The Burger Stand

Didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this!!!
Clean, comfortable, fun and delicious!
HANDS DOWN! THE BEST BURGER I’VE EVER EATEN!

Whoever said all burgers are created equally has clearly never visited The Burger Stand (Cashbah).
Burger joints are a dime a dozen, but this place is hands down the best burger joint int Lawrence, no comparison. This is why I awarded it 5 stars.
I’m a proud KU alum and every time I go back to visit Lawrence, I go out of my way to get lunch/​dinner here. 4 years of this place (my collegiate career) wasn’t enough to satisfy me.
This place is located in historic downtown Lawrence (8^th and Massachusetts street). So I recommend parking and walking up and down Mass street. It’s located on the corner of 8^th, so you won’t have hard time missing it. The sign will say «Cashbah» though, which is one in the same of The Burger Stand.
This place consistently ranks among the top 25 burger joints in the nation:

This place is the real deal. I don’t have a favorite burger, since I like them all. But I tend to order the «Kobe» burger (Kobe beef, red onions, truffle butter, tomato-​ailo sauce and assorted greens) and the «Barnyard Bash» (Friend chicken breast topped with avocado, smoked bacon, swiss cheese, spicy honey mustard BBQ sauce and assorted greens) burgers the most.
I’m not a sweet potato fry guy, but this place turned me into a believe. Their sweet potato fries are thick and long and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar — gives it more of a sweet potato pie kind of taste. Be warned: once you try their sweet potato fries, there is no going back. I even ask at other restaurants if they will sprinkle cinnamon sugar on my sweet potato fries and some places happily oblige and other places give me the stink eye like I just insulted the way they prepare their sweet potato fries.
Lastly, they are known for their nontraditional, extraordinary and sometimes awkward sounding sauces. My suggestion: try them ALL! Even if it doesn’t sound good. I like their marshmallow sauce for my sweet potato fries.

This is our first time here,
This place is outstanding !!!
Burgers were fantastic, polenta fries are a must

Literally obsessed. Great service at the bar and wonderful beer selection, but I’m a sucker for the alcoholic shakes! The burgers hold up, and the fry servings are more than enough. I can’t stay away from the duck fat fries!

This place is a awesome. I take all my first dates here and this is why– you pay when you order and you order in a line. No more awkward moments when you try to figure out if you like this person enough to pay for their meal, it’s already taken care of!
There’s lots of seating and a variety of options– you can sit out on the open or hide in the corner. Dunno if the person you’re on a date with is crazy and/​or someone you shouldn’t be seen in public with? Head downstairs to their baller bar or in the back on the top floor. Also available: strategic exit routes if for some reason you just really have to bail. And if that happens, don’t worry, everyone’s already paid for their meals so you’re not bouncing on the check.

Ate with a group for work, and I got the classic burger. Have to say it was great. Loved the homeade bun, and the swwet potato fries with marshmallow dipping sauce was yummy. Hung out in the beer cave and drank Hamms, my grandmother drank Hamms and I have to say. it was fantastic! Who knew! The only downside was the walk back to the car, gosh Lawrence has lots of weirdos…

truffle fries are delicious!
the burger was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. I had the fire and do recommend!

My dad always takes me here when I am in town. I love walking around Lawrence to all the shops. This is a great place to stop in and grab a delicious burger. I have gotten the Original and the Smoke Burger. Both very delicious. There are lots of different sauces to choose from and my favorite — PICKLES! The burger and sides are separate so it ends up being pretty pricey for a burger, side and a drink! I am not a fan of the Truffle fries (tossed in truffle butter and parmesan) but a lot of others LOVE them! The onion rings are a favorite of mine!
The portions are big so you can always share with a friend!

