good stuff eatery

the good stuff eatery leaves much to be desired in living up to it’s namesake. the minute we walked in, not only were we not greeted by any of the approximately 7 people employed, but when we finally made steps to place an order, i seriously felt like i was annoying the disinterested young (caucasian) man at the counter having to take the simple order—which he actually messed up anyways! the mistake, partly mine for even ordering the atrocity of a hamburger, which he made was to not hold the vegetables as i didn’t want them—i stated it twice and which he repeated back to me once (it even said it on the receipt, which tells me there is zero quality control at the establishment). at least two employees (african american male and female) were taking personal phone calls and/or using unprofessional language at the front counter. the only reason i gave this restaurant the second markup (and i only did that because the system will not allow zero markups to be applied to where i would only need to provide them one) was because of the toasted marshmallow milkshake (and in all honesty, they should stick to this as their primary lane and lose the meats—i’ll go into that next) which i found to be above average. the frenchfrieswere completely underwhelming, partly raw and yet soggy, small dregs/leftover-sized, and overwhelmingly over-seasoned with thyme, rosemary, and sea salt. to top it off, the farmhouse cheese burger which i expected to be phenomenal for the price, lacked properly toasted undersides of the buns which would have fortified against the soggy mess the burger became quite quickly, included a bunch of vegetables i previously noted that i did not desire to have at all, and the beef patty was pretty skimpy for the class standard of burger this was supposed to be. the whole establishment struck me as a higher-priced, slightly upper-class five guys knock-off, without meeting the same standards five guys is known for. this was our first time to this establishment, and i can assure all interested that as a new resident of the region, this will be one restaurant that will not be in my rotation... ever. they lost a customer (x2), hope they’ll take heed of this and get it together for the next ones.

while i was in dc, my friends and i popped into good stuff eatery for a quick dinner. it was raining cats and dogs, and this place was conveniently located on the ground level of my friends’ apartment where i was crashing. good stuff eatery is dc based chef and top chef contestant spike mendelsohn’s burger chain, and apparently kind of a big deal in dc (or at least that’s how my friends made it sound).

i got the vegetarians are people too ‘shroom burger ($6.98) plus the snackfriesand soda combo ($4.45). thefrieswere rather sad and soggy, and i could have done without them. the burger? when i think of ‘shroom burgers, shake shack immediately comes to mind (duh), and their shroom burger is a tough one to beat. good stuff’s portobello burger is very similar with muenster and cheddar cheese, then fried with panko. ehh, i wish the cheese were warm and gooey, but it wasn’t. overall, the burger seemed like it was lacking something. meh, it just didn’t do it for me. not sure if it’s just this location or good stuff eatery in general, but based on this visit, i’d say they don’t serve very good stuff. (har har har.)

good stuff eatery has always left me satisfied when i've gone there for shakes. from the marshmallow shake to the new peach shake. so i was honestly taken aback when max and i went there for dinner. when i got my bag thefrieswere bare, and the seasoning (rosemary and thyme) were just sitting on the bottom of the bag. they were soggy - i had maybe one crisp fry - and i found one or two that was longer than an inch. i was really looking forward to my burger after a few bites of the fries. when i unwrapped my burger it was practically a solid brick - from being wrapped tightly. the onion rings were fried, but soggy on the outside and slime on the inside. totally gross. i hate saying this, but i could probably get a better quality burger at wendy's. the picture is after some fluffing of the bun. i think i'll stick to shakes when i go back to good stuff.

the shakes were fantastic and they have crunchy ice in the sofa machines! the rest of the meal was disappointing. salad was limp and seemed like it had been soaking in dressing. frenchfrieswere soggy.

