Burger Bar

mikehartigan

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I went to Las Vegas for a business conference at Mandalay Bay Convention Center and stayed at the like-named hotel. As luck would have it, Beerfly pointed me to this unpretentious little mall eatery that just happened to be in the same complex (nice, since the temps have been over 100 all week, so I was disinclined to walk anywhere).

I was seated immediately at the bar, though I overheard the hostess advising people of a 45 minute wait for a table. I was aware that there is quite a selection of craft and pseudo-craft beer available, but when I saw the Stone Ruination tap handle, I didn't bother asking for a beer list (I live in suburban Chicago, so Stone is a rare treat for me). And I was pleasantly surprised by the $7/pint price - a bit lower than I would have expected in Vegas. Prominent among the ten or so selections on tap were Fat Tire, Stella, Dead Guy Ale, SNPA, Newcastle Brown, and Chimay. Visible bottles included Stone Pale Ale, Hop Henge, a couple from Colorado Brewing (sorry, I don't recall which) and Chimay (12 oz bottles of Chimay appear to be very popular in Vegas).

The plain old cheeseburger that I ordered was probably my second favorite burger ever (the double cheese with everything at Pepper's on Van Buren in Chicago's Loop is my personal #1 at about 1/3 the price). Steak Fries ("Fat Fries") appeared to be fresh cut with skin included, but they could be just a high quality frozen product. Frankly, I don't care - they were very good. At $13-ish including fries, it was quite a bargain for Vegas. Service was fast and friendly, food was hot and perfectly prepared.

All in all, a very pleasant experience. I'm leaving Friday morning, which gives me one more day to go back and actually read the beer list. I'll update this if I make it back.

06-19-2008 03:57:54 | More by mikehartigan

perfectkaos

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Burger Bar is a neat little place tucked into the Mandalay Place shopping mall in between Mandalay Bay and Luxor. Definitely worth stopping in.
Quasi-sportsbar with TVs placed in every booth, and three widescreen flat panels above the bar.

A good variety of beer on tap, even more in the bottle selection. During my two trips here, I had Fântome Primtemps and Sprecher Scotch Ale. Beer pricing is what you would expect, depending on the beers you buy. Had I won at the craps tables, I probably would have sprung for the $150 Beer (and the $60 burger)

Speaking of the burgers, The Burger Bar lets you customize every aspect of your burger, from the type of beef used to the bun to an extensive list of toppings including foie gras and lobster tail. The $60 burger mentioned above, known as the Rossini, is a piece of steak topped with foie gras and truffles.

I put the pricing as reasonable, because depending on what you get, you pay more or less. A regular beef burger ends up running around 9-10 bucks, which is what you pay at Red Robin or Fridays. American Kobe naturally runs a bit more.

My only complaint was that the bar closed at midnight, something I was not expecting for Vegas. The weekend sees the bar stay open later.

08-24-2007 05:17:57 | More by perfectkaos

frazbri

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

The Burger Bar in Mandalay Place is quite a unique restaurant. It's essentially an upscale diner, complete with boothes and a counter. The menu consists of burgers, beers, and shakes, but the fare is far from fast food. The centerpiece of the menu is the Rossini Burger, a kobe beef burger topped with black truffles and foi gras. Other burger topping options included olive tapinade, asparagus, peppered bacon, jalapeno bacon, jalepeno slices, lobster, shrimp and more. Meat options were kobe beef, hereford beef, colorado lamb, california turkey, and veggie. (ok not meat)

(newly updated)
I visited the Burger Bar again, and it has improved greatly. BB now has about forty taps, and added vintage bottles to the beer list. Drinking a glass of the Abyss with your burger is pretty damn cool in my book.

The Burger Bar has gone from "a place I'd go to if I get near Mandalay & Luxor" to "a must stop when in Vegas".

02-06-2009 19:25:59 | More by frazbri

atigerlife

Hawaii

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

We went at 12:30 p.m. on a Friday. Obviously a popular place since it was packed. Had to wait about 20 minutes to get a table.

Place is located in the walkway, so not exactly a lovely setting. It does have a decent size bar [+/- 30 people] and some tables & booths. Not a huge place. Between the loud music and the packed house, the bar was quite noisy. A very frenetic feel to it. Lots of TV's over the bar area. They also have beer paraphenalia all along the walls.

Beer: Very nice tap/bottle selection for a burger joint. Probably around 25 on tap and an equal amount of bottles. A sampling includes: Sin City [$5.50) Chimay ($9), Fat Tire, Stella, Sapporo, Dos Equis. Bottles: Peroni, Deschuttes, Duvel, Franziskaner, Coopers.

I had a Brimberger and it was served in the appropriate glassware. Can't argue with that.

