Midtown Lunch

The Go Burger Truck debuted a while ago and is parked semi-permanently on Front St. at the South Street Seaport, and to be honest I really had a hard time drumming up enthusiasm. You might say that I have reached fancy burger fatigue, and also, I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around a $5 (single, unadorned) hamburger from a truck. It doesn’t help that much like the La Cense Burger Truck (which incidentally, is parked a few blocks away at the end of Wall St.) it’s essentially a billboard for a product, which in this case is the BLT restaurants.  I had an even harder time drumming up excitement after a Five Guys opened just a short walk up Fulton St. Then there was the, shall we say, “scathing” review on Blondie & Brownie in which the food was so bad it ended up in the trash.

On a particularly indecisive day, I figured it was time to eat one of the Go burgers and find out if it was worth the cost and hype. Find out my verdict after the jump.

It’s kind of hard to read the menu, but the burgers range in price from a basic single hamburger at $5 to a salmon burger at a (ridiculous) $11. I was intrigued by the lamb merguez burger, but not for $10. They also have fries for $3 and shakes for $4. So basically, you could easily drop $15 or more here if you wanted a burger, fries and a shake. I know they’re using better ingredients than say, McDonald’s, but it’s still easy to feel ripped off.

There was no line whatsoever when a friend and I got there, and the guy working seemed kind of confused when we walked up to the window. I ordered the classic burger for $6 which comes with lettuce, tomato, red onion and special sauce. My co-lunch’er went for a special of the BBQ burger that came topped with coleslaw ($7). And of course I got some fries.

Even the burger’s wrapper lets you know that you’re eating at a truck affiliated with BLT Restaurants!

I would have to say the burgers are really nice looking when you unwrap the shill packaging. I cracked the lid on mine and was happy to see they hadn’t glopped on the special sauce, which went well with the meat. This was a tasty burger, obviously made from decent beef, but nothing phenomenal. You can also get a double burger if this doesn’t look like enough beef.

The special BBQ burger was equally photogenic. After my friend took a couple of bites and cracked the top open, she realized there was no BBQ sauce on the burger. Fail! She did say that the coleslaw was good, though.

The fries were similar to the kind from Burger King that are coated in starch. They were hot and crispy, but for $3 I kind of expected a larger portion.

While we were there I saw mostly tourists getting food from the truck, which makes sense since it’s strategically parked next to where those double decker tour buses stop. Would I eat here again? No. I paid nearly $10 just for a burger and fries which I can get at a lower price from a bar or restaurant (and sometimes give you a free beer).

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• The burgers are pretty and the fries are crispy.
• It’s across the street from my office.

THE — (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• It’s just another fancy burger from a truck.
• $10 barely gets you a regular burger and fries.

Go Burger Truck, parked at Pier 17 on Front St. at South St. Seaport