At Buns Burgers, The Buns, The Burgers, And The Special Sauce Are A Triple Threat
This unassuming spot on a Rhinebeck back street is serving up some of the best burgers and chicken this side of anywhere.
The Lamb Eater and a bucket of fries
Buns, a burger joint tucked away down narrow Garden Street in Rhinebeck, New York, makes one reconsider if “fast food” is still a dirty word. The only dirty word here is when you take a bite and unintentionally mutter to yourself, “ That’s f***ing good.”
While Buns delivers a relatively short menu of burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, and a few other things, fast, everything has been composed with purpose, using local, high-quality meat from farms the restaurant has built relationships with. And while the meat is the star, the signature sauce sings backup while the supple, titular buns are vital to the show and earn their spot on the marquee.
Chefs Sean Weeks and Ryan Viator, a Culinary Institute of America alum, started Buns in 2017 in Rhinebeck and opened their second storefront in Saugerties the following year. The restaurants stand out because they offer up their popular grub at an affordable price you just don’t see in the region, especially for food of this quality.
If it’s your first time going to Buns, get The Original, a quarter-pound, Kilcoyne Farm, grass-fed beef patty dressed in Buns Sauce, cheddar, lettuce tomato, and pickles for just $6.45 ($9.45 for a double). Also, if it’s your first time, get a second sandwich. There’s a time and a place for moderation. This ain’t it.
Then, try the Lamb Eater, a Hudson Valley ground lamb patty with lemon-oregano mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickled red onion for $9. The boldly spiced kebab-inspired flavor of this unassuming sandwich is complex and brings its luggage for a long stay in your olfactory memory bank.
Or, get either of the two chicken sandwiches. The Yard Bird is made from a thick Murray’s Farm chicken breast, Buns hot sauce, blue cheese, celery slaw, lettuce, tomato, and pickle, for $6.25. The Dirty Bird is a gluten-free fried breast (they have GF buns, too) with creamy coleslaw, pimiento cheese, and the same veg toppings, for $7.45.
Both chicken sandwiches make it immediately clear why the shop is called Buns. All sandwiches here are equally divine. It’s the bun — sturdy enough to hold all these ingredients together but pillowy enough to melt in your mouth — that unites the diverse lineup.
Believe it or not, vegetarians aren’t pariahs at this meat temple, and the Veggie Stacker is no afterthought, packed with a portobello mushroom, sweet potato, avocado-bean spread, cucumber, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, and pickled red onion for $6.85.
Of course, the hand-cut fries are great (though just a little too thin to be perfect) — $3 for a serious single serving and $7 for a really serious bucket. You can add a creative seasonal salad for $3 or $8, bacon to anything for $2 and extra sauce for $1.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget the drinks. They’re making shakes with Adirondack Creamery Ice Cream for $5, and there's a nice little selection of wine and beer, as well.
A lot of local spots have burgers, signature burgers, special burgers, unique burgers, and even great burgers. What sets Buns apart is that Viator and Wells have taken the ideal hamburger and chicken sandwich, broken them down to their fundamental elements, and rebuilt them into the perfect version of themselves. It’s pretty f***ing impressive.
Buns Burgers
20 Garden St., Rhinebeck, NY
(845) 516-5197
Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
