From the title alone, you might start to wonder. I don’t eat red meat…what would I be doing at a burger joint?
Having an awesome meal, that’s what!
I’d been hearing glowing reviews of Burger 21, located over in Westchase in Tampa, for quite some time. Finally, I had to give in and see what the excitement was all about. Thankfully, it did not disappoint! I dined there along with Justin and my mom one afternoon, so there was plenty of sharing and tasting to go around!
Burger 21 offers a unique variety of different burgers to choose from: we sampled three.
Justin picked the Shroom burger: lettuce, tomato, grilled crimini mushrooms, fontina cheese, caramelized onions, and garlic butter on a brioche bun. Look at that melty cheese! He was a fan.
Next up was my mom’s selection: the Black and Bleu burger:
The burger was topped with lettuce, tomato and applewood-smoked bacon with creamy bleu cheese sauce on a brioche bun. My dining buddies informed me that their burgers were incredibly tender…and judging by the fact that there wasn’t a single bite left of either I’d say they were really tasty as well!
Then came the tricky part. Since I don’t eat red meat, I was worried that I would be limited by my choices. Burger 21 does offer seafood burgers, veggie burgers, chicken burgers, and turkey burgers. However, after reading the “regular” burger menu, I had my heart set on the Cinco burger. The folks at Burger 21 were nice enough to accommodate me though! I ordered the Cinco burger with turkey: lettuce, tomato, guacamole, salsa, jalapeños, Monterey jack cheese, and cilantro sour cream (on the side for me) on a sesame bun.
I’ve had many turkey burgers in my life, and I have to say: this was the BEST one I have ever had the pleasure to eat. They use turkey breast (as you can see in the photos), which has the tendency to be dry VERY easily. However, the turkey burgers are incredibly moist and flavorful. I think I marveled over this fact after every bite…trying to figure out exactly how they do it. Still a mystery, by the way.
Anyway, let’s move on to the sides. Burger 21 makes two different kinds of fries: regular and sweet potato. Oh, be still my heart: they are shoestring…very crisp, and SO delicious!
There are also a variety of sauces to try:
Regular ketchup, honey mustard, Thai ketchup (my favorite), habanero mango, and marshmallow mayonnaise. I know a lot of people have been all about the marshmallow mayo with the sweet potato fries, but I have to say I did not like it. You can definitely taste the mayonnaise in the sauce (mayo and I are not friends), so it felt really strange eating that with french fries. If somehow Burger 21 would be able to give me a scoop of marshmallow fluff to put on my sweet potato fries, then we might be talking…
After we scarfed down our burgers and fries, we were stuffed. However, we HAD to sample the milkshakes offered at Burger 21 as well! So, we ordered two different ones and shared them amongst the table:
First up: the chocolate peanut butter milkshake. Justin was all about it. However, I think they should just label it the peanut butter milkshake, because I could hardly taste the chocolate. I could only take a few sips and had to stop. If Burger 21 would amp up the chocolate flavor a bit to balance it out, I think this milkshake would be much improved!
Moving on:
The tiramisu shake was the milkshake of the month when we visited Burger 21. I couldn’t resist: we had to order it! The flavor was sweet and light, with a small hint of coffee flavor. I loved the added touch of a ladyfinger cookie on top. Burger 21 uses Blue Bell ice cream for their milkshakes: the quality is top notch. They also offer floats on their menu: I wouldn’t mind trying a Coke float on a future trip (yum)!
All in all, we had an amazing experience with Burger 21; if you are looking for a burger in the Tampa Bay area, this is definitely the place to go! They are currently located in Westchase, but are also opening a Carrollwood location this fall. Definitely stop by if you have the opportunity!
9664 West Linebaugh Ave.
Tampa, Florida 33626
813-475-5921
Where did you have the best burger of your life? What was on it?
