The Dam

Good burger!
Outstanding fries… The reason 4 3 stars is the window counters could be 5 inches longer, and the cook gave me a single when I ordered a double.

I love a burger place where I can walk in starving, walk out stuffed, and know I just had some great food in between.
The menu is overwhelming but I knew before I walked in that I wanted The Dam and some fries. My husband is more of a DIY burger guy so once he decided we opted to split the Get Baked fries. The waiting was painful even though it wasn’t that long, just long enough to be fresh to order. The Dam is similar to a frisco melt but better. I’m a fan of the thin but juicy burger patties that you can find here. The Get Baked is like a loaded baked potato with cheese and bacon and dumped on fries instead. I could barely eat the last bites but I carried on.
The place is small but you have the option to eat in the bar next door or their patio, but we opted for some of the stools right in The Dam since it was empty during our Sunday lunch. I’m thrilled to have found this kind of burger place just down the way from me.

Best. Burger. Ever. Just moved down the street and have been here twice in a month. The smothered fries are amazing. It’s a heart attack, comfort food, hole-​in-​the-​wall kind of place.

Bottom Line:
Impressive and Interesting Burgers, Unique (For STL) French Fry Options, Grab Bag Front Counter Service
Food:
There has been one occasion over my litany of visits that I recall a burger being way too greasy, but other than that, this place is a solid choice for a burger and fries meal.
On almost every visit, I go for «The Animal». And every time, I walk away happy. I am not a fan of BBQ sauce on a burger, but in this case, it works. If you like sweet and spicy, this choice is for you.
As far as fries, it is always the «Double Dutch». The garlic mayo and diced green onion on top of these fries are perfection! The fries are long and a bit wider than a number 2 size pencil.
One side note, I believe they use quality, ethical ingredients, so that is to be noted and commended.
Drink:
Excel Sodas are making inroads on the STL market, and I am a fan. Every visit I make to the Dam, I dine in. Unfortunately, the Excel sodas come out of a cold bottle by default. I prefer fountain soda with the amount of ice I choose. Thankfully, the front counter person will be willing to get me ice. However, getting ice is not the smoothest process, but I am able to get it… eventually.
Service:
Grab the magic 8-​ball and you will know what the service will be like. I think overall, service is mostly solid. However, if you ask for anything extra, expect an eye roll, or a sigh, depending on the counter girl.
Parking:
Street parking only and it can be dicey, at that, depending on the time of day.
Atmosphere:
There are two options when ordering food here:
#1
Stay put inside the cramped and entertaining, from a people watching perspective, dining area where it is almost easier to stand and eat.
#2
Head next door to Amsterdam Tavern where you can dine inside or out, with the option of having a beer. And please, if you are going to use their space, you better be patronizing the bar.
Summary:
If you are in the mood for a burger and fries, you will not go wrong taking a trip here. Oh, and if you want to put icing on the cake, head down to Tower Grove Creamery for a topper!

I love this place. The burgers are a little squeezed out of flavor, but the rest of the ingredients ON the burgers are the real seller. You might not even need a side of fries! Between the two of us, we had a hard time splitting one order between the two of us WITH our burgers.
Also, you can order for them to be brought next door to an awesome soccer-​themed bar with more than reasonable beer pricing.

Postmates has a free burger and fries deal with this joint right now. It was tasty but nothing like particularly unique or special. Just a good burger. The fries were thick and well seasoned. I would order from here again.

I had been curious about The Dam for a while, and it wasn’t until I ordered a Groupon that I finally managed to give them a try. I arrived Saturday just after 11am to find the Amsterdam Tavern next door filled with soccer fans, so I immediately knew that I would be in for a wait with my burger. For those that don’t know The Dam is located next door to the Amsterdam Tavern, and they allow customers to order food at the bar. Anyways we decided to go ahead and still give The Dam a try despite knowing that we would have a slight wait.
Service was friendly, especially when I told them about the Groupon. We ordered two burgers and two orders of fries. Overall the wait wasn’t bad, no more than 10 maybe 15 minutes, which was good considering the neighboring bar was filled to capacity! Anyways for my burger I went with The Dam Burger, which was served with two patties, Swiss and American cheese and Dam sauce, served on two slices of sourdough bread. The Dam special sauce was almost similar to that of a Big Mac from McDonalds. My burger was good, however it wasn’t something that I would go out of my way to order again. However if I happened to be next door enjoying a pint during a soccer game, I could most certainly order a burger to pair with my beer.
The inside almost had a divey feel, however it was all party of the atmosphere. Seating inside is awkward, with only a few stools crammed into the front corners. To be totally honest with you it was a tight fit for two people, so I am not sure that many more could squeeze into their seating, however there were two-​3 stools near the front and food can be taken next door, so be advised if you are not wanting to visit the bar next door.
Overall The Dam is something I wouldn’t recommend by itself, however paired with a visit to the Amsterdam Tavern I think it could be a hit.