Oh how I missed going to the Burger Stand. I first came here when I started my post-​grad degree and it still makes me happy three years later.
The environment is great with lots of seating options, but since it’s busy during dinner time the actual seating is limited.
The food is amazing. The burgers are simple yet extravagant and innovative with their great flavor combinations. The Black & Blue and the Kobe burger are my top favorites.
Their fries are bomb and a must-​order. With the Truffle Fries you can’t go wrong. So much better than Dempsey’s and other burger joints. The Truffle fries have some parmesan cheese!
Now to the sauce. Oh man the options you’ll have with the sauces. Huge variety and it’s self serve so you don’t have to pay extra and you can take as much as you want, huge bonus. Try all of them if you’re adventurous. Their marshmallow sauce is good, and their variations of ketchup, mustard, and ranch are a pleasant surprise.
I would like there to be an improvement in the ordering. You can make lines to order on the main floor or downstairs, however there is only one place to pick up your order and that’s toward the back entrance on the main floor. If you are seating upstairs or downstairs, it is hard to listen for your name which is what they’ll do to let you know your order is ready. But with that minor detail to the side, definitely a great great place to eat!

Definitely order your burger medium well or well done. «Medium» is «pink all the way through» to them, and I ordered medium rare, thinking it would be slightly pink in the middle. It ended up being barely brown on the outside! Very disappointing, barely edible, and *I sincerely hope they change it before someone gets sick.*
I’d recommend getting regular fries; the bacon cheddar fries, Cajun ones, and duck fat ones were sub-​par.
Pretty pricey as well.

Oh how I missed you Burger Stand. I first came here when I was in college and 6 years later, it still makes me happy.
The environment is great with lots of seating options, but the actual seating is limited when it’s busy. But if it is busy, take your burger to go and head over to the park!
Inventive burgers that aren’t too extravagant but really well executed with great flavor combinations. The black & blue and the Kobe burger are always perfection. Today I tried the fire burger. Tasty but a little bit bland. I wish the habanero had more spice and heat to it, I didn’t find it hot at all. Their corn dogs are hand battered and freshly fried. I thought I had to go to Disneyland to find one that wasn’t pre-​made and frozen!
Truffle fries and duck fat fries… you can’t go wrong. Before you’d get them and they’d be sitting in grease, but now it’s opposite and I almost miss the grease. Now they are a bit bland and boring, when before they were memorable. I remember when they first opened, the duck fat fries truly tasted like they had been fried in duck fat… now they taste like a duck maybe sneezed on them because of the mild flavor.
Now to the sauce. Oh man the sauces. Huge variety and it’s self serve so you don’t have to pay extra, huge bonus. Try all of them, I promise you won’t regret it. Their marshmallow sauce is so good, you could literally just drink it from the cup… glutinous much? And their variations of ketchup and ranch are a pleasant surprise. Today they had a jalapeño ranch… yum! You could taste the jalapeños without it being too spicy.
Go and eat here right now!

Delicious burgers every time. They hold major keys to burger success, including delicious fries and sauces to compliment the delectable core burger menu. Definitely a Mass street staple.

Best Burger EVER! Yes it’s called The Burger Stand but it’s just so much more and never disappoints. The hamburgers are always spot on and the fries are amazing. If you are a sauce person, you will love this place. Truffle fries, sweet potato fries or regular fry fries, they are all excellent. The menu consists of veggie burgers and a diversity of salads too along with interesting hot dogs, in case your taste buds opt for something other than red meat. The beer selection is really good along with the non alcohol drink selection, which is a nice getaway from your usual soda machine /​tea experience. The Burger Stand is worth the drive to Lawrence just to have lunch or dinner.

‘Five Stars’ for the food… I do not believe will go wrong with ANY item on the menu, it is ALL good! ‘Five’ for the ambience… great wait staff… need to update and clean up the restrooms, a bit stinky… All-​in-​all this place is «top shelf» and is now on my ‘Top 10′ Lawrence Food Spots. Great job, Burger Stand! #BURGERSTAND #@THECASBAH

I cant leave Lawrence without stopping by! Best burgers I have ever had!!!

