By Angele Sionna
- Downtown off the main square with alley entrance behind Pesto Brothers (no street)
- diabloburger.com
- Cash Only
The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>>= a favorite, can count on it being good every time
The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xxxx= comfortable
Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$$ $10
Value (what you get for your money)
**** = worth it – you won’t be disappointed with what you get for your money
Diablo Burger opened up this week in downtown Flagstaff. It’s a funky little joint tucked away in a little nook behind Pesto Brothers off the main square downtown. It’s what one might call a hole in the wall, but with style and a hip feel.You might think they had outside seating because DBs is tucked behind the patio for Pesto Brothers, but I asked and that is Pesto Brothers patio only. Though DBs does plan on getting a picnic table to put outside somewhere soon, which will really be great.
There are four copper topped tables and a bar, all with tall stools. You walk up to the counter and place your order and pay on the spot – cash only. (They say cash only because a British study found that using cash tends to support local markets, while credit cards send money other places.) There’s no real waiters and waitresses but everyone there is very friendly and welcoming and makes sure you’re enjoying everything.
The menu is simple but still deluxe. The focus is on local with their beef coming from the Diablo Trust Ranches in Northern Arizona. They have burgers and fries and a few other tidbits like Homemade Holy Guacamole (which I didn’t try this time but will on another occasion). They also have a chili and a seasonal vegetable soup of the day (but sadly when I ate there tonight they didn’t have soup).
The fries are fabulous and definitely going to be added to my best fries of Flagstaff list. They’re $4.25 for a basket and come with a special homemade dipping sauce of your choice. I went for ranch which was fab. Other choices include Hatch Chile Mayo and pesto.
Now to the burgers. They all come with the yummy fries and are served on an english muffin and range in price from $6.50 for their Monk, which is a basic burger… on up to $9.25 for the Blutarsky, served blackened with bacon, sharp cheddar and holy guacamole. You can also build your own burger for $7.50 for a two topping to $9.25 for a four topping burger.
To come is a veggie burger – which I really look forward to trying. Though I feel like they’re teasing me with it there on the menu. They do have a super fancy Grilled Cheese but I just can’t muster up to buying a grilled cheese at a restaurant for adults, unless it was to come with freshly made tomato basil soup.
Oddly enough all this focus on local is absent in the beers part of the menu. No Arizona beers are on the menu, even though we have some fab brews right here in Flagstaff and Sedona. Instead beers are all from California’s North Coast Brewing company. That’s kinda disappointing with their local focus.
And if you’re one of those Coke-a-holics who love a Coke or Pepsi, you might wanna ask if you can bring your own cause there’s nothing like that high fructose corn syrupy, bad for you carbonated goodness served at DB. They do have the better for you alternative – Hansen’s sodas.
Not to be left out – the dessert menu. It has milkshakes made with hormone-free whole milk and Strauss Family Creamery ice cream for $4.25 and Simply Bread’s chocolate chip cookies with a scoop of ice cream for $4.25.
Note to parents and families: DB doesn’t have high chairs yet (though they told us they plan on getting one). So bring a stroller. The chairs are all tall stools so tiny tots that would normally need a booster aren’t going to be accomadated either. My three year old was fine on the stool but she wasn’t in a squirmy mode.
All in all this is a place worth trying. Cut them a little slack cause they just opened this week. You’ll be glad you did.
March 17, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Here’s my review in two words SOOOOO OVER RATED oops that was three words but the soooo was very needed. So basically their shakes are FIVE DOLLARS for a little cup you would get at like a musicfest seriously they give you like a little more than a dixie cup it is ridiculous. There burger is about $8.00 for a burger as big as a 99 cent at wendys or burger king. The burger is pink in the middle and pretty damn rare and thats the default. You basically pay $8.00 for a burger that is equal or lesser of bun huggers quality for 4 dollars more. The people working there were rude and naive teenagers. I asked for my order to go and the girl snapped at me “Its not ready yet and it wont be for a little bit” I replied to her that whenever my food was ready to make it to go so after about 45 minutes of waiting she gave me a basket to eat it there. I asked her “Can i get this to go” and she freaked out and exhaled deeply then i heard her walk away saying “GOD!” I told her I wanted it to go she didnt have to freak out when i asked a second time. There fries are supposed to be really good but they just taste like fast food fries cajun style. Im definently never going back it is the most hyped up over rated place in town. I cant stand how they put “Local” on all the stuff there. None of the people there looked very local to me they just looked like ass clowns trying to fit in with the scene of things. I’ve lived here for 13 years and let me tell you NOTHING about that place is local. The only thing local about it is that a 13 year locals pockets got raped for mediocre food. I don’t eat red meat very often unless im going to in and out or a REALLY good burger place this place was supposedly good so I thought I’d give it a try. Definently for old people in there 30s-40s that like to pay a lot of money for a little bit of food. Its funny though they try to be that place you go for quality over quantity but there isn’t a whole lot of quality involved. Your wallet just gets raped for a burger thats so special because its “Local Meat” and “Local Ingredients” as for the “Fresh Seasonal Greens” its called a garden blend and you can get it at sams club for $3 while your at it you could probably make the same quality burgers for 2 weeks if you pay as much as they ask for at diablo burger. Soo silly. I would save your money or go to mama burger because you ACTUALLY get what you pay for there.
