bru burger bar - indianapolis

ok-it’s a chain not a mom and pop joint.we did not know that until we had already started eating;mea culpa.what intriqued us about thisplacewas the combination of beef used in their patties;sirloin,chuck and brisket.all the meat comes from a local farm,and ground and packaged locally;which is pretty cool.in either event it makes for one delicious burger.they have all the usual combos;mushroom,swiss;bbq,bacon etc.they also have a pacific rim ;a burger topped with shrimp,pineapple,guacamole and some sort of cheese. since we wanted to taste the burger pat and i picked the classic,a plain old cheeseburger;with a cold set and condiments.among their cheese offerings they have white cheddar ;rare for most burger joints but great for a mid-rare burger.which brings me to my only “complaint”.my medium rare was more medium than rare,a very minor problem,as the hunk o meat was still delicious.they make their own ketchup as well,thinner than most and sweeter as well.it’s definitely more a dipper

visiting friends from town were happy. two friends from out of town late on a saturday before the indy 500 and we showed up late. i expected a little irritation from waiter but was very pleasant and attentive. turkey burger was really good as was the mass ave blt. i got the mexicali and it was one of the best burgers i've had. reminded me of my favorite burgerplaceback home.

greatplacereally loved thisplaceand very niceplaceto enjoy good meal the food is really delicious the chicken burger is really nice and the chicken is cooked really nice and the drinks are also really good and great customer services very niceplaceto go with family enjoy good meal.

if you like a nice bar and grill, this is theplacefor you. they have amazing burgers, some of the nicest staff i’ve met, and a great environment for family and friends.

great burgers. harbonaro was my favorite. been to thisplace3 times now. always a goodplaceto sit down, enjoy food and catch up with friends. right in the heart of the town.

thisplacemakes a great burger.  the cheese plate also very worth getting.  i also enjoy the atmosphere.  i've been here when it was super busy and they seemed to handle it very well.

thisplacewas ok. we actually went to the carmel location now that it's open. they have excellent fries. our service was good. but the burger was just ok. i was surprised because i know people rave about the place. we probably won't be back...the price was a little steep for an ok meal.

we will be back.. stopped in for the first time on easter sunday. theplacewas packed since it was final four weekend but we got a table after about a 5 minute wait. i opted for the mahi mahi burger (rare) while the wife got the veggie burger. the mahi mahi sushi grade course ground with a bread crumb binder and spices. it was cooked rare the exact way i ordered it. french fries were cooked perfect and served with house made ketchup. the ketchup was a little thinner than bottled ketchup but with a lot better flavor, more tomato taste and less sweet. the house mad veggie burger was very good made from garbanzo beans and other veggies and spices. i tasted it a it was one of the better veggie burgers i have had. burgers are in the 10 to 12 dollar price range. thisplacegoes on my list of top burger joints in town.

best burgers in town. my cousins told me about theplaceand i was amazed! best burger i have ever had. great service. good portions. couldn't complain. definite staple for indy.


-----06 feb, 2015-----

garlic three cheese burger. melts in your mouth! love the sauce. can't go wrong with this burger. garlic is a perfect blend not over powering.

good burgers. we visited there last night with my wife and 22 and 14 year old boys. we had about a 20 minute wait for a table which was no big deal. once seated, our server was there promptly and we received good service all night. we ordered the hot pretzels as an appetizer and they were delicious. my wife had the provencal burger which she thought was very juicy but also a bit messy. she gave it a big thumbs up though. i had the bourbon burger which was also very good. i had onion rings with my burger and they were ok but not special (a little too much breading for my tastes). my 14 year old son had the 3 cheese garlic burger and found it way to "garlicky" and only ate half of it. my other son just had a simple burger with lettuce and tomato. all but me had fries which were pretty good and we all really enjoyed the homemade ketchup. my wife had a couple beers and one of the kids had a coke. two of us just had water. our bill was $71. the burgers were really good but overall, theplaceis a little overpriced. we'll go back because we really did enjoy the meal but it won't be often because of the price.

nothing special, just an ok burger. thisplaceis a bit overrated. the meat is not seasoned at all, best i can tell, and the cuts used are not anything special. i ordered mine medium-rare, and while it was plenty juicy, it wasn't seared enough on the outside to give it that extra 'mmm!' the fries were ok, but not salted or seasoned. i also found the house ketchup to be a bit too sweet. there was truffle aioli on my burger, which is fine, but why bother? you can't taste the truffle. you can't take a simple burger and make it gourmet just by adding a few fancy ingredients, which is what bru has attempted.

