Kraze Burger

Let’s just start by saying I only walked in the door at Kraze Burger because the Chipotle line next door was way too long. That said, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the burgers here. They’re not the best in town, but the ingredients are solid and the staff did a good job preparing the food.
The best part would have to be the patties – very good quality beef. I got the spicy version of their standard burger (whatever its called) and I inhaled it. The fries are good; on par with Lola’s down the street: crispy and relatively fresh.
My only real complaint with the place has to be the setup. It should be a fast food place in my mind, but it’s designed for people to sit down, either at a table or the bar, and order food from the wait staff. Why?
If the Chipotle line is long, consider this a good alternative.

Don’t bother going if you have a Groupon. I went last night, and there was a sign on the door that they were no longer accepting Groupon. Shame on both Kraze Burger and Groupon!

I went to this place because of a groupon. I would like to hope the burgers are not always that horrible. Maybe they couldn’t handle the demand from the groupon… I don’t know but I won’t be doing that again. Very disappointing.

Don’t go if you’re going to walk in at 850pm because they don’t want you there. After walking in this joint, the first thing I noticed was that the entire place was empty. First thing that came across my mind was, «boy I hope they are busier than this and don’t go out of business soon». I should’ve held out a little longer on that thought.
The two employees there stared at me and friend as if we didn’t have any business being there. Since we were not greeted I walked to the counter to ask if I order at the counter. Then one staff told the girl at counter to tell us that we can order to go, apparently they were closing up at 9p. So we chose to just leave and I don’t plan to go back ever.
Look here Kraze Burger. You sell, well, burgers… and fries… so it’s not as if there aren’t other fast food joints nearby — Popeyes, Subway, DC-​3, District Taco to name a few. Just about every other sit down restaurants on the Row serve burgers too. And it’s not like it would have taken us long to dine in and eat burgers and fries — 20 minutes max. Get over yourselves. If you don’t want customers at 850pm, then close at 850pm. Or else suck it up and serve your customers some burgers and fries.
I don’t wish for businesses to fail on Barracks Row as a capitol hill resident, but let’s just say I won’t be sad or surprised to see this burger joint disppear

So, the atmosphere at this place kind of sucks. It’s sit down, but it somehow feels more like a five guys. You can see brooms and stuff sitting out, plates left on tables long after people leave. It wasn’t somewhere I enjoyed sitting. But, my bulgogi burger was quite good. Meat was really flavorful, but the bun was average. And the garlic parmesan fries, which sounded awesome were just kind of mediocre. There seem to be groupons all the time for this. With them, it’s worth a trip here to get take out, but, without it, I think it’s kind of over priced and you can get way better for the money. Maybe take a trip a few blocks down to Ted’s bulletin.
Ohh, and I forgot to mention that I got a plate with a kangaroo on it. Despite the food’s mediocrity, that made my day. It was really cute. And my friends were jelous that they were not so lucky as to get the same plate. We quickly established that if you are going to have one kangaroo plate… you should have all kangaroo plates. Take note of that Kraze Burger.

So I went to Kraze Burger this past week with my sister, because I bought a Groupon not too long ago and was a little hungry and was passing through the neighborhood anyway.
When we first walked in after reading the reviews I wasn’t too sure what to expect. The young lady behind the counter in the back saw my sister and I and yelled were we taking out or dining in? I said dining in and she told me we could sit wherever we like. Ummmm ok!!! The greeting, if you want to call it that, was not too inviting and a little piss poor, but I chose to ignore it. Luckily, she wasn’t our waitress and the lady who was, was much more pleasant. She greeted us and took our drink order, I informed her I had a Groupon and she said ok and began to answer our questions regarding which burgers and sides were the best. My sister and I found her reccomendations to be honest and fair and we really enjoyed her service. My sister got the K. Onion with Chili Cheese Fries and I went with the K. BBQ and Parmesan Herb Fries. My sister seemed to enjoy her burger and loved her fries, honestly the chilli cheese fries could have been a meal all in itself. I enjoyed my burger as well and really loved the parmesan fries, very tasty!!! I don’t think the patties were as thick as some people described them, but I guess it was average size and did the job. Nothing outstanding about the taste, but they were good. All in all, we enjoyed our meal and I would go back. I actually went home and bought another Groupon. Not sure if I would pay regular price there though and it wouldn’t be my ‘go-​to’ for burgers, but it’s definitely not a bad place. I went in with lower expectations and besides the not-​so-​friendly lady in the beginning I enjoyed my visit.