So, uh, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on in this place. When you walk in, you either form in a line to the right to order food or go to the left to head to the bar. Seeing as how I was solely there for beer, I moved myself to the left. Once my libations order was placed with the bartender, he walked away from the bar. I had no idea what was going on. A few moments later, a different bartender asked me if I needed anything. So, I placed the same order again. He, also, left the bar. A few minutes later, both of them came back with each drink I had ordered. Apparently there is another bar further back and they had gone there to pour the beer I ordered. So confusing.
Moving to the downstairs, things are less confusing, but also problematic. First, it’s crazy stuffy down there. Some fans need to be blowing at all times. Again, there is another place to stand and order food (which kind of blocks the stairs) or just order drinks from the bar. Sitting at the bar, I could only feel sorry for the workers constantly going up and down the stairs. Then, a plumbing pipe directly above the bar started dripping water. The solution? Wrapping a towel over the pipe. Uh, ok? We chugged our drinks and left.
The Burger Stand is ambitious, I’ll give it that, but it is probably trying to do a bit too much. All the areas of the place need to be on the same page and it’s just way too confusing for new customers who walk in.

The food gets five stars (seriously amazing local eats – my favorite is the black bean burger with sweet potato fries). The looooong wait subtracts a star. At peak times, your order will take 45+ minutes. This is because EVERYONE loves this place. Kill some time with libations while you wait.

Great food! Amazing unique ingredients. Awesome service and staff.
The only reason I give it four stars is because their buns are not vegan :(I asked for my garbanzo burger to be made vegan, and just got the patty. It was still very good, just wish they had a vegan bun option or at least charged less for no bun. I’m not complaining though, I’ll still go back!

Wowza this place was awesome!!! They have some pretty unique burgers. Nothing super crazy but unique and very delicious. The burger I got had bacon, smoked Gouda cheese and COCOA INFUSED ketchup. WHAAAAAT!!! It was amazing. They cooked it perfect as well. Their fries are some of the best fries I’ve ever gotten anywhere. Don’t even know how to explain it you just have to eat them. Service was super friendly and super fast. If I’m ever in Lawrence again I’ll definitely go again!

I’ve been coming here since high school, and now its my first stop when I come back home to visit Lawrence. I don’t eat red meat, so I always get the veggie burgers and every single one of them is excellent. What I really love though, is truffled sweet potato fries. I know they have «truffle fries» and «sweet potato fries» as separate, but you can ask for sweet potato fries with the truffle topping and its the best thing in the world, especially when combined with the parmesan garlic aioli sauce.
They also have a great selection of beers, and great daily deals on them!

Ordered the «Fire Burger» topped with habanero jam and avocado slices. Great burger! Lots of sauce options for a fry basket that can be shared with the table.

We arrived around 5:30, thank goodness because it was packed & had a long line when we left. It’s a little confusing trying to figure out where to order. We went downstairs & order at the counter then found our seats. It has a pretty limited menu but why not do a few items really well. We were entertained by the guy calling out people’s order to be picked up. Our order came out in a timely manner and fresh & hot. All our burgers were cooked to our Specifications. I ordered the Hot with the jam on the side as the cashier it was pretty hot. It only had avocado as the other topping. All our burgers came with very limited toppings so if you don’t use ketchup/​mustard or any of their sauces then you can have a pretty plain burger — that’s the reason for the 4 stars. We also ordered the bacon cheese fries and parm truffle fries. I don’t know, even now what truffle taste like.

We all left happy!
Our first Unilocal found stop of our road trip did not disappoint. You order as you walk in which I enjoy when I’m dining with my kiddos. We found a table where we could watch the Chiefs game everyone seemed to be cheering on and the kids LOVED the guy from the kitchen announcing orders. He puts a funny spin on things and people who were familiar with the system gave funny names with their orders like «Worlds Most Awesome Man». Created a great atmosphere!
On to the food. We ordered way too much! The consequence of a too late lunch on a road trip — eyes are bigger than our bellies! I got the lentil burger and it was perfect and the fresh greens on top added to the yummy factor. Husband got smokey burger and didn’t come up for air (or a napkin) until he was finished. My son ordered the homemade corn dog and it was everything you’d expect — yummy cornbreaded goodness. We split the regular fries, sweet potato fries and the fries covered in cheese sauce. The cheesy bacon fries were the clear winner, although it’s hard to lose with bacon in your corner. There was a bar or about a dozen different sauces for burgers and fry dipping — our favorites were the Parmesan and avocado dance. There were some yummy spicy flavors but we opted away from those this early in the road trip.

