Stack’d Burgers & Beer

It was a Saturday early evening, and it was a friend’s room mate’s birthday, and they had decided on Stack’d as the venue. I’d never heard of it, and was kind of shocked to discover that Joe Mama’s was ‘no more’, but then I don’t make it a habit to hang out in Oakland much anymore. But being the total burger whore that I am, I was happy to be able to try another place that apparently gets raves. Well, I came, I tried… and I desperately need to go back to Winghart’s.
The atmosphere was pleasant, or rather another innocuous food space in college-​ville. The service was a little slow, but pleasant.
The menu was cool, though a little rip-​off-​y from the past coolness of Bahama Mama’s (that used to be in the basement of the Warner Centre downtown, that once was a glorious movie theater, chopped into a mini multiplex, then turned into a mini mall, then offices, and now part of the state and county assistance offices) to the current menu option of Burgatory… the ‘build your own’ check list.
They had a few interesting looking options on a limited menu, but I went for the burger, since I am the burger whore. If I were to return, it would have to be to try one of the other options, and NOT because of the burger.
So, first off they had three general burger options. The ¼ pound. The ½ pound. The ¾ pound. Well, I grabbed the ‘build your own’ checklist, and began. ¾ pounder, on a kaiser roll, Choices of toppings, first four were free. Romaine lettuce, tomato, dill pickles and sauteed mushrooms. Sauces… from the free list the choices were basically ketchup, mustard, mayo, or honey mustard. I checked mayo, and hand wrote ‘pref dark mustard’. They stated that their burgers were cooked ‘mid well’ to which I hand noted ‘pref med rare’. There were also cheese options, and I honestly don’t remember which I picked.
Sound good? Well, the hand notes meant nothing. It came ‘mid well’, which was pretty dry and juiceless. And there was no mustard at all. The toppings were so minimal I barely noticed them, except for the one pickle and mushroom chunk that fell off and onto the plate that I nibbled later. The bun was kind of wimpy and started to fall apart, which was an issue… because of the ‘burger’.
Ok, so they think they’re being cool, or that they’re doing something ‘different’ from the mundane… the name of the joint does not refer to a sandwich that is ‘Stacked’ (there IS an ‘e’ in the word millennial hipsters) with a delightful mouthful of toppings. The ¼ pound burger is really the only burger they have, for whatever silly reason. THEY just think it’s hip, cool and different to STACK them into piles, creating ¼, ½, or ¾ pounds. Which does NOT make a better tasting burger, or a manageably EATable burger. It just means that if you order a ¾ pound burger, that you’re actually getting three small-​surfaced ¼ pound burgers ‘stacked’ on a wimpy bun with no real space for the toppings.
And because the burgers were ‘mid well’ and dry, they couldn’t even be squished down into a mouth sized blob patty. (kind of like we tend to do with those fish sandwiches they insist on cramming onto hamburger buns in da burgh — fold it all in, and mash it down) It became more of an exercise of biting off whatever bulged as you ate your way down.
The bill for two burgers, a Diet Coke (a saving grace) and a ginger ale was a little over $ 25. I can go to Winghart’s OR Burgatory and get a REAL burger patty, cooked to my preference, for pretty much the same price.
Some of the quesadillas looked interesting, and if I were ever to go back, I’d definitely skip the trendy goofball burger, and try one of those. But chances of making a second trip are slim to none.
It took a very long time for the food to arrive, and it took a while for the check to arrive as well.
But as a place to hang out and have nice conversation with new friends, it was very pleasant. But as I have said repeatedly in my rambling reviews… I don’t eat atmosphere. If a ‘restaurant’ wants me to come back… it’s all about that food. And the burger boat sank here.
Some kids seriously needed to listen when their moms said ‘quit playin’ with your food!’

Do not recommend. Easily the worst service I have received in a restaurant. Had to ask several times for a refill before the waitress finally brought it. 3 of the 4 burgers we ordered were incorrect, including one burger being received with an entire piece of paper on it from the cheese. Once we finally did receive the right things, it was nothing special.

I recently watched the latest Pens game at the Oakland Stack’d location and was pleasantly surprised by a good experience overall. One would think on a beautiful Saturday during a playoff game that it would be impossible to find a table at what is basically a slightly cleaner than average sports bar, but it was maybe 60% full and we could hear ourselves talk the entire time. We had quick and attentive service and our orders arrived having been prepared correctly. Once again the food, atmosphere, and clientele of Stack’d never wows me, but it’s a solid 3-​star place and I’d definitely come back for a very reasonably priced meal during a hockey game if given the choice.