I visited Kraze today and was really impressed. Considering the long list of crappy reviews on Unilocal,I was surprised and I’m still confused about how those could happen. All I can say is, those reviews are flat out wrong. This place is great. Here’s the run down for Kraze:
1. Burgers: awesome. Thicker patty than fast food, almost steak house thick. Can order whatever temperature you want. Has fresh ingredients, including cool options like a Hawaiian style burger. The bun was appropriately thick. The burger was fresh made. It took 5 minutes from the time I ordered. Do not get a double burger it is too much! (Compare to Good Stuff which only puts bacon on everything, and doesn’t have high enough quality meat to request temperature, the buns are terrible and soggy and, and it takes 10 – 15 minutes to receive your food.)
2. Fries: pretty solid, crispy fries. Based on the photos online, I thought they would be soggy and greasy. They were crispy, fresh, hot, not greasy, and I got them to go and ate them 10 minutes later! I also got some chili cheese fries and was super impressed by the quantity of chili, the quality of chili and cheese, and… the fries were still crispy. I’m sorry, you cannot do better than this. Also, the quantity of fries you receive is kind of on the way-​too-​much side.
3. Dining area: it’s not a fast food style. It’s upscale with pillows on long benches, nice tables, and a really relaxing yet fun vibe. When I was in, there was music blasting and it was actually pretty good, upbeat music. There is a giant TV over the bar.
4. Bar: they are still waiting for their liquor license. (I’m really disappointed in the Unilocal Elite person who was confused about why the bar didn’t have drinks… it’s a new place! C’mon, everyone knows it takes a while to receive a liquor license.)
5. Parking: the only negative about this place is parking can be a hassle. It’s like that all over the Eastern Market/Barrack’s Row area.
— Bonus: they have milkshakes. This is milkshake central with almost every restaurant offering some sort of $ 5 milkshake. I didn’t get one, but based on what I received I’m going to suggest that they are quality.
Overall, I was really impressed. The food was high quality, they used sustainable products for packaging, and this is clearly the mid-​level burger winner in the Capitol Hill area. And compared to the other place down the street, Kraze wins for everything except being overhyped. Yeah Good Stuff, get with the program. Being on TV one time doesn’t make you king of the hill.

I was excited to learn Kraze Burger was opening on Barracks Row when I was visiting South Korea (Apparently, it’s a Korean chain). My buddy and I grabbed dinner here when I returned to the US and we both were disappointed. I love that it’s on Barracks Row, but the fact that it is usually empty speaks to the sub par food. The fries were bland, the burger a little charred, and the milkshake watery. The service was not bad, but the food just didn’t wow us. If you are thinking of going here, stop and go down Pennsylvania to Good Stuff Eatery instead.

I really wanted this place to be good. It’s a stone’s throw from Good Stuff so I figured they’d bring the heat. I was wrong. I walked in to order a Kraze Spicy Burger and waited for 20 minutes as my burger was messed up twice. The two guys waiting at the «bar» next to me also had their burgers messed up. When I got home, the burger and the fries I ordered were cold to touch and mediocre to taste. Home is literally 5 minutes from 8^th street.
It would seem to me that either they were having an off-​night or they rushed to open when they weren’t ready. Regardless, I won’t be going back anytime soon.

Great! Just what DC needs — another burger place.
But sometimes you get a craving and just need a burger. I’ve never been to any other Krazes so this was my first introduction. My first impression is it’s a bit confusing– like it’s trying to be a sit down restaurant. There’s a bar but there’s only soda up on the wall behind it? Very confusing. The service there was without a smile and generally seemed disfunctional even though it was the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday and there was practically noone there. I got the basic Kraze Burger and rosemary garlic fries for takeout. Seriously, the atmosphere in there was so glum I wanted to get out as soon as possible. The burger itself was actually pretty good, tall with quality ingredients. The fries were pretty good too. $ 13 for a basic burger and fries is pretty depressing but at least it was tasty.

Well this was unexpected… what you ask? All of this experience.
Came in on a rainy Friday to pick up a «quick’ bite for myself and 2 coworkers. Upon entering something seemed incredibly odd to me. Sure there a ton of upscale tables and a deserted hostess station. Then it dawned on me… it was the peak of lunch and there was no one in the place, but me and the staff. It remained this way until I was walking out with my food almost 20 minutes later. How is it possible to be that empty during lunch while every place around you is packed?
The Order: I ordered 3 of the Take Out Deals which is a Burger and fries for 7.75 each. You can load them up with free toppings (lettuce, tomato, pickles, sweet onion, ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.) or you can add premium toppings like mushrooms, fried onions, onion rings, bacon, etc. Two of the burgers were ordered well done and one mostly rare. Order took 20 minutes to cook, which is standard for a sit down restaurant; but not one you are looking for a fast bite. I recognize that the food is probably made to order, but it’s burgers for god’s sake I can cook more than 3 burgers at a time on my standard stove.
The Food: The burgers were cooked to the right doneness, but were pretty flavorless. The meat had no taste to speak of. I avoid adding salt to anything, but I had to make an exception for both the burger and the greasy, limp fries. When others on Unilocal commented that the fries were limp and soggy I assumed it was because when they got them to go that the condensation on the container caused it… nope they were soggy in general. BTW, they lose a star just because the pickles on the burger were bread and butter pickles. I would be okay with this if I was expecting that instead of the standard kosher dills you find elsewhere.
Overall, I am not impressed. I am not sure I’d be back, which is a shame, because I am usually looking for a quick to-​go meal while my coworkers stand in the impossible Chipotle line next door.

