S V.
Yelp
Yo! I think they soft-opened this week and... oh my fucking god! I thought it was just gonna be another fast/fast-casual burger joint like 7th Street, but nah! It was SO MUCH BETTER. Through looking at their menu, I expected some basic American burger shit with standard-type burgers and "signatures" like a kimchee burger, steak burger, or truffle, but...I was mistaken. (My dad was a chef. I learned food as a kid.) My gf and I got the HausBurger, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, SteakHaus, seaweed garlic fries, and hojicha shake. The chicken sandwich was super crunchy/crispy yet deceivingly tender with a very properly proportioned layer of East Asian-style chill powder/flakes - totally unexpected. The fries were righteously aromatic (minced garlic and umami, come on). The SteakHaus burger wasn't dependent on a highly overwhelming BBQ sauce, bacon, or any other ingredient to carry your experience. The blue cheese was the most dominant ingredient but in a way that complemented every other flavor and aroma to just the right balance, honoring their worth and contribution without overpowering. Had some nice crispy fried onions in there too for texture. The hojicha shake was (one, wtf is a hojicha SHAKE?? Had to get on that combo.) so amazingly unexpectedly aromatically delightful. The HausBurger was the most standard of our items but still with an unexpected subtle sweetness and aroma. I'd say that nearly everything we ate was very pleasantly surprising. Nearly everything had a delightful dimension of aroma (and in BURGERS!). Overall, nearly everything we consumed applied a philosophical notion I live by - simple yet complex. In its visual aesthetic, a place that comes across as very standard American fare is subtly elevated by its East and Southeast Asian (cuz they got an ube shake too) flavors, aromas, and dimensions. Deceptively beautiful. Simple yet complex. BUN HAUS is righteous***