‘palena’
courtesy of ‘AlissaS24’
What is DC’s best burger? That’s a can of worms to open. You’ve got Five Guys, you’ve got Good Stuff, you’ve got Ray’s and each has it’s own set of religious devotees. Well, now there’s another contender. According to Epicurious, Palena Cafe has DC’s best burger, which, coincidentally, is also the third best burger in America. Maybe I’ve been under a rock or something, but I’ve never heard a Washingtonian suggest Palena. What are your thoughts. Is Palena’s burger it?
I’ve never actually been there, but washingtonian has named it the city’s best burger for as long as I can remember. I believe it’s made with truffle oil.
After always hearing Palena recommended for burgers (like here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/palena,1027102.html) I got one. I thought it was too much bun, not perfect enough meat. I really prefer Ray’s–I haven’t found a burger as perfectly cooked and juicy as that.
I am obsessed with the Palena fry plate, though.
Having heard buzz about it, we tried Palena’s burger last summer. It was a HUGE disappointment. You could tell the underlying flavors were there and great – but neither my wife nor I could stomach the overwhelming amount of salt. Maybe our two burgers were flukes that got overseasoned, but I’m not apt to try it again to find out.
you’ve been under a rock. since moving here 3 years ago i’ve always heard palena has the best burger. i’ve been looking forward to trying it…
There burger is INCREDIBLE, maybe the best high end burger, or best of ANY burger. You can easily sit at the counter and not worry about reservations.
I’m glad we don’t all agree–otherwise Palena would be extremely crowded, and we’d all cry on Mondays, when it’s closed.
I actually tried Good Stuff last weekend and found it sadly lacking. Extremely greasy, undercooked and rubbery bacon, VERY small burger… frankly Wendys does a better burger than that.
To be fair though, the village fries were fantastic.
I’ll stick to Rays if I can, or Five Guys. Never heard of Palena.