Since winning the first-ever Holland Burger Brawl, local food truck ZOMburgers has taken the lakeshore by storm.
The business is now a three-time champion of Burger Brawl, and continually draws crowds at events, offices, wineries and private events throughout West Michigan.
ZOMburgers has a fully-booked summer ahead, with a few mainstay offerings and a monthly feature. A schedule of upcoming dates, times and locations is available at zomburgers.com or facebook.com/zomburgers.
To help you decide what to order, we tried a handful of the truck’s tasty offerings in May, when the business was stationed near Culture Cheese Shop for Tulip Time.
Out taste test attendees included The Sentinel’s Cassandra Lybrink, Cassidey Kavathas and Mitchell Boatman, with the former testing the eatery’s concept and the latter two testing some menu mainstays (and, of course, the business’ famous fries).
Without further ado, here’s what we thought:
The Basic
Description: A burger with your choice of classic toppings (in our case, just cheese)
Cassandra Lybrink: I knew, as the picky eater of the newsroom, I’d be ordering the equivalent of a children’s burger — but I regret nothing.
The best thing about a smash burger is the ratio between burger, bun and toppings. ZOMburgers knows this. Even the simplest burger on the menu (with the simplest toppings selected) offers just the right caramelization on each patty, melted cheese and a soft-but-fortified bun for a satisfying bite. There’s no need to make a chopped cheese when you’re already getting everything in one go.
The Truffle
Description: Swiss cheese, bacon crumbles, lettuce and a truffle aioli
Cassidey Kavathas: This has an amazingly crispy patty balanced by the tang of the truffle sauce. The lettuce adds a touch of freshness. The fatty bacon also combines perfectly with the sauce.
Mitchell Boatman: A very tasty, well-balanced burger. The truffle aioli is flavorful but not overpowering.
The Spicy
Description: Pepper jack cheese, jalapeno crisps, lettuce, and a crunchy garlic chili crisp aioli
Mitchell: There’s definitely a kick here. As someone who likes spicy food, I’m all about it. It won’t blow out your palate, but the heat is there. The crispiness of the jalapeno and chili crisp is a nice touch to add some texture.
Cassidey: The heat catches you quick! I love the crunch of the peppers.
The Manhattan
Description: American and Swiss, bacon crumbles, lettuce, garlic aioli, and bourbon sauce
Cassidey: This sweet bourbon sauce is great with the garlic aioli. The bun is also a perfect vessel to soak everything up!
Mitchell: I’ve had this burger once before, when it was the winning entry in the 2023 Burger Brawl. I named it the burger I’d most like to have again — and nearly three years later, here we are. It’s just as good as I remember. The bourbon sauce is fantastic, the garlic aioli adds a nice touch. It’s a truly great burger.
Signature Seasoned Fries
Cassandra: I’m a diner fry type of girl, so this was different than my usual go-to. ZOMburgers whips up healthily seasoned, fresh, crunchy fries with your choice of ketchup or a special truffle aioli. It’s not my usual salty, foldable diner fry, but it still hit the spot.
Cassidey: Now this is a signature fry. They’re perfectly seasoned and have just the right crunch.
Mitchell: These are incredible fries. They’re crunchy, well-seasoned and good enough to stand on their own. The truffle aioli, which also comes on the truffle burger, is a great pairing.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: We tried five menu items from ZOMburgers. Here’s what we thought
Reporting by Mitchell Boatman, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mitchell Boatman, Holland Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
