Bonfire

Told when we were seated that they were a little backed up. Waited 90 minutes for a poutine appetizer and then another 40 for our hamburger entrees. Frequently told our order would be up soon. A patron at the bar that arrived an hour after us received their burger before ours. All four burgers were well-done despite being ordered as medium and medium-rare.

It can rarely be said that the composition of every plate is perfect. Absolutely, positively delicious. Nothing lacked a thoughtful polish. The best calamari I've had inland, by a long shot. The ribeye could stand up a head taller than most. Home french onions, greens roasted to wilt, roasted mushrooms emboldened by compound butter that also serves the steak in droves, and mind blowing honey drizzled crispy brussel sprouts. Perfection. Without expounding every enjoyable aspect of the experience, I'll say the drinks, service, staff, and location could only be improved by a larger bar and broader seating so that more patrons could enjoy this place. No notes, save one: Don't miss an opportunity to eat here.

What a hidden gem! We stopped from out of town and mostly because of the fact this restaurant is chef owned and they use locally raised beef for their burgers. It did not diss appoint from the service to the food. The server was amazing and very helpful, he even let us know that they use locally grown greens from Sweet Briar. His passion for Bonfire showed and given this was our first visit to Amherst, he was very welcoming. The menu options were very impressive, the special soup of the day was fantastic, and we really enjoyed the buffalo fried cauliflower starter. My husband was impressed with the bourbon options and enjoyed one of the flights. We left full, happy and eager for our next trip into town.

We visited while traveling. It wasn’t far from the interstate so it didn’t add much time to our route. It was a weeknight and things had slowed down early so the kitchen was closing early. We arrived with only one minute to order and the staff was nice enough to still serve us. (Thanks again, staff. If you’re reading this. We appreciate you!) We both had burgers and split fries and a side of Mac n cheese. Everything was good, especially the lamb burger. The staff were so friendly. They even helped us with recommendations for hiking in the area that we wouldn’t have otherwise ever found.

I just wanted to share a great experience we had tonight at the Bonfire Burgers & Bourbon. It was absolutely delicious. For drinks we had the following: Gin lemonade. Old fashioned. Extra dirty Martini. Spicy tequila fizz, and 2 Cosmopolitans, one sweet and one sour, both excellent! Can't say enough about the mixologist (Bartender). He's wonderfully talented. For appetizers we had: Nashville chicken wings in a warm homemade cream cheese with crispy thin sliced toasted French bread slices. Cremimi mushrooms, and smoked bone in chicken wings with pickled red onions and arugula. For our entree's we had: Cowboy burger with seasoned fries. Rib eye steak with crispy mac n' cheese, sauteed onions and peppers dressed with a chimichurri sauce. Grass fed beef burger on fried goat cheese patty wit