Holy Cow

Tucked away in the chaos of typical burger chains, this spot stands out as a burger joint that truly delivers. With both build-your-own options and a lineup of thoughtfully crafted burgers, there’s something here for every appetite, whether you’re chasing creativity or just after a perfectly balanced classic. Ordering is refreshingly easy, simply use your phone to place an order, and your meal is brought straight to the table. The buffalo chicken fries were an instant hit, loaded with flavor and crunch, but the burgers were (as expected) the real showstoppers, juicy, well-seasoned, and thoughtfully layered. The unexpected standout? The onion rings, perfectly crisp with a surprisingly light batter that makes them addictive. If you’re craving a burger experience that goes beyond the usual suspects, this spot more than earns a visit.

First time there and it didn’t disappoint! Burgers were very good. The patties were juicy and had a nice smokiness to them. The onion rings were on point but the Cajun fries were kind of uneventful in my opinion. Menu has some solid selections on it and you can build your own as well (what we did). Staff were friendly and helpful! Solid 9/10 and would have been a 10/10 if the fries were fresher/crunchier.

I tried the Japanese Milk bun on my Build Your Own burger. Our group decided to order 2/3’ds burgers so we could have it later for dinner. The onion rings and fries were crisp and hot when they came to our table. Service with a smile!

Second time coming here. I love the build your own burger! So many options and combinations. We also tried the Elvis fries. Yumm! Wish it was closer.

Their burgers and fries are so delicious! Del Ray and Hangover was so good.Their "Hangover" really matches the taste haha Please try their sweet potato fries🙏You will love it😍 Food came out quickly and many customers visited with their kids and family.

We found this place online and wanted to give a try. Sooooo Glad we did!!! It was Delicious. Best burger I've had in DC. The milkshakes were soooooo good. I would definitely recommend for great food. It's worth the drive. We will definitely be back soon. 😁👍🏼👍🏼💪🏼 Made it back today!!! Delicious again. 😁👍🏼👍🏼 Tater tots were delicious.

What a great place for burgers. Not only is the food great, but the staff and overall setting are as well. Even better, there’s a small parking lot nearby if you can’t find street parking. The burgers and dogs are above the rest with flavor and price. We only ordered a sandwich and one order of sweet potato fries and didn’t finish everything because the portions (and flavors) are sizeable. If you don’t want to order from an extensive menu you can also build your own burger. I had the Snoop Dogg (not a regular dish), which for a non-dog person was great, and I scarfed it up. My wife went for the DC half smoked, which was very good, and son the Southern, with one side of sweet potato fries for all. No complaints. Just happy taste buds.

Holy Cow is a fantastic spot for a casual, satisfying burger. The patties are juicy, cooked just right, and the toppings are fresh and flavorful. The fries are crispy and the shakes are a nice bonus. The staff are friendly and the vibe is relaxed, making it a perfect place to grab a great meal without any fuss.

The burgers here always hit the spot! It's a little pricey, because your fries and drink are separate, but overall the quality of food here is really good. And you can't go wrong with the creativity of the burgers here. The only thing is the milkshakes I think are spun to much, and can have that you blended it too much smoky taste at times.

Really solid burger place but I got the fried chicken sandwich. Overall the fries (5/10) were pretty subpar (not crispy or fresh tasting). The burger (7/10) was better than the fried chicken sandwich (6/10). The service was not particularly excellent, just your casual food spot. Seemed like many families come here to enjoy a quick casual bite of food. Perhaps what is good about this place is solid food for a decent price and no frills type of joint where you can pay and go.

One of my top burger spots. I returned and got a burger and was so impressed with the size. And it's delicious. And so are the sweet potato fries with the marshmallow dip. I will absolutely be back. Again and again.

We ordered pickup and the window is actually far away from the restaurant and shared with another restaurant so the system is kind of messed up. The burger itself was good and I liked their house sauce. It was juicy and if you like that thick angus burger then this is where you should get one. The fries were good and the heath milkshake was good too just wish it was a little more thicker. Great place to grab burgers.

Great location and space for hanging out in Del Ray! Food was good and probably reasonably priced for the area. I got a build-your-own burger with lettuce, tomatoes, caramelized onions, arugula, and sriracha aioli. It was challenging to eat because of how the toppings were sliding, but it was yummy! The cajun fries too were great! Overall, enjoyed!

