Buzz Express

Went here with a bunch of co-​workers as it’s right around the corner from my office and the guy serving us was so nice, I really wanted to like this place!
However, the bun was cold and flaccid, the patty was dreadfully overcooked and (while we requested all free toppings — pickles, onions, tomatoes), the burgers only had one solitary soggy slice of lettuce on there. Fries were ok but also on the soggy side.
For $ 8.25 I had hoped for better, alas, I suppose Super Duper will remain the go-​to burger joint in FiDi.

Ordered 19 burgers online for company meeting. 10 show up. We call to sort out discrepancy. They tell us it is Unilocal service Eat24’s issue and not theirs and end conversation.
To buzz express: if you accept the money for 19 burgers, it is your responsibility to deliver 19 burgers.
To customers: be careful ordering delivery, they are not helpful.

My boyfriend recently started coming over to the city to have lunch with me and this is the only place he’ll eat at. The girl at the cash register is extremely friendly. She takes notes of my insane requests and the order always comes out the way I wanted it. They bring your food to you if you plan on eating there. The wait can be sometimes a bit long, which generally isn’t an issue for me.
I’ve tried the following on their menu:
*update* Hawaiian Burger — Was waiting for food and saw this on the menu and had to order it. ¹⁄₃ lb burger, BIG chunk of juicy warmed up pineapple, grilled onions, terriyaki sauce. SO GOOD. Oh my god.
Chicken BLT — What my boyfriend always gets. It’s decent, the chicken is nicely cooked and juicy. The sauce is a bit watery and gets all over the place if you’re not careful.
California Burger — I loved the avocado and egg combination. The meat was sort of bland, but that might be because I asked for no sauce.
Onion Rings — The reason I go there. The best onion rings ever. They’re large and crispy and flavorful. Get a side of ranch and it’s yummy!
Sweet Potato Fries — Sweet and salty. This is what I’d order when I don’t feel like eating onion rings for the day.
Garlic Fries — Not a big fan. The fries weren’t very salted, but there were plenty of garlic

This city has no shortage of burger joints that are priced higher than McDonald’s, but lower than a restaurant with waiter service. Super Duper is probably one of the best examples of this fast casual burger market and a very solid benchmark. Sadly, at Buzz Express neither the burgers nor the fries can compare. I appreciate their wide variety of ingredients/​flavors, but their execution just doesn’t do it for me.
The Southwestern: The burger patty was thin and way overcooked. Reminded me of Burger King, except without the flame broiled flavoring. There was barely any ranch dressing (which made it very dry given the overcooked burger) and the tomato slices seemed too thick compared to the size of everything else. The roasted jalapeños did add a nice zing though, probably the only highlight.
Fresh Cut Russet Potato Fries: Somehow these managed to be both soggy and overcooked. Overly browned without much crispiness. I ended up only eating about 10 fries before giving up.

Went there around 1 PM. The line at Phở Express was still 6 deep. I ordered the Southwestern Burger. The burger patty was quite tender and the beef tasted fresh to me.
I’m not generally a burger person but I really like this burger. I’ve had Super Duper on Kearney. The price there may be slightly lower but the burger patty didn’t seem to be as juicy.
I shared my fries with my coworkers and they all loved it — skin on and crunchy. They told me about their beer batter onion rings — I’ll try this next time!

First off, in a cafeteria-​type dining area, I don’t think the ambiance /​cleanliness of the dining area should weigh into a review because it’s not the responsibility of the restaurants. I assume it’s the responsibility of the management (and the customers to clean after themselves).
So to the restaurant…
I think this restaurant reads Unilocal reviews because they added a $ 1.50 combo option (fries and bottled water) with a burger purchase. They also added a chicken and «Hawaiian» burger. I ordered an Eastern burger with combo (total $ 10.60), which was more than enough food for most people.
Food
I asked for a medium well burger, but I’m not sure if that was conveyed to the cook. Regardless, the burger itself turned out to be juicy with no red showing, so I’ll assume instructions got to him. The kalbi flavor was great. The only downside was that the mushrooms or onions made the burger slightly too oily. That’s fine, I’m not here for health.
Note: The burgers take long because they make it when you order it. If I’m okay waiting in a ridiculous line for fake Korean food at Bibimbar, I’m okay waiting for my made-​to-​order burger.
I almost docked a star for the fries because the fries were pretty dark. Usually when I see something like that, I think the kitchen doesn’t change the oil enough. However, I realized they sell sweet potato fries, and they probably use the same oil for both. When I focus on the flavor, I could taste the hint of sweet potato. The fries were also surprisingly crispy. Sometimes thicker fries are soggy (as one reviewer noted previously), but that was not my experience.
Unfortunately for Buzz (fortunately for me), there isn’t much foot traffic compared to the other Asian restaurants. I don’t go to the International Food Court to look for a burger, and I doubt others do too. After this meal, however, that has changed — I’ll be back.

