Burger of the Gods

What happened to the Dork Burger?? This is a hard review for me to write. I am a fan of the Lunchbox Laboratory and in my mind it was a top-three burger place in Seattle. The only thing wrong with the old location was that it was a dive. The prices, food and portion size was perfect. It was not inexpensive, but I felt it was worth the money. When I heard that the Lunchbox Laboratory was moving to a new location in Lake Union, I was excited. I was quickly disappointed when I discovered that the everything was in reverse. The location is beautiful and the portion sizes are a lot smaller and just as expensive as it was in the old location.

The Dork Burger from the old location (Notice the size difference)

Tater Tots

It seems that the new partnership eliminated the thing that made the Lunchbox Laboratory special and turned it corporate. I understand that we are in a recession, but that is when the customer is looking for value. In fairness, the food is still good. The burgers, shakes and tater tots are still amazing and if I never went to the old location, Lunchbox Laboratory would still be in my top five or ten best burgers in Seattle. The problem is that it is no longer special and the burgers at the Seattle Burger Company, Built Burger, or the Counter are bigger and just as good.

Milkshake

Tang and Kool-Aid are nice additions, but size and selection matter in the burger wars and the Lunchbox Laboratory is retreating. Recommended for newbies, but old-heads might want to reconsider.

Lunchbox Laboratory
1253 Thomas St
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 621-1090

On my recent tour of burger spots in Seattle, I have discovered that there are plenty of decent places to get a medium rare burger. As you may know that I am a fan of the Seattle Burger Company and the Counter. I also enjoy the Lunchbox Lab, even though I am not the biggest fan of the changes they have made since the move to Lake Union.

Built Burger has the possibility of being the best burger place in Seattle. What I tasted in their meat was love, passion, and desire to be the best. I tried their “Built Tasting Plate” to get a quick sampling of the menu and was impressed by their selection. I selected the Superb Trio, Pinnacle Bacon Bleu, and the Magnificent Chorizo sliders and was thrilled to discover that the burgers were juicy and well-seasoned.

The only negative part of the slider was the bun. It was too thick and doughy for my taste on such a small piece of meat. Since Built Burger is in the R&D stage, I totally understand that everything is not going to be perfect and the slider bun is one of the things Built Burger is working on.

The handcut fries were crispy and flavorful (must try with the Sriracha Ketchup) and the Potato Beignets with crispy Brussel Sprout leaves were amazing. Light, fluffy and smooth. I look forward to visiting Built Burger again in the future for a full review.

BuiltBurger
217 James St.
Seattle, WA 98104