Wow. What an ok burger. Service was slightly less ok. Also, atmosphere was just ok. Glad to have the experience, tho.

Awesome burgers, pickle fries, onion rings and shakes! Would give it a 5 except the burgers were a bit overdone/dry, but had great charred flavor. We enjoyed the popper burger and the Madison - the ranch, bacon, and crispy onions on the Madison were a great combination. Great batter and crunch on the pickle fries and onion rings, and we thought the Oreo milkshake was great.

The variety of toppings you could choose from was amazing. They made a mistake and forgot my burger patty and they immediately corrected it. Funny thing is even without the patty it tasted pretty good. We ordered the garlic oil fries and onions rings. We love garlic so the strong flavor of garlic was to perfection for our taste.

We had happy hour here. It was very good. The nachos and mohottos were definitely a win.

Great food. Juicy burgers. Great options. Generous portions. Friendly staff. Milkshakes galore. Come hungry!

Good place in del ray to grab a burger and a milk shake. Looks more like a restaurant from the outside but feels like a fast casual spot when you order. Burgers were good quality, next time I would a regular burger. Pulled pork made it too messy and couldn't taste enough burger. Stawberry milk shake had the right amount of fruit / dairy combination. Onions rings had a nice crunch.

Got a customized grilled chicken sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños and aioli with pickle fries. Somewhat greasy, but that's what I expected. It was a really great chicken sandwich and the pickle fries were a new item that came with aioli. The area is super cute and there's a lot of Christmas things up right now and you can do pick up at a window outside, which is really convenient for us. The woman at the window was very kind and also gave us water. Overall super affordable (sandwich ~11, pickle fries ~5), cute area, quick pick up. Definitely drop by!

I've been coming here for several years, so I feel that I am able to give a fair review. The food is great! I always get the turkey burger and try different combinations of toppings, sauce, and cheeses. Of course they have beef burgers and I believe they have veggie as well. I love that there are so many toppings to choose from. They also have milkshakes. The only downside about coming here is having to look for parking and it is usually pretty crowded on the weekends (small venue). Also, this place is awesome, but not budget friendly as everything is a la carte!

HOLY COW!!!!!! Why haven't I came here long before smh..... I'm so happy I was in a burger & fries type of mood and ended up finding this spot on Yelp! This place is pretty, spacious, clean and well kept! I ordered to-go but next time I'll dine in. The staff were amazing and extremely helpful with smiles and positive attitudes! This is definitely one reason to come back! There's a bunch of paper and pencils to place your order which was so cute and different. I love this idea since it's like building your own custom order and who wouldn't like that. Especially an over the top extra person like me, this helps alleviate tension, stress and anxiety when placing complex orders. BEYOND (VEGAN) BURGER I ordered my burger with cheddar cheese, red onions, lettuce, ketchup, mustard on a pretzel bun. I can't believe I'm about to say this but this burger was way tooooo thick and big (PAUSE) usually that's not an issue but it was way too much for me lol. I kinda wish they had the impossible brand but it was definitely juicy and flavorful. The pretzel bun was so good (next time imma ask for extra toasted and butter). The whole burger was filling and grilled to perfection, next time I should add barbecue sauce to give it that extra bbq taste. REGULAR HAND-CUT FRIES These fries were good just needed some sort of spice or seasoning. Next time I'm trying the fries with something lol, or maybe it needed a tad but more of salt. Overall, I would most definitely come back and recommend to others. I definitely need to try their shakes the next time I come.

Burger tasted wonderful, fries were fine but nothing to write home about, but they might be better a bit fresher

I went to Holy Cow Del Ray with my son and 2 grandchildren one of the girls had Mac and cheese and the other had grilled cheese. My son and I chose to build a burger. Being able to customize our burgers to exact specifications was truly a treat. We chose not yo do milk shakes even though there were some creative flavors cause we were going to The Dairy Godmother next store for fresh delicious custard. A great pairing of stores. Service was spot on with the staff friendly and willing to assist with any questions. The restaurant was clean and well attended too. Holy cow is definitely a great place for burgers.

