My wife and I took a few days off this week and we decided to give the new Bobby Flay Burger Palace in Eatontown, NJ a quick try because my wife and I both think Bobby Flay comes across as a jerk on TV but his food is usually pretty darn good.
We drove down to Monmouth Mall and got to Bobby’s Burger Palace around 2pm on a weekday. We had no idea what to expect so we showed up with empty stomachs and high expectations based on our previous experiences at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, which offers some phenomenal and unique dishes. We were a little curious to see if Bobby’s Burgers would be the same.
The line to get into the place was out the door even on a chilly afternoon and at first we figured we’d be standing for a while, but once we got inside the doorway we learned the first little secret to Bobby’s Burger Palace: it’s small. Really small. Though it looks large from the outside this “burger palace” really was more like a “burger joint.” I know Bobby Flay is short, but he’d have to stand about 12 inches off the ground to think of this little place as a “palace.”
The Bobby’s Burger Palace in Eatontown is not much bigger than a standard McDonald’s. This would, unfortunately, not be the last time we’d invoke the image of McDonald’s when talking about BBP. The line to the cash register was only about 25 feet long, so when we got in the door we saw that there were really only about five or six parties ahead of us, all looking up and down the large menu boards on the side.
The menu at Bobby’s Burger Palace is limited, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are 10 different burgers to choose from, a couple sandwiches and salad options, two types of grilled cheese, a few fry options, about seven milkshake options and a few sodas. That’s about it.
You can “crunchify” any burger for free. Crunchify is Bobby’s Flay term for “putting potato chips on it.” And if you don’t like beef you can get any of the burger offerings made with a grilled chicken breast, a turkey burger or “topless” which means no bun.
We dutifully waited in line and my wife got an L.A. Burger, while I went for a three cheese grilled cheese. We split a vanilla milkshake, an order of sweet potato fries and an order of onion rings, mostly out of curiosity. We were given a little plastic number tent like those the ones you remember from the 1970’s. After a few minutes of waiting two seats opened up and my wife and I were two chairs facing each other amidst a bunch of strangers.
Bobby Flay wants you to sit with some strangers and eat this.
This was our second real surprise: communal dining. There are no individual tables, just long stretch tables where you sit in comfy stools that are bolted to the floor with a bunch of people you probably don’t really want to be that close to. My wife and I were crowded between people with winter coats and jabbing arms and loud nasally voices all of whom had apparently bathed in cologne. Ahh, New Jersey.
Some of the tables were curved and some were angled at such a way as to actually take up even more space than they had to. This is, I suppose, “hip” and “cool” to some people, but judging from the conversations around us it seemed kinda stupid. That’s the second secret of Bobby’s Burger Palace: by limiting the number of seats in the place and making the cashier line short it ALWAYS looks busy and makes people think, “Oh, this must be worth it.” Limiting supply is a great way to artificially increase demand.
Our food came out in about 10 minutes, but all was not well. Our sweet potato fries were cold, our onion rings just lukewarm and we didn’t have our milkshake. There aren’t really waiters at Bobby’s Burger Palace, but there are a lot of employees cleaning up tables, bringing food out and doing waitery things. At the Eatontown BBP the number of tattoos and piercings on the waitstaff far outnumbered those in the general population and the mostly older suburban clientele. One of these waiter-type people immediately appeared and asked how everything was. I mentioned my lack of a milkshake and she immediately apologized and went to look for it. Meanwhile I had noticed people that were behind us in line getting their orders, including milkshakes, as well.
Our waiter person appeared again and said the milkshake would be out in a moment and actually used the phrase, “It was a computer glitch. Those darn computers!” Umm, yeah. I’m sure human error had nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, we ate.
The food was good. That’s about it. Good.
Just good.
Not great. Not amazing. Not worth waiting more than 10 minutes for. Not unique. Just… kinda okay. The sweet potato fries, other than being cold, were passable. I could almost see the “RESTAURANT BULK FOOD FROZEN SWEET POTATO FRIES” label stamped on them. The onion rings were slightly better, being made of large onion rounds and not just thinly sliced rings. The portions were just right. Next to us was a little carousel of dipping sauces such as ketchup, “burger sauce” (steak sauce), jalapeno sauce and some sort of smoky ketchup. We squirted each sauce on the plate and dipped and tasted. Again, it was flavorful but it was hardly cutting-edge or particularly wonderful.
