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Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co. (Formerly Big Buns Gourmet Grill) - Hamburgers and Craft Beer in Ballston and Shirlington


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Big Buns Gourmet Grill, 4401 Wilson Blvd in Ballston (but it's not actually facing Wilson Blvd. It's on the other side of Vapiano in a courtyard between Wilson and Fairfax.) Click for website.

I saw this place one day after leaving Vapiano and was curious to try it. It's a fast food burger place. They offer beef, chicken, mahi mahi, or portobello burgers (in a bun or bowl) with your choice of cheeses, toppings and sauces. They also offer regular fries, sweet potato fries, milkshakes, malts, floats, sodas, and beer. Near the soda fountain, they have four Italian soda type syrups that you can mix in your drink, like cherry to make a cherry coke. I had a beef burger which came well-done but was still juicy. (They didn't ask how I wanted it. I don't know if that's an option.) It's not a very thick burger, but it was wide enough that I needed to hold it with both hands. The burger was $5.95, not counting additional charges for special toppings. The fries were each $1.85. I really liked the regular fries, they were thicker than shoestring fries and had a very potato-y flavor though it would be nice if they were just a little crispier. The sweet potato fries were thinner than the regular fries and were ok but nowhere near as good as the ones at Eleventh. Has anyone else tried Big Buns?

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I tried this place out right after they opened. I thought it was pretty good. By only "beef" was that I thought there was a bit too much black pepper on the burger and that the bun was a bit too big for the patty. It was good though. I am still a 5 Guys fan myself, so I am a bit biased. I wonder how they are doing in that location? It is a bit tucked away. I think there is some sort of wine bar next door, but I have yet to try it out.

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I tried this place out right after they opened. I thought it was pretty good. By only "beef" was that I thought there was a bit too much black pepper on the burger and that the bun was a bit too big for the patty. It was good though. I am still a 5 Guys fan myself, so I am a bit biased. I wonder how they are doing in that location? It is a bit tucked away. I think there is some sort of wine bar next door, but I have yet to try it out.

Bad pun, Jason :blink: You reviewed it - didn't you? I think that is how I heard of this place. (I feel a thread consolidation coming.)

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Website is very slick. Any background on the operation?

I searched and found this article which says the owner is Craig Carey "who worked for Great American Restaurants for two years and eventually wants to get Big Buns Gourmet Grill into other local markets." I wonder what happened to the plan to serve hot dogs as mentioned in the article.

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I tried this place out right after they opened. I thought it was pretty good. By only "beef" was that I thought there was a bit too much black pepper on the burger and that the bun was a bit too big for the patty. It was good though. I am still a 5 Guys fan myself, so I am a bit biased. I wonder how they are doing in that location? It is a bit tucked away. I think there is some sort of wine bar next door, but I have yet to try it out.

y girlfriend and I visited Big Buns about two weeks ago-- my burger was pretty good if overcooked, her fish was not so much... the sweet potato fries were poor, but the regular ones were crispy and good. The quality of the food notwithstanding, I think one of their "I Like Big Buns and I Cannot Lie" shirts is a fantastic Christmas gift idea! I know I want one.

The wine bar next door is called Grand Cru-- pretty cool place, actually. I wandered in when they were doing a free wine tasting, which I imagine is a weekly occurence. There is a rather comprehensive little wine store associated with the restaurant-- the 150+ selections cover a wide range of styles and countries and the bottles are well priced. They even had a bottle of 2000 Chateau Margaux!(?)! You may select a bottle to have with dinner, and they will either charge you a small corkage fee or none at all.

That is my major complaint about Grand Cru-- the staff were all eager to please, but there weren't nearly enough of them, and there wasn't any clear definition of policy and price. The food was hit or miss-- I sampled the rack of lamb (hit), my girlfriend had the fondu (big MISS). The food took forever to come out (miss), but we were given a healthy discount for our patience (hit). The cheeseboard is cheap (hit), but the descriptions were a bit innacurate...

All in all, it seems as if Grand Cru has potential, but is experiencing all the pitfalls of a brand new establishment still getting its act together. I say give them a shot, as I will give them a few more. I have confidence that they will get their act together in the near future.

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After being foiled by a ridiculously long line at Good Stuff on Saturday for lunch, the +1 and I decided to try out Big Buns on Sunday since we were down in Ballston (yes, we have been to Hell-Burger at least 3 times, so we just wanted to give this other joint a shot, esp since it is only a few blocks from the +1's apartment).

