Greater Lafayette has no shortage of places to get a good cheeseburger. I’d forgive you for wondering what we need with another cheeseburger restaurant, even though that’s a silly thing to wonder. There’s always room in your life for another good cheeseburger. And that’s just what you’ll get at Bru Burger Bar, the restaurant in the new Marq building on Second Street.
Bru hadn’t been open very long when my friend and I decided to grab lunch a few Fridays ago. The novelty might explain the line, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it remains popular after the newness wears off. But the wait did highlight the one weakness that Bru has: the waiting area is very small. Fortunately we were able to wait inside, but a few parties that arrived after us were stuck in the vestibule or out in the cold. Once warmer weather arrives, the outdoor seating should help relieve the pressure.
The decor inside is best described as “upscale industrial”. It has a good-sized bar area along and plenty of tables and booths. The menu makes it clear that Bru views their food as an art form without being pretentious about it. And after 200 words about not-the-food, let’s dig in to the food.
Our waiter talked up the pretzels, so I figured we had to try them. The pretzels themselves were thick and well-salted. I’d call them good-but-not-great. I certainly wouldn’t kick them off my plate. The spicy mustard was delicious. The jalapeños were at just the right ratio to give it a good warmth without being too aggressive. The beer cheese, on the other hand, was incredibly disappointing. It had an almost gritty texture that made it feel like it was made from a poorly-mixed powder. Mixing it with the mustard helped, but I mostly went pure-mustard.
Not wanting the spicy mustard to feel lonely, I ordered the “Melt Your Face Burger”. The word “habanero” appears three times in the description and jalapeño makes an encore appearance, so it has to be pretty spicy, right? It didn’t feel very spicy at first, but the heat built as I ate the burger. The only downside was that the bottom bun was very soggy. I ordered my burger medium rare, so that’s probably part of it, but it was pretty squishy — not exactly a word you want to describe a bun. But whatever weaknesses the bun had, the fries made up for them. They were warm and well-seasoned. And when dipped in the black peppercorn mayo, they were a strong part of the meal. My friend ordered the Stilton Bleu Cheese Burger. It didn’t have much Stilton on it, but the pear-bacon jam was delicious.
Bru also prides itself on its cocktail menu. The “Your Ride Has Arrived” is aptly named. It’s a very strong cocktail that’s easy to drink. I could definitely see myself accidentally having too many and needing someone else to drive me home. The waiter said the original name referenced a particular ride-hailing app, but they decided to change the name to avoid any legal headaches.
I was very content after my meal, but in the interests of not disappointing you, dear reader, I decided I needed to get dessert, too. I made a wise decision. I ordered the peach-white chocolate bread pudding. I didn’t get much of the white chocolate taste, but the peach came through loud and clear. My friend ordered the whiskey fudge brownie. The brownie itself was thin and crisp, but very large across. The strawberry topping overpowered it a little bit. The sauce contained whiskey, but I couldn’t really tell.
Overall, it was a great lunch. I’m looking forward to trying more of the menu, especially on a leisurely warm day when I don’t have to drive myself home.
Kid friendly: yes
Location: 101 Main St Suite 100, Lafayette (map it)
Phone: (765) 479-7400
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