Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers - Cambridge. MA

With a slogan as bold as "You Can't Beat Our Meat", the burgers here had better be good. Bartley's is about a block away from Harvard Square. I went there with my wife and two children for lunch. The place was completely full with people of all ages, from college students to the elderly.

We were greeted by Mr. Bartley himself and seated by his wife. We quickly took our seats right in the middle of the action and looked around at the walls that were filled with memorabilia, much of it political. Menus were soon dropped in front of us and we were looking at a list of more than 50 burgers. Our daughter chose the macaroni and cheese. Our son the hamburger. My wife decided on a greek salad. I chose the Mitt Romney, medium rare as Mr. Bartley recommended.

While we waited for our food, we looked around at the walls and pointed out the various artifacts. There were posters of Bill and Hillary, Reagan, Bush. A blow up deer head. Elvis. The Beatles. A Dice-K jersey. A barber pole and magazine covers. Then the food arrived. 

The Mitt Romney is a 7-ounce patty of choice beef covered with caramalized onions and Swiss cheese.  The side order of onion rings towered on the plate. The burger was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The onions were just right with the cheese melted perfectly. This burger was one of the best I have ever had. It gets a 5 spatula recommendation from me. 

The onion rings are billed as the best in the world, but I have had better. They were simply too bland for my taste. Jeffrey's in Menlo Park, CA trumps Bartley's onion rings by a long way. If you can get to Jeffrey's, that's the place for onion rings. 

My daughter thought macaroni and cheese was the best she had ever had. A kid can't go wrong with the mac and cheese at Bartley's.

Our visit to Bartley's was a really good experience. I look forward to my next visit and to trying the Bill Clinton burger. By the way, the menu says the Hillary Clinton burger will tax your taste buds.

Curt D. Van Emon

Burger 5 spatulas (out of 5)

Onion Rings 2.5 spatulas

Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers

1246 Massachusetts Ave

Cambridge, MA 02138

617-354-6559