Just two and a half years ago, the Great Burger Wars of Columbus began. Five Guys Burgers & Fries had just begun opening stores in the Central Ohio market when a local challenger rose up to take them head on. Thus, Graffiti Burger was born, and a lot of buzz quickly spread about their “new” menu.
I use quotation marks around the word new, because really what you’ll find at Graffiti is a traditional home-cooked style of juicy angus burger. This old-is-new trend moves away from the pre-formed frozen fast food patty model, and upcharges customers to experience a higher quality meal that is still familiar and comforting. This business model seems to be working pretty well too, as Graffiti Burger has expanded to four local locations in less than three years (though Five Guys now has 11 Central Ohio stores).
While cooking a good burger at home is no difficult task, the real selling point for me comes from the well prepared toppings and condiments at Graffiti Burger, which would otherwise take much more time to plan and prepare in your own kitchen.
The Graffiti Burger itself ($4.49 Junior / $5.75 Original) is the restaurant’s namesake burger, topped with slaw, pickles, tomatoes, American cheese and their special secret graffiti sauce. The slaw is heavy on celery seed, which gives it a flavor profile that reminds me of certain varieties of potato salad or macaroni salad. The Graffiti Sauce reminds me of tartar, but easily gives way to the bolder flavors in the slaw. The other toppings were pretty standard, and as previously mentioned, the burger is juicy without being overly greasy (which I find to sometimes be the case with Five Guys).
The BLT Burger ($5.49 Junior / $6.75 Original) comes with several strips of smoked bacon in addition to the staples of lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and American Cheese. The bacon is cooked to perfection, which to me is defined by the absolute medium between crispy and chewy. Chewy enough to have a slight pull when you bite into it, but still having a very slight crunch too. Once again, the other toppings were fairly straight forward, making the bacon the star of this burger option.
The Blazin’ Burger ($4.49 Junior / $5.75 Original) is of the spicier variety, topped with jalapenos, pepperjack cheese and Chipotle mayonnaise. Their menu also claims that it comes with sriracha, but it was omitted from my sandwich on this visit. That might have been for the best, as the heat from the other toppings were plenty on their own. Having a cheese option other than American was a nice touch (some of their other burgers come with swiss or provolone) and the Chipotle mayo was slathered on in a plentiful fashion. I found myself with a runny nose about halfway through finishing, which solidly places it my personal “medium” heat index.
Graffiti’s fries ($2.19 Small / $3.19 Regular / $4.19 Large) are worthy of a special mention. They’re fresh cut and cooked to a deep gold color for a nice crispy exterior with a softer interior. A very nice step above your average fast food french fry, and more reminiscent of the fresh cut fries you’re likely to find at the county fair.
The only real alternative to hamburgers at G.B. is a selection of six salad choices. The Farmer’s Harvest Salad ($6.75) contains a mix of chicken, lettuce, dried cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds, walnuts, crumbled feta and croutons. As the photo implies, this salad comes heavy on the protein, so don’t assume you’re going to be eating any lighter by ordering a salad. I really enjoyed the amount of dried fruits and nuts that this salad provided, as those ingredients are often skimped upon. All of the components work really well together, and my choice of a balsamic vinaigrette was a nice complement.
Overall, Graffiti Burger is a solid local competitor to the market that Five Guys is attempting to conquer, and a few of the detailed improvements at Graffiti gives them an edge in my book. You might not be eating any healthier at Graffiti Burger, and you’re still going to be spending more than what you would at your average fast food counterpart, but you will be going home feeling much more satisfied in the end.
Graffiti Burger now has four locations, found in Dublin, Grandview Heights, Pickerington and Clintonville. Menus, hours and other information can be found online at www.graffitiburger.com.
