DMK BURGER BAR LOMBARD

I had, without a doubt, my worst burger experience ever at DMK Monday. I reminded the waitress we wanted the burgers MR and she assured us that all of their burgers were served "pink". How in the world they expect to serve it pink when the burger is so thin it would take hardly more then a minute to cook it through. The first burgers were very well done and dried out. We sent them back. They new burgers came back looking much better then the first burgers, but were still very well done. Because we didn't order the number whatever burger that comes with lettuce and tomato, we had nothing to moisten it up with. No ketchup, no mustard, because we didn't order that numbered burger and there were no bottles available. It was ridiculous. I could not bite through the bacon or the three very large strips of gross grilled "burnt" onions. I never saw cheese on any of the burgers. The parmesan truffle sauce fries were the OK house (frozen) fries with a small amount of parm thrown on top. We all agreed the sauce tasted like bottled garlic salad dressing, for 2 dollars more per order.
The restaurant is very small and the small glass enclosed bar gives a direct open view of the parking lot and offers a chilly breeze every time the door opened. The only customers at the bar were employees, no cutomers in the restaurant area. The washroom had no paper towels and the only roll of toilet paper was on the floor. It was three in the afternoon. What a waste of my time. Four very bad burgers that we did not eat. We didn't even finish the fries.

[moderator edit: address]

DMK Burger Bar
2370 Fountain Square Drive
Lombard, IL 60148
630.705.9020

I don't quite think it was as bad as you mentioned, but I posted on the "burgers thread" when this location opened how terrible the burgers/fries are here. Really, really sub-par food.

Beer selection and service were fantastic, however.

I only have experience with the Lakeview location, but I'm actually surprised the waitress even promised you that they serve their burgers pink. I haven't seen one that fit that description at the Lakeview location! (Whether this is a terrible thing is a different question. I enjoy the typical DMK wellness even though I'm a "rare/medium-rare" person. But pink, a DMK burger is not.)

And again, speaking only of the Lakeview location (but would be surprised if it wasn't the same for Lombard), they definitely have ketchup and mustard (and a slew of other toppings available) if you ask--they bring it to you in a cup. I'm pretty sure I read that the ketchup, at least, is made in house.

My brothers and I had an awesome lunch at the Lombard location about a month ago, and this was how one of my brother's Big DMK came out. He didn't specify how he wanted his burger cooked. I guess I've been lucky because my burgers at both locations have always been a little pink inside, even with single patties.

We took advantage of a special they have between 3 and 5. 10 bucks for a burger, fries and a draft. I'm thinking they use a smaller patty for the special because it was thinner then the picture posted previously or it shrunk from overcooking. The only ketchup they had available was chipotle-ketchup. Lettuce and tomato was extra if you didn't order that burger #.

Wow, spiffy--the last time I was there (Lakeview), I'm pretty sure they didn't have anything like the Big DMK on the menu. Using thicker (to the naked eye) patties, it may be the only burger they have that can come out slightly rare like that.

OK, folks, educate me. Is it just me, or does it seem like this thin style of burger is just not suitable to be cooked reliably at anything but medium doneness, at best? (Although that photo is pretty promising.) Hear me out here. I like my beef on the rare side of medium rare, generally, but when it comes to thin style patties (under 1/4 pound at least, preferably 1/6 lb), I want that crispy, well-caramelized exterior which is a signature of the style. When I make my own, it's almost impossible to get anything better than medium consistently, unless you are starting from a frozen patty. Am I nuts for thinking this way? I mean, yeah, you can cook it medium rare, just like anything else, but then it's difficult to get that almost-cripsy, brown exterior. The expectation of a medium rare patty at that size seems to be a bit quixotic, to me, at least if you want to preserve the other elements of the style that just make it tasty. My personal rule is 1/2 and up burgers should be called for doneness, and medium rare is ideal. The 1/4-1/3 lb range starts getting hit-or-miss. Anything under 1/4 lb, and I don't give a damn about the meat being well done, as it's almost inevitable if you want the well-caramelized exterior.

That's actually kind of unusual for DMK to screw up like that. Every time I go there, the burger is always medium-rare or medium. The fries were all homemade too. I'm talking about the lombard location too. Were you there at an off time or something? I've always had great food and great service, and I'm the type of person that's extremely picky about my burgers. The free beer coupons for the next visit were also a nice touch as well. Usually these gourmet fast food burger places just get on my nerves like Smashburger and Five Guys, but I really gotta admit that DMK is worth going to. My only real complaint is that nothing comes with the burgers and they play the music way too loud (at the lombard location). I do also need to admit that I have only been there during the lunch rush, so during off-peak times they may let their quality slip.

Made the mistake of going here on Thursday. The plan was to sit at the bar, watch a game and have a burger. My buddy and I walked in, sat at the bar and were told by an employee the bar is closed. The TV's were on, the bartender was there and it's a burger "bar". A decent table was hard to find as the music was way too loud. The fries were fresh cut, but limpy. A first bite into a patty melt resulted in a flood of bloody grease on the entire bottom of the plate. The burger was reported to be overcooked, tasteless, and the bacon hard, tough and chewy. Not even near pink. Strangely enough, I only tasted lamb in my lamb burger every third bite, otherwise the meat was pretty tasteless, but the olives took care of that. Their flavor took over the entire burger, even after scraping off a tablespoon. Grease was everywhere, including all over the receiver for the check our server gave us. How does a super well done thin meat patty contain so much grease? It was the same with both sandwiches.
The employees were bored crazy. I do not understand the employee dress code. At least iron your ten year old jeans, make sure all of your buttons are secure and don't leave a dirty rag hanging out of your pocket. Bright red dyed hair all over the sink in the ladies room that matched the managers was a wonderful "sign"!.
This is considered one of the top restaurants in Lombard!!?? My....