Food is the basics: burgers, sandwhiches. The burges come with a wide variety of toppings that you can choose from. We had the Black Angus burger with a side of onion rings. This burger was as good as I've ever had. Very delicious. Rings were also good.

Service was very friendly, attentive and always smiling. Served our beer quickly and noticed the small details [replaced our ketchup when it was running low, etc.].

Not a very cheap place, but the quality is worth it. I would definitely go back when I'm in Vegas.

10-12-2006 03:35:47 | More by atigerlife

HosP

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Stayed at Mandalay Bay for a convention. After reading about this place went with a couple other co-workers to check out the beer list. A couple hours later we were still sitting at the bar trying as much beer that we could from the west coast. Bartender was very knowledgeable and did a great job showing us some of the more rare beer. Of course those bottles were pretty pricey, however the draft and some of the bottles weren't to bad for being on the strip. For what we drank I'm pretty sure he gave us a few beers for free. Had a larger amount of bottles to choose from and a good selection on tap.

We ended up going back to eat there everyday we were in Vegas. Burgers were awesome. A little expensive but well worth the visit in. We had a great experience every time we went in the Burger Bar from the service to the beer. Will definitely be going back for at least a beer and burger next time in Vegas.

12-05-2010 16:20:12 | More by HosP

Evbowski

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

First off, this place was excellent for many different reasons. 1. The staff was very knowledgeable about the 25 or so different beers they had on tap. Very friendly, great place to eat. 2. The burgers you could top with almost any topping every thought of. Fried egg. No problem. 3. The price, in comparison to the rest of Las Vegas standards, is very reasonable. 20 dollars gets you a burger, a beer, very generous amount of fries and great service. The place probably had room for only 150 people or so, so it didn't get overly crowded. Loved it. We were out there for 5 nights, 6 days, and we ate there 4 times. I cant wait to get back out there next year.

12-16-2010 16:47:22 | More by Evbowski

yax75

Alberta (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I only managed to slip in here a couple times on my trip to Las Vegas, but it was great little place. The beers I had were fantastic. Being able to pick my own flights was nice, minimum 6, and they seemed to be priced reasonably. The bartender even placed them in proper order, aka least intense flavor to most intense, which was nice to see. Finally had my first taste of Murphy's stout on tap, soooo good. I also had a nice comparison between two hoppy beers, Dogfish head 90 Min and Grand Teton Bitch Creek. Both very good but I prefered the Bitch Creek. Never did get through their whole list, but that is for another trip. The food smelled and looked amazing, but all I had was beer, maybe next time.

05-22-2010 18:22:36 | More by yax75

Shane94941

California

4.29/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Okay...you are in Las Vegas and realize that every restaurant and bar has the same old beer, not good. Well do yourself a favor and go to the Burger Bar located in Mandalay Place (which is inside Mandalay Bay). It is the only place on the strip which has any respect for good beer. It has 24 beers on tap, some are excellent and some are horrible. Stone and DFH on tap so atleast you know some are good. LOTS of bottles available including some of the best selections in the world. The bottom line is that if you are a beer advocate (which you obviously are if you are reading this) and you find yourself in Vegas, then this is the place to go! On top of their selection, their bartenders are excellent. Once one of the bartenders realized I was a beer freak (Julia) she gave me free "tastes" of some really awesome beers where she and I split a beer. I didn't try their food yet, not really important, it's all about the beer.

02-16-2010 01:39:15 | More by Shane94941

Ell

Alabama

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Great bar in Mandalay Bay. Lots of nice beers - seemed like more in the bottle than what's indicated here - I'd guess more like 50+. Beer menu had extensive tasting notes.

Even better was the service. We sat at the bar and the bartender made wonderful suggestions regarding which beers to choose. Had the Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA (they were out of Ruination in both bottle and on tap), Piraat, and sadly, a couple others that slipped my mind. The glassware was appropriate and chosen by beer.

Very nice.

Oh, and the burgers were fantastic. I had mine with bacon and a slice of avocado.

03-25-2009 21:27:19 | More by Ell

brotherfraz2

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

I made my way back to Las Vegas and one of my first stops was to Return to the Burger Bar at Mandalay Place. The beer selection has not changed since my previous review (Fat Tire, Sunshine Wheat, Sin City Amber,McEwan's, and Chimay White).

The main reason for my return was to have the "Rossini Burger" and it was all the I expected. The Kobe beef was incredibly flavorful and juicy. Topping it was the seared Foie Gras and shaved Black Truffles. The Mediera sauce was on the side. Without a doubt it was the best and most expensive burger I've ever had.

I will be back on my next sojourn out west.

05-07-2005 17:38:09 | More by brotherfraz2