Review #1 - orderup.
Posted by Fry Daddy | | Posted On Sunday, December 28, 2008 at 9:12 PM
orderup. - the self-proclaimed "pizzeria taqueria burgeria" - has been serving customers from its location in a Lincoln Heights strip mall since 2004. (There is also an orderup. located off I-10 in the Colonnade.)
Ordering at orderup can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Basically, the menu consists of pizzas, tacos and burgers - with a small number of sides, beverages and desserts to choose from - but with 36 possible toppings to go with any of these, it was hard to resist the urge to panic and order something like the pineapple-sundried tomato-anchovy-bleu cheese burger. Thankfully, we all resisted this temptation and ordered regular cheeseburgers (although Burger Boy did get a fried egg on his).
The Burger - 6.5 out of 10
The burger, which arrived wrapped in white paper, was big enough for two hands but not enormous. One side of the bun was fried in butter (which not only added to the burger's flavor but kept the bun from getting soggy), but the outside of the bun was soft. The patty was not very thick but had a good flavor, and the meat was a little pink in the center. The toppings - lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle - were fresh, although Hamburglar thought his burger had too much mustard.
Overall, orderup. serves up a good burger, with no big strikes against it, but the burger lacked its own personality. We all agreed that nothing really set it apart from other "good" burgers we'd had before.
Sides - 4 out of 10
That being said, the fries did remind us of other bad fries we'd had before. They were a little bit soggy. One thing the fries did have going for them - they came in a paper-cone-thing. Overall, not too impressive. However, we were still a little hungry after finishing our burgers, so we ate most of them anyway before remembering to take a picture.
As for other sides, while there are no tater tots or onion rings on the menu, you can order chips and salsa, a salad or soup. But if you want a salad or soup, you've come to the wrong blog. Besides, you probably already went to lunch at la Madeleine.
Ambience - 5 out of 10
Orderup. is nice and new inside, but it is a bit bland in terms of atmosphere. The restaurant lacks character, which most good burger joints we've been to have in spades. We couldn't shake the feeling that we were eating lunch in a suburban strip mall, which, in fact, we were.
Price - Good
We paid about what we would expect for a decent burger - $4.95 (+ $.50 for cheese).
Service - Good
We ordered. The food got to us in a few minutes and was still hot. We ate it. Good enough.
Have you ever been to a good burger joint where they put your napkin on your lap for you?
Ordering at orderup can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Basically, the menu consists of pizzas, tacos and burgers - with a small number of sides, beverages and desserts to choose from - but with 36 possible toppings to go with any of these, it was hard to resist the urge to panic and order something like the pineapple-sundried tomato-anchovy-bleu cheese burger. Thankfully, we all resisted this temptation and ordered regular cheeseburgers (although Burger Boy did get a fried egg on his).
The Burger - 6.5 out of 10
The burger, which arrived wrapped in white paper, was big enough for two hands but not enormous. One side of the bun was fried in butter (which not only added to the burger's flavor but kept the bun from getting soggy), but the outside of the bun was soft. The patty was not very thick but had a good flavor, and the meat was a little pink in the center. The toppings - lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle - were fresh, although Hamburglar thought his burger had too much mustard.
Overall, orderup. serves up a good burger, with no big strikes against it, but the burger lacked its own personality. We all agreed that nothing really set it apart from other "good" burgers we'd had before.
Sides - 4 out of 10
That being said, the fries did remind us of other bad fries we'd had before. They were a little bit soggy. One thing the fries did have going for them - they came in a paper-cone-thing. Overall, not too impressive. However, we were still a little hungry after finishing our burgers, so we ate most of them anyway before remembering to take a picture.
As for other sides, while there are no tater tots or onion rings on the menu, you can order chips and salsa, a salad or soup. But if you want a salad or soup, you've come to the wrong blog. Besides, you probably already went to lunch at la Madeleine.
