Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers (Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage)

1246 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA
02138
http://www.mrbartley.com/

From a trip to Boston back in May; and basically because it's the best burger I've ever had. It's just right outside the Harvard campus.

We came across this place after asking a local about any good places to eat. With a thick Boston-accent, the kind gentlemen told us about Bartley's saying it's the best burgers in the state. First thing you would notice when you walk in, it's the crowded atmosphere and the "cabin-like" feeling. It's hard to get a table during peak hours and the place is often loaded with Harvard students.

The menu consists an array of homemade burgers, sandwiches, salads, wraps, and frappes. But being told that this was more of a burger place, the four of us decided to head straight to the burger menu. The burger menu consists about a couple of dozen different combinations, with variations of condiments, toppings, and the likes. All their burgers are named after celebrities. For example, their turkey burger is currently named after Manny Ramirez (go figure).

My order, the John Kerry (swiss cheese burger with mushrooms):

The Arnold Schwarzenegger (double swiss burger and sweet potato fries) for the glutton:

My order also consisted of the New England Clam Chowder, which by the way, wasn't anything too spectacular, at least at Bartley's.

Burgers were juicy, thick, moist, evenly cooked, and were fairly soft while being loaded with toppings. Sides were pretty much mediocre. Only downside of having a hefty 7 oz. burger is always the dreadful task of keeping it clean and to NOT resort to using a fork and a knife.

For someone who's had a lot of burgers at pubs and sports bars in Toronto; it's fair to say that Bartley's clearly outmatches any burger that I have had in the past. Highly recommended for anyone who happens to be in the Boston-area and I'm definitely going to swing by again the next time I visit Fenway.

As for the price? An average burger and a frappe should bring the total to about $15 US a head.

Pros: Variety, taste of burger, friendliness of service
Cons: Red Sox paraphernalia, crowd, no bathrooms, sides could use some work
Score: 8 out of 10