Old School Burger | A Fábrica

New Review

Reviewed by Burger Grinch

Lured by the promise of a donut burger, A Fábrica, was a much anticipated stop on our Portugal Burger Odyssey. At first glance, this burger joint did not disappoint, having all the appropriate décor and tone of a legitimate burger player. We were a bit concerned the place was a fraud, but a peek in the kitchen revealed the chef pulling fresh brioche buns from their ovens. What a great first impression!

We never did get the Donut Burger, temporarily off the menu, but settled on the Old School Hamburger. So, how did A Fabrica’s Old School Hamburger measure up? Is A Fábrica Restaurant ultimately a top burger bar or best suited as a Butter Bun Bakery? Read on to find out what this Burger Grinch thinks!

Price:

€€

Old School Burger | A Fábrica

Taste

Toppings

Patty

Condiments

Bun

Cheese

/100

Quick Verdict: “So good it tore at the very fabric of space and time!”

Bun: 19/20

Excellent brioche bun. It was fresh, as seen with my own eyes. Structure was good and stayed intact until the hamburger was finished. The sweet brioche was a perfect compliment to the Old School.

Toppings: 16/20

The Old School Burger is not overly complex in design, true to it’s name. The signature toppings are chopped onions and pickles. The result is very pleasant; something wet, savory and with a vinegar accent. The result is something akin to a ‘relish,’ and a blend that had personal appeal.

Condiments: 8/10

A Fábrica produces their own signature sauce, “Molho Especial Fábrica.” The look of the sauce is very mayonnaise-like, though the texture was lighter. A nice sauce and I would be curious to try on other burgers or separate with fries, to try and identify the components.

Cheese: 8/10

The Old School comes with an iconic cheese choice, Cheddar. Melted to perfection, the cheese blended in perfectly with the burger and did not disappoint.

Beef: 19/20

100% All Beef Patty, cooked to absolute perfection, earning top marks for the chef. Check out the pink in the photo! That tint of pink is what all other burger cooks should aspire too! No less impressive is the patty composition. Many burger joints favor ultra lean beef mixes for their patty. A beef mix too lean tends to be dry, densely composed and lots of work to chew. Burgers need a good fat content to cook properly, create the right eating experience and taste.

Taste: 20/20

The Old School Burger tasted amazing. The burger components merge together in a complimentary way. No individual component was particularly notable, but together the achieved a perfect taste. Kudos to the architect of this masterpiece.

Verdict: 90/100

Excellent hamburger. The burger is simple in design, components are of the highest quality and care, with an amazing overall taste to the final product. Consider us impressed!

In conclusion, eating this burger was as much an emotional experience as savory. The wave of flavors, on first bite, transported me to a childhood experience at my local diner, East-West Diner. The East-West was truly old school in every way with iconic counter, red leather stools, shadowy booths and run by a Mom’n’Pop duo. The burgers were grilled fresh before our eyes and dressed with “hamburger relish,” which is a condiment fairly unique to my home country. The burger was so damn good it blew my mind; creating a powerful memory scarcely re-visited prior to eating this burger.

It is a notable and remarkable thing when a smell or flavor can elicit an emotional reaction and/or trigger a memory. Honestly, I had not expected so much from a hamburger, and yet that was precisely what A Fabrica delivered in their Old School Burger.

Like my namesake, The Grinch, I am not known for being so very emotional. The Old School experience showed a glimpse of a heart deep inside, though mine is definitely hamburger shaped!