On my way out to RDU Airport a quick detour to Harrison Avenue in Cary brings me to the newly opened, BurgerFi! A hamburger chain focused on organic beef and the freshest of ingredients, this Cary location is in the same plaza as Bella Mia Neapolitan pizza and Bonefish Grill. The towering store-front overhangs a small, covered patio in front, littered with lime green chairs. Step inside and you’ll be blasted by rock and pop classics pouring out of overhead speakers. The scene at BurgerFi is a bit edgy and modern. With lots of black, chrome and a crazy (and expensive) looking light fixture fashioned out of meat hooks! Staff is dressed down in black t-shirts, BurgerFi is definitely going for the hipster hamburger scene. The menu is simple: burgers, dogs, fries and custard. The key addition is some beer and wine to wash it all down with, take that Five Guys! I order up a classic cheeseburger, fries and drink, the gal behind the counter hands me over a black plastic buzzer.
I head on over to the mod soda fountain in space-age silver, punch in my drink flavor and voila! Diet grape Fanta comes pouring out. In addition to two communal tables located under the rad, meat-hook lights, there are several small cafe tables for a more private meal. It takes about 10 minutes for my burger to come out and it looks great! My burger is branded and seared with the BurgerFi logo and wrapped in wax paper. A pretty piece of lettuce, ripe red tomato and slightly melted cheese make for a classic-looking sandwich! The fries are long, well-browned with a splash of kosher salt on top. I take my first bite and you get a nice mix of soft potato bun, a double meaty burger patty and fresh veggies. A tasty burger, well-grilled, less greasy than Five Guys. It reminds me of a high quality In n Out burger. Not surprisingly, BurgerFi has a list of “secret” styles that you can order your burger in. Not so secret when it’s printed on the website! The fries are solid if not maybe a bit under-cooked, good taters but not at the level of Chuck’s in Raleigh.
Overall I liked BurgerFi but it’s a bit expensive: $7+ burger, $3 fries, $2 drink and you’re talking about $13+ for a nice lunch. And the taste is just slightly better than In n Out which would probably run you $9 or so. What can I say but yeah, the burgers here are pretty darn good but I’d probably just lean towards eating at Five Guys or Chuck’s. But rock on BurgerFi, you put out some good grilled meat! If you’re ever on Harrison Ave and looking for some high-quality, hipster beef, I’ve got the place for you…
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