Bella’s Burger Shack

52 South Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 (908)340-4545

http://bellasburgershack.com

Bella’s Burger Shack is a place that I found in Basking Ridge. They’re clearly doing things their own way. So is their way the right way?

The Place - Don’t give up if you can’t find Bella’s! Its not on the main street, but back around the building facing Henry Street. If you park on the South Finlay Ave like your Tom-Tom tells you to, you will have to walk around the building to find Bella’s. Its easier to just go up Henry street and find the parking lot right in front of Bella’s.

Inside, you’ll find a small cafe-like set up with with an extreme-sports-meets-a-trip-to-the-beach theme. There are skateboards and snowboards up on the wall but the floor is painted a sandy color and leads to a mural of a beach that is definitely not made to look like anywhere on the Jersey Shore (the water is blue, not green). The atmosphere inside is great, though, with laid back rock or reggae playing and an always friendly staff.

The Fries - are actual potato cut fries served in a brown paper bag that lets you watch the grease soak through. Any time you are handed a brown paper bag full of fries, you know you’re about to have some awesome fries. Its a fact of good eating.

The Sodas - At Bella’s, the soda fountains have Boylan sodas rather than the usual Coke and Pepsi selections.  Boylan’s is a New Jersey company that makes colas, birch beers and the like with real Cane Sugar. Its a bold taste compared to the common mass marketed colas. It’s not like I mind regular colas, but its nice to be offered something different. It does help make the experience at Bella’s a unique one, though.

The Dogs - are franks boiled in beer. There’s the Deth Dog, which is a hot dog fried with a strip of bacon wrapped around it. For some reason, I thought that this was the greatest idea ever. In actuality, I liked the regular dogs better.




The Sliders – are pretty cool. They’re thick little patties that are served on potato rolls. The pickles on them are tasty, and add a rich sweetness to the slider (I am not a pickle person, as I always toss away those little green sneaks. I loved Bella’s pickles, though.)

If you need a lot of burger, the sliders are actually a better value for quantity’s sake. 6 sliders are $9, while getting 2 full-sized burgers, which is roughly the same amount of food, are $10. So consider how hunger you are before you buy. Bella’s burgers does offer a bucket of sliders and fries, in case you and all of your friends are starving, but I haven’t had a chance to try that yet.

The Burger- is great. Bella’s has a couple of burgers that sound great, like the Crazy Horse buffalo burger with BBQ sauce or the Dave’s Pounder 1 lb Burger, but, honestly, I’ve been here three or four times and can not order anything but the Bella Burger. I love it. Its a thick beef patty on a potato roll (like the sliders) with an onion ring and Bella’s special sauce. The special sauce seems like it is a mix of mayo and onions specked with spices. Its tasty, and it makes me happy that I’m not eating McDonald’s over-processed, slippery sauce-like substance they cake onto Big Macs. The Bella burger is so good I normally order two at a time.

So do I like Bella’s Burger shack? Of course. Why write about someplace I wouldn’t recommend? Bella’s is great. They have one of the Best Burgers in New Jersey that I’ve had. Go there and eat.