I better write this fast before I go into my food coma.
Late, late lunch. Was feeling like a burger today but didn’t want to go to Super Duper, which is just steps away from my office. I’d seen the scribbles on the chalkboard in front of the International Food Court about gourmet burgers so thought I’d check it out.
— Super friendly and nice counter person — who was also the cook this late in the afternoon (she washed her hands many times during prep).
— A little pricey, Normally, after a so-​so meal, I get mad that I spent $ 13 on lunch. But this was worth it – a way to «treat» myself for the week.
— Got the Northern Burger: thick cut sautéed mushrooms, sweet grilled onions, swiss cheese and mayo sauce. At Bistro Burger, I would normally add Dijon and ketchup for my mushroom swiss burger, but not to the Northern Burger. And talk about thick! The bun was soft and sweet. One bite, and you could tell the ground beef was of high quality
— Onion Rings. Sweet onion and batter, not thick and doughy or crunchy. Just right.
— It’s in the International Food Court, which I don’t have a problem with. It’s way cleaner than it used to be before the remodel. I took my lunch to go anyway.
–Will I be back? Yes, absolutely.

The GOOD:
*** «The Northern» Burger (Sautéed Mushrooms, Grilled Onions, Swiss Cheese, and Mayo Sauce) was delicious and exactly what I would expect of a mushroom/​swiss burger. The mushrooms were very flavorful, and the grilled onions were soft and sweet.
*** The fries were excellent — skin on and cooked to a golden brown crunch.
The BAD:
*** (Nothing)
The VERDICT:
I’ll definitely be coming here more often in place of Super Duper as my go-​to in FiDi. The fries here are much better, and there is solid variety of choices in terms of burger options.

This place is in the basement food court and sticks out as a sore thumb because it’s the only non ethnic place there. The cheeseburgers are pretty good so I wouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

+ Great price.
+ Friendly service.
+They bring your order to you.
— No fountain soda.
— You are eating in a hole under ground.
— Smells of mold in the dining area.
— There is no one cleaning the tables and the area looks and feels dirty.
— The dining area is very cold. (I guess on the 12 hot days a year this is a +)
I ordered the The Southwest Burger and it looks great. (
) with the gooey cheese and great bun. The cheese is just the right amount to melt into the burger and the bun was spectacular. The meat was not that great. This didn’t taste like high quality meat and it ruined the experience for me. Ten years ago this would have been the best burger for blocks but today in the elitist burger island in which we now live this is a sub-​par experience. Personally the bun should never outshine the meat.

First thing to note this place is actually located in the International food court at 380 Bush St… after spending 20 min trying to find 320 we stumbled upon it.
The good: The burger was very good and the fries were awesome.
The bad: They need a combo. $ 14 for burger, fries, and a drink was a bit steep. You get a ton of fries… too many… give me half and make a $ 11 combo.

The burgers are pretty darn good and each one comes with a different style of bun. Their fries though are pretty top notch. It’s location in the food court is a bid odd but don’t let that put you off.

I give Buzz Express a 5-​star review for the following reasons:
1. My meal was fantastic. I got a Sunrise burger with bacon added on top. The beef is grass-​fed and the homemade fries (which the business owner offered to my friend and I free of charge prior to us ordering) were delicious. I was also pleasantly surprised by the brioche bun. I’ve had too many burgers on limp, flavorless buns.
2. Everything is made fresh in-​house.
3. The business owner is kind and friendly. It was a pleasure to partake in his business and I would definitely do so again.
4. The prices are very reasonable. My meal was $ 10.50 after tax.
Definitely check out Buzz Express!

Now here’s a trivia question worthy of the Daily Double on Jeopardy!: «The day that the International Food Court became not so international.» The question is: «When did Buzz Express open in the dungeon? I’ll take Potpourri for $ 500, Alex.» I thought there was an unspoken rule that all the food kiosks down there had to serve Asian or Mexican fast food. Imagine my surprise when I saw a burger joint pop out of nowhere. It’s to your immediate right as you walk down those precarious linoleum stairs from Bush Street.
The trend toward mid-​priced fare in the dungeon has been subtle but discernible for several months now, first with a Korean Chipotle knock-​off (Bibimbar) and most recently with an LA-​style ramen house (Pao Jao). Phở Express and Taqueria Estrella are looking more and more like dinosaurs these days, even though they’re still the most popular kiosks at lunch time. There were seven burgers to choose from, and you can switch between grass-​fed beef, free-​range chicken and a black bean vegetable patty. Prices range from $ 7.25 to $ 8.75 unless you want to double up for an additional $ 3.50.
I decided to go for the $ 8.25 Northern Burger because it has my favorite ingredients — sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions, Swiss cheese and mayo (photo:
). What’s not to love about a burger with all that, and it was reasonably juicy for medium-​rare. The bun, however, was overly toasted when a soft roll would have been nice, and a few more mushrooms wouldn’t have been bad either. The $ 3.25 side of Sweet Potato Fries was well executed, lightly crisp but not too burnt (photo:
). Maybe they should call it the International and Domestic Food Court now.
FOOD — 3 stars… good though unexceptional burger, sweet potato fries are a winner
AMBIANCE — 2.5 stars… it’s the dungeon… where’s my sticky tray?
SERVICE — 3 stars… take a number
TOTAL — 3 stars… the domestic terminal at the International Food Court

I had the southwest burger — it was the perfect amount of warm and gooey + spicy. The bun was the best part! Perrrrfectly toasted. Only feedback I would give would be add lettuce and tomato option to the Southwest burger.
It does take longer than other options in the food court, but the quality is much better!

