I swear I've been living here for almost four years, but somehow Heilige Drei Könige (translation: Three King's Day or Epiphany) caught me off guard. Here in Baden-Württemberg it's a federal holiday, meaning that everything (i.e. the grocery store) is closed on that day. And because we've been shopping daily for our meals since we moved to Germany, that meant that on Wednesday we were left without food in our tiny apartment fridge for dinner. Our solution? Look at our "Restaurants to Try" list, of course. And what piqued our interest the most? Burgers from Triple B -- Beef Burger Brothers.
I've heard several reports that Triple B makes the best burgers in Stuttgart. We passed the restaurant in December on our way to Gaumenfreude's Großer Foodtruck Weihnachtsmarkt in Zuffenhausen, and the meaty aroma wafting from their establishment smelled tantalizing. Since then, Matt's been wanting to make the trip back to check them out. And apparently, we weren't the only ones with the same idea (or who forgot to go grocery shopping on Wednesday) as there was a short line when we entered.
The restaurant covered two small rooms and contained eclectic seating arrangements of wooden benches, chairs, and stools around tables and crates with Americana art along the walls. The kitchen was immediately to our right as we walked in; it's "open-air", so we could watch the chefs grilling orders while we waited. We weren't entirely sure what to do when we walked in, but it soon became clear that the first step was to order at the counter where we'd be given a number for our food. Then we should find a seat and take our number there so that one of the several waitstaff could find us and deliver our food. Simple.
To eat, Matt ordered the Egg Burger, a 100 gram hamburger patty egg, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions, while I decided to go for the Triple B Burger, a whopping 200 grams of meat with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, sautéed onions, Triple B sauce, and avocado cream. Both of us got a side of French Fries with our meal.
The result? The burger patties were pretty close the American style that we've been looking for. The meat was clearly fresh and lightly packed, making for a tasty bite. That said, the larger, 200 gram patty was definitely the way to go. My meat was still pink inside while Matt's was sadly cooked through. Still, neither one was really juicy, so there's room for improvement there.
As for toppings, I can't say that I could tell the difference between the avocado sauce and Triple B sauce on my burger, and the cheddar cheese was a bit too runny. It all made quite a fine mess, though one that could have used more flavor. The bun was fresh, though nothing special, and a good container for the mess. My closest comparison to Triple B's burgers *might* be Five Guys, though Five Guys still wins based on taste.
The most disappointing aspect was definitely the cucumbers. I really do not understand the German tendency to put fresh cucumbers on every sandwich, especially when the pickles were perfectly delicious on their own, which is surprising since I've found it somewhat difficult to find good dill/sandwich-style pickles in Germany. Next time, I will definitely remove the cucumbers before taking a bite.
The thick-cut, steakhouse-style fries were nicely fried, and there was plenty of ketchup and mayo at the tables for dipping. To drink, there was a cooler in the corner with soda and beer, as well as an espresso machine for coffee. Triple B also had an ice cream freezer next to the soda cooler with half a dozen flavors of Ben & Jerry's for dessert.
What struck me most about the establishment was the number and friendliness of the staff. There were probably three or four chefs back on the line, and another three or four waiters running around, and all of them kept up a cheerful banter behind the counter. They really seemed to enjoy being there, and the woman who cleared our plates seemed genuine when she asked if we liked our meals. It was all very nice to experience.
I can't say that Triple B lived up to its hype. Perhaps I'm just too spoiled by my high standard of American burgers. Still, if I lived closer to Zuffenhausen, then I'm sure Triple B would be a frequent stop for fast food, especially because they conveniently offer take-out. As it is, I think I prefer the burger patties at the [m]eatery and the inventive toppings at The Burger Republic and 87, both of which are closer to me and also offer craft beer.
Triple B is located in Zuffenhausen just a block from both the Rathaus and Kelterplatz U-bahn stops along the U15 and U7 lines respectively. They're open Tuesday-Friday from 11:00-22:00, Saturday from 12:00-22:00, and Sunday from 12:00-20:00. They are closed on Mondays.
Have you been to Triple B? What's your impression?