredients in the patty were roughly blended together.
The ground lamb in the Greek Burger was hearty. I asked for it to be cooked medium, but it definitely came off the grill well-done. One of the edges of the patty was burnt to a crisp, evident both visually and in taste and texture. Not only was the lamb burnt, but so were several pieces of the grilled asparagus. Burnt mostly to black, in fact: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bgr-the-burger-joint-atlanta?select=f3e_FGxEgUqy5Hp7tjQoeQ#u5ChzP4LAJQHPAC3PoZMzg.
Be sure to ask for lettuce, onion, tomato, etc. specifically if you want those toppings because they won't ask you.
A plentiful amount of sweet potato fries comes in one order, so you may consider splitting it. The sweet potato fries are soft, dense, and not very salty. The aforementioned huge onion rings consist of mostly batter.
Service is fine. The menu says to be patient since all burgers are cooked to order. On a busy Saturday afternoon, it did not take long for our orders to be cooked.
Overall, I give BGR - The Burger Joint 2.5 stars, generously rounded up to 3.
Parking in the Atlantic Station deck is free for the first two hours.