Burgers, fries and milkshakes aren’t an original concept, but the newly opened Mooyah in Fitchburg does all very well. The chain adds a differentiater by offering many topping choices.
Start with the Mooyah Burger ($5.69). The patty reminds me of Culver’s, except this version is heavily seasoned, leaning on the salty side. Although by itself the burger is fairly tasty, especially with the lightly toasted bun (white or wheat; you also can choose lettuce), you can then add various cheeses (e.g. bleu), vegetables (e.g. fried onion strings, jalapenos, etc.) and sauces (e.g. spicy ranch, buffalo, etc.) to further enhance the profile.
I asked for everything on the all-natural turkey burger ($5.69). To my pleasant surprise, the patty was juicy, not at all dry. While all the properly proportioned toppings made the burger huge, it wasn’t unwieldy, and the ingredients didn’t explode out, which I appreciated. The Mooyah sauce was essentially just mayonnaise and ketchup.
The hot dog ($3.99) was butterflied, and although the bun-to-dog ratio was a bit high, I still enjoyed the ballpark taste. I definitely would order it again.
With huge sacks of potatoes on display at the front counter, you have to expect good fries, and these fresh-cut fries were wonderful–not too greasy, good crisp, excellent potato flavor. The sweet potato fries were well-prepared, too, though be warned that these, like the burgers, are heavily seasoned.
Lots of shake flavors here, from mint chocolate chip to strawberry banana (small for $3.49). I enjoyed both the Oreo and the M&Ms flavors, but both were way too thick that the straw proved worthless. In fact, I would classify these shakes as similar to Dairy Queen’s Blizzards–in other words, use a spoon to enjoy these so-called shakes.
My only negative experience was how long it takes to order. It’s obvious the cashiers have to follow an exact order of asking what you want, meaning you can’t jump ahead. For example, I asked for a Mooyah burger combo on wheat with no toppings to go. That became: what type of bread? what cheese? what toppings? what sauce? any fries? for here or to go? Uh, I already told you all of that.
Mooyah is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.
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See more photos in our Mooyah Flickr album.
Grilled items weren’t a hit, unfortunately. The ribeye ($19 for 12 oz., $25 for 16 oz., $33 for 24 oz.), while tender and super juicy, had a weird char taste, almost as if really old coal was rubbed on parts of the steak. In fact, the hamburger ($8) was the same way.
