Despite the culinary variety that U St. has to offer there has always been a void when it comes to burgers in this neighborhood. That is until Depserados Burgers & Bar opened it's doors over a year ago. Located between 13th and 14th & U St. this small bar and restaurant serves New Orleans themed cuisine.
Being madly addicted to burgers I was thrilled when Desperados opened its doors. My first two experiences came by ordering and having them brought to me via their free delivery service. I ordered their bacon cheese burger and cajon burger within a two week span. I then came for drinks with a friend, the restaurant itself is small offering both indoor and outdoor seating. The wooden interior and decorations give it a western saloon type vibe.
I found both burgers to be fairly average which caused me to take a year long hiatus. I decided to return this past week for the purposes of blogging about the establishment. I visited with my father and sister after a failed attempt to try Blackbyrd.
As we were seated I picked up my menu and to my surprise I noticed that it had been upgraded. We decided to start off with an order of frickles which are flash fried pickles which come with a spicy remoulade.
The frickles were fantastic and the spicy remoulade that accompanied it complimented the dish well. I can confidently say that they are the best fried pickles I have had to date. Next we ordered our burgers.
(Frickles)
After carefully scanning the burger list I decided that the Desperados burger was the most intriguing on the list while my father and sister both ordered the cajun burger. The Desperados consists of a lean patty topped with slow roasted pork, swiss cheese, lettuce, pickles and tomatoes with mustard and remoulade. All their burgers come with seasoned fries and a dipping sauce of your choice.
Once our burgers came out my pupils dilated, my appetite skyrocketed and my animalistic instincts took hold. Although in a state of mental chaos I was able to objectively judge the dish at hand. Like burgers past this one did nothing to wow or disappoint me. The patty was cooked correctly but the spices did not wow me, the pork was a bit flavorless and did not add anything to the dish. The one bright spot was their fries which are crisped to perfection and seasoned very well.
(Desperados Burger)
After four total visits excluding the occasional run in for a beer I can say that Desperados serves average burgers. While their enhanced menu has a number of options that are appealing it is not an establishment that I will go out of my way to visit. Their happy hour specials are nice and the atmosphere is a bit divy but with the vast number of options on U St. this is not one that I have to visit if I am out.
The service is dependable, the prices are reasonable and their delivery makes Desperados an enticing dining option. Unfortunately their lack of a wow factor does not make this a must try destination unless you are on a mission to try every burger place in the DC area.
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