Me and burgers go way back. Back when I was in high school and probably even college, burgers were my favorite food (besides Mexican). I probably craved a burger every other day. I still remember me and Trae’s first date to Outback Steakhouse back in the days where my foodie palette was just a baby. I ordered the Outbacker and when I think about that time, I’m pretty sure I got the Outbacker every time after our first date. Had you asked Trae what my favorite food was back then, he may have said The Outbacker. Every where I went, I always ordered a burger without fail. You know how people joke about how people always order chicken tenders when they go out? I was like that but with burgers instead.

I’ve always had an appreciation for burgers, you see. Whether it was a mcdouble from Mcdonald’s to an Outbacker from Outback to just a good home grilled burger. Burgers of any kind had a place on my plate. As I grew older, my palette started expanding and I started craving more “elevated” dishes. I forgot what it was about the simplicity of a burger that I loved. Sure, I still ate burgers from time to time but I still didn’t crave them like I used to. When I moved back to Charlotte, I was in search of solid neighborhood spots that I could order food from on any random given day. I ran across South 21 Jr, a burger joint. The jumbo cheeseburger here? Absolute fire. The bread is toasted, the patties taste home made and are perfectly charred. The melted cheese is mild and adds the right amount of saltiness. South 21 Jr brought my craving for burgers back to life. But it was Ace No. 3 who ignited my love for burgers once again.

Ace No. 3 opened up in the Fall of 2019. Ace is a concept from the owners of both the Waterman and Sea Level. I’m not a fan of the Waterman, but have heard great things about Sea Level. So my initial thoughts were iffy on this burger restaurant seeing as how the two I just mentioned are seafood joints. When they opened, I witnessed half of the population of Charlotte flock to Ace and immediately fall in love. Still, I remained skeptical. Alas, I ended up checking it out because:

A. I wanted to see if it was as good as my South 21 Jr burger.

and

B. If it was really this amazing burger people were making it out to be.

My mind was blown. I want to say this is the best burger I’ve ever had but I want to be cautious of future burgers that I’ll eat. Up until this point, the Ace burger has been the best burger I’ve ever ate. The Ace burger is magic. So what exactly comes on The Ace burger? Two patties, American cheese, onions, pickles, and comeback sauce. Simple yet delicious. The patties are on the thinner side while being in between two buttery buns. The cheese is melted to perfection and mixed with the comeback sauce creates the perfect combo for your tastebuds. For those that don’t know what comeback sauce is, it’s generally a mayo based sauce with a mix of other sauces such as ketchup, hot sauce, onion powder, pepper, and dry mustard. I’m not quite sure how Ace makes theirs but I could literally eat it with anything.

Shockingly, one of my favorite ingredients of this burger are the pickles. I’m not a pickle person at all but these pickles are perfection. Not only are they thinly sliced but their small so when you bite into the burger you get just the right amount of pickle. A lot of times with burgers, pickles are thicker and the overwhelming taste of them turns me off from the burger itself. This is usually when I take the pickles off of my burgers.

Let’s not forget about the sides. The fries at Ace are battered which gives them the ridgy texture. It’s worthy to mention that they don skimp you on the fries, either. They are so delicious. The onion rings remind me of a blooming onion from Outback (full circle moment, eh?). They aren’t battered thick at all which gives them a true ONION ring taste.

Besides the food, the service here is above and beyond. Manager Pierre has shown the most outstanding hospitality that I’ve come across in Charlotte. Literally. He speaks to everyone at the restaurant. He asks how you are? how’s your food? and genuinely wants to know your answer. He can spark a conversation with anyone and make them feel welcomed. He’s an awesome person. Not to mention, the rest of the staff is friendly and they act like they WANT to be at work which is a plus in my book when I go out to eat. The only thing about Ace that I can say is “negative” is the parking situation. But even then, the parking isn’t too terrible because you can find a parking spot throughout the neighborhood.

I’ve probably been to Ace 4-5 Saturdays in a row. Mind you, I have to drive longer than 10 minutes to get here. I’m a very lazy person (especially on the weekends) and the fact that I want to go to Ace every Saturday says a lot about what I think about this establishment. If you find yourself in Charlotte for any reason, you have to pay these guys a visit. You will not regret it. You may have to wait in a semi longish line, but I promise the wait is worth it. Thanks to them, my love for burgers is at an all time high again.

XoXo,

Wynee

 

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