My first impression was that I was a little overwhelmed having to decide what I wanted at first (I'm someone who likes choices, but also likes when there's a few pre-suggested burgers like at Ray's and Good Stuff so they already tested out what goes well together). That being said, I love all the choices at Big Buns (beef v chicken v fish v mushroom and bun v salad style). Similar to Five Guys, the vast majority of toppings were free, with upcharges I think only for bacon, avocado, guac and maybe one other thing. You could certainly build quite a burger, or pile everything up into a great salad.

We both got burgers since it was our first trip, and although they were well-done (as mentioned above you don't get a choice), they were still tasty. I had some strange combination of roasted corn salsa (you could see that the corn was cut straight from the cob), fresh jalepenos and pepper jack cheese. We also each got one of the dressings which were good both on the burgers and as a dipping sauce for the fries.

As opposed to the reviews above, I actually liked the sweet potato fries a lot more than the regular. They were a shoestring version and just the right crispness and saltiness. We were too full to try and shakes or malts, even though the Peanut Butter Cup version was calling my name.

One other thing I liked about the place was it's focus on sustainability and "greenness." It is in one of Ballston's first "LEED"-certified buildings, and prides itself on recycled materials, etc. Always nice to have in the neighborhood!

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Went for burgers the other night. As a note, the whole wheat buns really hold up better than the non. Had a burger with havarti, jalapeno, lettuce and tomato. The jalapenos were very fresh, which surprised me in a good way. Had sweet potato fries, which I love here. Not a hellburger, but defeinitely a good place for a burger fix if you live or work nearby.

I like all the condiments available and syrup for sodas too.

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This reminds me that since my initial post from a year ago, I've been back a few times now and actually usually get the chicken in the salad form (sans bun). The chicken is very juicy with a nice marinade, and my biggest problem with the meal is that they put it on the salad whole instead of cutting it up. But I really like ordering my protein in the bowl instead of the bun cause then I can pile on more toppings! I usually forgo cheese, but load up with tomatoes, grilled onions, roasted corn salsa, mushrooms, black bean and mango salsa and sometimes pineapples or jalapenos. All of that would fall right off a bun, but works well in a bowl. There's so much good stuff there isn't a lot of dressing needed, but I find the Sweet Chili Vinaigrette to have a nice tang. (The Chipotle Pesto Aioli is great with the fries though).

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I found myself at big buns for the first time yesterday. I'll be back and here's why IN RANDOM order:

1. Best Sweet potato fries ever.

2. Best chocolate malt in Ballston and I've tried them all.

3. My husband's mahi burger was super fantastic but he wouldn't trade for my angus salad...can't say as I blamed him. Don't get me wrong, angus salad was FANTASTIC but it wasn't next level like that mahi burger with Pesto Aioli, avocado, corn, something else I"m forgetting. Oh, L&T.

4. That BBQ sauce on the condiments bar.

5. House draft beer is pretty good and, if you are low on funds, a can of Pabst is 1.50.

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Hubby and I have been battling with Montezuma from our weekend trip in Mexico. We are finally to the stage where we are hungry and might be able to have some real food. This leads to problem 1, that I have no energy to cook, which leads to problem 2, that most of the food in our house is fresh so if you want to eat something you have to cook, which leads to problem 3, I am likely to go without food if I have to move very far, due to lack of energy and no food in house that we are able to just eat, which leads to problem 4, Hubby will eat anything so I am likely to starve alone.

Luckily we have a few options within a block or two from the house and Hubby said he would walk with me because by the time delivery would get here I wouldn't be hungry. So got take out from Big Buns. I didn't want a burger, which is odd because normally when sick I crave beef (this is what happens when raised on a beef farm) so I got mahi mahi in a bowl with lettuce, sprouts, roasted red peppers, roasted mushrooms and corn salsa. The mahi mahi is a really good option here. Also you don't really need the bun as you can make a really good salad/dish out of the free toppings (or the extras, but I normally stick with free toppings). I ordered a side of sauce that I didn't even use because between the fish and toppings it was really good as is. They put a blackening seasoning on the fish, but it isn't spicy really at all, but adds nice flavor. And they do a good job of not overcooking it.

