Chowhound: Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay

I've been to Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay almost ten times in my life and this goes back to before gourmet burgers being a trend, which is only a few years now. Although many fancy new burger places have popped up over the past few year years, Burger Bar still reigns at the top of the burger class. That's not to say there are no other good burgers in Las Vegas, but Burger Bar has not been surpassed…yet.

First thing you'll notice when you get to Burger Bar is that it's always crowded. The time of day doesn't matter. The hostesses know this and act as though they're the gatekeepers of a forbidden land and sometimes they will come off a little condescending. That said, if there's a wait and you don’t want to stand around, grab a stool at the bar and eat there. The bar is perfectly fine for two people if your purpose is eating a burger and having a drink.  On top of a full bar, there is a good selection of beers and the food comes out pretty quick.

I always start off my meals at Burger Bar with a different beer.  On my last visit, I had a wonderfully chilled pint of Blue Moon that was topped with a, rather large, orange wedge. I'm cool having too much orange for Blue Moon since I can use as much, or as little, as I want. This glass of beer set my mood for a burger right. The beer lasted just long enough for my bacon cheeseburger to arrive.

I always have my burger prepared medium and, as usually, my last burger here was cooked to perfection, nice and juicy.  I told the bartender to surprise me with one of two types of “Jack” cheeses to top the burger off. The bacon was fantastic and although I’m not much of a fry guy, the skinny fries were nice, crisp and tasty.

For the record, a basic bacon cheeseburger is what I always order when trying a new burger place.  Reason being, the attention paid to the bacon preparation is usually a good sign of the attention paid to the non-burger foods.  Plus I like bacon.  So, in one burger I can usually get a feel for the entire menu.

There are many more gourmet burger places on the strip, but Burger Bar still holds up as my favorite burger on the strip which is why I've returned so often. I have to mention that the brains behind Burger Bar is another, older, celebrity chef Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys fame.