(Left) An ube bun from Cobra Burger; (center) picked onions from Cobra Burger; (right, from top) fried pickle ranch from Eazzy Burger, Fat Boy sauce from Fat Boy’s Bar & Grill, and manuka honey vinaigrette from Burger Bach (Photos by Justin Vaughan)
Get Buns, Hun
Exuding a 1950s drive-in aesthetic, Boulevard Burger & Brew aims to check all the bun boxes. They partner with family-owned La Bella Vita Bakery in Ashland for their bread needs, securing regular, gluten-free and vegan options. They even have exclusive jalapeno buns (and hot dog rolls) that can only be found at BBB.
Located in a former historic firehouse, Shockoe Bottom’s Station 2 takes its buns as seriously as its beef. Their supplier is Carter’s Specialty Breads, a family-owned wholesaler founded in 1979. Owner Jeb White says, “We appreciate the noticeable, yet not overwhelming, flavor the bun adds to our locally sourced ground beef.”
At Cobra Burger, the crew sources their burger buns from Lyon Bakery, a Maryland-based company best known for its hoagie rolls. For brunch options, they use ube (purple sweet potato) pandesal buns from Angie’s, a Filipino bakery in Virginia Beach.
In a Pickle
Liberty Public House combines two of life’s greatest joys: pickles and garlic. Their house garlic pickles are brined with minced garlic, fresh and dried dill (among other spices), and a mix of white and apple cider vinegars, and the result is pungent and perfect. Find them on the Penguin Burger, adding zip to Cajun pimento cheese and applewood-smoked bacon on griddled brioche. “Pickles and pimento cheese go hand in hand,” owner Alexa Schuett says.
While Cobra Burger makes its pickles in-house, its signature pickled onions are a scene stealer. Co-owner Adam Musselman says they have been using the purple- and pink-tinged slivers accented with coriander, fennel, bay leaves and more for their signature Cobra Burger since their pop-up days. “We let them sit for at least a week after they are brined,” Musselman says.
Special Sauces
At Eazzy Burger, the fried pickle ranch is practically gluggable. Co-owner Alex Graf says it’s “inspired to complement Cheazzy Fries and chicken sandwiches … but tastes great on just about anything and everything.” To whip up a batch, they combine house made dilly-butter pickles with buttermilk, Duke’s Mayo, sour cream, dill, chives and lemon juice.
Dip your heart out at New Zealand-inspired pub Burger Bach. The multilocation (Carytown, Glen Allen, Midlothian) concept features a 16-strong lineup of from-scratch flavor enhancers. Find the Manuka honey vinaigrette gracing its South Lamb burger or the garlic aioli adding a pungent note to the blue cheese and wild mushrooms on the Wellington burger.
Conveniently located near Richmond International Airport for preflight munchies, Fat Boy’s Bar & Grill boasts a signature sauce worthy of a serious shout-out. The Sandston spot with a 99% gluten-free menu serves zesty Fat Boy sauce on its namesake burger and slathered on rye in a patty melt.
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