Hello old friend...
Everybody seems to be on the lookout for the best burger in town these days - and so am I (special shout-out to @plus961, @GinoRaidy and blogbaladi for their recent reviews that have inspired me)
What can I say? I have fallen early on in my life for the cooked patty sandwich placed inside a sliced bread roll, often served with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheese and other condiments (thank you for the mouth-watering definition Wikipedia…)
Ever since the good’old days of Juicy Burger and Al Dewan up till Johnny Rockets (before it became a public parking in Downtown Beirut – sad) I enjoy going out to eat a nice, juicy burger.
Classic Cheese CBJ burger
And in today’s competitive Lebanese restaurant market – where specialized burger restaurants are mushrooming around town, I have always had a front-runner favorite: Classic Burger Joint.
Set aside the fact that their burgers are one of the most appealing (great bread buns!) and one of the tastiest I’ve ever had (swiss’n'mushroom to-die-for!), the CBJ brand has been carefully developed so that you have high chances of remembering it and becoming its ambassador.
First off, the brand identity: CBJ’s brand identity (great job by WonderEight) is all about the color yellow – warm, joyful, energizing and a definite attention-grabber. Coupled with simple black, the CBJ colors are ones you cannot miss.
CBJ Sodeco
Second is the overall brand look-and-feel: it’s fresh, funky and engaging. Look no further than the actual joint: everywhere you look – from the big mirror on display to the open kitchen layout and the actual set of packaging – is a consistent reminder of the brand. The place feels authentic and unpolished – and the cozy, casual diner feel of it probably helps in forging such an impression. Did I mention how authentic everything feels as well?
CBJ packaging set
Finally, there’s the passion factor: CBJ helps out the Lebanese Red Cross by donating 1,000 LBP to the Lebanese Red Cross with every Classic Cheese order (great initiative), the waiters are friendly and approachable (rarely have I seen so many smiling faces on so many repeated occasions), and people are ready to wait 20 to 30 minutes outside to get in! (there are no reservations at CBJ, and the wait is something I actually enjoy!)
The Twitter invitation
Today, I gave Burger Nation a try after they’ve asked me to judge the difference with CBJ for myself on Twitter; it was sadly disappointing (despite being located in the vibrant Hamra area, a big plus in comparison to their competitors). So until further notice, Classic Burger Joint reigns on top of the burger chain in my book – because let’s face it: not everybody will agree with me.
CBJ Jal El Dib
But from a branding perspective, this is why Classic Burger Joint is my favorite Lebanese burger brand: because whenever I crave a burger, I first think of CBJ; and whenever a dinner night out is being planned, I always manage to throw CBJ as a suggestion to my friends; and so far, I have yet to taste a better end-product and experience a more enjoyable dining experience.
That, in a nutshell, is what a successful burger restaurant brand is all about – and I am hooked. Kudos CBJ: keep it up!
And good luck for the others in raising their bar – because all burger lovers in Lebanon would benefit from your efforts at coming up with better tasting burgers at equally competitive prices! (seriously: please try to keep your prices competitive – in downwards fashion :)
UPDATE Tried out Mrs. Robinson and it was a great “upscale casual” burger dining experience. The brand is really interesting (particularly in terms of brand story and visual identity). For more information check out Gino’s review and my comment about my experience here
Dar El Akhdar
You’re absolutely right about CBJ’s branding, it makes you very brand-loyal to CBJ (bi kaffe the burger addict stickers =P) The staff is amazing too, with Teta at the helm.
We share the same taste in burgers =P you’re gonna like Mrs. Robinson’s SNM (swiss n mushroom =P)
Great read and thanks for the mention!
Posted by Gino | February 25, 2011, 9:28 PMThank you for your valuable contribution Gino!
I hope to try out the remaining burger joints soon in order to figure out how loyal I am to CBJ (which reminds me: I need to get me one of them burger-addict stickers :)
Have you tried Smokey O’z? @plus961 was quite impressed
Posted by Dar El Akhdar | February 26, 2011, 1:16 AMThis is why I love your blog – because when everyone is writing about the same topic, you come in with a way to spice it up. Great post. Relevant. Timely. Meaningful. Good work!
Posted by This is Beirut | February 28, 2011, 10:47 PMThanks Dani! Means a lot coming from my blogging muse ;)
Posted by Dar El Akhdar | February 28, 2011, 11:12 PMI have also done my share of burger tasting in our beloved city; here r some of the conclusions i came up with…
Let’s start with the two rivals right now: Classic Brgr Joint and Brgr co. I’m saying rivals because they’re close in location but the nature of their burgers are different: CBJ as it names says sticks to classics, u get a 11000 LL burger, the meat is good not too thick tho and the brgr is a true classic. On the other hand the BrgrCo. one is tending to be a gourmet one while sticking to the casual look, the brgr is maybe 2 times the cost and on their menu u can find brgrs for 60 000 LL (made from fancy Japanese meat) so you see where they’re going with it.
Two other places where u don’t expect to have great brgr are Caspers and DT. These serve the gourmet brgr. When i tasted Caspers brgr the first time I thought I found the best one in town: its huge, done with thick meat, and their own bread – simply fantastic. DT on the other hand is the definition of a gourmet brgr, where they give importance to the meat and everything else is normal, they don’t even bother putting any sauce on it, if you want a brgr there u must have the attitude to back it up.
Talking about attitude, try the brgr @ Sydneys’: it’s mouth watering meat will make you forget you’re on a date in a fancy restaurant and will make you get ketchup all over your face, it is typical room service brgr in luxury hotels, if u know what i mean…
Ok no specialty and no gourmet, the “casual” brgr is another type.
Few places to have a proper one of those: Chillis’ brgr is huge, fries r golden and ambiance is so layed-back. It’s important to mention that they give importance to the meat also, it’s very thick and can be ordered medium (unlike other casual places). Hard Rock Cafe brgr looks perfect, but there’s something missing: its just not what it is supposed to be, so disappointing of u hard rock… specially with the spectacular view over the sea, it’s perfect for a Saturday brgr lunch. Too bad
Of course i can’t write about brgrs without mentioning Roadsters: they have been with me through thick and thin and taught me that no matter what happens in life, a diner-mite brgr (a regular brg w fried mozzarella over the meat) will make it all go away. I barely walk into roadsters and don’t order a brgr, and I go to Roadsters more than twice a week.
Another type is the Lebanese burger. This type is being forgotten, it has character and comes with fries cut by hand (like the ones ur teta used to make). If you’re craving this brgr, one address: Hani’s (located in Caracas area, near Lamb House). Talking about Lamb House, they also have Lebanese brgr, not as good as Hani’s but they open 24/7, so if you’re craving a brgr Lebanese style @ 5 in the am u know where to go.
I have more pics eating brgrs than me doing anything else, and according to my gf it takes me 12-13 bites to finish a brgr… Now keep jogging every morning, or do your regular workout, life is meaningless without brgrs.
Posted by nchouman | March 1, 2011, 12:20 PMAwesome review Nader! Thank you for your valuable, mouth-watering contribution! :D
Posted by Dar El Akhdar | March 2, 2011, 12:39 AMAwesome post! Missed your posts dude!
Posted by SeifAndBeirut | March 6, 2011, 9:59 AM