Burger 21 - Buford

Burger 21 is a great choice if you’re in the Buford, Georgia area and in the mood for a truly satisfying burger that’s a significant upgrade from typical fast food. The staff is friendly, making for a pleasant dining experience, and the atmosphere is welcoming enough to enjoy your meal. The burger itself was quite good, especially considering it comes from a growing chain that has locations in various states. I appreciate Burger 21's business model; it elevates the fast food experience both in terms of atmosphere and food quality. If you’re in the vicinity and looking for a delicious burger, I highly recommend Burger 21. Be sure to check it out for yourself!

Burger 21 offers delicious food at a reasonable price. While they don’t serve gourmet burgers, they excel at providing consistently high-quality options, a generous shareable fry basket, and a variety of sauces available at a self-serve station. The sauces are the highlight of the meal; I love experimenting by mixing different ones with various burgers. For example, dipping fries in the marshmallow sauce (trust me, it goes surprisingly well with the salty fries) or trying the B21 sauce, which tastes like a blend of mayo, ketchup, and pickle juice. You order at the counter, select a table, then help yourself to drinks and as many sauces as you like. The food is served quickly but is always fresh. My favorite burger is the mushroom burger, followed closely by the bacon bleu cheese burger.

Burger 21 is situated directly across from the Mall of Georgia, in the same shopping center as Best Buy and Target. During my visit, which was at lunchtime, the restaurant was quite busy, and it seemed a bit understaffed. Unfortunately, no tables were clean. The service was average and gave me the impression of being in just another fast food burger chain. There wasn’t anything particularly special that made Burger 21 stand out from others. The prices are on the higher side for what you get, and they offer an a la carte menu. I tried the BBQ bacon burger with an iceberg lettuce bun, and it was decent. The burger was cooked well and tasted good, while the sweet potato fries were also just okay.

I absolutely love this place! My daughter and I visited back in May 2020, and this time I came with my partner. The experience was just as fantastic, with excellent customer service. I tried the Thai Shrimp burger, but be warned – it’s spicy, so if you don’t like heat, you might want to skip it. It was delicious! My partner ordered the Tex Mex, which was also very tasty. And you must try the Strawberry Shortcake milkshake – it’s a fantastic twist on the usual burger and definitely worth getting!

However, this is where I have to lower my rating to two stars. About two hours after our meal, both my daughter and I became ill. I’m updating this review three days later to share that my daughter has been suffering ever since, dealing with stomach upset, nausea, and diarrhea. I regret having to be so graphic, but I feel it's important to warn others considering eating here. I experienced two days of illness, migraines from my stomach problems, and felt extremely weak. My other daughter didn’t get sick, and the only difference is that both my daughter and I had the strawberry shake—though I sampled it from her—and we both had lettuce on our burgers. My other daughter avoided these two items and remained fine. This leads me to suspect that there was something off with either the strawberry shake or the lettuce, which may not have been washed properly. Overall, we won't be returning, even if offered a free dinner. The experience has left us hesitant to eat here again, which is unfortunate since the food itself was tasty. No meal is worth the risk of food poisoning.