Local restaurants offer customers unique burger flavors and toppings

Cole's black & blue burger, $10.50.

One of America’s most popular foods is being offered on the menus of some local restaurants, with unique flavors and toppings. 

Soho Burger Bar, Cole’s, and Jack Astor’s offer customers the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of burgers, combined with a long list of toppings which includes peppers, jalapenos, and olives.

Formerly a club venue for 13 years, Soho Burger Bar at 64 W. Chippewa St., was reinvented as a restaurant almost two years ago.

Front of the house manager, Jack Reid IV, said Soho Burger Bar offer customers a wide array of signature burgers, which includes a gold standard burger ($13), a bison beef on weck ($14), a red hot chili burger ($12), and a steak house burger ($13.)  

“The one burger that is mostly sold at Soho Burger Bar that everyone loves is the red hot chili burger,” said Reid. “The red hot chili burger is different because it’s a combo, which means the peppers and the tomatoes are in ratio to each other with a level of hotness, and the melted cheese is on top.”

Soho Burger Bar prizes itself as a unique burger restaurant in Buffalo. Its burgers are made with beef that is exclusively made for them at Johnny’s Meats and their signature and mini buns are baked exclusively at Romeo’s Bakery, according to Reid.

Another popular burger offered at Soho Burger Bar is the steak house burger.

 “The steak house burger is another one of our burgers that stand out,” said Reid.  “There’s Swiss cheese on there, the cream horseradish is different as opposed to regular horseradish, caramelized onions, and wild mushrooms.”

Soho Burger Bar serves its burgers on their signature brioche bun, but customers can also choose wheat bun, or no bun at all, according to Reid.

Cole’s at 1104 Elmwood Ave. is a popular restaurant in Buffalo. Among its extensive menu items, are burgers that are exclusive to Cole’s.

“We offer the Wagyu beef for some of our burgers, which a lot of places don’t,” said assistant manager, Jessie Sprenger. “It’s very similar to Kobe beef. We make sure that our cows are healthy and constantly massaged to create that tender type of beef.”

Cole’s offer customers burgers including huey, louie, Andouille ($11), black & blue burger ($10.50), Colorado lamb burger ($12), bruschetta burger ($10), mangy moose burger ($10.50), and Vietnamese bahn mi pork burger ($11).

“For our signature burgers, we have the huey, louie, andouille burger, which is composed of andouille sausage, ground beef, and topped with caramelized onions and cajun spices,” said Sprenger.

“We also offer our Vietnamese bahn mi pork burger, with pickled Asian vegetables and srircha aioli, so it does carry a little bit of a spice to it,” added Sprenger.

Cole’s burgers are made with beef, steak, or lamb.

Among its most popular burgers are the Colorado lamb burger, bruschetta burger, and black & blue burger.

“One of our best sellers is definitely our Colorado lamb burger,” said Sprenger. “It is topped with tzaziki which is a Greek sauce, baby arugulu, red onions, feta cheese, and olives and served on a Wolverman’s sour dough English muffin”

“Our bruschetta burger is also very popular,” added Sprenger. “It has pesto-diced tomato, red onions, basil, parmesan and provolone. It has a really nice fresh, yet still wholesome flavor to it.”

Cole’s black & blue burger is another popular signature burger. The 8-ounce black pepper-crusted burger is topped with crumbly bleu, and roasted red peppers.

“The signature burgers that have always been here that we’re known for are the black & blue burger, the doc smith, and the mangy moose which is topped with barbecue sauce and an onion ring,” said Sprenger.

Each burger is served with fries or a substitute menu item of choice.

Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill at 2000 Walden Ave. offer customers a wide selection of burgers; each grilled to perfection, and served on a toasted bun.

Among Jack Astor’s list of burgers are two burgers that are considered unique by server Brendan Tobolski. 
Jack Astor’s smoky jack’s burger ($11.33) and its señor jack’s jalapeño burger ($11.33) are signature burgers, which are served with fries, soup, or house salad.

“We’ve had the smoky jack’s burger on our menu since the restaurant first opened,” said Tobolski. “That’s our signature burger, so you won’t find that anywhere else.”

The smoky jack’s burger is made with smoked bacon, smoked mozzarella, and a stack of crispy onion straws, according to Tobolski.

“The señor jack’s jalapeño burger is another one of our signature burgers,” said Tobolski. “It is made with ‘peño monterey jack, ‘peño bacon, ‘peño zucchini relish, tomato, lettuce, and hot chili sauce.”

 “It’s a spicy, crunchy burger, with a nice thaw texture,” added Tobolski.

Each burger is served on a gluten-free bun or a focaccia bun, which is a Greek bun.

“In addition, our burgers are made with third pound beef, and grilled to each customer’s specification,” said Tobolski.