BRGR State College: A Gourmet Burger Experience
BRGR State College, an outpost of the Pittsburgh-based chain, has quickly become a popular dining destination. It's located at 122 W. College Ave., in the former Citizens Bank building, and it is the fourth BRGR restaurant and the only one outside of Pittsburgh. BRGR aims to be a perfect spot for both students and locals, offering a place to enjoy a meal or watch a game. The restaurant offers an approachable, fun environment with a high emphasis on food quality.
Ambiance and Design
The 7,900 SF BRGR State College location, designed by NEXT Architecture, blends the concepts of a former bank and its proximity to Penn State University's campus. The design incorporates features from the building's former life as a bank. The space features a large U-shaped bar in the center surrounded by seating areas. Elements from the former bank such as safety deposit boxes, keys and vault gates were incorporated and highlighted throughout the restaurant. The bank’s former vault was transformed into a private dining room. The restaurant can seat approximately 120 guests. BRGR’s iconic steer, bull head mount and Americana feel was still important to the design to maintain connection to the brand.
Menu Highlights
The eatery’s burger menu consists of classic, signature and build-your-own options.
Classic Burgers
Classic options include burgers like the Mob Boss, with angus, hot capicola, genoa salami, ham, provolone, banana peppers and roasted garlic aioli.
Signature Burgers
Signature burgers are a bit more inventive, with options like the Kamikaze, a marinated ahi tuna fillet adorned with wontons, hot and sour cucumber slaw, sriracha and mayonnaise.
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Build-Your-Own Burgers
Build-your-own burgers can be customized using an array of traditional and non-traditional ingredients, like pickled onions and spicy mango slaw. The BRGR burger includes dry aged prime beef, pickled red onions, arugula, creamy bleu cheese and roasted tomatoes.
Other Menu Items
Beyond the burgers and shakes, the restaurant also offers appetizers, salads, side dishes and kid’s meals. Ayer hints at some new menu items that will be exclusive to the State College location and include a little Penn State flair, including a “White Out Milkshake.” The restaurant also hopes to announce partnerships with local producers in the near future.
Dessert options also include spiked floats, like the Cherry Wine Float, with white zinfandel, cherry syrup and Sprite.
Customer Reviews and Experiences
BRGR in State College is known for its great burgers, cool interior, pleasant service, and decent beer and cocktail selections. Reviewers love the 'build your own burger' options and highlight favorites like the Fire in the Hole burger with jalapeños and sriracha. The hand-cut fries and sweet potato fries receive high praise as well.
Some reviewers mention unique offerings like poutine fries with beef short ribs, delicious coleslaw, and creative milkshakes. The atmosphere is lively with plenty of TVs to watch games, while special features like a small room inside an old bank safe add to the charm.
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One reviewer noted that the poutine fries with an egg and beef short ribs were beyond delicious although both Hubby and I found the gravy a bit on the salty side. It’s listed as an appetizer on the menu, but the portion was huge; I will get 2 meals out of it. The coleslaw though, one of the best I’ve ever had!!! All kinds of fresh crispness, delicately seasoned, not too sweet but just enough tang! Bruce built his own Bison Burger, it was ginormous and he said it was perfection! I ended my meal with a coffee milkshake, a glass full of frozen deliciousness!
Another reviewer mentioned that certain aspects of this place are great but others are not so great. When I first started coming in here I thought the burgers were really tasty, but the last time I was in the burger buns were really dry. I don’t know if there is a new recipe for the buns or watt but they did not taste the same. I will say the onion rings were fantastic and the milkshake was bomb. We had a really good bartender this time around, but service can be very slow at times.
One satisfied customer who visited BRGR during Family Weekend at Penn State said that Our son, who is a freshmen at Penn State, recommended BRGR as he previously visited and raved about the food. It was the perfect location to have a good meal while watching the Penn State game with multiple screen tvs. The atmosphere is fantastic and James our waiter was very friendly and offered good service. We ordered the chachos (chip nachos) as an appetizer which our the best nachos style appetizer we have ever had by far. The shredded chicken combo with chip style nachos are a must have! We then ordered the create your own burger with a pretzel bun, egg, cheese and angus meat. It was really good but lacked a bit of flavor in the meat. The BRGR sauce, similar to a McDonalds secret sauce but better, helped make the burger fantastic! The shakes are good and I had the Sam Adams Pumpkin ale which was good too. This location even has a small room inside an old bank safe. We had a great time and highly recommend this location.
Another first-time diner at BRGR, said that it was great to be served by Mawi, who is a very fast, friendly, knowledgeable server. The food was cooked to order and delicious.
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