Cincinnati Magazine’s Top 40 Burgers: Part IV: THE TOP 10 BURGERS IN TOWN

#10 Senate

OV ER RAT ED! I really like Senate as a restaurant too. The burger is a paint-by-numbers attempt at a fancy burger, but all the elements are lacking. It should taste awesome, and i know it should taste awesome, but it just doesnt. The total is less than the sum of its parts.

#9 Keystone Bar & Grill

I actually think this is a pretty fair placement on the list. I used to really not like Keystone all that much, but in the last few months, it’s become one of my favorite spots. Oh, and doesn’t that photo below look kinda familiar?

#8 Paula’s Cafe

This is another spot that I think has more hype than it deserves, the burger is pretty good, but I don’t think it belongs in the top 10. Plus the service is terrible, almost always.

#7 Oakley Pub & Grill

Originally part of the 915/skinnylegs/zola group (i think it’s since been sold) they do have the soul burger at those other establishments. I think this proves that all 4 of these places serve up consistently the best burgers in town. this might as well be 915.

#6 Virgil’s Cafe

You may be familiar with this place from a certain chipmunk-lookin’ tv host and their etouffé but apparently they also have a pretty good burger. I’ve eaten here but haven’t gotten around to the burger. For whatever reason I dont dig the vibe of the place even though everyone raves about it. It’s right up the street from me so sometime I’ll make a point to brave all the BMW’s and 50+ year olds and try it.

#5 VanZandt Restaurant & Tavern

Havent been here but by most accounts is pretty solid. I’ll make a trip for it, even if the name does automatically conjure up images of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

#4 Gas Light Cafe

Haven’t even heard of this place, let alone tried it. Sounds like a solid basic diner burger. I’ll give it a go at some point.

#3 Terry’s Turf Club

Once you get into the top 5 of most lists, the listed items become pretty much interchangable and unless you have some sort of bias, most people should feel pretty good about stuff. Terry’s most deservedly belongs in here. I like to keep mine simple rather than get crazy with all the sauces.

#2 City View Tavern

Definitely a solid burger, but #2 in town? no way. this one slides in on charm and location. put this bad boy in the 6-10 range.

#1 The Wildflower Cafe

Kind of a shocker for #1, but i cant judge at this point, as i’ve never been there. a co-worker and fellow burger aficianado has recommended the wildflower, so I do believe i’ll have to make a trip, especially for “the best burger in town”

Senate Burger

wood grilled angus burger, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, brioche bun, housemade pickles     $11

Cooking Style/Temp: medium rare, grilled

Additions/Subtractions: as listed

Burger: 3

the meat was fresh and tasty enough, and it had the nice smoky flavor from the grill but it lacked the sear from super high temps

Bun: 2

untoasted and wierd tasting, a major disappointment, too much bun to burger ratio

Toppings: 3 

the toppings by themselves were good, but together they were all overwhelming

Accoutrements: 5 

senate has a fantastic menu, almost entirely gourmet appetizer-centric, the truffle fries were crunchy on the outside and fluffy, almost mashed potato-like inside. get the poutine, as it is addictively good. the house made pickles on the side were tasty, if cut too thick to actually use on the burger. excellent beer selection, too.

Atmosphere: 3.5

Senate is relatively new, but it already has tremendous buzz and has been busy every time i’ve been there. It’s a cool urban shotgun space with an open kitchen. It will be even nicer when the weather gets warm and the whole front window opens entirely. Service has been a disappointment both times i’ve been there, the first time the waitress was swamped and kind of absent-minded, and the second time the waiter was rushed and kind of awkward, and made even getting water refills a tense affair.

Overall: 3.3 

Senate’s score is boosted by the menu and restaurant itself, the burger for me was a pretty big disappointment, especially for the high hopes and to a lesser extent, the price. It’s a case of a burger being less than the sum of its parts. It’s like they took the blueprint of a fancypants burger and just schlepped it all together without much attention to detail on how to actually make a killer burger. And to some degree, you could say that about Senate the restaurant as a whole. It’s pretty good, but could be so much better.