My niece recommended this place. The people were friendly and fun. The atmosphere was nice and cozy. Not too busy. The burgers were pretty good, not amazing. However, the fries and dipping sauces were incredible. We ordered regular fries with bacon and cheese and sweet potato fries. The real star of the show was the dipping sauces. They have a nice variety. My favorite was the marshmallow and peppermint. It is seasonal, so don’t expect it year round. The combination with the sweet potato fries was unexpected and divine. I highly recommend it. May not sound so good, but trust me. Worth a try. Next time in Lawrence I will definitely return to The Burger Stand.

The Casbah a.k.a. The Burger Stand is one of the better burger and fry joints in Lawrence, let alone the ONLY good place downtown (sans your typical franchise like Jimmy John’s and Pita Pit) that continues to serve quality food into the late hours. I have had the opportunity to not only try their burgers, but also their corn dogs, poutine fries and sweet potato fries, and all have been great experiences.
The major plus in going for some late night burger cravings is their $ 5 burger and fries late night special after 10pm. It’s just a basic burger, but with the quality taste and low price, you can’t go wrong with that!
The Burger Stand features several different types of condiments to go with your burger and fries. My favorite is the garlic parmensan. If you order the sweet potato fries, you HAVE to try the roasted marshmallow sauce that goes absolutely perfect with the fries. It is wickedly sinful!
Also, if you come Wednesday nights after 10:30pm, you’ll get a chance to sing your favorite tunes or listen to some hilarious, off-​key patrons doing karaōke. It’s quite a treat.

This place is a awesome. I take all my first dates here and this is why– you pay when you order and you order in a line. No more awkward moments when you try to figure out if you like this person enough to pay for their meal, it’s already taken care of! Before you even know it, the decision is made for you and truly it’s best if everyone pays for their own food on the first date.
There’s lots of seating and a variety of options– you can sit out on the open or hide in the corner. Dunno if the person you’re on a date with is crazy and/​or someone you shouldn’t be seen in public with? Head downstairs to their baller bar or in the back on the top floor. Also available: strategic exit routes if for some reason you just really have to bail. And if that happens, don’t worry, everyone’s already paid for their meals so you’re not bouncing on the check.

We were happy to enjoy really great service tonight again at the bar, and I tried yet another awesome regional beer: a «standard» (whatever that means) saison from Prairie Artisan Ales outta Tulsa, Oklahoma.
My husband got his tried-​and-​true Guinness and loved every sip. Their Guinness is served at a near-​correct temperature, with a nice head: well done, TBS!
We skipped ordering burgers this visit (way too much food) and just got sides of truffle fries, duck fat fries, and the smoked tofu fries, the latter of which elicited a «meh» reaction from both of us. (TBS, check out what some Japanese restaurants are able to do with tofu and teriyaki, go forth and conquer!)
The dff were greasy this time but still had a very satisfying Friday-​night-​after-​work-​payoff factor.
Yep, we’ll be back.

I’d like to take a moment to put to rest a question that has plagued mankind from the beginning of time: would you like fries with that?
Okay, so maybe French fries haven’t EXACTLY been around from day one. But potatoes have. Which means quite obviously, via deductive reasoning and undeniable logic, that consumption of frites has been a concern to our species since the invention of eating. And eating is what I do best.
Being in Lawrence for a concert just down the strip from The Burger Stand, the reviews and smells conceived within demanded gastronomic attention. I came to find that the burgers here are fair; nothing incredible, but better than you average chain bar and grill. Mine was the Fire, a habanero-​cactus jam topped burger with fresh avocado on brioche. The burger was a little plain and could have used some seasoning, but was still surprisingly moist despite the use of a leaner grind of meat. (Pro tip: ask for medium-​rare as ‘medium’ is cooked to medium-​well). The jam was little more than an simple sweet salsa, and it nullified the subtle flavor of avocado. The bun was great; sturdy but not doughy, and with enough structural aeration to soak up the extra liquid from the salsa.
While slightly edging average may describe the burgers, the fries bring the experience up a notch. These are golden, twice-​fried strips of deliciousness impostor spuds aspire to; crispy on the outside, soft on the inside without being starchy and dry, well-​salted, and offered in different seasoning varieties. Add the half-​dozen dipping sauce options (garlic aoli is killer and be sure to do yourself a favor in trying the chipotle-​cocoa ketchup) and you’ve got conditions for the perfect tuber storm. The standard sodium chloride seasoned fry is great, especially for taste-​testing the unique sauces, but the truffle and duck fat options are well worth the minor upcharge. Parm and truffle butter add a faint and much appreciated twist to the former, but the duck fat version surpasses all by adding an exotic savory essence to the excellently prepared potato. No additional condiments necessary here.
So, returning to question time immemorial: would you like fries with that?
Answer: yes you would. You really would.