Man listen. I really had high expectations. This spot always has a decent line at this location so I decided to check it out and see what the hype was about. My burger was so sloppy put together and my fries were cold. Very disappointing. Won't be back. McDonald's would never for half the price lol

Holy Cow! Local burger shop that specializes in gourmet burgers and hand crafted milk shakes. This was my first time visiting Holy Cow. I was in search of a place that served milkshakes and a chicken sandwich. There was a chicken sandwich on the menu but I knew that my visitor would not eat the sandwich with all of the add ons. The person at the counter explained that they could make the sandwich any way you like. Now this is the type of service that I love. I also ordered the signature Del Ray burger and an order of fries. The burger was hot and fresh. The Holy Cow secret sauce was a great touch to the burger. The fries came out hot and crispy. The Oreo milkshake looked yummy, but my visitor finished that before I could even get a taste. I would definitely recommend Holy Cow if you are looking for a burger place. They even have a few items on the menu if you are not a meat eater.

The burger itself was pretty good, I'd say it beats Five Guys in terms of overall quality. Fries were good too, and complemented the burger well. The food came out on time, so no complaints about that. The tipping was a bit annoying though. When I first ordered my burger, I saw the three tip percentages (I think 15%, 18%, 20%), but I forgot my drink. So I get back in line, and the tipping options then switched from percentages to $1, $2, $3, as if to maximize profit. Nothing wrong with tipping for good service, but this is already pricy fast food (burger, fries, drink almost $30). Apart from bringing your food, nobody waits your table, and you clean up yourself, so I think the expectation is misplaced.

One of the reasons I go to Holy Cow is because they donate $ to a cause of our choice. They offer a list of"usually" that a patron can select from. So I had to go to Del Ray tonight so decided to have dinner there. Upon ordering, I first said, I'd like my donation to go to the Animal Welfare League...and the cashier looked perplexed I then said Alexandria Animal Welfare League? He responded with, is that a burger? Clearly, he didn't really speak English! Frustrated, I said "never mind, I'll take a ......burger" and he promptly ordered and tallied my bill. Food was good and fries were hot, so it made up for his lack of knowledge about the donation program. There are many burger places and this was the ONE THING that made it worth it...this small token and he ruined it.

Burgers are great! Service, attitude, and getting your order right is terrible. Never going back!

I chose this restaurant randomly on a walk with my mother. Upon entering, the aroma was everything we needed to decide to stay. We chose to eat outside. We ordered the chicken sandwich club and tuna--outstanding. Affordable menu and the service was great! I will be returning soon!

Great food and deliciously fresh when we went in. Service was good and pretty quick. A little pricey but the usual for this area. The fried pickles are a must. The burgers were fresh and juicy. The produce on the burgers was also fresh. I will say the music was really loud. Like almost to the point of needing to ask them to turn it down. It was hard to talk to family. We also had the shakes. The chocolate was amazing! The blueberry wasn't our favorite. Would return to try other stuff! It stayed busy.

The burger was juicy, but a little small for its price without fries. The mac and cheese wasn't that cheesy, so it was hard to really taste the sauce. The oreo milkshake was on the milky side, but overall it was just okay. It doesn't stick out to other Fastfood places. The burgers seemed overprice for what you get, but it's not bad.

The burgers were OK, but overall great tasting food and I would go there again. Fantastic location in the heart of Del Rey Neighbourhood, which is a very cool and underrated neighborhood in Alexandria.

This burger was big and juicy with a perfect char on the patty. The bun held everything together nicely. I liked that they didn't overdo it on the sauces. Fries were crispy too.

First time trying out, saw a tiktok review that looked good. I did a create your own, and wow so many options! They also have contactless order from your table or you can order at the counter. All food items were made to order and the service was great. It's hard to find a restaurant that offers turkey burgers, so this was a win. The restaurant was clean as well. I plan to return and try other items!

One of the best burgers I have ever had. The meat was cooked just right, keeping all the juices locked in. The toppings were fresh, and the combination of flavors was just amazing. The bun was soft and had a slight sweetness that paired so well with the savory flavors. The fries were crispy and addictive, making the whole meal even better. This place is definitely worth a visit.

It was my first time visiting (my fiancé's second), and we both really enjoyed it. The wings and fried pickles were delicious, and the staff were super friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere was laid-back and inviting. Definitely recommend checking it out!

