With multiple locations around the world, The Counter is a classic burger spot. However, they’re in any NOBREADers good graces from the start, as they have a dedicated gluten-free menu, and they have gluten-free buns. That’s right – you don’t have to eat your burger on greens at this place, you can feel like a normal human by eating it with your hands…
What I really liked about The Counter is they are really serious about their food. The interior is modest, and the menu is practical. There are no distractions from the real reason you go there, which is to indulge in one of their several pre-designed or build-your-own burger options. They even have bison as a meat option, which was a huge selling point for me.
To take in The Counter’s versatile menu, I ordered something from pretty much every section on the menu. We started with the “Fifty-Fifty,” which is half an order of sweet potato fries, and half an order of regular. This really was the best of both worlds. Although I’ll always be partial to regular fries over sweet potato, I enjoyed the fact that the sweet potato fries were seasoned well.
Next came the round of entrees, which included the Hippie Salad, Mediterranean bowl, and a custom burger. The Hippie Salad was an exciting option, featuring tomatoes, quinoa, herbed goat cheese, and alfalfa sprouts, which I feel are a highly-underutilized salad addition. This dish originally comes with garlic croutons, but the kitchen happily omitted them to preserve the gluten-free nature of the dish.
The Mediterranean bowl was out of this world and way better than I expected. This delicious dish was chock full of tomatoes, olives, pepperoncinis, cucumbers, and feta, with a juicy turkey burger on top. Turkey gets a bad rap for being a fairly dry protein, but this patty was far from it, and the Mediterranean flavor profile showed through every bite.
Lastly, my friend and I created a custom burger. The Counter has so many options to choose from it was nearly impossible to decide, but we settled on a bison burger with avocado, fried egg, sautéed mushrooms, and bacon on a gluten-free bun. The bison burger was super tender and flavorful, but I was so shocked at how much I absolutely loved the mushrooms. I have no idea how these were seasoned, but damn they were delicious.
The Counter also has a custom shake feature to their menu. I can’t have dairy so I wasn’t able to try one for myself, but my friend ordered a banana chocolate shake and thoroughly enjoyed it.
If you’re ever craving a burger with an actual bun you can eat – or any other sandwich, for that matter – head to one of The Counter’s many locations. The low-key vibe and high quality food will have you heading back for more.