March 19, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I haven’t been there yet, but I know a bogus comment when I read one, and whoever wrote the one above is clearly trying to be nasty and not honest.
March 19, 2009 at 4:43 pm
J-dizzle – overrated is one word, not two. Kind of like your grasp of basic sentence structure and grammar. Stay in school and get that high school diploma.
My experience with Diablo Burger has been exactly the opposite – good food, good service and a welcome addition to the downtown offerings. I like knowing that I’m consuming something locally grown by area ranchers working hard to offer healthy food in this era and culture of preservatives and filler. I’ll go again.
March 19, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Diablo Burger is fantastic. The local beef and greens are the real deal. Their innovative burger combinations home-made frittes are the tastiest around. Diablo burger’s passion for sustainability and community support is a commendable path that others should aspire to. I recommend the Blake, the green chiles are awesome!
March 19, 2009 at 11:48 pm
ahahaha just what i expected if you didn’t notice i kind of meant to be a dumb ass that first sentence. I am seriously being 100% honest go there the burgers are as big as a burger king 99 cent value burger the meat is probably like a step up from burger king meat-and i only mention that because they talk up their beef so god damn much. And John do you think I give TWO shits about what i write on the internet? Also who cares about preservatives and filler you’re still a fat slob for eating red meat all the time. Do you know how much red meat stays inside you your whole life? I almost wanted some fillers after diablo burger. Good job trying to one up me with grammar if you really want to test my grammar and punctuation then I think you’re looking in the wrong place. Seriously I put about as much content in what i wrote as what I shat out the day i ate diablo burger. Sure I was half assing my grammar but dude its the internet who cares…. I understand you’re some yuppie douche who drives a audi SUV but not everyone cares about their grammar on the internet haha. You crack me up. I stand by everything I say I had never gone there before and I’m not trying to put them out of buisness or be dishonest but they are pretty damn overrated (LOOK ONE WORD OMG OMG OMG I DO KNOW HOW TO SPELL) hahah you probably went to NAU. And you talk about getting an education HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh wait a second. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. You guys make me sick you all jumped on the hippie bandwagon to save the environment and “GO GREEN” You guys didn’t even know what the word sustainable meant in early 2000. Now you’re all trying to save our planet… I think its a little bit late for that now we kinda have screwed our self beyond repair. I didn’t at least because I didn’t drive a SUV for 10 years before 2009 haha. I stand by everything I said: 1..Diablo Burger is not worth the high price and there burgers would be more appropriately priced at about five dollars- which is still a lot for what they offer. 2.The beef patties are no bigger than a 99 cent cheese burger 3.The employees were rude and lazy 4. It took 45 minutes to get a 8 dollar burger 5. Their 5 Dollar shake comes in a small dixie cup thats worth about 2 dollars 6. There are no locals only yuppie douche bags. I’ve lived in flag for 13+ years I know how hard it is to start and maintain a business especially a restaurant. I should know because I work for one(except we actually treat all of our customers with respect). Im not trying to bring any business down or put anyone out of business I’m just giving you MY opinion so chill out. Obviously you have quite a few life problems if what someone says on the internet makes you so mad you have to reply back and disagree. Don’t be such a douche john everyones entitled to their opinions….dont cry when someone has a different one. I wont go back.
March 19, 2009 at 11:52 pm
You like to consume a lot of meat dont you john?