I had a Livingsocial deal and wanted to try this place. First we went into the Amsterdam Bar next door. It looked lively and fun but went next door to the Dam. While the seating is small the flavors of the food we had was larger than life. I had the Magic Mushroom Burger and it made me feel very happy. The garlic mayo on the burger was perfect with the swiss and gouda cheese. It was perfectly cooked. I could only eat half of it though because I also got the Belgian Style Fries that I could NOT stop eating with the honey-​curry mustard sauce that I honestly feel they should bottle. I could have drank it. So good. My friend ordered a special… fish tacos and black bean soup. The tacos were huge, they could have been burritos. She said that the tacos and the soup was excellent but that she didn’t think that was really black bean soup. It didn’t slow her down though. Haha. The owner was very sweet and her daughter was working the counter and even though was her 2^nd day she was doing great. I know there were plenty of people getting food and taking it next door but I would like to see them expand a little for more seating.
This food was VERY reasonably priced.
This food was also very fresh. No antibodies, sustainable and local. Makes the burger even better.

I like that you can either eat at The Dam or have your food brought over to Amsterdam next door. Whatever you do, get the Belgian fries. They are amazing – thick, crispy, perfectly seasoned, and generously portioned.

A few weeks back, we had a group of people and were trying to think of a place to go for dinner. I had read good things about this place in a magazine and proposed it.
Good thing we ended up going somewhere else, because this is – unbeknownst to me at the time — mostly a carryout place. The only seating is just a counter that wraps around most of the (very small) space. And when I went, most of those seats were filled by people waiting for their food.
Most people seem to order their food and go next door to The Amsterdam Tavern, and have it brought to them. Interestingly, despite the name and the close relationship, the two establishments aren’t owned by the same people — but The Amsterdam Tavern doesn’t have a kitchen, so their relationship is mutually beneficial.
Anyway. We ordered our food and got it to go. The wait was surprisingly long, so you may want to consider calling in.
I got the «Mean Green,» a veggie burger of indeterminate composition slathered with curry honey mustard and topped with slaw and a tomato. I occasionally order a veggie burger despite not being a vegetarian, and this one was really good. The mustard really put it over the edge into awesomeness for me. I got a side of slaw as well, which was okay.
My wife got «The Dam,» which is effectively a double patty melt with two cheeses and special sauce (which was much like Thousand Island dressing). I had a bite, and it was *really* good. I also finished her leftover «get baked» bacon cheese fries, which were very thick cut and also very tasty.
She ordered a side of ale cheese sauce, and I’ll advise you that it is VERY heavy on the ale. So if you don’t want a very beer-​heavy taste, don’t get it
Anyway, to sum up… Amazing burgers and fries. Go here.

This place has a great ambiance packed into a very small area, not really any room to sit inside here. But despite that the bar next door, the Amsterdam, partners up allowing guests to come in and drink while the dam brings you your order.
The burgers are quite juicy and delicious, me and a friend ate here my bread was cooked to long but his was perfect. I had the animal, a three patty burger with all the fixings you can imagine. It paired really well with the soda from my hometown, ski, bottled by excel.
Possibly the best part of this place was their fresh hand cut french fries perfectly salted and seasoned. If you get any of their dam sauces, house made sauce, makes the flavor of both burger and fries pop.

Second time here. Burgers thick and juicy. Great toppings. By far the best fries with Matt’s special seasoning. The dam sauce a MUST. Front counter available. Music in the open kitchen seems to orchestrate the kitchen staff busy cooking.
Try the veggie burger for another option. Very very tasty. Great option since I gave up meat for fast.

Love the eclectic décor. It’s intimate. Friendly staff. And the food was incredible. So good. Big juicy messy burgers and crisp meaty fries with awesome sauces. Will definitely be back.

