It had been a few years since I first visited Abridged Beer Co. in Beardenand tried their hamburgers. Back in 2019, I thought favorably of the food, which, at the time, was a secondary aspect of the local brewery. Flash forward seven years, and the business has continued to expand, now offering more locations that brand themselves as burger restaurants. And yes, they still serve beer. The Grub Spouse and I headed up to the new Abridged Burger Co. at the Belltown development in Powell.
The place definitely had that new-restaurant shine to it, boasting comfortably contemporary interior styling and unmarred furnishings and decor. Customers queue up to place their orders at the counter, but we took a few moments first to (re)familiarize ourselves
with the expanded food offerings.
Not unexpectedly, burgers are the primary focus, but the menu outlines other sandwich options as well as salads and side items. All burgers feature two smashed patties made with a blend of beef and brisket and, in some cases, grilled onions. Cheese is layered between the patties, and Martin’s potato rolls round out the core structure.
The six burger options include the Classic (American cheese and grilled onion) and the Frita, made with aioli, potato sticks, bacon, Swiss cheese and guava jelly. I ordered the Ole Smoky ($17), featuring aioli, fried onion, barbecue sauce, bacon, provolone cheese, grilled onion and jalapeño jam. All burgers are accompanied by seasoned fries, but I paid two bucks more to try their cheese curds.
The Spouse had six chicken sandwiches to consider, several of which are simply poultry-based versions of the burgers. One exception is the Easy Tiger sandwich topped with cilantro lime aioli, Asian slaw, crunchy noodles, teriyaki and honey sesame jalapeño slices. The Spouse decided to try the Abridged sandwich ($16), which is made with aioli, Brussels sprouts, bacon, American cheese and grilled onion. The Spouse stayed with the default order of fries.
Among the remaining menu possibilities are BLT and Easy Tiger salads, chicken tenders and a couple of other sandwiches — hot ham and cheese and chicken salad. The sauce selection (for chicken tender dipping, etc.) is really interesting. In addition to the ones mentioned already, I noticed pickle ranch, honey mustard, Buffalo and the house Grand sauce.
When our food was ready, a staffer delivered our meals to our table in cardboard containers. I honestly didn’t remember much about my original Abridged burger experience other than the fact I thought it did a good job of living up to all the hype I’d heard.
This time around, I feel as if the burgers had leveled up in a major way over the past seven years. Or perhaps it was only my opinion that got a boost. Either way, the Ole Smoky burger made a big impression on my taste buds and the part of my brain that stores good things away for future reference. Flavors were dancing all over the place, making this burger absolutely fantastic, from patties to buns to toppings. Abridged is now cemented in my top three locally owned burger places (along with Stock & Barrel and Inskip Grill).
The Spouse (and I) had similar superlatives for the Abridged chicken sandwich. The Spouse was quick to dub it the “best chicken sandwich I’ve had in my life.” I’m also happy to report that the thinnish French fries and cheese curds were amazing as well. I’ll take these curds over Culvers’ any day of the week.
I won’t wait another seven years to give these burgers and sandwiches a go. In fact, I now consider my love for this restaurant’s fare to be fully unabridged.
Abridged Burger Co.
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Overall: 4.75
Address: 4528 Market Bell Way in Powell
Phone: 865-362-5467
Beer service only
Kids’ menu
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Bottom line: The burgers and chicken sandwiches at this local brewing company are worth hopping over to try at any of their Knoxville-area locations.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Abridged Burger Co serves top-tier sandwiches and sides | Grub Scout
