Kuma's Too is not a place to take a date unless you're ok with them witnessing you wearing half of your burger and potentially falling in love with the food instead of you.
Therefore, it's the perfect place to take a friend for Valentines Day because what's less romantic than heavy metal music & thick juicy burgers?
Their menu includes the disclosure, "Nothing on our menu is vegan" so beware. The patties are enormous, juicy & grilled to perfection. The foe of diets and vegans everywhere.
After waiting 30 minutes for a table-for-two at 3 pm on a Saturday, we were finally seated. Be aware that it'll probably take a while to get a table. Their burgers are in high demand and located in the busy, hopping section of Lincoln Park. My advice? Go a little early and spend the wait shopping at nearby stores. I almost died when I realized it was right next to an Ann Taylor Loft..
My friend and I split two different burgers: the Famous Kuma & the Yob. The Famous Kuma is topped with bacon, cheddar, fried egg, lettuce, tomato and onion. I've seen the fried egg on a burger before but so far this was my favorite rendition. The combination of bacon & egg reminded me vaguely of breakfast on a burger. Fantastic.
The Yob was adorned with roasted garlic mayo, bacon, gouda, roasted red pepper, lettuce, tomato and onion. Gouda & red peppers are two of my favorite things so putting them together on a burger blew my mind. The roasted garlic mayo meshed well with the heartiness of the patty and the creaminess of the melted gouda. I definitely recommend both burgers.
The best part of the burgers? The buns are made out of pretzel bread. Very unique and ingenious. The buns were soft and delicious and added perfectly to the flavorings of the patties and their toppings.
The fries were perfectly salted and the ultimate soft-to-crunch ratio. The ketchup was a little different but not in a bad way. I'm guessing it contains a little touch of extra vinegar. It's a nice change from the stereotypical Heinz served at every other burger restaurant.
Great burgers & huge portions at a somewhat reasonable price. Definitely my kind of restaurant. My only complaint? Something that I hate to really call a complaint because it's more like a personal preference. The music. I know that the "doom metal" is part of the Kuma's experience. (Yes, I realize that all of the burgers are named after famous metal/rock bands) Personally I found the music to be distracting while attempting at making conversation. However, once the food came, all conversation ceased anyway. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Overall, a very good burger restaurant with generously-sized burgers and a fun, rock-vibe.
Mary
Yob Burger
The Famous Kuma Burger
