Before rolling your eyes while thinking, "Jeesh, his parents must be so proud," consider this: The talented, friendly dude now heads up the kitchen as Executive Chef, a significant step up the career ladder. What's more, he said that this Atlanta location is the first Burger Tap, hinting at grand future plans.
Park says that he had no previous ties to Atlanta, but opened the restaurant here after he and his partners scoured the nation and determined that Atlanta's Morningside neighborhood was the ideal spot to launch their concept.
It's not that our city lacks burger options. But this one aims to be different.
“We combed the country for the best fast-casual burger and often found ourselves underwhelmed by taste and overwhelmed by decisions,” says Park. “Should my burger be made of beef, bison, turkey or lamb? On a white, wheat or gluten-free bun? And with which cheese, topping, sauce, jam or relish? As a chef, I understand the balance of sweet, savory and different textures and have put together four perfectly balanced burgers.”
In fact, Park and the team behind Burger Tap—some of the original founders of the frozen yogurt chain Yoforia—prefer customers refrain from adding mustard or ketchup to their burgers before tasting them because they’re that sure it's done right the first time. “It’s like going to a sushi bar and building your own roll, only to find out the ingredients don’t work well together,” Park says. “These are our burgers, the way they’re meant to be.”
At Burger Tap, each patty is a custom blend of brisket, chuck and short rib, formed, seasoned and seared in-house. The four themed burgers—plus a grilled 3-cheese and a new egg sandwich—are all served on a lightly buttered and toasted bun.
The classic cheeseburger is topped with American cheese, onion, lettuce, tomatoes and secret sauce ($3.80 quarter pound; $5.80 half pound):
The Southwestern burger, a personal favorite, is topped with Jack cheese, fried jalapeno and smoky chipotle BBQ sauce ($3.80 quarter pound; $5.80 half pound):
It packs enough heat to make things interesting without setting your throat ablaze.
Other burger options include truffle and portobello veggie.
The fries are cut by hand. A side of traditional fries is $2 while the battered sweet potato fries are $2.80 and served with your choice of chipotle mayo, ranch or chipotle BBQ sauce. I preferred the BBQ, Dean favored the ranch.
The interior of the restaurant is sparkling clean, with benches and tables for those who opt to dine-in. This is the sort of place where you order at the counter then grab a seat and wait until your order is ready--signaled by a funky light-up faux cell-phone.
"Tap" is literal here, as 25 local, national and international beers are on draft.
There's also a one-of-a-kind soda machine dispensing 12 different flavors of soda, any one of which can be combined with two scoops of vanilla ice cream to make a float.
Bottom Line: If you prefer your burgers quick and easy and trust a chef to match flavors for you, then Burger Tap is the joint you've been waiting for.
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