youthful vibe, good waitstaff, huge burgers, priced right. hops burger bar technically may not be a college hangout, but it has that vibe.
on a friday night, there was a 45-minute wait, but we found seats at the bar (thanks to a nice guy who gave up one of his party's seats) and ate there.
the burgers are huge, and they come with very good regularfriesor sweet potato fries. i had the classic with regularfries(about $8), and my wife had the cuban cow with sweet potato fries.
with two burgers and fries, an appetizer of red onion rings (just so-so, a bit greasy) and a total of three craft beer drafts, our meal came to just $39 (plus my usual generous tip) -- a real bargain.
the waitstaff was really on top of things, and the crowd seemed happy to be there.
i'd definitely go back.