Local 388 Burger Bar

Found this place on a whim on our way to SPAC for concert. The food was amazing. We had the Shrooming burger and the Hatcher. Best beef burger ever and the Mushroom burgers were incredible. I would suggest the sweet potatoe fries or garlic/​truffle fries. Delicious. This a family run place, very friendly and worth the stop! Would definitely go back!

was so excited to eat here. Saw a table of 9 on the deck.
Walked in. One server was running around like crazy with his one table inside. He told me it would be a MINUTE before he took my order. As I stood there staring at loads of plates in the window.
A cook and a server. On a thur night. At 730pm. No other help. The kid was clearly «in the weeds.»
I finally ask the cook if he can start my order. (The kitchen is at the counter)
He tells me I will have to wait 40 minutes for my food.
There was no one there! The kid who was the server never told me this. I mean come on. How can you run a business like this. I was already standing there 20 minutes without even given a menu.
Sad. Very sad. Horrible customer service.

Our burgers were cooked pretty well though I felt like they could have been rested a bit so the juices weren’t wasted all over the tray. The fries were tasty but the «home made ketchup» was not to our liking. A little too much cinnamon and something else the server wasn’t able to identify for us. If you have a cinnamon allergy, be ware. They serve canned or bottled soda served in a glass of ice and charge a dollar for refills. That was a bit disappointing. But not quite as much as the 5.00 milkshake we ordered to go and got in a tiny little cup. If one is going to spend 33.00+ for lunch you expect a bit better. The restaurant was in need of a sweep and the table cloths were not sitting squarely on the tables and the server when not expo-​ing food or seating people (just us and one other table) hid behind a patrician and played games or watched tv on a mobile device. We could hear it as well as the music coming through the speaker system. Will we give it another go? Not sure. My companion will likely not, but I’m a bit more forgiving and may at a later date go back and try the other fry offering they have on their menu.

Stopped into Local 388 Burger Bar on my way home from work. Having just moved to the area from florida, I had been craving a nice juicy burger and a cold beer. Man am I glad I found this place. Shawna our server was very gracious and attentive near perfect service. They even have an outdoor seating area where I was able to sit comfortably with my dog in tow 2 thumbs up! As soon as my Red Hot Blue burger was presented in front of me oozing with delicious and tasty intentions I was hooked. This my well have been the BEST burger I have ever tasted. Anyone who has a hankering for a superb burger forget about anywhere else, do yourself a favor and stop into 388 Burger Bar you won’t be disappointed.

We’ve been in Ballston Spa for 4 years and haven’t had any luck finding a good burger. The Local 388 Burger Bar is the best as it’s going to get. We’ve hunted high and low and just about everyone has angus burgers bought from a distributor. Saratoga Springs and Malta has burgers that are ordinary and uninspired. The Local 388 burgers are ground daily and prepared fresh. I had the Red Hot and Blue burger and it was delicious! It was flavorful and done just right. The bun was delicious and not something that you thought they got from a distributor. The fries were thick, meaty and salted just right. The wait staff was attentive and nice to talk to. You can’t go wrong here.

I really wanted to like this place. I love Bison burgers and was excited to see them on the menu. The problem? In a word: soggy. The burger was soggy. The fries were limp and soggy. Is there anything worse than a soggy burger and fries?
Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I can’t recommend paying $ 16 for a water logged meal.

Probably the best burger I’ve had in the area. The location is just off he main route 50, so probably overlooked but I’m glad I stopped. Had an excellent ground beef burger topped with bacon, cheddar and blue cheese grilled perfectly to order. Truffle Parmesan fries were good but couple have been great if exterior were crisper. Gourmet burgers for $ 9 and fries for $ 3 that was great value all around and made me smile going out the door. I will definitely return.

Small but cozy place. Had two burgers and an order of cheese and chive fries and two sodas. All the food was good. However even with an Entertainment coupon worth $ 9 the total was over $ 20. From my perspective that seemed pricy to me. Maybe I don’t fully appreciate the upscale burger pricing.