Two days in St. Louis, two burgers. And these did not disappoint. More diner style, thinner patties with a nice crisp crust and a good salty seasoned outside, this is my favorite style. It’s not as good as Melvin’s in Elizabethtown, NC (but frankly, I’m not sure if there’s any food, burgers or otherwise, that ever will be), but it’s getting there.
I went with the Belgian plus an extra patty, at a friend’s recommendation. The patties are thin, so this wasn’t an absurd amount of meat — but it would have been OK with a single as well. As I mentioned, the burgers have a nice crust, a tender inside, and good seasoning on the outside. The slaw served on top was OK, but a tiny bit onion-​y, and I liked the Belgian dipping sauce. It had gouda cheese as well, but that honestly got a bit lost. You should additionally get the curry dipping sauce, because if you like curry fries, between that sauce and the really nice Belgian style fries (you need to order them separately), you’ll be very happy.
So they have the burgers, and they have the slaw — and now that I look again, they have chili on the menu… which probably isn’t quite the right kind of «chili sauce» that’s good on burgers. But I think you could make a reasonable Melvin’s facsimile here — burger, slaw, chili sauce, and yellow mustard. Mouthwatering. Maybe we can convince them to put it on the menu as another special item…

Really really good burger.
Service and wait time are so-​so.
My first encounter with this place was watching a soccer match next door at the pub. More than a few people had ordered burgers and had them delivered from the Dam. They looked and smelled amazing so I did the same. 20 minutes later I had an amazing burger in front of me and couldn’t have been happier with my experience.
A few weeks later I had a friend in town and raved about these burgers so I called in an order for pickup. They said it would be 20 – 30 minutes so I waited 20 minutes and drove to pick them up. I stood in the shop for 30 minutes waiting for my order to be ready and somehow they got all three burgers wrong and they were cold.
I’m not sure how reliable this place is for delivery/​carry-​out and there isn’t much seating. If you get a fresh and hot burger here then you will love it.

So I’ve been pretty happy with the Dam’s burgers lately but had to bring my order back today. Not sure what it even was. Burnt? Or just inedible — unrecognizable something on a bun? Walked back and showed the burgers to them and asked if they would eat them??? They didn’t give me any problems and immediately replaced both burgers. Just so disappointed. Luckily, we do only live just down the street!

One of the best burger joints ever! Cliché I know, but true for this place!
You can build your own single, double, or triple, or order and customize from their Specialty Burgers menu. What’s good? The Belgian, The Animal, The Dam, let’s just say them all!
I always get an order of Double Dutch fries to share with my boyfriend, too. They have a garlic aioli with onions. The fries are nicely fried. They’re freshly peeled and sliced which gives them a great flavor, too. They don’t really need a sauce since they have some black pepper on them, but the sauces at the Dam compliment the experience.
The restaurant is small, seating about six, but you can have your food delivered next door at the Amsterdam bar :-). They also offer pick up and to go ordering. It’s really fun inside; the staff is outgoing and friendly.
Love the Dam.

I’ve been meaning to try this place for a while now and I’m glad that I did because I can now remove them from my list. I wasn’t impressed enough to work to go back anytime soon but I won’t necessarily have a fit if someone says we should go there for lunch one day. Somewhere in the middle is probably about right.
I had a single burger. It was more like a slider on a big bun but I should have asked what most people generally order. It was a good burger but nothing to write home about. The bun was quite large by comparison and I enjoyed the toasted texture. The gouda was not at all smoky and something of a disappointment rather than an enhancement to the burger.
I asked for a small order of fries with their signature cheese sauce. Given the price point of $ 3.50, I was expecting a small basket of fries covered with a melted cheese sauce or something similar. What I received was a bowl of fries and a small plastic container of cheese sauce that came right out of the fridge. Poor form on that one!

I’m so glad I live walking distance from a classic burger and sandwich shop. It’s a tiny building right next to Amsterdam Tavern. You can eat at the counter, take your food next door, or grab it to go… or even better – get it delivered!
I sat inside and go «The Belgian» while my friend got a mushroom-​melt (that’s not it’s name). While it’s your typical greasy burger, the food is so much better than that. All of the ingredients taste fresh and the burgers are cooked to perfection. You don’t have to worry about a soggy bun here. I loved mine but thought that my friend’s mushroom burger was much better and I don’t even care for mushrooms very much!
Sometime I’ll have to try it at Amsterdam next door with a brew.

We grabbed food at the Dam on Friday before the women’s soccer match.
Service was great. Someone brings your food to you over at Amsterdam if you are in the bar. That’s really cool. The gal who took my order was very friendly.
My husband and I ordered the chili and cheese fries as well as a half order of Mac and cheese. We both hated the Mac n cheese. The cheese was sticky as if the macaroni had been mixed with process cheese. It was thick, sticky, and didn’t compensate with flavor.
We were not impressed with the fries either so that resulted in waiting until after the match to eat elsewhere. I was too hesitant to venture on to other menu items.