March 19, 2009 at 11:53 pm
John loves that meat in his mouth
March 20, 2009 at 12:04 am
I’m really not trying to be dishonest or nasty. I work for a locally owned restaurant and know how hard it is to start and maintain a business so im not trying to put anyone out of business or say anything untruthful. I wouldn’t do that. Just because everyone loves Diablo Burger doesnt mean all of you have to attack me when I have a different opinion. As for you John… this is the internet I really don’t put a whole lot of thought into my sentence structure and grammar. Ask your english teacher about righting casual comments like this on the internet I’m sure he or she would tell you that its just fine to casually write them without much punctuation and grammar. What are you really trying to prove with your english skillz? Do you go to NAU cause that doesnt count as education its more like an extension of flagstaff public schools. All you proved to me is that you are an immature adult that cries and pouts when some one has a different opinion. I really like how you talk about how you like knowing what kind of meat your consuming and that it doesnt have fillers and preservatives. It’s hillarious because you’re still eating red meat and it’s pretty horrible for you. Red meat stays in you forever and makes you fat. It also clogs your arteries pretty bad if red meats part of your diet. It’s also funny how you mention sustainability. You’re one of the people that just jumped on the environmentalist bandwagon a year ago even though you were driving a SUV for years prior to then. Hah flagstaff what a town…What A Town
March 20, 2009 at 12:05 am
dont delete my comment either before moderating it that was honest and I cleaned it up
March 20, 2009 at 4:13 am
While I don’t agree with everything J-dizzle said, I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion and he did make some valid points. I went to Diablo Burger a few days ago and I have to agree that the burgers are rather small for the whopping ten dollars they ask for. I can’t say the meat was terrible but it also wasn’t anything to talk about. It’s odd that they hype up their restaurant claiming that the meat is only local. Sure it comes from local farms and ranches but grass is not native in Arizona. It seems a little fishy to me. I didn’t have as bad of an experience as J-dizzle but the staff were a bit cold towards me and my family. I don’t really care what fillers and preservatives are in the meat after all you can only make a four-legged animal so healthy for you. As far as sustainability most downtown business do their part in reducing their carbon foot print. However I don’t know that it matters so much if a business downtown uses biodegradable supplies. They have about .000000001 effect on planet earth by using those materials. It’s going to take a whole lot more than buying a environmentally friendly burger to save our planet. As far as the milk shake I don’t know if what J-dizzle said is true but I would believe it after buying one of their burgers. Please don’t criticize or attack me I have my own opinion. If you folks don’t like it I don’t want to hear about it.
March 21, 2009 at 1:49 am
My impression of Diablo Burger is that they’re committed to serving the best possible product, in a most pleasant and efficient manner, at the fairest price possible. And they follow through on all counts. My experience, after several visits to Diablo Burger, has always been more than satisfying, and I believe anyone who craves a burger with style and fries with flair will adore it. The integrity of the concept is a bonus, albeit an important one, of course.
March 23, 2009 at 6:00 am
I’ve eaten at Diablo Burger a couple of times now with several friends and every experience has been much like that of the reviewer. Fresh, great tasting food combined with a really unique setting and friendly staff. You can taste a difference between the grass fed beef used by Diablo Burger and other commercial burgers. This restaurant is a great addition to Flagstaff’s downtown!
March 23, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I really enjoyed my meal at Diablo Burger. I recommend it as a great new place to eat in Flagstaff. I found the price reasonalbe, the hamburger excellent, the bun great, the fries superlative. Being able to eat local food, grown by people I know and trust, and prepared by people I know and trust is important to me. That is why I am happy to pay a little bit more than is charged at most of Flag’s other hamburger joints for my meal at Diablo Burger. I don’t eat a lot of hamburgers so when I go out to eat one, I want it to be delcious AND reasonably healthy. I also like to suport people with positive, can do attitudes who are working to benefit this great community. As Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.” I think eating locally grown food happens to be a step in that direction. The bonus for me is that it also tastes really good. Who said “have your cake and eat it, too?”
April 6, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Ok. I’ve ate at Diablo burger two times. I won’t eat there again. They flaunt “Local” around. Truth is the only thing local is the meat (well, it’s 40 miles away, not really local). They get their produce from Cisco and Shamrock foods. Just like every other restaurant in town. Hansens soda is from California. Buns are from out of state. Potatoes are from Idaho. ECT…
I believe they’re falsely advertising their localism (if that’s a word). And no credit cards? C’mon it’s 2009. And if you use a local merchant, you ARE supporting your local bank. Just another ploy.
Small, overpriced burgers.
Just stop rubbing your fake “Local, you’re better then everyone else” on us. Or, truly become local.
Fries are good, though.