Hubby and I eat here a good bit because it is so close and dog friendly. And they always have good sweet potato fries, although sometimes I request a well done batch. My dog loves the fries. Their burgers are good too, but I almost like the mahi more. Dog agrees with me, but is an equal opportunity eater when it comes to proteins.

I am not as big of a fan on the chicken, it is a little dull compared to the flavors of the burger or mahi, but in general I am not as into chicken unless done really well. (Although there is an awesome chicken sandwich at Punk's that I love) Their regular fries are good too, but not as good as the sweet potato, that might be because it is so hard to find really good sweet potato fries that I go for that when I go. The service is always fast and if you are a regular they have a little punch card to get a free sandwich or bowl after so many outings.

I had a taste of vanilla shake tonight that hubby got and it was pretty good, not as good as the shake at Potbelly, but perhaps the chocolate malt would be...

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I don't work in Ballston anymore, but when I did, I thought the burgers were ok, but easily the best thing on the menu. My one experiment with both the chicken and mahi-mahi resulted in sawdust-dry preparations that were nearly inedible.

Interesting. I've gotten the Mahi at least 4 times now and the chicken probably 2-3 and never had dryness be the issue. The mahi especially has always been really juicy. Like ktmoomau I'm a big fan of making a salad out of the bowl with all the free toppings, and agreed that the sweet potato fries are really good (esp dipped in the chipotle aioli).

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Interesting. I've gotten the Mahi at least 4 times now and the chicken probably 2-3 and never had dryness be the issue. The mahi especially has always been really juicy. Like ktmoomau I'm a big fan of making a salad out of the bowl with all the free toppings, and agreed that the sweet potato fries are really good (esp dipped in the chipotle aioli).

I'd like to add that we've had the Mahi many times and it's always good.

Also, last week we had take out and other than having to re-heat the fries, the food stood up rather well.

I'm still in love with the milkshakes.

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Had some well seasoned, well cooked, still moist mahi on my salad last night. I felt it probably would have been easier to tell them what I didn't want on the salad, instead of did. It all tasted good though and I think I may have gotten three servings of veggie (maybe more)!! With a good variety of color! Thinking back now I did not get the pesto aoli dressing, but their normal orange one they give with orders, but it was fine. I was having a goodbye din for my neighbor with my other neighbor and our three dogs. Someone from Grand Cru patio next door was disgruntled about one of our dogs barking while we went to order, the neighbor whose dog it was took their comments much more nicely than I would have (it wasn't a long period of time you can order quickly at Big Buns). Sometimes I think people just need to give people somewhat of a break, we live in a city, a dense social community. I have been witnessing a lot of unnecessary nastiness lately and it just has been unpleasant, perhaps it's the humidity. But Big Buns is SERIOUSLY pet friendly, so if you don't like dogs I would avoid the patio, and the adjoining Grand Cru patio.

They have added a lobster roll, shrimp salad and pork bbq sandwich to the menu. Neighbor had lobster roll and said it was good. I haven't tried any of the new items yet, but I am sure I will soon. It appeared to be a chilled mayo type of lobster roll. Came with fries or slaw. Probably same deal for the other two.

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I've been to Big Buns in Ballston three times in the last few weeks (while looking for new lunch places in the area since I'm nearby at least once a week for work). It is a nice place where they make the food to order and you can create an combo from their long list of toppings/sauces, etc. The hamburger is a nice juicy burger (I told them medium-rare and it was close, which can be tough for a thinner burger) on a big tasty bun. I also had the grilled chicken and grilled salmon on salads (choice of mixed greens or romaine - romaine held up better to grilled proteins). Portions are big. Salmon was least favorite because it was too well-done. You can't go wrong with grilled onions or mushrooms and the corn salsa is pretty good too. The sauces/dressings have been more hit or miss - some are not really burger toppings, but rather thicker salad dressings that don't go well on a burger. Good - Sweet chilli vinagrette, chipotle pesto (more like chipotle mayo, but still good). Not so great - buttermilk ranch. Fries are also made fresh and are pretty good - I like the sweet potato option. I haven't ask yet, but I heard they'll give you half & half. They also have good shakes including my new favorite - Nutella (vanilla ice cream, milk, and a good portion of nutella)! Doesn't really compare to higher end burger places but holds a nice middle ground - much better than fast food, but cheaper and much quicker than a sit down place.

