Weekend burger lunch in Jungri, Icheon with a 5th-grader: Gladyburger

Why handmade burgers instead of fast food

This weekend's lunch was at Gladyburger, a handmade burger place in the Jungri District of Icheon. It all started with a book. I found out about it on a blog that steadily posts knowledge and ideas worth knowing in life. The book has a funny title, and while parts of it don't fit conventional sentiment, it holds insights I could relate to in many places. It took a negative view of cheap fast food like McDonald's, and it made me look back at something I'd never thought about deeply.

My son regularly announces that he wants this or that, listing his favorite dishes, and this time he said he wanted a burger. I happened to remember the book, too. Rather than ordinary mass-produced fast food, made to keep for a long time through distribution, I thought we should try a handmade burger place.

Parking and atmosphere at Gladyburger Icheon Jungri District

Gladyburger Icheon Jungri District branch has a large parking area behind the building. It's a distance you can do as a light drive, and for someone like me who hardly goes anywhere without a car, pleasant parking matters quite a bit.

The inside and outside are decorated in a fun, very American style. (I've never been to America, though... haha.) It was the weekend, so we came for a slightly late lunch around 1 p.m., and the place looked pretty busy with delivery orders too. As you'd expect from a burger joint, tables turn over fast, and several groups of customers came and went while we ate slowly. Seeing that, I figured I could relax about the freshness of the ingredients.

Seating that works for kids and solo diners

Gladyburger has high chairs, and along the windows there are seats where solo diners can eat comfortably. Even coming alone at peak time, you can sit easily without feeling awkward.

What we ordered at Gladyburger

At Gladyburger you sit at a table, take your time with the menu, then order at a kiosk. We got the signature Gladyburger combo (with fries), the simple-looking American Burger combo, and a kids' burger for my son. On top of that we added a cola, a milkshake, and the whole chili mozzarella sticks (₩3,900) that are apparently trendy these days.

Personally I'm dull about trends and have zero interest in whatever's hot right now. My fifth-grade son, unlike me, cares about this stuff, so he waited for the food with big expectations.

The self bar was neatly stocked with ketchup, wet wipes, disposable gloves and more, so you can take what you need.

Soon the handmade burgers, fries and chili mozzarella sticks were ready. The two burgers at the top are the Gladyburger and the kids' burger, and the one at the bottom is the American Burger I ordered. Because of a mix-up in ordering, one of the fries came sprinkled with seasoning... T_T For us, who like everything original, that's a small disaster, but oh well. I decided to treat it as training for flexibly accepting the many variables life throws at you, and took the first bite of the tasty-looking burger.

How the signature Gladyburger tasted

The Gladyburger is generously packed with fresh-looking vegetables (and they tasted fresh too), avocado and a beef patty. A burger that's too thick is awkward to eat, but here the bun and meat are both soft, so a gentle press with your hand gives you a thickness that's just right for biting. Delicious!

The American Burger shows off the basics

I picked the American Burger because it had a more affordable price and seemed simple. I don't like thick burgers and usually go for something like a classic cheeseburger. Other menu items were marked with a chili symbol, so I chose the American Burger, which had none. To me, a burger's stars are a good soft bun and an equally good patty, and on that count it felt like it was delivering flavor with excellent fundamentals.

Are the fries too salty?

We tried two kinds of Gladyburger fries: the original, and ones sprinkled with an onion-like seasoning. As always, original fries are the most familiar and tasty. Saltiness may be part of the charm, but I don't like fries that taste unhealthily salty. These had a moderate balance, not overdone, and made an excellent side for a good burger.

The trendy chili mozzarella sticks: actually good?

You can choose the spice level for the whole chili mozzarella sticks. We ordered level 1, about the heat of Shin Ramyeon, and my son really enjoyed it. It seems to be popular on social media these days, and plenty of foods like that turn out to be disappointing, but this one is apparently good for real. Even if we come again, I think he'll ask for it.

I don't eat burgers often, but when I do want one, I think a handmade burger like this is far better than ordinary fast food. I thought the same a few months ago while enjoying a burger at another handmade burger place, and the feeling came back this time.

At first I tried to cut the mozzarella sticks with a knife into bite-sized pieces for my son with a fork, but he said he'd seen somewhere that you should stretch the cheese and bite into it, so he ate it whole. Curious about the taste, I cut one to try a bite, and the cross-section was full of nicely melted cheese and looked delicious. It was tasty, but I liked the burger much more, while my son's opinion is that the burger and the mozzarella sticks are equally good, too close to call.

Would I recommend Gladyburger for an Icheon burger lunch?

Gladyburger says it sticks to fresh beef patties every morning, and the juices and aroma that spread with the first bite definitely tasted like good quality. They say they use good ingredients like organic vegetables, and I felt clean and refreshed even after eating.

It was a weekend where I came away with one more handmade burger place to drive to when I have time. For a tasty, easy Icheon lunch burger, that's Gladyburger's Jungri branch.