Gallery • 3 Photos

Peter Wujek

Vegan Burger

The newest Instagram trend is all about crazy shakes stacked with sweets and cakes! These items are from crazy restaurants everywhere in the world. It seems almost impossible to try this trend yourself. Now, you can experience it for yourself at Crusade Burger Bar in Yorkville, Illinois.

This restaurant is a trendy spot right off of Bridge Street in Downtown Yorkville. The restaurant looks very simple on the outside, featuring a logo and a small sign. On my most recent trip, I went with three other friends. Upon walking in, you are greeted with a rustic and wooded bar area. Me and my friends were seated in the back room, which featured large murals across the walls.  Their menu includes burgers, mac and cheeses, and salads. Crusade also has an Instagram page (@crusadeburger) that provides pictures of the rotating Shake and Burger of the Week. These are crazy combinations, sometimes relating to holidays and celebrations. Highlights include the ‘Pride or Die’ shake in June, including rainbow cheesecake, a rainbow chocolate-dipped vanilla ice cream cone, and sprinkle donuts, stacked on a vanilla milkshake. A notable burger was the Honolucifer, with havarti cheese, grilled pineapple and jalapeno, citrus cabbage slaw, teriyaki drizzle, roasted red pepper coulis (a thick vegetable sauce), all stacked on a Hawaiian bun. Sadly, these items are only available for one week.

I got the rotating burger of the week, celebrating Lagerfest, Crusade’s idea of Oktoberfest. The burger included bacon, bratwurst, cheese curds, beer-braised onions, pickled cabbage, and mustard seed dressing. This burger had so many complex flavors and textures. The cheese curds and onions gave a mellow and pleasant flavor, blending nicely with the flavor of the patty, while the pickled cabbage had a crisp texture with a tangy flavor to balance out the smoothness of the cheese curds.  It was perhaps one of the best burgers I’ve eaten in the past year. One of the friends I went with, Mazvita Makoni, is a vegetarian. She tried Crusade’s vegan burger and described it as, “the best vegan burger I’ve ever had”. My two other friends ordered the traditional mac and cheese. They liked the pasta, but they described the garlic bread as having an overwhelming amount of garlic. I shared the Lagerfest shake with Taylor Sachs, and it was amazing. It featured a vanilla and apple compote shake, topped with apple streusel, snickerdoodle cookie, mini apple pies, cinnamon donut holes, and brown sugar cinnamon ice cream. Every item on the shake was delicious. The donuts and apple pies were both very fresh. The cookie was soft in the middle and crunchy on the edges. The ice cream was some of the best I’ve ever had. As our group described, “it tasted like fall, but frozen”. Sommer Harris and Mazvita split the ‘Burden of Sin’ shake. This shake featured a cookie dough shake, topped with ice cream sandwiches, cookie dough, a brookie (a cross between a cookie and brownie), and tons of whipped cream. My friends liked the shake a lot, but they both agreed that it was quite a lot to tackle by yourself. The toppings had large portions and were very rich. Despite the restaurant being busy, our food came to us rather quickly.

The service at the restaurant was excellent. The waiter was friendly and attentive, while not being overbearing. The only problem I have with this restaurant is the price. Burgers ranged from 12-17 dollars, while the shakes cost 15. A bill can get expensive very quickly, especially if you pay for someone else. In conclusion, this restaurant is nine out of ten stars. The only drawback is the price, but the great food and shakes are well worth it.