Hamburger Hamlet

I’ve going to Hamburger Hamlet since the 70’s! Their chili and omelets had been legendary! Their burgers still have an artsy style about them. BUT I also know they are in the middle of a branch change to go just Hamlet! Whatever! I’ll hit this place for happy hours with my sis or when we go for a burger or breakfast! Love their Blue Cheeseburger! AND their omelets still rock!

I’d heard so much about Hamburger Hamlet from previous trips to the DC area that I just had to try it. And with the weather turning a lot cooler yesterday, what better time to go to a restaurant that’s just an indoor mall walk away from my hotel?
I have to admit that the Smoked Salmon Caprese sandwich sounded mighty tempting. But hey, the name of the place is Hamburger Hamlet! When in Rome, eh? So I went for the mushroom burger with cheddar cheese with a side of sweet potato fries. These are big half-​pound burgers. I couldn’t finish my fries either.
Now don’t get me wrong — my burger was very good. But Hamburger Hamlet just seems to be a little pricey. Just a cup of soup will set you back $ 7.50-$ 8.50. Verdict: HH is worth it if you’re in the area. Just be prepared to shell out some $$ for your burger.

Went here for a late dinner last July.
Inside a covered mall… this place does face the outside.
I believe I had a crab sandwich and glass of wine and dessert.
The service was good… the food tasty. No complaints. This place was recommended by the hotel staff where we stayed.
The décor…we sat at a round wooden table (dark wood)…near the bar but not overpowered by the bar. There weren’t a lot of folks in there as we went late.
I think the only downside was it was a tad expensive but then again, this is Washington, DC… so…

Average at best. A little pricey for my tastes for lunch… had a chopped salad and a glass of tap water, lunch was $ 19 with a reasonable tip. The tip would have been better but the server spilled my water when he set it down and later dropped my knife.
The salad was good, but nothing spectacular. Bonus points for the thick hunk of cornbread that came with the salad.
This was my second visit, I’ll probably go back because there are folks at work that like to do lunch events at this joint; but I just don’t see myself saying «let’s go to Hamburger Hamlet.»

Pretty decent bar burger, though I probably would go elsewhere if I wanted a burger in the future. I ordered a Hickory burger, which came with onion rings, bbq sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, iceberg and onion. It was a decent burger, but definitely NOT worth the $ 12.50 it cost.
For the atmosphere, I would say this place is worth it (good service, cute bar and restaurant, convenient to the Crystal City metro and nearby hotels and places of business). If I find myself there again in the future, I’d likely try something besides the hamburger (they also have quite a few salad options). It’s cool that they have so many locations, including on the West Coast (in Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, CA)

We came here for a work lunch. It was fairly empty and so we were seated quickly and our waitress was very friendly and efficient. I had a BGR burger this weekend so I wanted to try something different.
I ordered the Smoked Salmon Caprese sandwich. It was actually pretty good but so are the smoked salmon sandwiches at IKEA for about half the price. My colleagues had burgers and salads and they were happy with them. Overall it’s a nice place. But for the price, I would stick with the burgers.
I do remember coming here a few years back for happy hour and it was real good.

