Best Burgers in Atlanta, continued: Holeman and Finch

The last few weeks have gotten the best of me, with friends in town, more friends in town, a conference, and out-of-town travel.  This post has stewing in my account, but I just couldn't get it finished.  I almost never make it to the Buckhead neighborhood, except for shoe shopping and Filene's Basement, but on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago I tried what I'd heard was another one of Atlanta's best burgers.   True to the hype, the Holeman and Finch burger was fantastic.  I'm not sure what took me so long to get there; I guess this means I need to go shoe shopping in Buckhead more often (after lunch there was a trip to DSW).

Apparently, part of what makes the Holeman and Finch burger so legendary is that it is sought after commodity.  I only learned this from reading the website after my trip there; at Sunday brunch the burger is freely available.  The rest of the week, only 24 burgers are released a day, at precisely 10 pm, and they can sell out in less than a minute.  It sounds like a rather interesting event, but I'm glad that I was able to get one on the first visit; I would have been sorely disappointed to have finally made it there only to not be able to get a burger.  More about this burger timing can be read on the online menu tab labeled 'burger'.  Any restaurant with a special page on its website devoted to their burger should be taken very seriously.

The Holeman and Finch burger definitely deserves its spot on my list of best burgers in Atlanta.  The burgers are made from in-restaurant ground meat, which I think is very cool and means that quality cuts of meat are used.  Each burger is two patties, with cheese, and served on a homemade bun.  Despite having two patties, the burgers are not obscenely large, just the right size for a perfect meal.  I usually order burgers cooked well, but deferred to the chef on this one; the meat came cooked well, and was juicy and tender.  Everything is homemade, including the  ketchup, mustard, and pickles, and all were perfectly executed.  The fries, also hand-cut, were lick-your-plate-to-get-up-the-last-bits good.  Accompanied by a spicy Bloody Mary, this burger made my day.

My enthusiasm for the burger was also shared by our waiter.  His eyes lit up when I asked him to describe the burger, and he waxed rhapsodic for quite a bit about how wonderful it was, how he wished he was eating one, and so on.  His sincerity and enthusiasm were endearing, and so totally on point that I even offered him a bite.  He declined, but I'm guessing he went back to the kitchen and ordered one for himself.  After all, unlimited burgers on Sundays.