My wife’s burger was pretty good, but nothing that a good diner wouldn’t offer for about the same price. Bobby’s Burger Palace only cooks burgers to medium, so you’re out of luck if you like it any other way. My Grilled Cheese Deluxe included several different cheeses, including goat cheese, as well as tomato and bacon. It was a thin sandwich but it was creamy and crunchy and it worked well.
Our milkshake finally arrived and we both tried it. It tasted exactly like all the other vanilla milkshakes in the world and they all taste almost like, yes, a McDonald’s vanilla milkshake. Again, there was nothing out of the ordinary or even exciting about this milkshake other than the fact that it came in a glass that was smaller than the sodas and it came out a little bit late.
We left Bobby’s Burger Palace feeling as though we’d gotten a decent diner meal in a strange setting. Most of the burgers are around $7.50 or so and the fries ring in around $3.00 and the milkshake pinged us for $5.00.
Overall it was a good place to get a burger but no better than any other restaurant in the United States. If you like sitting with strangers, like average food and you can’t stand the idea of not eating at a FoodTV chef’s vanity project restaurant, then give it a shot. If, however, you’re hungry and want to relax I suggest you go for a burger just about anywhere else.
Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill is damn fine eating.
Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace is just good eating, dammit.
14 Responses to “Review of Bobby’s Burger Palace (BBP) in Eatontown NJ”
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JD says:
ever since that flaying incident in my youth i’ve been afraid of bobby …
(but i enjoyed your review)
December 31st, 2008 at 5:20 pm -
Loretta says:
Loved your review and have just about the same opinion. My husband and I went to the new location in Eantontown last night–our first visit. The communal seating was not great, as we never ate at shared tables before. The two women across from us were talking incessantly and loud and were very annoying. These women were shortly replaced by a family and this woman was singing. We sat at a long table that was so narrow that when the two women left and their space was being cleared her fries were left on the table because the busboy thought they were mine. The burgers came out very medium-well done. They were of good quality–it was a shame that they were so overcooked. Fries and a very small portion of onion rings were good, but shakes were small and overpriced. I went back to the cashier for napkins when I realized that we didn’t get any and there was no silverware to be found anywhere. Other diners did receive napkins when their food arrived, so I guess our server just forgot ours. You are also right about the small size of the dining room. Families who had placed their orders were now wondering where they would sit, as there weren’t enough empty seats for four people to sit together. It would be a good idea to find seats for the family and THEN place your order. Saves you from having to eat standing up in the corner.
For two “palace burgers”, one fries, one onion rings and two shakes our bill came to a little over $30. Although we were looking forward to this visit, we will not be going back.
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Anna says:
Bobby’s Burger Palace was a huge disappointment to my family and I. It was overpriced and the seating was something you would find at a food court or better yet, an airport. The food was not good at all. My burger was so salty I could not even eat it.
I expected much more from Bobby! It’s like walking into Chef Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant and getting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. -
Darin says:
I was not impressed with Bobby’s Burger Palace. My food was luke warm and the seating arrangements were not ideal. I had a few kids who got bored with their food and happen to fling their french fries in every direction. The parents were to busy chattig with friends to notice which left me saying a few choice words. I don’t know to many people who go out to eat and want to be subjected to stangers sitting right beside you. I’d rather go to the nearest Diner and get a descent burger and sit in my own booth or table. Much cheaper too.
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funnyrunner says:
Your writing is hysterical – just my style. Keep it coming!
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Grace says:
As a fan of Flay and all of his food network programs, I was really looking forward to this new restaurant. I am glad to see that I am not the only one with critiques. I went to BBP for the first time this week,and tried the grilled cheese (not the deluxe one). I figured who could really mess up a grilled cheese, it is just bread and cheese afterall!