Carol W had a meeting in Crystal City, so I decided to meet her for lunch beforehand. Hamburger Hamlet was the call for lunch on a Monday afternoon. We arrived at 12:30 and were seated at a 4-​top in a largely empty dining room. Strangely, the generic interior that reminded of a Holiday Inn circa 1982 restaurant/​bar belies Hamburger Hamlet’s burger-​centric name. However, while hamburgers were the menu’s focus, HH also offered a wide-​ranging selection of bar food favorites and healthier choices such as salads.
I had the Hickory Burger ($ 12.50), which was approx. a half-​pound Angus beef burger topped with BBQ, sauce fried onion rings, iceberg lettuce and bacon, and served with a choice of either mesquite or garlic fries. HH’s menu stated that it cooks its burgers to medium doneness unless otherwise specified. I asked for my burger medium. After a longer than expected wait, given the relative few other customers in the house, I received a good-​sized burger that reached the edges and peaked out from under the fresh, but generic store bought hamburger bun. Sadly, the burger looked much better than it tasted. The burger’s toppings gave the overall hamburger its flavor profile since the meat patty itself was bland and overcooked to a solid well done. Much better were the garlic fries. The fries were hot and crispy and topped with a generous amount of minced garlic. It was the highlight of both of our meals. Carol W elected to have the California Market Salad ($ 11.25). She received a plate of leaf lettuce, much of it wilted (not intentionally) and beginning to brown. There were toppings such as dried cranberries and a browning slice of avocado, but they were overwhelmed by the unappetizing greens. It was arguably the worst salad I’ve ever seen plated and sent out to a restaurant diner. Carol picked out what she thought looked edible and left the rest.
Full disclosure, we did not bring our issues with our meals to the attention of our server until after we finished and paid our bill due to time constraints on us. As a result, Hamburger Hamlet didn’t have the opportunity to correct its errors. That said, nailing the proper doneness of a burger in a place called Hamburger Hamlet when the house is nearly empty should be a snap. Also, proper (or any) QC in the kitchen should’ve never allowed such a lackluster salad to be sent out to a diner. In the end, Hamburger Hamlet continued to prove my growing belief that if I want a hamburger, I should just do it myself and cook it at home. Sub-​par execution with sub-​par results.

Awful service and dreadful food. The burger looked like it was squeezed from a tube. I had to ask four times for a second tablespoon of catsup.
Definitely not the HH of old!

I had eaten at the Hamburger Hamlet’s Bethesda location two years ago and immediately considered it the best burger I had ever had, along with those addictive garlic fries. In the DC area for the weekend, I planned a triumphant return to munch on those fabulous burgers worth paying $ 12 for, especially that Parmesan-​Shitake mushroom I enjoyed so much.
Man, was I disappointed here.
Burger was dry, not too flavorful. Bun was dry too. Why the heck was there ketchup on my burger? Shitake mushroom didn’t pack in a punch at all. The parmesan cheese crisp was chewy, not crispy.
And those garlic fries were an insult to memory, bland and soggy.
Overall, all edible, but not worth another visit.

Came here again for a work lunch and actually enjoyed their salads!

Terrible experience.
Had a group of 16 go in for lunch. I realize that is a big group and probably exacerbated the experience but we had made reservations several days ahead so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that we were coming in.
— 45 minutes to get water and to put in order. Had to ask three times to put in food order and were rebuffed the first two times. We also were the ones to serve ourselves the water after the waiter put his tray down and wondered off elsewhere.
Food:

I went to Hamburger Hamlet for Sunday brunch, and I was less than impressed. I had the huevos rancheros, which were really sloppy and messy and not very flavorful.
I would be accepting of the unremarkable food if their cheap mimosas and champagne were even close to drinkable. I ordered my mimosa, and it tasted like they used Tang instead of orange juice. For my next drink, I just ordered a champagne to determine whether that was the cause of the mimosa problem, and the champagne tasted like beer! They couldn’t spend the $ 3 on a terrible but tolerable bottle of Cook’s? That’s unforgivable!
On the plus side, the service was OK. I wouldn’t go for brunch or a real meal again, but I would be willing to try the happy hour and some fried bar-​type food.

Atmosphere was great. Clean bar and the glass roof allowed for the sunlight to illuminate most of the bar. The few umbrellas scattering the room blocked most of the sun.
The Caliente Burger came medium rare like I ordered, with a serving of fries that were fresh and crispy. Pesto sauce was especially tasty and there was plenty of it on the burger. Service was sort of slow and with a pretty empty establishment it made for a confusing time. The food was exceptional quality but still rather expensive.

The food is actually 3 stars, but the prices are for a 4 – 5 star burger place. Hamburgers cost more here than Rays and are about the same as Ted’s Montana Grill down the street, yet are inferior to both.
At least it has happy hour I guess.