Gino’s Burgers & Chicken

2 Reviews on “Gino’s Burgers & Chicken”

• LP

  I went to Gino’s today for the first time and to my surprise it was pretty good! I had the bacon cheeseburger with fries and it gave me the feeling of a good home cooked burger! The fries were decent. My husband got the same with onion rings and I wasn’t too fond of them but I’m not a big onion ring eater so they were definitely not a deal breaker for a return visit. They bring your food to the table and clear off your trash. Kind of a fast food/diner atmosphere and the big screen showing the history of Gino’s was a nice touch! Look forward to trying a different style burger and their chicken next time!

  March 22, 2013, 9:43 pm

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• Scrape

  Taste of Nostalgia. While Im not a native of the Mid-Atlantic, so I dont remember the original Ginos chain of the 60s and 70s, the food has a certain nostalgic quality to it for me, like Ive had this burger before. And liked it so much, I remembered it. This is a different type of place. Its not a place that I would equate with a Five Guys, BBP, Elevation, or Shake Shack in burgertude or chain-slickness. It is different. But I liked ita lot. The nostalgia comes to me in that the food tasted not like overly preened chain reliable food. No, this is like great old roadside greasy diner (not greek-diner) burger, fries, and rings. Crafted by someone who cares about what they are putting out on the table. I ordered the signature Gino Giant (see photo above). This is a club-bunned double patty burger very similar to the Big Mac in construction, but not flavor. Incidentally, the Giant predates the Big Mac by a number of years, or so says Wikipedia. Everything, the bun, the beef, the secret sauce, was fresh and fantastic, just like a home cookin diner version would be. It was very high quality and very neatly assembled and surprisingly light. It just had something about it that screamed Im special when compared to the fast food versions and knock-off at the casual burger chains like Red Robin. I cant wait to go back in a few months and try it again when the grill is more seasoned. I also had the onion rings, which are hand shredded and battered in the store. While greasy, they were quite good, with a peppery coating on very thinly shredded onions. I did not try their onion ring sauces, as I generally dont like those. Next time Ill try the fries. Despite the line and the newness of the restaurant and staff (it was PACKED). Service was quick and friendly. They bring the food to your table, and then clean the table after you leave. My only complaint was that they gave me nothing to complain about. Ill be back, for sure.UPDATE: On a few subsequent visits, none of which have disappointed, I went for the fries. One word: AWESOME. Even better when hot, but the store-cut pillowy inside, crisp outside fries are just awesome. They are not at all greasy, perfectly salted, not at all limp (like 5 guys can get when cold) and don’t need a slathering of vinegar. I’ve think I got a new favorite burger joint by a small margin. My old gold standard was (oh my dayum) Five Guys, which is still good, but Ginos with the delcious Giant, the great fries, and a few bucks less expensive makes it a winner.

  December 16, 2012, 10:27 am

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