Time: 12:13pm/68°F partly sunny
Purpose: Coworkers last week were talking about a burger weighing in nearly a pound. I ask where at? Told me international food court. Today, I went for it regardless.
Set-​up: Located downstair of IFC first stall to your right walking down on Bush side of street. It’s share seating downstair with other concession. BE is basically a pegboard design set up. Intermittent flashing color lights of BE and two menu panel board. Counter area with self help utensils also covered with pegboard. Inner back a range hood with sink, prep area couple of industrial shelves and two beverage fridge. I see it as near food truck set up, but stationary.
Staff: Lady about mid 30s dirty blonde hair pretty friendly upon walking up. She wasn’t upset when I ask whats popular here? I wanted to read the menu, but a group of girls walking down staircase, sounded like a bunch of Budweiser clydesdale horses. They seems to be in a hurry too. Knowing how slow it could be, I didn’t chance it. Order right away got number and waited. Ahem, Hi ladies! How are you doing?
Cleanliness: Grade B-​, this grade is only for BE itself only. There were bleach jugs seen under grill and aerosol cans. Very dangerous as cooking area gets heated up. The commmon seating area is share so, I can say pretty well kept as people clean after themselves.
Eats/​Drinks: Went ahead and got «The Sunrise» burger $ 8.75 plus taxes. I was ask how I prefer my burger? I answer medium well please? It was well-​made exactly to my specs. This burger really weights in about a pound. When bag was handed over, I thought he gave me the wrong order. After unwrapping saw burger was about 3.5−4′-inch thick with bun included. Ok, wait! Let me take a bite! Nom nom nom! Omg! It’s delicious, I didn’t have a burger this good for a while. Buns lighty toasted with patty chock full of flavor. The free-​range fried egg (over cook yolk) and avacado wedge made the difference between average to awesome burger. Of course, rest of fixing are consider too. Like sharp cheddar cheese and sweet & spicy sauce. Fabulous burger well worth the asking price. No compromising here.
Main Features: Burgers and fresh cut russet potato fries.
Products/​Services: Salad, burger, fries, onion ring, Mexican coke, assorted bottle/​can drinks. Free-​range egg, Mary’s organic air-​chilled chicken, grass fed beef, no hormones/​antibiotics. Takes plastic (no minimum).
Punch Lines: Limited menu choices, big portion, modest cost, pleasing flavors, share seating, long wait time, warm service, uses locally sourced ingredients when possible, parking (impossible), worth the wait, unpretentious, better than your average.
Tradeoffs: Short hours caters to lunch time Fi-​Di crowd.
Final Thoughts: When I was told located in the IFC my eyes just roll back. Not saying coworker don’t know about food or bad taste. I didn’t say that! What I meant was, I was thinking another average place that just open up with first impression. After that, they’ll be reducing sizes, but price stays the same. In this case, I was wrong. The way it looks now, the positive outweighs the negative. Hopefully, they’ll be around for a good amount of time. Thank you Chloe!

Finally a good burger place around financial district. I usually go to International food court to get asian food but today, I noticed that this new burger joint and decided to give it a try.
The burger overall was delicious and had a nice flavor profile. The patty was juicy and well seasoned and the bun was decent. The serving size is also very satisfying (large patty and large fries portion). The service was good and the staff is super friendly. I’d definitely go back to try out their other menu options.

I got the Sunrise, with avocado, grilled onions and fried egg. The patty was perfectly cooked, juicy and fresh. The service is awesome! The owner personally delivers the burgers and is super nice. The garlic and sweet potato fries were the perfect complement to the burger and were amazing. It takes a little bit more time than the other quick Asian places but it’s definitely worth the wait!

When my friend told me a new burger place opened up in the International Food Court, I was pleased to learn of an alternative to Super Duper and Bistro Burger. Slightly odd to be down in with the other Asian foods but a nice change of pace. I ordered the Northern burger which had mushrooms, grilled onions and cheese. When Jarrod, the owner personally delivered my burger with sweet potato fries on the side, the first thing I noticed was the size. A hearty burger with fresh ingredients arrived inside a bun not typical of the other places mentioned. This made for a soft and warm first bite. It was so good, my daughter abandoned her lunch and stole mine. I can’t wait to go back and try a smoothie; and with a loyalty program coming, I’ll be sure to return.

This place is brand new to the international food court. I got the western burger and the bacon was crispy and it had the perfect amount of cheese. It was a bit of a wait, but it wasn’t too bad.