The Best Unsmokeable Joint in Palermo

In a country praised for the prime meat, it’s always baffling how so many of us are on an endless quest for a decent burger. Ground beef mix, quick high flame sear, toasted sesame bun, toppings, sauce and burger me delicious. But sadly BA has been stuck in a world of dry, flat, overcooked, unseasoned mooburgesas that always seems to disappoint. Luckily there’s a new joint in town, a fine ass juicy burger joint that is grilling the real deal. Yo Burger Joint, nice to meet ya… you lookin’ damn fine between that sliced bun. 

I got the hot tip a few days after Burger Joint opened in February of this year. I was told to get my fatty culo to Palermo Soho fast because these bad meaty boys were where it’s at. A legit spot that served juicy meat patties cooked correctly, ran laps around the other “Patys,” and were also double frying up Bourdain’s favorite french fries? That sounds like an exciting addition to Buenos Aires culinary game ➜➜➜ so I followed the neon sign.

Inspired by the US burger culture, owner and burger obsessor extraordinaire Pierre Chacra spent the past years in NYC perfecting his burger baby. And while so many other joints try to imitate the beloved US burger joint and serve an Argentinized copy, Burger Joint knows what’s up.

It’s always refreshing to see a simple spot that doesn’t get too fancy and sticks to what they know how to bust out best: burgers and fries. And just that. Burger Joint sells only four different types of burgers: La Clasica, La Mexican, La Jamaican and La Bleu. While they sell each burger solo, you can also opt for the combo to include fries + drink or fries + beer.

The too cool for school space centers around communal wall writing art and kitschy movie and music posters. Diners are encouraged to grab a marker and start vandalizing, it’s cool, it’s interactive and it’s expressive without being too forced or gimmicky.

Peace, Love, Kung Fu and Burgers.

We are one. One is burger.

Star Wars for the nerds, BiggieSmalls-2Pac for the gangstas, Zach Galifianakis for the funnies, Board for the skaterz, and #FUCKJustinBieber for all.

Bieberlynching.

If being burger happy is wrong, I never wanna be right.

Okay, okay, enough with the decor and “inspiring” wall phrases. Let’s get into the real good shitty nitty gritty: Drumroll please…. 

Ring the alarm, start the parade, call da poooolice because a juicy, delicious, ohsodreamy lipsmacking greasesmacking burger has arrived. La Jamaican is made from wonderfully seasoned mix of beef, with just the right beef:fat ratio. It’s topped with a grilled pineapple, “cheddar”, jalapeño, tomato, honey mustard, love, pickle and (not-so crispy) panceta.

I think it’s the extra ingredient of that love juice that makes it slap da bass all over my taste buds.

I’m also a major fan of La Mexican. A no-mames-wey-sexyMexi-can burger stacked with HOT jalapeños, guacamole, HOT HOT sauce, red onion, tomato and cheese. Just watch out for the jalapeños, sometimes they load way too many on that isn’t pleasant, verging on inedible, even for spice lovers.

I wish I were a burger, so I can get between those buns. BOOM.

La Bleu is their newest creation: homemade ground beef burger topped with blue cheese, caramelized onions, portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and arugula.

Wonderful combination and the grill master certainly didn’t skimp on the toppings. Insane bite of juice bursting flava flaves, so many burgers suffer from charred well done disease, this bad boy was perfectly medium, with a char on the outside that sealed all the wonderfulness in. You’re my boy blue.

This isn’t just a regular burger: it’s a double. And it was a beast. My only issue is that they initially messed up the order, making the Jamaican a double and the blue cheese a single. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue, but I wanted me my Jamaican burger mon and sadly I’m not man enough to handle the double whopper. When they corrected it, they half assly changed it around by scraping off the toppings, pulling an ole switcheroo, leaving the double blue creeping with some yellow fake cheddar, and the single Jamaican became extra greasy after being double stacked. A fatal case of soggy bottom bun grease.

My eating partner majorly pussed out on the mission. Frightened of the dribbly mess of that double monstrosity, he ultimately grabbed a fork and knife to start eating. Totally pulled a Mr. Pitt, what’s next — eating M&Ms with a spoon?!

I want to take this time to give Burger Joint’s French fries the BA papa award of the year. These pomme frites are blessed with the anatomy of my perfect fry: well done, ultra crispy, crunching like a chip but with the middle still soft and fluffy, and lightly yet evenly salted. BJ’s fritas are totally meant for me.  Rumor has it the fries follow the same recipe as Bourdain’s favorite fries. And if Bourdain likes it, it must be true.

They also make their own insanely addictive curried ketchup and other tasty saucy squirting condiments.

I think next time I’ll have to put on this uniform and get weird with some burger-fry gear.

I do have to be honest that I didn’t have luck after my first few visits to Burger Joint: I’m all for a medium rare burger, but my first visit it came out quite rare, verging on raw, but only in the hidden inner center, this was the same trip as that topping mixed up debacle. Tough life, I know.

Definitely inconsistent at times, all of these instances were during prime time peak busy hours. Obvious note to crowds-hating self: don’t go to Burger Joint (or anywhere near Plaza Serrano) on a beautiful, busy weekend afternoon.

But despite all these slip ups and inconsistencies, I’ve been swindled by the power of the B-U-R-G-E-R. Out of all the non-smokeable joints in this world, Burger Joint wins my vote.

Burger Joint
Borges 1766, Palermo Soho
Tel. 4833-5151
Mon – Sun: 12pm – 12am
Average price: 90 pesos

Another reason why I love The Joint: SEINFELD VISION 24/7

Seinfeld + Burgers = PURE HAPPINESS

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