I liked how the kitchen concept was fairly open (I could see the cooks preparing the food). I think at $13 the burger was reasonably priced for the area. The burger patty itself was nice and juicy but at first I thought the burger as a whole was dry. I realized later that was because the chipotle ketchup and cream cheese was concentrated in the middle. After a few bites, the sandwich became much more delicious. The "poppers" (lightly battered and fried jalapeños) we're very tasty too. If they spread out the condiments, this would have been a potential five star. Still, I walked away pleasantly surprised with the quality of the burger!

The burger was average. Needs more flavor and wish it was juicier. They put way too much sauce on the southern and the sauce was not that good. A bit messy but that's okay. I wouldn't get it again but maybe would try this place once more not sure. Tater tots were really good. Crispy and tasty. The smoked Jalepeno sauce was soooo good! Yum! Best part of this place. The bourbon glaze did not taste like a bourbon glaze at all but I think maybe I received the wrong sauce it tasted like soy sauce. The sauces for 50 cents each which I do not mind but if you are going to charge for sauces let's not be cheap with the size, see pictures. I'm from the ny nj area and the order usually comes with at least one side sauce and then any others are an additional cost but you get a decent amount. Wish they put some napkins in there cuz this was messy and I had to use toilet paper since I'm at a hotel. I did not go to the restaurant so cannot speak for how it looks inside regarding cleanliness or decor. Would have given 3.5 stars if I could. Will say the portions of the food (not sauces) were good.

First time my husband and I came here we enjoyed our food but felt like things could have been better. He got a burger off their menu and I did a build your own with fried chicken. Both of our burgers were WAY over sauced. I only asked for mayo and ketchup on my sandwich yet sauce was dripping out. It completely soaked the chicken ruining the crispy coating. My husband's burger came with cream cheese and there was truly and inch thick glob of cream cheese on the bun. Even with more then half removed it was way too much. The flavors were very good though so we decided to give Holy Cow another try and got a sandwich (with no sauce) to go. Dressing the sandwich myself was the way to go and I really enjoyed what I got! After finishing my sandwich I went to enjoy my fries and dumped the container out onto a plate and was disgusted to see a piece of hair wrapped around one of the fries that was at the bottom of the container. Safe to say I wont be back for a 3rd experience.

What a great place for burgers. Not only is the food great, but the staff and overall setting are as well. Even better, there's a small parking lot nearby if you can't find street parking. The burgers and dogs are above the rest with flavor and price. We only ordered a sandwich and one order of sweet potato fries and didn't finish everything because the portions (and flavors) are sizeable. If you don't want to order from an extensive menu you can also build your own burger. I had the Snoop Dogg (not a regular dish), which for a non-dog person was great, and I scarfed it up. My wife went for the DC half smoked, which was very good, and son the Southern, with one side of sweet potato fries for all. No complaints. Just happy taste buds.

Holy Cow is right. That's what you'll be thinking when you see all the options they have. Bonus if you like spicy food. My burger had me sweating and cleaned my sinuses. This was probably the best burger I've ever had.

Walked into Holy Cow in the late evening. It wasn't crowded, but still lively with happy customers. Majority of which were smiling and nodding their heads of approval as they ate. I decided to order at the register vs using the pay at the table feature. The cashier was friendly, interactive and well spoken with great manners. I waited at my table probably 8 minutes before my food arrived. I ordered the following: Hot mess with 2 patties Tater tots Truffle fries And a salted caramel milk shake. The burger was so fresh and delicious that it never left my hands. The tots were perfectly crispy and potato-ey Truffle fries probably didn't need all the truffle oil. The milkshake was absolutely breathtaking. All around, 10 out of 10 experience.

This is a relaxed, family friendly spot for good burgers! We've gone about 2-3 times and it's always a great time. Food: We've tried a few different options and all were delicious. - The Hangover: Its a good brunch type burger with with hash brown, eggs and bacon. But if you don't want a slightly messy burger, I would skip it. I personally love it! - The Hot Mess: Another food messy burger! I enjoyed the overall taste but the Mac and cheese was a bit bland. However in the burger it was still tasty. - The Southerners: This is a solid go to burger! The pjmento cheese and fried green tomato is beyond delicious and the burger is always so juicy. - Fries and onion rings: Standard but delicious! - Honorary mention: Cajun Remoloade and Old Bag Aoili were great! I was a bit unsure if I wanted to pay for sauce but it was worth it. Service was relatively quick but I've also only been when it wasn't super busy. Parking can be a bit tough so just ride around and be patient.