Groupon brought me to this lovely establishment and for that, Groupon I thank thee from the bottom of my heart!
Kraze is an interesting concept; it has the casual atmosphere of a regular burger place but with table service of a typical sit-​down restaurant. I actually like it; it’s a way to feel fancy without the fancy prices!
And the food… delicious! I had the K. Onion burger; to describe it as huge would not be an overstatement. These burgers are big folks so bring your appetites! You get to order how you want your burger patty cooked (didn’t I say it was fancy? It was medium well for me!) and of course it was seasoned well and just… well, scrumptious. They were out of sweet potato fries on the day of my visit (I almost shed a tear!) so I sprung for the parmesan fries instead and it turned out to be a worthy substitution. And the milkshakes? I’m not even a huge milkshake fan but like everything else, it was dang good.
I’ll be back to see you Kraze real soon so be sure to save me a seat!

I was craving a burger at 8pm on a Tuesday night so we wandered over to Kraze. Our original intent was to go to Matchbox — but curiosity took over as we passed by. When we peaked in, two other customers playfully coaxed us in by telling us how it was their first time and that they enjoyed their orders. ** Shrug, why not. **
I ordered the cheese burger (medium well) and my husband ordered the Kraze special (medium). I was incredibly impressed at how well they got the orders right. His was slightly pink but not bleeding, mine was brown all the way through without being dry. The fresh cut fries taste a bit like In-​and-​out (in Southern California).
The place was modern, the price point was cheap, the music was pleasant but not overly loud, a basketball game was on the big screen in a non-​obnoxious sort of way — there if you want to watch it but quiet enough that you can ignore it and carry on your own conversation, and the service was prompt, polite, and efficient.
The place seemed a bit nicer than we had expected for a strictly burger joint. The manager explained that originally they were suppose to be a take out; however, Barrack’s row already had too many of those and so they had to reformat into this structure. Makes sense. Overall a solid burger joint for Capitol Hill and a good addition to Barrack’s Row.

I should start off saying, I too have burger fatigue and not sure why DC seems to have so many burger places? It’s a competitive market and lots of places offer good and relatively cheap priced burgers. That said it’s close to home and always love trying new places…
I did not have the problems others reported on. It is a small but cozy space. I was seated right away for lunch and the servers where friendly. Food came up quick and was good. I just got the cheeseburger but will try veggie and turkey later. The burger itself is a little small but not insultingly so. I didn’t leave hungry. The fries where awesome though. The cute fry basket they come in is a nice touch. I wasn’t blown away, but am jaded about burgers and would take a lot for me to fall in love with anther burger chain. I will come back, but don’t eat burgers all that often.