Age is definitely taking its toll on my memory. I glanced at my last two reviews for Local 388 Burger Bar a few minutes before entering so that I could be certain of trying something different on this visit. It helped for the most part.
Each table has a table tent informing you of the available bottled beers. Let’s see now, I don’t think I’ve ever had a Keegan’s Old Capital ($ 6), I’ll order that while I study the menu. Well, that’s what my wife ordered nine months ago when we were last here. But I did say then that it was a perfect choice to pair with a burger, and it was once again.
Between my wife and I we’ve previously tried the B-​Spa, the Blue Buffalo, the Charro, and the Shroomin’ (veggie) burgers. You can check out my photo of the menu for their descriptions. I was kind of hoping for some kind of breakfast burger since I hadn’t eaten yet today. I was attracted to the N.Y.C. burger ($ 9) topped with NY pastrami, Gruyère, sauerkraut, and house remoulade, but it was the farm fried egg, roasted Hatch green chiles, Monterrey jack, and smoked bacon on the Hatched Burger ($ 9) that said «breakfast» to me.
I was so pleased with this choice. I requested medium-​rare and it was every bit of that if not just a little more toward rare — which I loved. My first bite didn’t break the yolk yet and the burger was flavorful and juicy. My second bite broke the yolk and the flavor scale rose significantly as did the juiciness. Somewhere about two-​thirds of the way through there was a bite where all the flavors melded so perfectly that I actually emitted an audible sigh. Fortunately I was the only customer and hopefully, the kitchen didn’t hear me over the excellent Derek Trucks live concert that was being piped into the dining room. The burgers are served with really good freshly made potato chips.
If I had taken the time to read my last review right to the end I would have seen that I had already tried the Strawberry Rhubarb pie ($ 3.50) from Smith’s Orchard. Since L388BB introduced me to Smith’s Orchard pies on that last visit, I’ve had more of them and made sure that I was leaving room for dessert. It was delicious the first time, and it was delicious today. Once again, they warmed it up before serving.
Service continues to be friendly and polite. Steven periodically checked with me to see that all my needs were being met, and even brought me extra napkins as I began to enjoy my burger. I wish I could give an extra half star.

Small very casual place with really great burgers. All local down to the beer selection. The Buffalo Blue (bison burger with blueberry BBQ sauce, chevre cheese and pickled onions) was great! Very affordable and something for everyone. I’d like to see them expand their burger menu maybe. We’ll be back!

Awesome burger and fries. Best in the area by far!!! I will def be back for more. Oh and the dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries was delicious.

My wife and I stopped in here last night. I enjoy a good burger so we thought we would check it out. Below is my thoughts:
Good: Burgers do not disappoint. Fantastic flavor and good presentation. Portion size is also good. My wife ordered the portobello mushroom. It tasted was okay, but had a bit of an afternoon taste that was odd.
Atmosphere was nice. Good little burger joint that was clean and service was friendly.
Bad: I didn’t care for my fries or the ketchup that came with it. I ordered the Parmesan garlic fries and my wife ordered the sweet potato fries. I personally would have liked to have a simple order of «regular» fries. The sweet potato fries were pretty good.
The wifi offered was not truly free. You have to have a time warner account. Many businesses are doing this now and I don’t care for it. My wife and I were visiting from out of town and did not have a time warner account so we were out of luck in this area.
Overall I’d go back again, but would probably stick with a burger and soda.