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Holy Crabmeat Batman:

I'd like to publicly thank Big Buns for bringing a jumbo sized, full-of-large-lumps crab cake to Ballston. That badboy is fantastic.

When I dinned last weekend, I was shocked at size of the lumps (huge); the size of the cake (huge) and the taste (amazing).

In terms of service, my 4 yr old was flirtying with one of our counter ladies and I think she entertained him for a full 10 minutes while she had no customers and I while I fed self and the 1-yr-old. Keep up the great work.

I still love the milkshakes.

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So my dog happened to fall in love with another dog in the park on our walk.  And I mean he is in love.  Turns out the owner of the dog is a SO to one of the Big Buns owners.  I was telling her that we liked having it so close because it was so do friendly and that our dog really liked it.  Anyway then later last week I walked out of my office and it smelled overwhelmingly like burgers (obviously Blackwall Hitch had in a lot of burger orders) I didn't get a burger that day, so Saturday Matt and I decided to go to big Buns since it was on my mind from the whole Max and May lovefest.

I got a plain beef burger on an original bun with American cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato.  I got their Out N In sauce, which tasted pretty good with my fries and burgers and a not bad rendition of the sauce and regular fries.  I had forgotten how juicy their burgers are, I am always tempted to load up with a lot of toppings, but I think sometimes I go to extreme, this was a a tasty, juicy burger.

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Was back last week, so skip the Out N In sauce and get the sriracha aioli on the side to eat with your fries.  I liked it so much I put it on my burger too, it is seriously good.  I again went for cheese, lettuce, tomato and was very happy with this choice.  They have some special burgers on the board below the cash register that I didn't see, but pictures of them on their screen looked really good, might try one next time.  Their burgers aren't as good as Citizen or Green Pig, but it's super close to our house and very easy, especially with our dog with us.  

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Went the other night.  I got the special burger with pickled onions- forget the name and it was pretty good, but Hubby got the Korean BBQ burger and he said it was messy, but awesome.  It looked awesome, I would never admit it to him, but I had burger envy.  We got Cajun fries which I like more than their regular fries, they were a bit more crisp for some reason.  Anyway, they have expanded their beer options, some of their sides.  I asked for my burger medium rare and I got medium rare and service was very friendly.  Their December burger looked really good too- might have to go back before Christmas.

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Well the KBBQ Burger was really good.  Spicy, and really good.  It had: Angus Beef blended with Asian Spices and brushed with Korean BBQ Sauce, Kimchi Slaw, Shaved Cucumbers, Miso Mayo.  Oooh man it was also very messy, but worth it.  Matt had the bahn mi burger special which was huge, he really liked it was well.  

Note they know have a quinoa bowl too. 

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1 hour ago, NolaCaine said:

I too had the KBBQ over the weekend!  I think the tag line for this place needs to change. Big buns is now a decade old and has an evolving menu of wonderful delights.  And the wine comes in an actual glass.

And they have a really good beer selection.

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Went on Saturday and the place was swamped (maybe due to the snow and people wanting a walkable option?).  I got the specialty grilled chicken sandwich with portobello cap, roasted red peppers, pesto and cheese.  The sandwich was very good.  I think the specialty options have been really good lately.  I want to say Big buns is in a groove recently, things there just seem to have gelled a bit- although it's been open for a while, I just feel like they have finally found a really good rhythm. 

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I went here on Friday night REALLY wanting a burger and starving having gone to the gym then showered after work and thinking I was really hungry.  I got an angus burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle (I really thought I ordered bacon, but maybe I didn't).  I thought the burger was too big- I think I have thought this before, but on some of the specialty burgers didn't notice this.  I should have cut it in half, I think it is more manageable to eat that way, but I didn't.  I forgot they use fancy American cheese.  On a burger, if I order american cheese, I really just like the plain gooey, not really edible on it's own Kraft like stuff.  It was good, still.  I had cajun fries with buttermilk ranch sauce, and that was killer good, spicy, and cool at the same time.  Once I ate it and fries I felt like I really over ate, which I did, but I had been starving and ate too fast.  I should have cut my burger in half.   Anyway, this place was humming on a Friday night, outside and in.  I still think the specialty burgers are a bit better and will get one again next time.

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21 hours ago, DonRocks said:

So, now that Ray's Hell-Burger is gone, what do people think is the best hamburger in the area?

