Sukhumvit 11, Daily 11am-2am Monday-Saturday 5pm-2am Visit www.ArtisanCraftBurger.comCall Sukhumvit 11 branch on 063-245-1556, The Opus on 092-656-6556
THE SETTING
Artisan Craft Burgers is tempting foodies not only with their menu but also their prime locations. Their newest location is at The Opus in Thong Lor and any Bangkokian knows that Thong Lor is home to a variety of restos and bars. I went to their first resto at Sukhumvit 11, where a growing number of restos is turning the soi into a new foodie destination. Both locations promise a chill experience and the eating of burgers like a famished fool. In other words, it's great for a casual eat-out with friends and fam.
Fries and sauces.
THE MENU
The resto's name betrays what the main draw is and burgers are not scarce in Bangkok. So what makes Artisan Craft Burgers special? Once again, the name makes it obvious. The resto takes pride in hand-crafting their menu using locally-sourced ingredients. They've also got a pretty impressive list of well-curated craft beers and sodas.
One of the main draws, aside from their burgers, is their ridiculously generous Fries and sauces (B140++). If you think there's nothing special about fries then you're sorely mistaken. The fries are not the dull, thin and hard fries you may be served at fast food chains. These are sizeable little suckers, and like I said before, they give you a pretty generous amount so it's filling. It would be a great shame on me, however, if I forget to tell you about the second part of the dish: the sauces. You get three sauces to go with your ridiculous amount of fries. These sauces range from Western-style goodies like BBQ or Cheddar cheese and also some Eastern tastes like Wasabi mayo. You can also opt for something spicy like Jalapeño cheese. But if you want to go nuts, try the Chilli chocolate. Yes, you read that right.
Now onto the main event: the burgers. Though choices are not extensive, each burger provides a different experience so choose wisely. If you can't make a decision, a dilemma I had which is a good dilemma to have, then you can go for the Artisan minis (B300++) where you can get three different "mini" burgers. I say "mini" because these burgers aren't really that small. Sure, they're smaller than the regular ones but they're not necessarily minis.
Blue cheese lovers will feel at home with the 3Bs (B290++), blue cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce generously piled up on the artisan bun. Even if you're not necessarily a fan of blue cheese but want to give this a try, don't let it intimidate you: the taste of blue cheese is just right and is not too overpowering. The Sonoma (B290++) has rocket leaves that give it a good crunch and is also slathered with resto's very own homemade bacon jalapeño cheese sauce, which gives this burger a bit of spiciness. If you're looking for something like a classic burger then you should definitely opt for their signature burger, The Artisan (B280++), which has a hint of sweetness thanks to the caramelised onions and also some acidity thanks to the dill pickles. All of this plus the juicy patty and Cheddar cheese make a classic, luscious burger. If you think one patty isn't enough, fret not. You can get two patties stacked on each other for all burgers for an added price of B80++. Alternatively, if you want a different meat in your burger, your best bet is their Fried chicken burger (B270++), which has a buttermilk marinated-fried chicken that's so crunchy I can even hear it as I write this out.
INSIDER'S TIP
Artisan Craft Burgers has a list of craft beers, sodas and cider. Whatever your preference, any of these are good partners for the burgers. You can also try their selection of different Venice beach sodas.
THE VERDICT
Artisan Craft Burgers jumps into the foray of providing Bangkokians another place to get their burger fix on. With juicy patties and generous heaps of fries with sauces, this is a resto where the term "comfort food" is really spot on. Find solace in the buns, patties, fries and sauces, because unlike people, burgers and fries will always be there when you need them.
