Location: Foggy Bottom

Price: $

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: Above-average burgers, great shakes and wide selection of taps

Like many cities, DC is being overrun with burger joints. Where Five Guys used to be the sole symbol of what a burger could be, the District now swells with small establishments that specialized in grilled meat patties to the point that almost every neighborhood has at least two different chains competing for diners’ dollars. When we heard about Burger Tap & Shake (BTS), we sighed to ourselves and lamented another entry into a crowded niche that had begun to sink into mediocrity. Nonetheless, we’re fans of quality burgers and BTS’s profile intrigued us enough to see if it was any different from the rest of the pack.

As their name implies, they serve a range of burger combinations, a surprisingly well chosen collection of over 16 beers on tap, and an intriguing assortment of milkshake & alcohol mixtures.  Almost all of their items have a southern theme, whether it’s the toppings on the featured burgers or the liquor combinations for the “shaketails”.  Their draft selection was also rather diverse, ranging from DC newcomer New Belgium 1554 to DC Brau’s The Corruption. Priding themselves on doing most of the food prep in house, the kitchen bakes their own buns and grindes their own beef chuck and brisket on premise. BTS is also from the Passion Food Restaurant group, the same organization behind DC favorites like Acadiana and Ceiba. The question is whether any of this helped BTS stand out for the crowded DC hamburger field.

The Southern Comfort burger was a nice take on the frequent topping of onion rings, BTS instead using a fried green tomato and grilled Vidalia onions that worked well with the above-average ground chuck patty. The pimento cheese was melted to act as more of a sauce and brought a nice spicy tang to the meat. With pickles topping the high piled burger, the Southern Comfort was a nice break from the usual fare, but wasn’t exactly eye opening.

Our second order was the Tejas burger, eating much like a Texas chili burger. The pickled jalapenos topping the Texas chili con carne added a great spicy finish to the burger and brought the chili flavor to life, but the intensity of the peppers could be a little over the top for those not used to them. With a similar chuck and the same buttered bun from the previous hamburger, the Tejas burger followed the same theme of good but not great.

Since neither burger was paired with fries, we also decided upon ordering a side of onion rings. BTS’s ring batter was not the kind used on your usual ring, frying flat on the yellow onion slice instead of the typical bread crumbed finish. Although tad over salted, it was better than the average grease-coated onion rings you would get at a dive bar, but that isn’t saying much.

The real star of our meal was the Evil Empire shaketail, the adult milkshake a mixture of Smirnoff vanilla bean vodka, Red Wing coffee liquor, and vanilla ice cream. The house-made ice cream was impressively fresh, reminiscent of the southern brand Blue Bunny. Even though the vodka & liquor stood out, it didn’t overwhelm the vanilla bean flavor and combined with the ice cream to create a fantastic product. Featuring a thoughtfully wide straw, Evil Empire or one of BTS’s other shaketails is a must for anyone who enjoys a sweet treat with a small kick of alcohol.

There is no shortage of burger-themed establishments, eager to ride the trending wave and become another Five Guys doppelganger. Burger Tap & Shake may seem like just another entry into an already crowded field of hamburger joints, but it’s well conceived tap list, tasty menu and irresistible alcoholic shakes make it a burger joint worth visiting, if only because you’re in Foggy Bottom anyway.