Ended up at the Burger Stand after a long day of tailgating. The place was pretty crowded, so after ordering, we sat downstairs at the bar. The restaurant is super casual and your burger comes in one of those classic red baskets.
I had the Barnyard Bash. It was fried chicken breast topped with sliced avocado, applewood smoked bacon, swiss cheese, spicy honey mustard BBQ sauce & lettuces. The sandwich was good, but I think I overdid the honey mustard BBQ sauce and it being fried made it a little too heavy for me.
If ever in town again, I’d go back.

I had lunch here with 4 friends — it was the first time for all of us. It is a little confusing when you first walk in on the ordering procedure but a quick read of the signs and you are good to go! We ordered burgers and a variety of the fries to share. We really wanted an alcoholic milkshake but we were on work hours so decided we would come back on a weekend! You have to listen for your name and go pick up your order from a window — all of the orders came out pretty quickly. There are a variety of dipping sauces for the fries and we all had our favorites — I was partial to the avocado ranch and aioli. When ordering I was asked if I wanted my burger medium — how they are typically cooked — I said well done. Only a couple of us were asked and those who weren’t were surprised and disappointed to have red burgers. I love medium rare steaks but everyone I know likes hamburger with no pink so I am surprised anyone would think this is the norm. The girl at the register seemed new so I am thinking most people are asked:)
I had the fire burger — avocado with a sweet/​spicy/​smoky jelly (think hot pepper jelly) — it was very good! I tried the sweet potato fries — good, had a hint of cinnamon, bourbon bacon cheese — cheese was too velveeta for me, truffle fries & Cajun fries — those 2 are where it’s at! We all ordered the side size or fries and had a few of each other’s — still had lots left over! A pesky fly buzzed our table the entire time:(
Very nice staff and would definitely go back!

I used to visit the Burger Stand once a month while in undergrad. During graduation weekend, I went on Saturday for lunch. Burger Stand is the best burger in Lawrence, is affordable, and mirrors the hip but unassuming vibe that Lawrence strives for. Burger Stand actually offers four solid veggie burger options.
I have to say, I felt sick on three separate occasions after eating Burger Stand in the last year. I couldn’t figure out if it was something on their end (Burger Stand can feel a bit grimy after you’ve waited for counter service for a while and had a chance to look around at the cleanliness). But I actually think it’s the shitaake mushroom burger that gets me: whatever’s in that spicy sauce. Or it’s one of the fry sauces. Anyway, I’m not sure, but it caused me to take a very long hiatus from Burger Stand.
This time around, I got a Garbo veggie burger with truffle fries while catching up with an old friend who was graduating. The patties here are excellent: They don’t give you burger envy. In fact, you might find others staring at your burger in deep, sinful jealousy.
The truffle fries here are great too. I’d say they’re worth the upgrade over the regular fries at the side-​order level, but not the basket-​order level. My favorite fry sauces are definitely avocado ranch and the mustard. Yes, mixed together, because some people just want to see the world burn.
This is the kind of place I’ll always come back to as long as it doesn’t make me sick. It’s core to Lawrence, and the long lines prove it.

Burgers and brews five star. We sat on the patio and had some great alley entertainment.
For food, we tried every french fry… All delicious. The duck fat were my favorite. Tried the smoke burger, but would venture to guess that they are all equally great. Great variety of flavor and ingredients, has to be great.