Burgers and Beer: Kuma's Corner

We arrived at Kuma's at about 3:00 on Sunday afternoon.  Given the time of day, I (foolishly) expected just a short wait.  We pushed our way through the door and immediately into the crush of people, where the hostess told us to expect a two to two and half hour wait.  She was exceptionally helpful and friendly, somehow managing to maintain a pleasant demeanor while working in the midst of a mass of hungry and impatient people.  She told us to scope the bar for to-go boxes.  We did just that, and after about 45 minutes we sat down on the two corner barstools and got ourselves ready to order.

Our server/bartender was also excellent, which was somewhat surprising considering the reputation of the food, ever-present crowds, and the bar's heavy metal persona.  Unlike many other places that have become more popular than the "original" crowd might prefer, I could detect no favoritism in the service at Kuma's.  Tourists, yuppies, and metalheads were all served in turn and with a smile.

The menu is really unlike any burger menu I've ever seen.  After some deliberation, I settled on the Led Zeppelin: one of their enormous burgers topped with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese, and dill pickles.  My friend opted for the Lair of the Minotaur, topped with pancetta, brie, caramelized onions, and poached pears.  Kuma's is not just some gimmicky place where they are able to sell mediocre burgers because they have outrageous toppings.  The burgers, and toppings, are actually really, really good.  The burgers are huge patties of high-quality beef that are cooked to order and served atop a slightly chewy pretzel  roll.  Ours also came with a generous serving of house-made waffle fries. 

The beer menu is not expansive -- I counted 6 on tap and another 30-35 in bottles.  The beers they have, however, are very good.  And the selection is sufficiently large to find successful pairings for the "Pantera" (topped with roasted poblano pepper, bacon, chedder and monterey-jack, house-made ranchero sauce, and tortilla strips) or the "Bongzilla" (topped with 1/4 lb. Sheboygan bratwurst, smoked gouda, caramelized onion, Dusseldorf mustard, and jalapeno apple chutney).  I had an Alpha King Pale Ale from Three Floyd's and my friend had an Allagash White Ale.  Both worked quite well with our respective burgers, though I'm open to return visits to test other flavor combinations.

The restaurant is located at 2900 West Belmont Avenue.  They don't accept reservations, and I would recommend going in as small a group as possible.  The food (and beer) is well worth the semi-claustrophobic wait.  It will probably be quite some time before I find a better burger to pair with my Alpha King.