I wasn’t taken aback by the bright red interior as some reviewers were. I like it actually, I think it gives the place character. It’s a burger joint after all, it’s not a fine dining establishment. When I was there the lights were off and it was a little dark. Perhaps my opinion would change if the lights were on.
They serve beer, that’s cool. Beer pairs wonderfully with anything salty, and I love to sip a beer while noshing on a burger and fries. The beer selection is quite good too, with an emphasis on local breweries. I enjoyed a delicious Adirondack IPA with my lunch.
I ordered the NYC burger and the garlic parm fries.
I thought the burger was the perfect size. When I bit into it, the juices dripped all over the (now ubiquitous) paper covered metal tray it was served in. The burger patty was tasty, with a good beefy flavor. Speaking of ubiquitous, I’m not a fan of brioche buns on burgers. And it seems every single burger joint now puts their burgers on a brioche style bun. But the bun 388 uses is thinner, and smaller than most, which I like, and it didn’t get in the way of the beef.
I liked the fries too. Fresh cut, not frozen, with lots of parmesan cheese, which provided the requisite salt hit, without being too salty. I happily snacked on them in between sips of my IPA. It’s served with their house made ketchup. The ketchup was the only negative, it was ok, but I didn’t really care for it.
Local 388 makes a solid burger and good fries, and with the added bonus of a very good beer selection, I’ll definitely stop in again when I’m in the area and need to get a fix for my ground beef habit.

Their burgers are absolutely delicious, and pretty fairly priced. The fries are cut very thin so they tend to come overdone, but honestly the burgers I’ve had there are so delicious that I don’t even get the fries (the standard side for the burgers are a bag of chips). I’ve always had the same server, he’s very sweet, doesn’t talk a whole lot. It’s a small place, so there isn’t a ton of seating, but there is outside seating available, which is nice.

Small restaurant, that used to be the crazy cow. Seems to be under new management. The décor is very similar, still glaring red everywhere. However, the grass fed burgers are delicious. It’s a slight disappointment that they come with a bag Lay’s Classic potatoes chips standard. I substituted the scallion cheese fries which were a little soft but still tasty. They also have a decent beer selection.

Excellent burger, fries were ok and the price was a bit high (sides a la carte). Sat on the patio which was nice, beautiful evening, inside seating area didn’t look very appealing especially given the prices. Excellent burgers though, you gotta have one!

Stopped in when driving through Ballston Spa after reading a a review from fellow Unilocaler Roger K. My first impression was the immediate threat of a retinal burn while my husband said it «looks like your mom’s basement». Poorly lit and the color scheme is a little too intense. Sort of like a college dorm. Yes it is a little rough around the edges but doesn’t that just add to its charm?
Atmosphere is very chill and relaxed, very much a guys hangout spot although to their credit they do have salads on the menu.
We ordered the spring salad with chicken. The chicken was an up-​sell by our waiter and I’m glad I took the leap because the grilled chicken was delicious. Salad was ok, but clearly the star of the show is the burgers. Which are of course grass-​fed, is there any other way to eat your beef?
We settled on the red, hot and blue. Grilled onions, blue cheese and spicy ketchup. The brioche bun is a really nice touch. It was a little salty for my taste but full of flavor and was succulent.
Their selection of fries is enticing. The garlic parm fries were great, crispy and garlicky the way I like it.
I was on the fence between a 3 and 4 mostly because of atmosphere but decided on a 4 as long as the owners consider installing some recessed lighting.

Excellent! The food was interesting and tasty. I had the pastrami burger and ate every bite even though my stomach was protesting. My SO had a burger with fried egg on it. The egg was over-​cooked, but it was still good. The homemade soda was interesting, but too sweet. The fries were fresh cut and wonderful. The buns were perfect! The ketchup was homemade and was a little different than normal (I’m convinced there was cinnamon and cloves in it), but still tasty. The service was only okay, but I didn’t really mind.
Overall, I was very happy with my dinner and plan on going back to try different items.

Food, drinks, server… amazing! Yet another gem nestled into the quaint little town of Ballston Spa.
Don’t let the fact that it is not on front street deter you from grabbing a delicious burger and fresh cut fries from some place other than, «inside the box.» If that’s what you’re craving, give it a try! Local 388 is worth it!

I drove by the other day and noticed a new place had opened up. We decided to order take out and the food was delicious.
Paul who answered the phone was very knowledgable and polite. The food we ordered was all accurate and hot when we picked it up.
We ordered a burger with an egg on it, salt and pepper fries and the mac and cheese. All in all the food was good! The fries were tasty, however I like them a little more cooked (crispy).The burgers were cooked to perfection and tasted great!
When they get their liquor license we would love to come back and dine in.
Be sure to try this place!