Albert T.
Yelp
We were looking for a place for dinner near our hotel and came across The Burger Dive, winner of multiple best burger awards. Seemed promising! We stopped in for dinner about an hour before it closed and the place was packed! Tons of patrons, but luckily a table opened up for us as soon as we got in.
"San Fran" Garlic Fries, Basket ($13) - Woah, this must have been like two pounds of fries - they give a huge amount in the basket. As they came out to the table, they smelled amazing with a super pungent garlicky aroma. They tasted just like they smelled - super strong garlic only tempered by the heat of the fries to soften them a bit. The garlic here seems to be freshly hand chopped, irregular in shape, and some of the brown base of the cloves are present. The fries are fresh cut and seem to only be single fried so they aren't very crisp and instead are mostly floppy. Parmesan and herbs add additional flavor. They are quite generous with the toppings for the fries, so that each fry is graced with flavor. If you want additional flavor, there's ketchup at the table and you can request ranch dressing. (4/5)
The "I'm Your Huckleberry" Burger ($16.50) - They absolutely load this burger up with goat cheese. It's a cheese that is quite strongly flavored to begin with, and it's a bit overwhelming to be honest. The huckleberry is surprisingly good with a tangy, nice fruity flavor. It makes sense since there's a lot of sweet, fruit and goat cheese pairings. For some reason I got a bit of a tingle and spicy note just in the huckleberry jam. I'm not sure if I was imagining it or not. The burger patty is cooked medium well and is exceptionally juicy. Arugula adds a vegetal, bitter note to temper the rich cheese and beef, although it's softened from the heat of the burger. The bacon reinforces the meaty richness, although it's not thick enough to add texture. I think the only shortcoming is that the burger is missing texture; everything is basically very soft, with no chew or crunch. (4/5)
We enjoyed the food so much we went again the next night for more:
Fresh Cut Chili Cheese Fries, Basket, Ordered Crispy ($15) - Yes! My only complaint about the garlic fries is completely solved. I definitely recommend getting the fries crisp. I'm not usually one to ask for substitutions or modifications to dishes, but they fried these up perfectly. I was served a basket with a piping hot mound of fries and toppings even more generous than the previous night. At one glance, I was sure there was no way we would be able to finish. They ladle on a bunch of chili and add a ton of shredded cheddar cheese that melts and creates a great cheese pull as you eat. The chili has a mix of beans including pinto and black and a good amount of ground beef. It's seasoned very well, on the salty side, but balanced well when mixed with the fluffy fries. The fries have great crisp on outside to stand up to the chili. Since the fries are single fried, it's not quite as fluffy and moist as a double fry but still delicious. (5/5)
The "Outlaw" Burger ($14.50) - They combine the same juicy, thick, medium-well burger patty with a sweet and vegetal poblano on top, fresh red onion to add just a bit of crunch, and caramelized onion for more sweetness. Melted cheese adds creaminess. Combined with the garlic mayo, the burger has a fantastic moisture level, with each bite being pleasant to chew. I especially loved the whole roasted garlic cloves on top of the patty. Yum! (5/5)
Flaming S'mores Milkshake ($8) - This was recommended by waitress who emphasized the "flaming" part of the milkshake. Say no more! When the waitress brings out the shake, she torches it right in front of you! The bundle of flaming mini marshmallows on top get very nicely charred. I especially enjoyed the charred marshmallows mixed into the shake as the bitter parts help balance the sweetness of the shake, and additionally adds some crunch. The ice cream has crunchy tiny bits of graham cracker blended in for additional texture. The ice cream itself is not very chocolatey for chocolate ice cream, and I thought I saw pale swirls in the shake, leading me to suspect it's perhaps vanilla with chocolate syrup swirled in? (5/5)
Great burgers, great fries (make to ask for them extra crisp), and great milkshakes. What else could you ask for? Go to The Burger Dive when you're in Billings and you won't be disappointed.
Bathrooms: Two individual rooms in the back, one for each gender.