At my advanced age (39), I would rather shop like it’s 1999 than party like the 1999 of Prince’s hit tune. For those of you less seasoned than I am, there’s a venue in Albuquerque where you can party hearty then enjoy burgers to replenish the calories you burn while partying. It’s a 55,000 square-foot entertaining concept called Revel that includes a food hall, bar and entertainment venue–nine concepts under one roof. Located at 4720 Alexander, N.E., next to Top Golf, Revel offers an entertainment schedule the likes of which Albuquerque’s party crowd loves. A state-of-the-art 3000 person concert venue plays host to entertainers of all stripes.
Eats at Revel include two familiar favorites: Perico’s Tacos and Pizza 9 as well as a newcomer which shares the concept’s name. Revel Burger. Founded by local restaurateur Hass Aslami and Rod Etermadi, Revel opened its doors in February, 2020 during the advent of the Cabrona Virus. With the world on lockdown, sales were scarce. It wasn’t until pandemic restrictions lifted that Revel Burger was able to prove it belonged among Albuquerque’s elite burger restaurants. In 2022, Revel Burger earned “Best in the City” honors from Albuquerque The Magazine.
In July, 2022, Revel Burger franchised its first location, launching on Golf Course Road in Albuquerque’s burgeoning west side. This instantiation of Revel Burger shares restaurant space with Pizza 9, a concept also founded by Hass Aslami. Signage for Pizza 9 is more prominent. You might not know Revel Burger shares space unless you look at the windows. What might otherwise appear as typical restaurant specials or seasonal information is actually the restaurant’s name: Revel Burger Now Open.
Fortunately when it comes to ferreting out new burger restaurants my friend Bill Resnik summons his eagle powers. He was pretty excited about his discovery of Revel Burger on the west side where we both live. He likened the burger to those served at Lotaburger, a favorite for both of us. We’re both proponents of the Murphy’s Law which posits that when you brag about a restaurant you like, it won’t be any good when you introduce it to someone else. We’ve both experienced that heinous principle several times.
There’s a lot to like about Revel Burger’s menu. Unlike far too many start-ups that try to be all things to all people, Revel Burger is all (mostly) about burgers and chicken sandwiches. Specialty combos are your best bet: a specialty smash burger, beer-battered fries or fresh homemade chips and a drink for a fixed price. You can also order a la carte. Sides also include onion rings and mozzarella sticks. Wings, in quantities as great as 29, are also available as are a Mediterranean salad and a Caesar salad. Oh, if you’re inclined toward food challenges, Revel Burger has a “Jawbreaker,” a five patty burger only Guy Fieri can fit in his mouth.
Much as I love bacon, sometimes bacon isn’t a good thing. That’s true of Revel’s bacon cheese burger (BCG) which comes standard with bacon, cheese, green chile, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and Revel sauce (a 1000 Island-like sauce). The bacon was crispy, dry and overdone. It dominated the burger’s flavor profile. Dry bacon is certainly not the reason the green chile didn’t pack any heat. Though there appeared to be a lot of chile on both our burgers, that chile had about as much piquancy as a bell pepper. The beef patty–made with 100% Angus beef ground in-house–is thick and uniform in shape, much bigger than the beef patties at Lotaburger. The beer-battered fries spent too much time on the fryer and were desiccated.
Bill’s first impression of Revel Burger was very favorable. Chances are we hit it on a bad night. Chances are also pretty good that we’ll be back.
Revel Burger
9250 Golf Course Road, N.W.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 897-0099
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 10 July 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Bacon Green Chile Cheeseburger
REVIEW #1411
Those Fries look absolutely Fantabulous…or is it just your superb photographic proficiency?
Legerdermain, Roberto. It appeared to us that a handful of frozen fries were thrown into the fryer. Those fries clumped together. Despite (or because of) this, they were rather dry.
I applaud you and Bill for being willing to give them another chance after a less than stellar experience. I’ve become more reluctant to do that. I look forward to reading how they fare on a return visit. Thanks for taking one for the team!
Bill has been my companion on more good and bad restaurant discoveries than anyone else. He calls visits to restaurants about which little is known “community service.” Admittedly community service, he says, can be painful. We’ve also discovered that first impressions can be wrong. Sometimes a second visit will win us over–even though that second visit may not be for months…or even years. On the other hand, we’ve also been to restaurants that blew us away on a first visit, but couldn’t sustain their momentum on future visits.