i will say, the service was very good, and prompt. if the prices were about 30% lower i might go back, but otherwise save yourself a few bucks and hit steak and shake or mr. dan's.

it took a long time to get in, but it was worth the wait. the hamburgers and the service at the table turned out to be great! niceplaceto eat a great burger.

well seasoned, garnished hamburgers.. we can't speak to the salads or sides, but the two times we've been to bru so far have provided my wife and i with excellent meals--enough to furnish two portions, each. most recently i had the provencal, and she had the house-made veggie burger. the former was smooth, creamy, with a nice edge to the flavor, while the latter didn't taste at all like one of those frozen veggie burgers enlightened nations use to furnish the foundations of homes: it had a meat like flavor and texture, with a spicy core. it's too early to tell, given we've only tried four burgers on the menu, but i suspect our trips to and through indianapolis will include further trips to bru, as well.

a couple of additional points. first, sit in only on an off-hour. theplacecrowds up at lunch and dinner, especially on a weekend. do take out; you'll be glad you did. second, the directions may be a bit confusing because bru is actually slightly back from massachusetts avenue. it's easy to miss. just park, get out, and go around the starbuck's. you'll find it easily, then.

a second chance at redemption. my first trip to bru burger left me with a bad taste in my mouth. to sum it up, i felt like bru tried so hard to be so trendy with its burgers that it didn't get some of the basics right and kind of lacked tasted. also up there on the lacking part was that aplacelike this doesn't do fresh-cut fries. even in a podunk town like morganstown down south, aplacecalled kathy's cafe does fresh-cut fries. why can't bru?

the white bean dip was pretty good overall, so i can't complain. my provencal burger was pretty good as far as toppings are concerned (except i wish they wouldn't use red onions, regardless of being carmelized) but the burger patty simply is underwhelming. can't i get more maillard reaction on my outsides?

the bread pudding was above average for bread pudding, but sized too small. what's the matter bru, afraid to break the bank by over-serving on your bread pudding?

in the end, i still wasn't sufficiently wowed at aplacelike this for the prices that are charged. the perfect burger and fries are all about getting the basics right first and improvising from there.


-----25 feb, 2014-----

come at me bru.... i wanted to like bru, i really did. and in some regards, i did like some things about them. but with a total bill of $86 (over $100 after tip) for 3 people, it made me rethink what we just ate and drank to see if the value of it was there.

first off, our service was spot on. i can't argue with that. our first round of drinks found me enjoying their farmhouse ale but my wife did not enjoy her pear cosmo (although it sounded great) saying that it tasted like pure alcohol. in a second round, we all got what we wanted, but the first one was a fluke for sure. then our appetizer came out, the bbq nachos (chicken) that were really quite ordinary. for aplacethat prides itself on fancy gourmet toppings on burgers, there sure wasn't anything that stood out.

then our burgers came out. my wife had got the onion rings and my friend had got the fries. i must have spaced out when the server asked me if i wanted fries, because i didn't get any. i did taste my friend's fries and was shocked to find that they weren't even fresh cut fries?! what the hell? serving a premium burger with frozen bag fries is a serious no-no in my book. in fact, you may as well surrender any hopes of thinking you have the best burger in town until you get the fries that can back it up.

so what about that burger? well my wife enjoyed her mexicali burger. but my "the end" burger failed on so many levels. first off, a truffle aioli had no trace of "truffle" in its taste. and i should know, i keep a shaker of truffle salt at my house to cook with. secondly, i won't argue that the burger was medium, just like i asked, but the outside didn't have that deliciously crisp crunch you get from all the mailard reaction occurring. it also didn't taste like it was seasoned during cooking, i.e. no salt.

the burger was sloppy, which was fine, but ultimately at the end of it there should've been a more fulfilling feeling, but there was none. the bun also fell apart halfway through regardless of being toasted. a more substantial bun would've been extremely welcome (kaiser perhaps?)

in the end, the bill sealed the deal that thisplacewasn't the value that i thought it was. granted my review won't scare away the long lines of people that eagerly wait in line for this place, but at least i won't have to be one of those people in the future.

juicy. i don't like the plain of hamburger type of meal very often, it's just too simple to order at a restaurant. however, if i'm craving a juicy thick hamburger this is theplaceto go. the meal is normal prices like applebees/friday's but the quality of food they use is better.
cocktails are strong and tasty as well.