Ambience - 5 out of 10
Orderup. is nice and new inside, but it is a bit bland in terms of atmosphere. The restaurant lacks character, which most good burger joints we've been to have in spades. We couldn't shake the feeling that we were eating lunch in a suburban strip mall, which, in fact, we were.
Price - Good
We paid about what we would expect for a decent burger - $4.95 (+ $.50 for cheese).
Service - Good
We ordered. The food got to us in a few minutes and was still hot. We ate it. Good enough.
Have you ever been to a good burger joint where they put your napkin on your lap for you?
Posts
Unfortunately, I cannot agree with you. Having a substantial background in the restaurant industry, I tend to view my experience through a different - more discerning - lens.
I admit, I tend to get a little excited when I discover a new burger joint; not a shock when I first saw this new location on Evans @ 281 and immediately said, "I have to eat there!"
While I'm not miserly in any way, I can't see spending $12.50 for a burger, fries and a shake a good value; rather it is quite the opposite.
As for the food: The burger was disappointing in the delivery. The bun was soggy, the burger oily and it had way too many onions on it. I did, however, enjoy the flavor of the meat itself; not too overpowering, nice and savory. I did need an excessive amount of paper towels (they didn't pack any napkins in the to-go bag) to catch all of the grease and veggie juices that fell out of my burger.
After eating the third "fry," they went directly into the waste basket. Limp, soggy and extraordinarily bland. This is not something that would ever make it out of the kitchen if it were my kitchen.
And the meagerly portioned shake followed suit. Sad, sad, sad.
As for the overall experience; I will not visit this establishment again. I can't help but feel that while they are trying to offer up that old-fashioned, hand-crafted diner type meal they fall miserably short. Perhaps it's simply opening jitters, but I doubt it - if you can't get it right on your third attempt you should stop trying.
Based on value, taste, service and atmosphere, Order Up will not be extracting money from my wallet again - nor the income of my friends or associates.
Josh P.
Order Up is my absolute favorite burger joint in San Antonio. I have never had a burger taste so fresh and taste so good. You can put any topping you want on it, and i recommend you experiment. Jalepenos and Grilled onions are a perfect combination.
I do love the fries too because they are not cooked in transfatty old oil like a lot of places. These are cooked in sunflower oil and I can taste the difference. I salt them extra myself.
But if you really want a good side, get chips and salsa...these too are made fresh and are probably the best chips and salsa i have ever had.
I recommend you try this place~
Jim
Just went to the Colonnade location off of I-10. And I'll say I pretty much agree with this review.
Burger - I ordered one with American cheese, bacon, easy lettuce, while my girlfriend ordered her usual - no veggies except mushrooms, swiss, and bacon. She fell in love with the bun which was really her only compliment other than "it's a decent burger". My burger was "decent" as well, I had no real complaints other than I ordered easy lettuce, and there where piles of the stuff in my wrapper once devoured. You're guys rating of 6.5 is spot on.
Sides - we ordered a large fries to share between us, and there were more than enough still left over. The lack of any other traditional sides hurts this category. The fries were like any other fries I've had as well, nothing to write home about here.
Ambience - I couldn't kick the fact that it felt like we were eating at a "Starbucks"-like burger joint. The interior really had no flare, and the eating areas were a tad too close for my taste as well and drab and bland. We happened to be there when a duo of folk guitar artist were performing at a nice volume. Live entertainment is always good :)
Price - 2 burgers, large fries, a water and a Dos Equis came out to $23 and some change. I won't be going back for the price alone.
Service - Amazingly well actually. Once we walked in our order taker asked us if we had ever been there before and promptly explained how Orderup works when we replied we hadn't. She also gave us a list of suggestions which helped out with the overwhelming toppings we could choose from. Their staff was nice and clean, and offered help at every turn.
Overall - the burger was decent, the service was excellent, but it all boils down to price really. When it comes to just a decent burger that I can get other places cheaper Orderup loses out.