Service was great & fun, food was pretty great, and a fun/​chill atmosphere. A place I would recommend to check out.
It’s not huge, so not tons of tables, but it’s a decent size. I do like how one side has an open «window».
We ordered the buffalo quesadilla, bacon cheeseburger quesadilla, and buffalo garlic parm wings with a side of old bay fries.
Buffalo quesadilla — VERY good! Just the right amount of ingredients and not overly spicy. Great taste.
Bacon cheeseburger quesadilla — good but a little bland — Not too much flavor — I had to add salsa & sour cream to mix it up
Garlic parm wings — YUMMY! Good size wings and the perfect amount of sauce. None of the flavors overpower eachother (the buffalo, garlic or Parmesan) and its served with a good size ranch (or bleu cheese).
Old bay fries — I liked the seasoning (I mean it’s old bay!) but the fries seemed a bit overcooked — extra extra crispy.
*karaōke on Wednesday nights
*$ 4 – 5 menu item that differs each day of week (Wednesday is quesadilla and Thursday is wings)

I’ve been here quite a few times and have tried something different each time. I have not had a bad experience or meal yet. Thus far, I’ve tried the chili (it’s spicy!), burger, chicken wings, curly fries, and chicken tenders — all delicious and flavorful. The service is usually quick, and you can definitely find a game or popular event playing on multiple screens while you’re there.

This place is pretty cool! It’s kind of like Burgatory but more college students.
The restaurant has a really nice feel and the staff was awesome! Each time I’ve been here I’ve built my own stack (BYOS.) I really like all the different choices and you can even pick what kind of fries you want! (I got tots of course.) The first time I came here I got an Oreo shake and it was delicious! The second time I went here I got the fried mac and cheese balls as an appetizer and they were really good!
The burgers are good, not fabulous but pretty good. My biggest complaint is that I wish you could pick how you wanted your burger cooked. All of the burgers at Stack’d are cooked to be mid well and personally I like mine medium with pink. If Stack’d changed this policy I feel like their burgers would be amazing.
Other than that, you can’t beat the prices here and they have different events/​specials every night! Come check them out!

Some coworkers and I stopped in for lunch this past Wednesday. We arrived around 12:40pm and surprisingly, the place wasn’t very busy. Our party of 5 was seated right away. Our server was awesome– very attentive, filled our waters quickly, all of the orders came out correctly and she separated our checks without an issue. The host on the other hand, was very odd. He never asked how many was in our party, never even said hello. just started walking over to the table with napkins and menus. Just odd.
What’s interesting about this place: the menu is also a card in which you check off what you want to order. One side consisted of salads, appetizers and quesadillas and the other side was «burgatory style» if you will, where you choose everything from your meat, bun, cheese, toppings, sauce, etc. I ordered a chicken sandwich with pepper jack ($ 1 just for the cheese– it was barely noticeable on the sandwich & therefore I would probably just skip it next time), wheat bun, field greens, BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, grilled mushrooms and hot pepper relish ($ 6 for the sandwich). I added tater tots for $ 2 more. The food came out quickly and everyone was happy. The portions were huge, the food was tasty. we were full and happy by the end.
Overall, this place was really good. It reminded us of Burgatory except a LOT cheaper. We had a great experience.

This seems like an odd placement on this corner… it just kind of sticks out like a sore thumb to me. I remember enjoying the place that was here before this, but hadn’t been there in 6 years, so who knows. ANYWAY.
I went here maybe a month after it opened, and I probably would not have gone back for food, had my friends not asked me to go. I had a burger (duh) and it just seemed bland and kind of dry. The bread was lackluster, and just fell apart.
Other than that, I suppose their beer selection is ok with about 16 drafts, some imports and crafts. The service has been really great when I’ve gone, and their milkshakes are delicious, so I would go back for that.

Just average. Not planning on any trips back to this place anytime soon especially on a Pitt Basketball game night.

Not bad, nothing special though. Tries to be Burgatory and isn’t up to par. Burger was good, not great. Five Guys still rules as the best burger joint in Oakland.

The service was quick and efficient! Our waitress was very pleasant and helpful. The burger was very juicy and tasty. I would highly recommend the pierogies as an appetizer!

I’m kind of disappointed. The space Stack’d now occupies had been empty for about a year now and it is a prime location in Oakland. This was a chance to really ‘beef up’ the Oakland culinary scene and I think they’ve fallen short.
Like all the new trendy burger (or brgr, BurGR, or whatever hipster name you want to give to a BURGER JOINT) Stack’d has the checklist of ingredients down to sauce and condiments and type of burger for you to custom order. However, there is no wow factor. I’ve been here twice now and have ordered slightly different versions of the [same] burger and I wasn’t knocked off my stool.
Speaking of stools, I’m not overly happy with the set up. There are a couple booths and tables but mostly high tops with bar stools, which, doesn’t really make a comfortable lunch experience. If I’m on a bar stool I want a beer in front of me, not my lunch.
I will be back because they are new, and my options are repetitive for lunch, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that a wow factor happens in the meantime.

It’s an average burger joint on a college campus. There isn’t a huge variety in food selection, but they have a bar with friendly service and a solid amount of TVs if you’re into whatever game is on.

