Zombie Burger + Shake Lab

As a self-proclaimed "foodie" I follow just about every food blog, Instagram, and Tumblr known to man; so as soon as I saw this off the wall burger joint pop up on my Instagram timeline, I just knew I had to stop by. Although typically out of the way from the Joliet area, this Des Moines dive became a destination on my late summer road trip this week.

Pulling up to this restaurant I almost couldn't find it as it was tucked away in a crowded strip mall off of the I-80 expressway. In my head, I imagined Zombie Burger to be a funky urban restaurant off the beaten path, but to my surprise, it was hardly a step up from a fast food joint! As quoted by the restaurant themselves, their "GOREmet eatery serves fast food with a culinary edge."

Feeling the need to go big or go home, I got the craziest burger on the menu, The Walking Ched. this bizarre burger came with two patties, topped with homemade mac n cheese, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, mayo, all stacked on buns made of battered and deep fried mac n cheese. As a DIEhard mac-n-cheese fan, this burger was calling out my name.

Upon first bite, I was a bit overwhelmed by the cheese and decided to disassemble the burger and eat it with a fork instead. The fresh mac-n-cheese on the burger was by far the best part of this dish. Creamy, cheesy, spicy, and just TO DIE FOR. On the other hand, the mac-n-cheese "buns" were a definite miss for me. Because the mac needed to be frozen into circular shapes to batter and fry it, the sauce turned to liquid and the noodles were overcooked. Otherwise, all of the burger elements worked perfectly together and made for a satisfying meal.

Accompanying the burger was a large side of Zombie Poutine, a layer of well-done fries topped with cheese curds, all smothered in house gravy. Besides the gravy being excessively salty, this was by far the best part of the meal.

Although I didn't get a milkshake, they are supposed to be even better than the burgers. They all came with iconic names like "Zombie Unicorn", "Human Centipeach" and "2 Swirls, 1 Cup" (if you get it you get it if you don't don't google it.

Overall this off the wall dive lived up to the hype. If I find myself back in this area of Iowa, this is definitely a place on my food bucket list.

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FOOD RATING: 7.5/10

PRICE RATING: 9/10

ATMOSPHERE RATING: 8/10