Saying the service is bad would be an understatement. Food mysteriously didn’t arrive for the first 45 min after ordering. Still waiting… soda refills were slow and usually wrong. Apparently they needed to drive to a farm to get ranch dressing. If you enjoy slow, confused service and invisible food then is recommend this place. Otherwise steer veeeeeery clear of it. And I’m being nice…
Update:
After finally receiving my burger 45+ min after ordering and 25+ min after getting my fries (cold by the time the burger came) and my companions food, my burger finally arrived. It was a good burger, but at that point, our lunch hour had turned into a multi hour affair so I scarfed down the burger as quick as possible.
But, it gets bettttter. As I have finally just started eating my burger (which the server didn’t realize I was missing as she asked how we were all doing when everyone was eating at the table except for me) she came over and asked how we’d like to pay. I thinking that it already was a disaster, suggested to make it easy we would take one check and split it ourselves instead of separate checks that she offered. Well… Instead of doing as suggested, she brought my check over split out, (Mid bite into my late burger) but said, «oh, take your time, not trying to rush you or anything». Eventually she brought out one other person from the table’s check, split out as well. Then things got interesting. My card was run, but his was not and the two others at our table were sitting there waiting for their bills. 20 min of waiting later (after asking for the checks multiple times from other servers, our server emerged from the back with a handful of checks. She asked if any of us had eaten some meal that none of us did and then she stuck that bill back in her pocket and proceeded to shuffle through the bills trying to find the right bills for the other two at our table. As this was going on, we watched another gentleman at another table get the wrong bill after waiting 30+ min for his burger after getting his fries. Turns out that he not only got the wrong burger, he also got the wrong bill.
Back to us… After she started to panic and was confused about all of the checks in her hand not matching their meals, the manager came over disgusted and told her to go take care of another table while she would sort the check situation out. About 10 min later we were able to get the other two bills put on the second persons so we could just pay and deal with it later.
Butttt, it gets better… A few minutes before we were finally about to leave our three hour excursion into hell… whoops I mean Krazey Burger, the already pissed off (not at us, but at her staff, which she apparently didn’t train) manager came over with a plate of sweet potato fries and a bacon cheeseburger (my original order!) and asked if any of us ordered this. I said, «Yes about two hours ago, but they already brought it out eventually,» so poor bacon cheeseburger and fries wasted…
After explaining our dismay, the manager (who had to explain what was going on to the confused owner, who didn’t speak English — don’t get mad I’m not trying to be racist, just stating a fact) gave me a card for a free burger to use within 60 days. I’m torn whether or not I actually want to use it, but if I want to be able to use it before it expires, I better go again in the next week considering how slow the service is.
(One other thing — I know there’s a sign on the door that they’re still training so give them some leniency and a break, but NO MATTER WHAT, this is beyond training level, this service was ridiculously bad. A responsible business owner would not open a restaurant for ANY service with this level of training among the staff other than the manager. They should close for a few weeks, learn how to use the system, customer service, etc and then open as a real restaurant. It’s a shame as the food isn’t bad, but the nonsense or the three hours that I lost from my day isn’t worth another trip back.)
Oh and thanks to how ridiculously long it took, I managed to miss meeting with my boss about a promotion before she left the office for the day. So you ruined my friend’s bday lunch, you wasted hours of my life and cost me a promotion, if I could give you guys negative stars I would. Looking forward to the next restaurant that will replace you once you close in a few months…

This place was decent. It’s a good lunch option. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get there, but will definitely try it again.
They mixed up our orders, took their time to get our drinks, but nothing too bad, mostly seemed to be working out the kinks of a new place. Anything that was a mistake they were quick to fix. Hawaiin burger was pretty good.

Is it just me or am I Krazy?! I’m really surprised looking at these reviews because I had a less than stellar experience here.
The décor and ambiance are quite nice and there’s been a lot of hype about this place opening up. When I went with my coworkers (on the second day of the opening), there were a lot of people in there. We were super excited to try this place out! Unfortunately we were left pretty disappointed.
The service… sarcastic and bitter! Our waitress seemed angry when we asked if she could split the bill evenly for us. After this, she proceeded to loom over and stare at us as we wrote the tip on the receipt. I felt sooo extremely uncomfortable sitting there.
The food was mediocre, my burger was cooked to medium which was nice and juicy. The potato bun had a chewy consistency to it as well. The chili cheese fries were EXTREMELY salty and didn’t feel like they were assembled as one dish. The shredded cheddar cheese on the fries weren’t even melted! I’m not just exaggerating when I say they were super salty — I consider myself more of a savory person and I was chugging down water. My coworker noted that her parmesan garlic fries were also drenched in sodium.
Just not a great experience and subpar food.

I entered Kraze expecting a fast food joint, and was surprised by how nice it was inside! More like a sit-​down restaurant with attractive furnishings and table service. Those of us who ordered to-​go were directed to the bar area (they must be planning to get a liquor license in the future). All the employees were very friendly and my order came out within 5 minutes.
If you’re not a big meat-​eater, don’t worry! Kraze treats its vegetarian customers right. My tofu burger was a wonderful mess of terriyaki tofu, grilled mushrooms, garlic butter, BBQ sauce, cream cheese sauce, lettuce, tomato, and even a gratuitous slice or two of Swiss cheese. Doesn’t sound like all that would go together? I had my doubts too, but it ended up being a delicious explosion of flavors with lots of unami. Probably a million calories but it’s worth it.
I also got an order of sweet potato fries. Still swooning over the burger, I nonetheless recognized that they were quite good. Sweet potato fries are hard to get right, but these were perfect. Not too greasy, limp, or salty.
Glad to have this addition to 8^th Street!

I went here with my Hubby and had dinner for a relatively low cost. We ordered the Hawaiian and spicy burger. They were each respectively 8 dollars and we also had one order of sweet potato fries (which is 8 oz worth) for 3.95. So yeppers. We ordered medium rare burgers but received no splash of pink. That was a bummer. On the upside, staff was courteous and service was fast. Most importantly, the food was tasty. The sweet potato fries are nicely cooked and when paired with their cream cheese based sauce is quite yummy.
We will be back!

This is the newest location of a small chain of fast food, burger places. This is their first location that operates as a sit-​down, dine-​in restaurant. Also, I visited them in their first day open, just by chance. I think they have a few kinks in the wait service that need worked out, but the food was good and worth about what I payed for it.