Neighborhood Eats: Burger shack brings Strange Flavor to Bushwick, Brooklyn
BUSHWICK (WABC) -- Troutman Street in Bushwick is a little bit industrial, very colorful, and probably not the place you would think of for a great burger, but it's where Strange Flavor Burger Shack has made a home and become a destination.
You'll notice the graffiti and maybe the Johnson's, a bar set back from the street, but inside a little wooden shack, food memories are made.
Bill McGovern opened Strange Flavor Burger Shack in 2016 from an idea born over meals of Sichuan food with his partner.
The name is a nod to a Sichuan technique and flavor profile.
"It's like fermented sweet-savory all kind of together," McGovern said.
And that's a key component to the special sauce on the pop burger that's also slathered on the fries done animal style.
"The texture of the burger is crazy. It's like a whole vibe coming here, and then you get the french fries," one customer said. "The food is literally A-one, perfect."
The chop burger has peanuts, cilantro, scallion and a mala glaze while the dusty corn dog gets a kick from togarashi.
The chicken sandwich is extra crispy, chili oil adds heat, and it too has a following.
"I bit into it and instantly knew this was something i was going to keep coming back for," another customer said. "It's a hole in the wall, for sure, in the realest sense of the word. A foot passer comes in and it changes their life."
There's an identical vegetarian menu.
Strange Flavor never closed during the coronavirus pandemic and in fact, did pretty well.
"People found us online through the delivery apps. We were busy, so we have a whole new base of people who also enjoy the food," McGovern said.
And they've opened a second location inside the Broadway, a bar featuring live music.
"It's food that people want when they're out at the bar, that's just different enough, just exciting enough that people remember it," McGovern said.
Strange Flavor is open every day 1 p.m. - 11 p.m. and if you get lost, someone on the street can probably guide you in.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a News Tip