heard that it was a great burger and shake place. it's not. dairy queen, burger king, and chick-fil-a are much better. nothing special at all. the burgers were smooshed even though we ate there. thefrieswere cold. the best part about thefrieswas the dipping sauce which wasn't amazing. they got our simple order of burgers, fries, and milkshakes wrong. after we ate, we then watched the bored teenagers stack water cups into a pyramid on the food counter. after they toppled all over the counter and floor, they re-stacked the cups. ready for the next unsuspecting customer. oh yes, and i realize that everything is ridiculously pricey in dc, but 4 regular burgers, 2 orders of fries, and 4 kid-size milkshakes were $60. it was less than that for better food at rotating restaurant, the skydome lounge.

a stylized wendy's. junior bacon cheeseburger,frieswith sea salt and a frosty for $15. the difference lies in the better ingredients and the wait time.

i ordered the good stuff melt and splitfrieswith my mom. great tasting food, but the burger was a bit small for what i'm used to, and thefrieswere a little soggy. overall fun atmosphere, and as a sauce lover, i appreciated the dip bar. will probably go back soon.

not happy after only 1 visit. i had heard that it was expensive, but saying that, i thought maybe the price is worth it. i expected a flavorful, tasteful and unique experience. i got a so-so burger, soggy coldfriesand ok milkshake for $17. normally if you are a good consumer you write into the owners or manager and hopefully they contact you with a response, any type of response is acknowledging your effort to reach out and provide them the review that is constructive. i wrote 2 times and received no response. i can only say was under impressed with their food, disappointed in their customer service and i would not recommend them to any of my co-workers or acquaintances, i actually made sure my office knew the experience i had and i have hopefully deterred anyone i know from visiting this so-so burger place. in the long run, they may make some money by with name recognition (which with the name of spike mendelsohn i expected more), but i can't imagine anyone would repeatedly pay so much for mediocre burger,friesand shake.

excellent burgers!!. a friend who works in dc suggested this restaurant which is a second location to the capital hill original. the location in crystal city is along a restaurant row that caters to office workers and those who are "in the know" to head toward the business side of town after hours and on weekends.

even with no residences nearby or even an abundance of street parking, the restaurant was filled with diners upon our arrival. after reviewing the menu, i opted for spike's sunnyside, as did my friend with whom i split an order of fries. after collecting our drinks, we visited the dip bar and tried the various dips for thefries- amoung them were horseradish mayo, old bay mayo, mango mayo and chipotle mayo.

the burgers arrived fairly quickly especially given the number of diners in the restaurant. spike's sunnyside includes bacon and an egg with a side of extra napkins!! the description was quite accurate - the burger was quite thick, not packed super-tight so that the meat was actually flavorful but it was messy!! certainly not a dainty meal but it was double-wrapped which was quite helpful.

the burger was excellent - the thick patty was cooked med well which isn't my usual request but it worked well with the other ingredients. the result was a very juicy burger but from the good stuff sauce which was liberally applied beforehand. overall, the result was excellent.

we opted to share a bananas foster shake for dessert. the shake was excellent - ultra thick yet creamy. excellent flavors and topped with bits of caramelized sugar which was very nice.

this puts this puts the other gourmet burger joints to shame b/c they offer good food and a good atmosphere!! i'll be back.

just ok. burger not any better than 5 guys butfrieswere limp and oily. don't think i'll be back.

good food, expensive sides.. the burger was great, good quality meat, cooked medium with pink inside. really really good. burger costs 6.95 with cheese and bacon and a drink was an additional 2.30... would recommend to anyone in the area looking for a great burger, just be prepared to shell out too much forfriesand drinks..

excellent service! delicious burgers andfriesand oh the shakes are ridiculously delicious too! i've never been a fan of shakes but i love love love their strawberry shakes. wow!!! theirfriesare special and lots of sauces to dip them into. if you're not a fan of soggy fries, pour them out of the bag right away so they don't steam. i'm a fan of a crispier fry so i ask for them extra crispy. don't be alarmed. they are cooked a little longer and they are darker but far from burnt. they use red potatoes. i'll def be back for more
good stuff!