Best Gluten-free Burger in Atlanta

If you live in Atlanta and follow the gluten-free diet, you are likely aware that Shaun’s Restaurant in Inman Park has “Celiac Dinners” one weekend each month. The next one (on June 27^th) looks really fabulous and if we were not already booked that weekend, we might head into town to enjoy it. Gluten-free diners can always order gluten-free options at Shaun's, but the Celiac menu is a special treat!  

Almost a year ago, Chef Shaun told me he was working on a new concept restaurant that would be very gluten-free friendly. Later on I learned it would be a burger joint. I assumed a gluten-free friendly burger joint would have to offer a gluten-free bun and obviously, it would be nice if the fries were gluten-free as well. Last week, Shaun’s new place opened in the Westside Provision district on Howell Mill Rd. and the menu indeed offers both gluten-free buns and French fries.

We headed down to YEAH! BURGER for a bite on Sunday afternoon and it was well worth the trip. It's a very hip space with tall ceilings and environmentally friendly design touches. The menus are printed on recycled paper, much of the food is organic and the beef is grass fed beef from Oak Pastures in Georgia.

Since we arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon, we thought we’d find a fairly empty restaurant but that was far from the case. The place was jam packed and it was quite loud inside. There is a large patio that offers a more peaceful dining experience. 

We ordered two burgers (one with cheese), two gluten-free buns ($1.25 upcharge), one side of fries, one Coke and a milkshake. Our bill came to just over $26 with tax. You order and pay at the counter, where a large tip box is prominently placed. So, after spending almost $30, we found a seat and waited for our meal. The regular sodas are self serve, but Boylans all natural sodas are sold by the bottle for only $2. Bard’s gluten-free beer runs $5, which is $1 less than most places here sell it for. The bar area overlooks the open kitchen and was almost full of patrons just like the dining room was when we arrived. Our order came out surprisingly fast, considering the place had only been open for four days. The concept is good quality fast food, but not all places that make that claim live up to it, especially in the first week of business. 

The place was so busy that I wanted to look around at other buns to see what they looked like before I dove into mine. Sure enough, the other buns on various tables didn’t look anything like ours and the server that delivered them stated they were gluten-free before I could ask her about them. Good enough. The burger, bun and fries were all exceptional. The burger really tasted a lot like the burgers at Five Guys to both of us and so did the fries. But Five Guys doesn’t serve gluten-free buns (that I know of) and that fact makes YEAH! BURGER the place to go for gluten-free burgers and fries in Metro Atlanta.

The GIG approved gluten-free buns held together to the last bite and had no funny taste or texture. The buns go from freezer to oven in a closed container and are toasted in a dedicated toaster oven. It was a little more toasted on top than I prefer, but being able to have a gluten-free bun that actually tastes good at a restaurant outweighs that minor issue. It tastes like a “real” bun if you will, and no other bun I’ve had when dining in Atlanta fit that bill for me. The company that makes the hamburger buns is based in Atlanta and is currently offering her unique product only to restaurants.

The fries come with one sauce, but we didn’t order one. By the time we saw them on the menu, we'd already ordered. It is not noted on the menu they gave me to take home which sauces are gluten-free, so gluten-free guests should ask before assuming anything not noted as gluten-free actually is. YEAH! BURGER also serves grass fed beef hot dogs, but presently there is no gluten-free hot dog bun available. Like the staff at Shaun’s, the Yeah! Burger team is very concerned that their gluten-free offerings make it to the table gluten-free. There is a disclaimer at the bottom of the menu about the dedicated fryer being next to regular fryers and suggests that people with severe reactions to gluten might want to skip the fries. The fries I had were both delicious and gluten-free and I would gladly order them again.

Five Guys will continue to be our “go to” burger place because it’s four miles from our home. When we’re in the proximity of YEAH! BURGER and need a quick bite, we’ll definitely pop in for a quick and delicious meal! Hopefully, the gluten-free set in town, and those visiting the area (including those from the burbs) will take advantage of this new gluten-free dining experience offered by YEAH! BURGER.