Bacon Cheeseburger @ The Mug.

The Indy Burger Guy visited The Mug again on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. Read about his previous visit by checking out his review of The Original.

My wife and I really enjoyed our foray to the Mug last year, so we decided to take a little trip up to Greenfield to try it again on a day we both had off work. It was a hot day, but there was plenty of shade at the outdoor eatery, so we picked a nice shaded table, had a seat and enjoyed our meal.

My wife went with The Original, which is what I’d had last time. Though there were a few variations on that basic burger make-up, this time I opted for The Bacon Cheeseburger,  which has everything the Original does, but with a couple slices of crispy bacon on top to help tie it all together.

Just like the last time I was here, I was impressed by the freshness of all the ingredients that go into the food at The Mug! In fact, I was thrilled when I first got out of the car to see that there were tomato plants outside, meaning the the restaurant is sourcing their own tomatoes! It doesn’t get much fresher than that! And, as I believe I mentioned in my last review of The Mug, all their meat – beef, chicken, and pork – comes from Tyner Pond Farm right in Greenfield, which only helps boost that high freshness quotient!

There’s a high quality at work too, which to my mind goes hand-in-hand with the freshness of the ingredients. The Bacon Cheeseburger uses high quality local ingredients that are as fresh as they can be, which makes a HUGE difference in how your food tastes!

And the taste is really top-notch. My biggest complaint with the flavor is the seasoning, which was a bit overpowering for me.  I’m not sure if that came from the addition of salty bacon or an overzealous hand at the grill, but the seasoning did conspire to drown out the flavor of the beef (which is a no-no for the Burger Guy).

The Bacon Cheeseburger comes with lettuce, tomato (a rather thick slice), red onion, melted American cheese, and a generous dollop of “Mug Sauce,” which may also have been the source of the seasoning issue I discussed earlier. The bun itself seems very much like a standard burger bun, but the burger itself wasn’t so terribly messy that I had issues with the burger falling apart – aside from some errant Mug Sauce run-off. The beef patty is thin enough that it does throw off the MTB ratio and, while the bacon certainly helps, a double patty seems a necessary addendum when dining at The Mug to help maintain a proper ratio.

All that being said, The Mug makes a really tasty burger and is probably one of the very few places in Central Indiana where you can find food this fresh that won’t completely clean out your bank account. (They’re priciest burger – and priciest menu item PERIOD – is a triple bacon cheeseburger called The Mug-A-Nator and it only costs $9.50, which is cheaper than just a regular cheeseburger at some local establishments.)

And if Greenfield is too far a drive for you, The Mug also has a newer location in Irvington which I’ve yet to travel to yet, but if they serve the same food there, you’re in for a real treat that’s closer to home!

EXECUTION: 3.0/3.5
APPEARANCE: 1.2/1.5
TASTE: 4.6/5.0

FINAL RANKING: 8.8/10

THE DETAILS:
The Mug
Two locations – Greenfield and Irvington
themug.com
Cost Range: $–$$ ($6 and under; $7-$12)