Wannabe foodies try the best local burger. Does it live up to hype?
I consider myself a bit of a burger connoisseur, although I mostly get my burgers from McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Five Guys. I put my extensive knowledge and expertise on burgers to judge the burgers from The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden in Mooresville.
Recently, Barcelona was named Best Burger in CharlotteFive’s Reader’s Choice Awards, so former Charlotte Observer reporter Jonathan Alexander and I had to see for ourselves how good the burgers were. Despite gas costing my entire left foot, we drove from Charlotte to Mooresville to try some of the restaurant’s most popular burgers.
All of the restaurant’s burgers are made fresh with Angus beef. We tried four of the most popular burgers and sides:
The Barcelona Classic with truffle cheese fries
The All-American with fries
The Andalucia with a kale-berry salad
The Madrid with roasted veggies
The smell of burgers that rushed my nostrils as soon as I opened the door was absolutely incredible. There’s also an adjacent pizzeria, Alino Pizzeria — which has also gotten national notice.
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There was some outdoor seating, but it was not being used when I got there. Since the sun decided to shine extra hard that day, everyone decided to eat inside the air-conditioned restaurant.
Once the burgers came out, my stomach sang the song of its people. Before diving in, Jonathan and I shared what we find the most important parts of a burger.
For Jonathan, the bun, the toppings and the taste are the crucial categories. “It has to have all of that to get anything close to a 10,” he said.
For me, the most important parts of a burger are bacon, American cheese and barbecue sauce. Any time I can get bacon added on a burger, I can — and will — do it.
When trying each burger, I also tried the sides — and absolutely not because I was starving and didn’t eat breakfast. Also in order to get the full experience, I unhinged my jaw like an anaconda.
Did I look ladylike while stuffing my face? No. Did I enjoy stuffing my face with large, juicy burgers? Yes, yes I did.
As I gobbled the burgers, I began to understand why the restaurant was voted “Best Burger” in the Charlotte area. Each burger was juicy, and you could tell they were freshly made.
All-American Burger
First up was the All-American Burger, which includes American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, tomato, lettuce, onion and house sauce. As a bacon lover, any burger with bacon is a winner in my eyes.
Fun fact: When I was a kid, I did not like onions on anything. What did Jonathan think? “I wasn’t a big onions person, but I think onions go well on burgers,” he told me. Fair enough.
The house sauce was a nice addition to the burger.
For me, this burger had all the components for the perfect All-American burger, except pickles were missing. Thankfully, this is an add-on option available to customers.
Barcelona Classic
The next burger was the Barcelona Classic, which includes American cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion and house sauce. Unpopular opinion: I love pickles, like I would eat them out of the jar and down that pickle juice like it’s water.
Jonathan agrees. “You have to have pickles on burgers,” he said.
The addition of pickles to the burger was a plus. They were sweeter than dill pickles so that was an interesting taste to say the least. The taste was not unpleasant in any way, but as a McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Five Guys connoisseur, I am used to the savory and salty pickles that come on fast food burgers.
Jonathan compared the burger to another popular chain. “It’s a little better than Shake Shack,” he said.
The truffle fries were mind-blowing, I had quite a few after our tasting, and I even took some home. Sadly, since Charlotte’s going through a heat wave as I am typing this, my cheesy truffle fries were killed by the sun.
Andalucia
Next was the Andalucia, which includes American cheese, avocado, peppadew peppers, lettuce, onion and salsa verde. This burger was my least favorite because it tasted more like a sandwich than a burger.
“It’s an acquired taste,” Jonathan said. He compared the burger to Panera Bread’s Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt sandwich.
I had been looking forward to the avocado since it is one of my favorite fruits. (Yes, it’s a fruit.)
I also had a healthy girl moment when I had the kale-berry salad. The salad has an avocado vinaigrette that paired perfectly with the fruit, kale and sunflower seeds.
Madrid
Finally, we tried the Madrid, which includes American cheese, caramelized onion, roasted tomato and spicy pepper sauce. I am not the biggest fan of spicy foods, despite being Hispanic: I prefer a sweet plantain to a chili pepper.
The spiciness of the sauce took a while to kick in, but when it did, it slowly intensified with each bite.
The burger was served with housemade roasted veggies. While I love a healthy girl moment, I will not touch Brussels sprouts. Jonathan, who quite enjoyed the roasted veggies, took those for the team.
Overall experience
I have never tasted a gourmet burger before, so this was the perfect introduction. The closest I have had were the made-to-order burgers at Mooyah’s in Matthews. But I felt The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden fairly earned the title of “Best Burger” in the Charlotte area.
I enjoyed Barcelona’s house sauce and the soft, fluffy bun that came with each burger. The patties were flavorful and a bit crispy on the outside, and the ingredients tasted fresh.
The Barcelona Classic and the Madrid were Jonathan’s favorite burgers. The All-American and the Andalucia were mine. Have you been to The Barcelona? If so, email me and let me know your favorite burger!
The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden
Location: 500 S Main St, Mooresville, NC 28115
Neighborhood: Merino Mill/Mooresville
Cuisine: American, burgers
Instagram: @thebarcelonaburgerbar
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 6:10 AM.