I'm looking for the best hamburger with price not being a consideration.

I know it is fast casual but my go-to burger place is now Big Buns at Ballston.  I also love the burgers at GAR restaurants.  I've eaten them at Carlyle and Coastal Flats at Tysons.  I know they are not high-end but neither am I. 😜

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5 hours ago, hopsing said:

I know it is fast casual but my go-to burger place is now Big Buns at Ballston.  I also love the burgers at GAR restaurants.  I've eaten them at Carlyle and Coastal Flats at Tysons.  I know they are not high-end but neither am I. 😜

I just gave the Ballston Big Buns a try - note that this absolutely was not the place where I had a good Cubano ten-odd-years ago; that must have been Grand Cru. Anyway:

I ordered a Classic Burger ($8.50) with Cheddar ($0.99), medium-rare, and a Diet Coke ($2.79!)

Originally having ordered to go, I took a look at the size of the glass and decided, by damn, that I was going to get my money's worth, so I changed my order to dine in.

Then, I noticed that they didn't have Coke; they had Maine Root sodas (for those unfamiliar with it, they're comparable to Boylan's). I enjoyed multiple glasses of the Diet Mexicane Cola (they make a regular Mexicane Cola, presumably with cane sugar) - it was really good, and tasted like it had a bit of vanilla flavoring.

DietMexicaneCola.jpg

The burger came out cooked perfectly to medium-rare, and everything about it was very good, with the possible exception of the meat itself (which was fine; just not as good as the cheese, the bun, or the execution on the grill).

Burger1.jpgBurger2.jpg

I tend not to order bacon because it's just too much salt, but this meat was actually somewhat bland - a few dabs of Sriracha and a quick grind of coarse salt woke it right up.

Burger3.jpg

Trying to remember what I didn't like about my visit to the Shirlington branch, I couldn't find any pictures - I remember I had a burger and fries, and that I went on Jul 5, 2018. I'm pretty sure I ordered medium-rare, and it came out well-done, but I can't be positive. So, based on this recent visit, and hopsing's opinion, I'm going to go ahead and raise Big Buns to Italic in the Multiple Locations Dining Guide. (Keep in mind, this isn't that big an honor - about 20% of all independent restaurants are rated in Italic, and I figure people are always looking for a decent burger joint (what I had today was certainly better than anything I've had at Five Guys for the past Ten Years.))

So as of right now, this and BGR are the only two chain burger houses in the area ranked in Italic, and I haven't been to BGR in probably two years.

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Just for the record, I started going here when it first opened and really liked it.   Then for many years I didn't go because they had the strategy of pre-cooking their burgers for the busy lunch crowd.   That meant my burger was put back on the grill for my order and led to warm on the outside but cool on the inside.  So I struck it off my list.  In the last year however, I went back and now they never pre-cook them, they are always to order.  It means waiting longer for my burger, but I am happy to do that.  I usually get medium-well and that has been great, but last week they overcooked it and it was dry.  My drink there is always Mexican Coke (in the bottle).  The place has become a weekly habit which is doing my cholesterol no favors. 

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Glad to see they are still humming along! And that someone replaced us as regulars, hahahahha.  For dinner we always had to wait for our burgers, they were never pre-cooked.  Max (our Bichon) REALLY misses the outdoor seating and french fries.

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A new location of this place is supposed to open at the Wiehle Avenue Metro Station in either late 2019 or early 2020.  Same with Matchbox.  Pupatella is to take over an existing Pizza Hut within a couple hundred yards of that Metro station, I think late Fall or by the end of the year.  Things are taking a turn for the better in that area on the food front.

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On 7/22/2019 at 4:17 PM, JBag57 said:

A new location of this place is supposed to open at the Wiehle Avenue Metro Station in either late 2019 or early 2020.  Same with Matchbox.  Pupatella is to take over an existing Pizza Hut within a couple hundred yards of that Metro station, I think late Fall or by the end of the year.  Things are taking a turn for the better in that area on the food front.

Thanks -- that's great news. Love Pupatella but haven't been in a while. Nice of them to move out my way.

Meanwhile, not sure how closely people are paying attention, but the array of eateries around the Reston West Metro station (which obviously is not even open yet) is already impressive. I'm hoping for more of the same out around the Loudoun Silver Line stations as well.

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