We got a chance to check out Stacked Burgers, the newest addition to Hyde Park's restaurant pantheon this past week. From the looks (and tastes) of it, top Tampa burger joints like BurgerMonger and Burger 21 might have some stiff competition in their midst. Add some scantily clad ladies, clever-titled burgers like the Double D and Stacked may very well have a home-run concept on their hands.
Walking into Stacked Burgers, you're greeted with a wide open atmosphere; a lengthy bar towards the back, huge island table in the middle, giant plasma screen TVs behind the bar and in two far corners of the restaurant. It's definitely no hole in the wall, but not quite upscale either. For a quick bite for lunch like we had, this is perfect.
The menu prices at Stacked Burgers reflect this middle of the road mentality as well. Their 1/2 pound Stacked Burger, more or less their signature burger, will run you $7.99 with your choice of a side including curly fries, onion danglers, zucchini fries, potato salad and more.
Other burgers include a French Maid Dip Burger ($9.99) with melted provolone, sauteed onions, served with aus jus and horseradish sauce on the side; a 2 Hot 4 U Burger ($9.99) with cajun spices, pepper jack cheese, hot wing sauce and jalapenos; and a Turkey Burger ($7.99) with chopped turkey blended with secret spice. All burgers come with standard toppings of lettuce, onion and tomato.
As for me, I opted for the classic Stacked Burger with the ever-so-intriguing zucchini fries that beckoned from the menu. Admittedly, I'd never heard of these until Stacked. Not only do the zucchini fries get originality points, but these succulent, spiced and fried straws served with a helping of their signature horseradish sauce were nothing short of divine. Crunchy and battered on the outside, perfectly juicy on the inner, these savory spears of fried zucchini in contrast with their bold horseradish cream could easily stand as a snack on their own, no burger needed.
But if you're going in to size up Stacked Burgers, you've got to try, well, a burger. The first thing that stood out about the Stacked Burger was the bun. Buns, in this book, can make or break a great burger and Stacked definitely realizes this. A pillowy-soft, not too big housing for their grilled, black angus burgers, the bun at Stacked was a knockout, not just two hunks of bland bread to keep your hands from getting burger juiced.
Their attention to detail didn't stop there either. Instead of one half pound hunk of ground beef, they opt for quarter-pound patties. This means more outer-burger seasoning, just the right amount of char, and whole lot more flavor.
In addition, Stacked Burgers also offers a Double D Burger ($14.99) with 4 patties (a full pound) and four slices of cheese. Finish it, as well as one side, under two minutes and you get it for free. If you're crazy enough to try this, well, godspeed my friend. At the time of writing this, only one person's finished it.
Overall, Stacked not only has a concept that'll get people (or, at least, the dudes) in the door, but the food to back it up as well. Stop in to their Hyde Park location today and see for yourself.