Not a great burger. Very dry and the ambiance is a bunch of high school kids running around. Not my favorite place in Del Ray

Holy Cow! This place needs a deep cleaning!Floors are so greasy you can barely walk without slipping... don't worry they put mats out so you can kinda get around (I highly recommend investing in a heavy duty floor degreaser soap) dirty booth seats that are sagging, and makes a 5'8" person feel like a toddler, dirty windows. Dry crunchy fries, unsmiling staff, an entire half of an onion on one burger patty +7 giant sliced pickles, weird sugary sauces (thought it was supposed to be 1000 island, tasted like candy) this is either how it's "supposed to be" or the management/staff don't care. Either way, I won't try any other locations based off the sugar burgers. Diabetes is a real preventable pandemic and Holy Cow makes it seem inescapable!

Everything was average. From the fries to the customized burger. I probably should've gone to McDonalds and paid less money.

Staying in the area and decided to try this for dinner and man what a win. We got a classic chili cheese dog, burger with mac and cheese and sriracha aioli and a beyond burger with garlic aioli, Gouda cheese, sautéed onions and shrooms and cabbage. And then a side of truffle fries with Chipotle ranch and a side of funnel cake fries. The wife said the hot dog was real good and the chili tasted great. My son had the mac and cheese burger and inhaled it saying it was awesome. And my beyond burger was tasty. Both fries were real good. A good burger spot with options for all and in a cool neighborhood.

Made my own burger with pickles, mushroom, cheddar, onions and sauces. Burger patty wasn't too thick and had a good beefy flavor to it. All ingredients were fresh and came with a lot of fries. Nice neighborhood spot for a burger.

I wasn't able to take a photo because everyone started digging in right away. I love the customize your own burger option where you can TRULY pick any element of the burger to your liking (they have basic free options as well as premium paid options). The food came out fast and my fried chicken burger was $13!

I kept hearing great stuff about this restaurant and finally gave it a try. I ordered make your own burger. The meat was great. I got the fire aioli sauce and let me tell you, it's SPICY. The only complaint I have is cleanliness. We sat there for the whole meal at least 30 mins and no one came to clean the tables next to us. When I finished, I also noticed trash on the ground at other tables near the front. I went on a Wednesday so it's not like crazy busy.

HOLY COW these burgers are good! My sister took me here for my birthday when I was visiting. We both got the Popper Burger and it was amazing! Such a unique but delicous combination of flavors. The meat itself tasted quality and was the perfect thickness. They also gave me a free blueberry milkshake for my birthday that was scrumptious as well! The fries were good and we tried 3 of the dipping sauces (they are super small). The chipotle ranch was my favorite. The employees are so super friendly and seem super happt to work there. DEFINATELY DEFINATELY RECOMMEND

We LOVE the holy cow. One of the only places my children will eat a burger. The kids burger is just meat and bun lol. Just how kids like it, but if you are a grown-up there are plenty of other toppings available. My favorite is the cheeseburger, on their fantastic brioche buns. Can't go wrong with a classic or really any of their pre-made choices. I have found though that you can go wrong if you go too crazy making one of your own burgers with the amount of toppings offered. Sweet potato fries are another winner here.

The best burgers!! We love that they have a beyond burger option. Tater tots are amazing and so are the milkshakes!!

The food is good for the most part great burger but the manager is extremely rude ( white guy blonde hair). The cashier was rude as well Spanish guy. I would never come back to this establishment again. I been here plenty of times and have never been treated that way. Customer service training is needed even for management.

So-so, over done, overwhelmed and meh. Tasteless and chewy. Noisy as all get out!!! Unusually small portions considering what was on the trays

Best burger I've had in a long time. So fresh and soooo big couldn't bite into it at first attempt. After cutting in half I had the other half for lunch the following day- it was still delish after microwave reheat. Very similar ordering experience as the other customizable burger places. Only thing that could be better is if they delivered across the bridge to MD. Even better put a location in Fort Washington!