After waiting for over 15 minutes (mind you it was not really that busy at the place), I received my grilled cheese burnt and cold.
This place is a real rip off, and i’m suprised bobby would put his name on it. Don’t bother, try Cheeburger Cheeburger, that place rocks! and gives good portions!
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Angela says:
I agree with everyones review here. The design of the place is terrible and you have to sit so closely to a bunch of people you don’t know. We brought our 9 month old child and needed a high chair. There are only a few spots where we could sit with him on the end.
I got the L.A. burger and tried the sweet potatoes fries and onion rings. They were all very good but I would definitely say its not worth a long wait or the inconvenience of the wait for a table. The prices were also a little high. I wanted to try a milkshake but couldn’t justify paying 5 bucks for it.
I was definitely disappointed and most likely will not be returning unless it is empty.
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Tom Coffee says:
Yeah… I’ve heard good things about “Cheeburger Cheeburger”…. I’m a burger fanatic who eats them every week, but I just happened to go to a “Five Guys” burger place a few days after my Bobby Burger experience. For half the price Five Guys burger was twice as large and twice as good! They have a simple menu, but it works for burgers!
-Tom
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patricia says:
My husband and I ate there last weekend. The food was good but limited. We had to wait to sit down holding our drinks. I wasnt to fond of the seating arrangement. I have bad knees and it was bery hard to get on those seats. they didnt move or adjust. It was like getting your hair cut. I was differnt, i think i would go again early. to try to beat a crowd., so atleast your dont feel rushed.
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Sebastian says:
I have eaten at Several Cheeburger Cheeburger locations and find them the best burger chain in the country. As a business traveler I like to try new and interesting places. I tried 5 Guys Burgers and Fries in Ocean Twp and thought it was okay but with a limited menue and boaring interior. The burger was kind of greasy and a mess to eat plus what is with the bags of potatoes in the dining room?
Bobby’s Burger Palace was okay, not great and Tom hit it on the head to compare it to McDonalds. The order que is a joke I went at 1:30 to miss the lunch crowd however I still waited nearly 40 minuets. I am also a larger guy and was luckey enough to find one of only three seats that could be moved away from the counter.
The cost was comparable to a trip to McD’s but the burger quality is superior. I expected much more eapecially a grilled burger instead of griddle fried.
I will try the BBP again however take it from a burger pro, go to Cheeburger Cheeburger in Manalapan on RT9. It is absolutly leaps and bounds the best burger place nation wide. (so far) -
The Bobby Flay Burger Palace in Paramus « Droppedfork’s Blog says:
[...] all that mumbo jumbo, but you can find tons of that with these Eatontown, NJ reviews here here here here here  here and [...]
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Jim says:
Great review, spot on…IMO the food is average but severly overpriced. my family of 5 with two kids meal paid alomost $50, no shakes either…at the nearby diner you get the same food and more of it for probably about 20% less cost. Will not return..I predict that Bobby joint and Five Guys will not survive more than 2 years, they are both just ok and overpriced…
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Damian says:
I went to the Paramas BBP and its no different. These reviews are sadly dead on (sadly cause I had high hopes). Not sure about the Five Guy haters though…half the price of Flays probably tastier and made in front of you. You get a hugh fry portion and a choice of numerous burger toppings. Also I’m surprised no one mentioned the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park…okay its not in Jersey but its famous chef owned, money made supports the park, and is way better then Bobby’s. Only problem with them is the line on a nice day is just insane….go online and check the shake cam before you go.
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Megan says:
My husband and I just tried Bobby’s tonight for the first time…and it will also be our last time.
I would swear that the Bubba Burgers I bought in the frozen food section of the supermarket are the exact burgers they used. The looked and tasted the same.
Hated the seating and the really loud music. The burger was cooked to medium rare like I asked…but the bacon was ice cold and the roll was stale.
The sweet potato fries were just ok…but the onion rings were very good.
All in all..for the $30 we spent…I felt taken. Chilis was right nearby (Eatontown NJ Location)…and I’ve had burgers there that far surpass this place. It really was a disappointment and we will never go back.