view from the bar
I adore burgers and haven’t been blown away by one in quite some time. I’ve been told I need to visit R.F O’Sullivan’s in Somerville as well as Mr. Bartley’s in Cambridge, but I live in Brighton and don’t cross the river too often. So thank goodness for 5 Napkin Burger, a must-eat for burger lovers, located on Huntington Ave (with access via the street and the Prudential Center).
Bread: We were not served bread, which at a burger place is fine by me. I had plenty of other delicious options to fill my stomach with.
Menu: Starters (ranging from soup to salads to wings to deep-fried pickles!), Sushi Maki Rolls, Burgers, Salads, Entrees, Sides, Shakes. I had a burger mentality coming into dinner so my eyes went right to the beef.
Food/Presentation:
Stack of Cornmeal Crusted Onion Rings: blue cheese dressing & 5N sauce
I’m not one to order onion rings (I was eating with 3 boys) but I’m glad I got to taste them! Really fantastic, especially in the 5N sauce (which I believe is a chipotle aioli).
onion rings
Sushi Special: spicy tuna, avocado, king crab salad, torched scallop, sriracha chili sauce, eel sauce, cilantro
Burgers and sushi? Why not! 2 of my favorite things come together and I was very pleased. This special was excellent, so light and fresh. There are a couple other sushi options I would like to try (Southwest Roll), although it is a tad pricey, ranging from $10.95-$15.95. If they all come with 8 pieces it’s perfect to split with a friend!
sushi special
Original 5 Napkin Burger: 10 oz. fresh ground chuck, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, rosemary aioli, soft white roll
Simple and scrumptious. The cheese melting technique was ideal, covering the top as well as the sides of the burger. I spread a bit of the rosemary aioli on the top bun then discarded the rest (it’s really just flavored mayo, let’s be honest). We all ordered the burgers to be done differently (well done, medium, medium rare) and each came out cooked perfection. Definitely a success.
5 Napkin Burger
Espresso Brownie Sunday: vanilla ice cream, espresso caramel, whipped cream & salted peanut
I could have had a giant bowl of the whipped cream, espresso caramel & salted peanuts and I would have been a happy girl. Vanilla ice cream is a waste of my time, and brownie sundaes aren’t my first choice, but this was really good.
i deleted the good pic by accident..
Banana Bread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This was the dessert special and I wasn’t super impressed mainly b/c it was too rich. I do love banana bread but the frosting was unnecessary for me.
Bathroom: Spacious, sleek, clean, 5 stalls, with a full length mirror. I like how the stalls were somewhat separate from the sinks.
bathroom
Wait Staff: I forget her name but the (single) boys were smitten. She was super cute and friendly, and totally sold us on the sushi and dessert special. She did a great job, however we ordered the sushi and onion rings as an app and our burgers were brought by food runners directly after the rings, before we even saw the sushi. Not a huge deal – we had the sushi with our burgers which actually was a nice balance – but apps should be delivered before the entrée, always.
decor
Overall: I consider myself a burger fanatic and I highly suggest 5 Napkin Burger, for burgers or sushi! Everything was honestly superb; my only issue is I wish there were more options. They have a great burger variety (beef, veggie, ‘inside out’, turkey, tuna, lamb) but I wish there were more interesting toppings, for instance: spicy mustard, avocado, relish, hummus etc. The Special Burger had a salsa topping which they should take inspiration from.
The bar was spacious with enough TVs to catch a game. The walls were adorned with over-sized chalk boards and bottles that looked like they should hold some kind of magic potion.
chalk board
The Perfect Bite: 5 Napkin Burger smeared with a little bit of ketchup. The rosemary aioli was decent, but I would have preferred the 5N sauce.
The Perfect Bite, Boston 