Bobby’s Burger Palace
Initial reviews of Bobby’s Burger Palace had not been so good, so I had more or less ruled it out (who wants to trek out to West Philly to wait a long time for a meh burger?) But one of my co-workers told me he really liked it, and it’s open late, so I swung by one night at 10:30 to give it a shot.
I promptly found myself there TWICE more in the following two weeks. Were the burgers just that good? I actually had chicken sandwiches every time. They are tasty enough, and I really liked the fries, but it was two other elements that brought me back.
1) I love the number system. You go place your order at a register, and they give you a number. Take a seat — they’ll bring you your food when it’s ready. I first encountered this ordering system in Australia, and I thought it was genius from the get-go. There’s no negotiating your bag, your coat, whatever, with a tray in your hand, with its accompanying undertones of your high school cafeteria. Want more food? Stand up and order some more. Want to leave? You paid when you walk in, so you can walk out whenever you want.
2) It’s well suited for solo dining. Bryan was away for a couple of weeks, so I had more opportunities than usual to dine alone. I think my criteria for solo dining is pretty standard — mostly I’m looking for somewhere bright enough to read, with non-hovery wait staff as a plus. Bobby’s is not only delightfully well-lit, but a good third of their seating is at a long serpentine bar, perfect for the solo diner. With a regular flow of wait staff around the bar, I could always find someone if I needed something, but overall, they were pleasantly chit-chat free as I tried to read.
As you can see above, in addition to the fries, I sampled their onion rings and the Bobby’s signature item, the crunch burger (or the crunch chicken sandwich.) The onion rings were of the thick and oniony variety, with 6 or 7 in an order. They were fine, I suppose, but I don’t really consider myself an onion ring lover. I’d get the fries again, or try the sweet potato fries next time. And I cannot tell a lie — I really dug the crunch burger. But I also put Doritos in my hot dog buns as a kid, so take that for what you will.
I will also give them credit for offering their wide variety of burger options as turkey burgers and chicken sandwiches. If you’re in the market for a chicken sandwich, this is actually one of the best selections in town. And the lines have dwindled substantially from the first few weeks. It never took me more than a few minutes to take a seat.
There are a lot of tasty burger options in Philly at this point, ranging from Five Guys/500° to Barclay Prime. Bobby’s may not have blown me away with their food, but they managed to carve out a place on my dining card by differentiating on service style.
Bobby’s Burger Palace
3925 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.387.0378
