I’ve been very good the last few weeks after returning from my trip overseas. I haven’t been eating out or ordering in, and I figured that needed to change. I had quite a few errands to run today, so I decided to take myself to lunch first. I’d asked for suggestions from friends, and Cabalar Meat Co. was recommended.
Before getting started on my to-do list, I headed to Lancaster for lunch. Cabalar is on West Lemon St., but there is parking available in a small lot off of Spruce St. Warning: if you are not comfortable with driving between two very close cars, you’ll want to find on-street parking and not drive down Spruce St. The city allows parking on both sides of the street, which leaves a very narrow gap which seems almost impossible to navigate if you’re in a larger vehicle.
First impressions: Cabalar is large and airy with a back patio with some seating and what looked to be very inviting fire pits. I imagine that’s a popular space when it’s a little chilly outside. I entered from the lot, which is the back entrance to the restaurant. It made for some confusion because you need to look up and to the right when entering to see the sign directing you toward the counter for food orders. The staff was very pleasant and sent me off in the right direction.
The menu is accessed through a QR code that links you to Cabalar’s website. It would be nice if you could order online, but that isn’t an option that I saw. Please correct me if I just missed it. I’ve gotten spoiled during my travels, being able to do everything from my phone!
Once I ordered my burger, I headed to the counter at the back to order an IPA. You can order soft drinks and milkshakes with the food, but anything else must be ordered separately. There wasn’t a line, so it was a quick transaction.
I’m glad that was quick because getting the food wasn’t. I had ordered the Macdaddy with fries. I was surprised at the more than 15-minute wait for the food to be ready. I have no idea how long it truly was because I had sat down and played on my phone for a bit before realizing it was taking a while and that’s when I started keeping track.
As for the food - I was disappointed. I’d heard so many good things about Cabalar that maybe I went in with my expectations set too high to be fair to the restaurant.
The beef tallow fries had a lingering and unpleasant aftertaste that was unlike any tallow fries I’ve had before. They also were not crisp. Many of the fries were limp and soggy. Even ketchup didn’t help.
The Macdaddy is a play on a more famous fast-food burger. The sauce on it was terrific and I did enjoy it. The burger itself was messy in a good way, like you’d expect from something that was a play on that kind of burger. But I should have gone with the double patty option because the meat was lost in the sauce and lettuce. I also only realized the burger had cheese when I looked at the menu description again: “Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions On A Sesame Seed Bun”. I didn’t taste any cheese on the burger.
Will I go back? Yes, because I’d like to try Cabalar at a more regular dinner time to see how it differs from an early Sunday lunch. Also, I think I will have to try one of the plain burgers so I can get a better sense of the quality of the meat.
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