It’s just okay.
Slow service, average food.
The fries were the best part of my meal. I had a turkey burger that was good, but I’m not about to run back there for it.
One plus is that the price was on point. I won’t avoid stack’d but I won’t be making a trip back specifically for this.

I’ve only been here for lunch and had one burger, but I don’t think Stack’d is worth having to sit down and pay tip for service for what I found to be an average burger. I was disappointed that they don’t wrap burgers in lettuce and that the burger was small. Perhaps I’m biased, but I would rather go to Five Guys.

This is an alright burger joint; good for a quick burger and fries in a bar atmosphere. There is also an alright selection of beer. Overall, I would say that this is an above average lunch option if you want a quick cheeseburger.

There is no place for a BURGER joint that doesn’t let you pick the temp of your burger. When I asked what temp they cook them to, they stated: «Near well done». That’s like going to outback STEAKhouse and they tell you: «Sorry, we only cook our steaks well done.» The toppings made it have some flavor but it’s not a burger place, it’s a high class McDonald’s where you have to tip…

I don’t understand the obsession this country has with crappy burger joints that think they’re all that just because they offer a butt-​load of toppings. Quality over quantity. This place tries to be Burgatory (which isn’t that great to begin with), and doesn’t even get there.
I ordered the stack’d burger with pepperjack cheese, field greens, garlic aoli, and hot pepper relish on a sesame bun, plus a side of onion rings.
When the burgers came out, the patties themselves looked grey and amorphous and lacked any sort of seasoning tasted like they were pan-​fried rather than grilled. The pepper relish overwhelmed everything and was just about all I could taste (Shake Shack does something similar but they don’t slather it liberally on the bun). There was nothing outstanding about the burger. The only saving grace was the onion rings which were a nice golden brown.
I don’t understand why people are excited about this place. Probably will not be going back.

I did not know that this is not a real «new» restaurant. They have another location in Shadyside, one that I have never been too. Still I love myself a good burger so we went. They have overtaken the old Joe Mama’s aka Olio restaurant. The inside is super nice. Smaller than both of the old restaurants but still nice and new.
When we got there, a little after 12 pm it was packed! It felt that all of Oakland has been waiting for this place to open and they all were in line today. Good news, we got a table right away. The idea of the restaurant is that the piece of paper/​menu took your order and you just filled it out and gave it to the waitress. That was fine. I think that the burger/​topping selection was nice, but it was a little expensive for extras. You got four toppings for free — I picked the usual lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles. Anything after that was a $ 1 charge. You are telling me that adding grilled peppers really would cost $ 1? That seemed a little out there.
The service was lacking. We ordered some fried pickles and when they came out, no silverware or napkins. We dug in but had to wait until our actual order came to get the silverware/​napkins. Also the fried pickles are not a large order. I thought for the price we would get enough for the three of us to share, it was sorely lacking. Seriously the pickles were good BUT the serving size was enough for maybe one person. Sad-​face for sure because I love fried pickles.
The burger was huge when it came out. I should have NOT picked the ½ lb burger. I don’t know what was wrong with me, it was two patties and it was super filling. I picked the ghost pepper cheese. IT WAS HOT but only when you could taste it. The burger was also done really well. I enjoyed my lunch for sure.
I also ordered the Cajun fries. Word of advice, don’t bother. They were shoestring fries with a little bit of sprinkled on Cajun seasoning. The seasoning did not even cover all of the fries! it was like dashed on a lot in some places bare most of the others. The fries were also super soggy. Yuck. My friends ordered the curly fries and they looked SOOO much better. Next time, that would be my choice.
Back to the service. When we got our burgers we were told by the waiter bring them out that he would get us more water and our napkins/​silverware. We got the napkins/​silverware but no water. I had to ask a waitress walking by if I could get a fill up on the water. Not good…
Growing pains for sure. The food was good and hopefully the next time I am there they will have things worked out.

This restaurant opened literally 4 hours ago. Keeping that in mind, I know they will have their opening day kinks to work out.
We opted to sit at one of the tables that over looks Oakland Avenue. We quickly learned that this might not be such a good idea for the night time. The drunk college students walking to Forbes from the depths of South Oakland were pretty annoying as we were trying to eat.
My server is actually in one of my classes and she was pretty excited to be working at Stack’d. This made the experience a little bit better overall just because of the personal connection I had with her. In terms of service, 3 or 4 people were assisting our table which led to confusion in terms of if we had ordered, if we wanted a refill, the check, etc.
I ordered the buffalo parm chicken tenders and was pretty satisfied with the them overall. They were decently sized and coated in the sauce just how I like it. I would have liked a bigger cup of ranch.
Both me and friend created our own burgers from their extensive list of options. They were pretty big and tasty. I ordered a double stack, kaiser roll, ketchup, mayo, mustard, pickles, and fried mozzarella cheese sticks.
Not bad for their first night.
4 stars.