The Best Place to Grab a Burger in Saratoga Springs, NY

Saratoga Springs is known for its history, beauty, and charm. The summer months are filled with horse racing, polo games, and outdoor events at Saratoga State Park. Summer time in Saratoga is great time to start looking for that perfect burger. Do not grill out tonight, head over to one of these great restaurants for a mouth-watering treat.

Circus Cafe

The Circus Cafe is located right on Broadway in the heart of downtown Saratoga. This circus themed restaurant serves lunch, dinner, and has a late night bar. The Circus Cafe is a fun atmosphere for the entire family. Children are delighted to be surrounded by decor that is all circus memorabilia and adults love the dim lights and laid-back feeling of the restaurant. It is one of the best restaurants for people of all ages.

The Circus Cafe provides more than exceptional food. There is always some form of entertainment going on. Some nights it is karaoke and other nights the restaurant will host a book club. Have a Birthday party or an office event to plan? Your in luck, the Circus Cafe does catering as well. They also have a large private back room if you want to have a party on-site.

Just recently the Circus Cafe won "Reader's Choice Best of Awards," by the Saratogian in these three categories; Best Burger, Best Family Restaurant, and Friendliest Service. The Circus Cafe serves juicy burgers with fresh toppings. These burgers are so large you need to cut them in half before eating.

You may come in for the burgers but be sure to check out some of their other offerings. The fresh mozzarella and tomato basil salad for $7 goes along great with a burger. My favorite dessert dish would be, "the circus maximus blackout sundae." This sundae consists of vanilla ice cream, their own homemade chocolate cake, drizzled in a hot fudge topping with whip cream. This dessert cost $9, but it can easily be shared by two (or three if you have a child).

There menu does not disappoint at all; salads, wraps, sandwiches are made to order. Some of their signature dishes are Big Top Chicken Pot Pie, Mad Hatter Fish and Chips, and Yankee Pot Roast. They also have an extensive children's menu with fun names like "Bear's Bite Grilled Cheese" and "Lion's Fare Hamburger/Cheeseburger." All children's meals are served with Circus Fries along with carrots and celery with ranch dipping sauce. Reasonable prices from $5 to 6.50 for children 12 and younger. Be sure to enjoy some homemade cotton candy; it is bigger than your head and comes with sprinkles.

Juicy Burgers

Juicy Burgers is a chain restaurant but is fairly new to the Saratoga area. It is a company that values our environment and uses green products whenever possible. There is one located in town right next to Hannafords, which makes it really convenient. Do your grocery shopping and then bring home dinner. Juicy Burgers has amazing burgers.

The first thing I love though is they offer the convenience of online ordering. It is great to just go online, customize your order, and tell them when you want to pick it up. The Juicy Burgers by my house offers "ten percent Tuesday" where you get ten percent off your entire order that you make online. You can also go into the restaurant and place your order at the store computer. I like this concept because it gives me a moment to decide what I want without someone staring at me. They are open daily from 11 am to 9pm; its great having something open early.

Juicy Burgers makes 100% fresh burgers. You can have an original juicy burger, roasted red pepper burger, a mushroom burger, or you can customize your own. Build your own buy choosing your own combination of toppings.

You can actually substitute a steak burger for chicken breasts if you are not in the mood for a burger. Add on a house salad or soup to complete your meal. Other compliments are onion rings, sweet potato fries, and Yukon gold fries. You can also mix and match and have a combination of side dishes. You also get unlimited refills on Pepsi products and coffee. My favorites for the children's menu are hot dogs, chicken tenders, and grilled cheese. These portion sizes are big so expect to take some home.

Prices do add up quickly at Juicy Burgers. After all, you purchase your burger and the sides separately. A dinner for two can easily be $30. Now I find the burgers alone worth it, but others may not justify spending that much. A lot of people may take into consideration that this is not a relaxing sit down kind of restaurant. The atmosphere runs more along the lines of a sophisticated McDonalds.

Putnam's

Putnam's is located right inside the elegant Gideon Putnam hotel. The hotel is situated right inside of Saratoga Springs State Park. Putnam's is easily accessible; it is located on the backside of the hotel. There is plenty of convenient parking. Here they offer delicious burgers cooked to your satisfaction.

All burgers are cooked to your specifications and served on a toasted potato roll. They are very simple but delicious; the meat is so tender you do not need to add much else. Putnam's offers a variety of foods; sandwiches, chicken entrees, and pasta dishes. They also have their own signature dishes that are fancier. Pear Salad, Pan Seared Scallops, Pecan Crusted Chicken, and Broiled Steelhead are some of the most popular items on the menu.

Prices vary significantly depending on your dish. You can expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $24 for an entree. Once you add on your drinks and dessert you can see that the price adds up fast. A simple suggestion to save money here is by using Restaurant.com before you go. When I ate here last week I first printed off a coupon from Restaurant.com. For those who do not know what it is, it is a website where you can purchase food certificates for a discounted price. All you do is log on to their website, type in your zip code, and then you will see all the restaurants that participate in your area. I was able to purchase a $25 gift certificate for $10 and I also noticed that they offered $10 gift certificates for $4. Each restaurant does have their own guidelines so make sure you read the fine print before purchasing. I know at Putnam's they only except one coupon per party and the order must be over $35.

This restaurant is newly renovated. They have merged fine dining with a more relaxed and causal atmosphere. You can sit at the bar overlooking the park or you can have an intimate table by the fire place. Hours do vary throughout the season so it is best to call ahead, 518-226-4719.

Sources:

http://www.circuscafe.com/

http://www.orderjuicyburgers.com/index.php

http://www.gideonputnam.com/Dining.aspx

http://www.restaurant.com/rdc_site2.net/listings.aspx?StateID=&zip=12866&