The Burger House, Jumeirah Beach Residence
Just a short stroll up from the beach car park at JBR, on the Marina Road side you will find the Burger House. (Just next to Starbucks) We called in the other evening after a long walk along the beach, having felt that we had earned our supper!
Friendly staff gave us a warm welcome as we entered. The Burger House offers alfresco dining on wooden individually lit tables or inside where the décor is simple and modern. We chose to sit inside so we could see the action in the open view kitchen. I was lured in by a screen in the corner quietly playing a dvd of James Taylor, an old favourite of mine – if you have to listen to music while you dine its nice to find gentle unobtrusive music that you know more of the words to than your kids!
Our attentive and well-informed waitress, Jovy, brought menus fo
r us to study, and was keen to explain the choices, which included a good selection of main course salads, and vegetarian options, baked potatoes and a wide variety of “burgers” ranging from those made from 100% Angus Beef (delivered daily from the USA), chicken, fish and even crabmeat! Burger House also offers a tempting, and reasonably priced kids menu with meals ranging between AED 11 and 25. Our soft drinks were refilled as soon as the level hit the ice, which provided welcome re-hydration after our walk.
We settled for a starter of Buffalo Chicken Wings topped with hot sauce – tasty rather than blow your head off sauce! – plus “Fries la Mode” which came in a basket topped with a tasty seasoning of cheese, roasted garlic cloves and pepper, fantastic dipped in the hot sauce! Good finger sharing snacks while waiting for our main course burgers to arrive.
My husband ordered a “Burger in a Bowl” (thinking there might be a few less calories without the bun) which came in a large bowl filled with crisp crunchy iceberg lettuce, delicious grilled egg plant and zucchini with roasted baby tomatoes with crispy smoked beef bacon & onions with a large Angus beef burger and melted cheese on top. Ralf, Burger House’s friendly executive chef and manager, suggested adding his home-made honey and mustard dressing - this worked brilliantly!
My son, ploughed into his gigantic “Up ‘n Smoke” Beef Burger which was crammed with cheese, lettuce, 
tomatoes and breaded onion sticks, beef bacon and BBQ dressing. I ordered the Caliente Tex-Mex Burger and could only tackle this with a knife and fork as it was bulging with a delicious combination of homemade salsa sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, served with nacho sticks guacamole and sour cream – totally impossible to pick up but absolutely scrummy!
We declined the deserts – just too much food! However, Ralf insisted that we take a quick tour of his open view, compact but highly efficiently run kitchen, where he produces good quality food with the best ingredients. He has a real passion for his work, his enthusiasm certainly carried through to all the staff, who seemed really happy to be there!
Ralf has great plans for his restaurant including an ordering and delivery service for beachgoers, who can sit under the shade of an umbrella while they order and wait for delivery. While we were there, a steady stream of people called in to order take-away food, it didn’t detract from our dining experience at all, in fact it gave the restaurant a casual, easy-going atmosphere, where you would be happy to while a way an hour or so and watch the world drift by. The Marina Road side is a lot less hectic than the JBR side, which gets very busy during the weekend evenings, I felt it was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle, and enjoy a quiet evening with the family where you can relax and chill out and hear each other talk!
The Burger House has only been open for just a few months but it is already gaining quite a reputation amongst JBR residents and visitors alike. By the time we left, the outside tables were beginning to fill up, I’m sure they would be busy until midnight when they close.
On our way out we were busy planning what we will order on our next visit while strolling back to the car. (Parking can be a hassle but if you head to the large beachside car park next to the Hilton hotel and you will be certain to find a space).
Altogether, the “Burger House” is well worth a visit. This is a nice way to treat the whole family in an informal setting with excellent service and quality fresh food at prices that will not break the bank.
