Wednesday, September 30, 2015

WuBurger: Woburn's Newest Burgers

A recent study, the Burger Consumer Trend Report by Technomic, states that 39% of consumers purchase a burger from a fast food restaurant on a weekly basis. If true, this could explain the reason for the explosion of burger joints in the Boston+ area. In the suburbs, one of the newest burger additions is WuBurger, which opened in Woburn earlier this month. It's still new, but as a preliminary opinion, based on four visits, it's a worthy spot for a delicious and inexpensive burger and you should make a trip there.

Located in a small strip of stores, with ample parking, WuBurger has walk-up windows where you can order your food or you can choose to sit inside. Inside, you order at the counter and then seat yourself. Dependent on the time, your food might then be delivered to you or you might be called to pick up your food. It has a kind of a casual diner feel and the food is prepared quickly so it is a good choice if you are pressed for time.

I like the fact that the only item they serve which is frozen is their waffle fries. The meat for their burgers is delivered fresh and they source some of their other ingredients from local farms and vendors. They are trying to elevate the quality of fast food and be more eco-consciious while still maintaining inexpensive, fast food prices. I went to their Family & Friends opening, and then went back on my own three other times. Each time, the quality of the food was consistently good. There were a couple minor service issues but that is typical of many places when they first open and I expect they will be remedied soon enough.

The star of the menu is their Burger, which comes as a Single Patty ($4.50) or Double Patty ($6.50) and is served on a Martin's Potato or Sesame roll. Complimentary Toppings include: Lettuce, Tomato, Raw Onion, Pickles, Relish, Ketchup, Mustard, & Mayo,  For $0.50 per topping, you can also add: Wu Sauce, Grilled Onions, Grilled Mushrooms, Jalapeno, American Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, & Swiss Cheese. And for $1.00 per topping, you can add Applewood Smoked Bacon, Blue Cheese, Fried Egg, Crispy Fried Onions, & Homemade Chili. There are plenty of options to customize your burger so you can experience something different every time you visit.

They have several other sandwiches ($3.50-$7.00) including a Veggie Burger, Grilled Cheese, Roast Beef Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Fried Chicken Breast, and more. For sides, the main options are Waffle Fries ($3) and Hand Cut Onion Rings ($4), and you can get them topped with Bacon, Cheddar Cheese Sauce or Chili ($1 each). However, on my most recent visit, they didn't have onion rings available as there appeared to be an issue with them. I'm not sure if they are back yet or not.

This is a Double Patty topped by a fried egg and cheddar cheese on a sesame bun. The burger was juicy and flavorful, enhanced by the egg and aged cheddar. The size of the bun was perfect for the rest of the sandwich. Just a damn good burger at this price.

The potato roll works well too, though my personal preference is for the sesame bun. I had some of the James River BBQ sauce on this burger which added some sweet spiciness to the burger.

The North Shore ($6.50) has Rare Roast Beef, American Cheese, and James River BBQ Sauce.  The roast beef was cooked a perfect rare, and was tender and flavorful, enhanced by the BBQ sauce. If anything, it might be a tad smaller than what you can find at other North Shore roast beef joints. But for taste, it is spot on.

They might be frozen, but the waffles fries are good, not overcooked and very few small pieces. If you want, you can get the cheddar cheese sauce on top or on the side. I also tried the chili and was very pleased with it. There are no beans in their chili and it is well spiced, meaty and delicious. I could have eaten a bowl of the chili on its own.

If you want dessert, they have a full menu of ice cream treats, with the ice cream sourced from Richardson's Farm.. The X-Thick Vanilla Frappe ($7) was good and thick, though still drinkable through  a straw. Have an ice cream cone or a sundae, frozen yogurt or soft serve.

WuBurger has gotten off to an excellent start and I recommend that you check it out. Grab a burger, waffle fries & a shake and enjoy!

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