The Early Word on Long Island City's Burger Garage

Originally scheduled to open in the beginning of June, Burger Garage finally opened to the public late last month. Owners Jim & Adam Pileski (brothers who's great-grandfather co-founded the Palm) envisioned a place that's reminiscent of the time when folks drove their cars to the local burger joint. To that end, they searched for an old industrial garage in Long Island City before settling for a space that was a garage at some point in its existence. A story behind the restaurant is nice but it really comes down to the food and there are already some thoughts on it. To the early word:

The "Enthusiastically Good" News: Yelper Jeff D. comes out of the shadows and writes his first review, gushing indiscriminately. "The food is delicious!!! Excellent cheeseburger - juicy, full of flavor so you don't need to cover it up with a bunch of toppings; great fries - crispy potato flavor, not too salty; strawberry shake - unreal - never had one like it. Definitely all high quality ingredients. I give 5 stars on behalf of myself and my pals for a combination of 1) high qualtiy food for an excellent price, 2) great atmosphere, 3) genuinely friendly service. We all were very happy." Finishing with a flourish, he declares "the Burger Garage will be a weekly stop for us." [Yelp]

The "Extremely Disappointed" News: Yelper george l., another first-timer, was waiting anxiously for the place to finally open but finds it wasn't worth the anticipation. "I've tried it and as you can clearly see by my rating i was extremely disappointed. It is an average burger at best and considering the price, i'd say the diner in the opposite direction from where i work is a much better burger (although, they do occasional over cook it) and it also comes with fries and other goodies." His gripe has mostly to do with the bang for buck factor. "For a 4oz. burger with cheese and fries I've paid over $8. And if you get an 8oz burger that will run you about $11 bucks. Way to pricey for my blood, specially when you compare the taste." [Yelp]

The "Solidly Good" News: Chowhounder BigV sounds like he's happy they're finally open for business. "The burgers were good- they are cooked on a griddle which is the traditional way to cook burgers. . . I think most people would be pretty happy with these burgers- the meat taste is very good and the patties are very juicy." He sounds especially appreciative of the service as evidenced by his wife's special request. "My wife is from California so when she saw that the menu included fries, chili, and cheese, a question emerged- could they make chili cheese fries? They weren't listed as a menu item but the very friendly servers responded 'why not' and improvised a way to charge me for them on the register." [CH]

The "Mixed Bag" News: LICNYC blogger Amol Sarva files a tepid review, citing that the burgers are good but that the customization seems to be throwing the staff for a loop and that they're "still working on basic order taking." He finds the milk shake to be okay but prefers the onion strings over the soggy fries. He also finds fault with the cost. "Pretty darn pricey - $15/head which seems crazy." [LICNYC]

The "Disturbingly Positive" News: First-time Menuism commenter CHICNYC comments with a review so orgasmically gushing that it can hardly be believed. "I love a really good burger and The Burger Garage’s single cheddar cheeseburger with sauteed onions makes me swoon. Delicious, juicy, unbelievable. I had seconds! I’ve never done that at any restaurant in my entire life. SECONDS!!!!!!!! I don’t eat french fries but I heard people saying they loved them. Had a super creamy PERFECT chocolate shake for dessert. I was stuffed but soooooo happy when I left – I smiled for hours. The staff is very friendly and the owners actually work behind the counter talking to customers and everyone is joyful and pleasant. I want to hang out there and eat burgers every day and meet other people who want to eat awesome burgers and?.I want everyone to know my name. I think I finally found my “Cheers”?." [Menuism]

The "AWESOME!!!!" News: Yet another first-time commenter, nbasowhat on Urbanspoon, files another gusher that defies belief. "Happened to be passing by yesterday on opening day and decided to give it a try. OUTSTANDING!! The burger quality and taste was the best I ever had. The fries were golden brown and cooked to perfection. I can't begin to describe the milkshake. Strawberry was to die for. Some high end ice cream company located in queens (not vermont). Go figure. Great time and great experience. I highly recommend it...." [Urbanspoon]
—Gary Wong
[photo credit]