If they have burgers on their menu, much less on the sign brandishing the restaurant’s name, I always believe it should be worth checking out. I mean, why put something right at the front regarding something you can order and eat if you don’t think it’ll be any good, am I right? So, despite this week’s entry to Burger Month seemingly more concentrating on nachos (it’s in the name, after all) and their wings, I decided to check out Naughty Nachos’ Burger and Nachos combo.

I’ve always been intrigued by Naughty Nachos ever since I first saw it at SM Estancia. I do know they have branches in other locations but I don’t go to those places. SM Estancia is pretty close by to my location. In fact, it’s the same mall where I took a look at Farmery’s Farmery 2.1 burger a couple of weeks back. Naughty Nachos is like on the opposite end where Farmery so they aren’t exactly competing against each other. Besides, their clientele seems to be generally of opposite sides of the spectrum, with Farmery concentrating on more fancy dining while Naughty Nachos catering to a more “eat with your hands” type of people. That seems obvious as Naughty Nachos does have a more playful atmosphere, even leaving out tabletop games like Jenga on the table so you have something to do while waiting for your food.

One things I do have to mention is that, despite Naughty Nachos proudly saying they serve burgers right at the front, they surprisingly have a very limited selection. They basically have a quarter pound burger and you can add on to it with things like cheese, bacon or an extra quarter pound beef patty. There isn’t anything really super fancy like something with, say, kimchi or something like that. Just good ol’ fashioned and simple quarter pound beef patty burgers. There’s a nice simplicity to it. However, that does mean that the burger has to be good on its own, right? Well, I went ahead and ordered the most basic thing: their Burger Combo. I opted to pair it with nachos because, well, this is Naughty Nachos, after all. It would be kind of insulting to not try their namesake.

After waiting for a while, I did get my Burger and Nachos combo and, well, it didn’t look all too impressive. To be fair, the burger itself is fairly large. It looks a little bit larger than a quarter pound of beef, if you ask me. However, it’s also a very plain burger. No lettuce, onions or tomatoes. It did come with a couple of pickles, cheese, mayo, ketchup and what I’m assuming is a barbecue sauce. Other than than, it’s very barebones when it comes to accompaniments.

Of course, looks don’t matter to a really good burger. What matters the most is how it tastes. And, well, the burger I had at Naughty Nachos comes off as a missed opportunity. It does have the building blocks of what makes a good burger great but there are some problems. First, the positives. The beef patty is actually quite tasty on its own. It may lack a little salt but it not something that kills it. And, like I said, the size is rather impressive. The mere fact you’re getting this much beef for a fair price should be mentioned.

Now, while the beef patty itself is good, it’s the rest of the burger that does need some improvement. The barbecue sauce is actually quite good. It’s a little on the sweet side but savory enough to make it work. The problem is that the barbecue sauce, while good, does overpower the flavor of the burger. There’s just a smidge too much of it. There were times when I could only taste the barbecue sauce even though I was chewing on a good chunk of beef. The copious amount of barbecue sauce then causes another problem: burger integrity. The bun didn’t seem toasted and it absorbed the ketchup, mayo and barbecue sauce. This made the bun itself soggy, in turn making the burger difficult to handle. I honestly don’t have problems with messy burgers and Naughty Nachos is considerate enough to give you plastic gloves with your order. I do mention this just in case you don’t like messy handling burgers.

Going to the nachos that I did get with this burger and nachos combo, I will have to say they were really good. In fact, I do wish I got more of them! It was a rather small side dish of nachos with the usual toppings like fresh onions, tomatoes, grated cheese food and, of course, nacho cheese with a little ground beef on the top. It’s not the most unique toppings you get on a plate of nachos but, hey! Why mess around with something that works?

As good as the accompanying nachos were, I don’t think it paired well with the burger. I always thought the biggest reason why something like fries and onion rings pair well with burgers is because they feel relatively light and, even though they’re good, don’t have strong flavors. This is why you usually slather something like ketchup or mayo on them to make them taste better. Nachos, the ones with all the stuff put on them anyway, don’t have that problem. So, while they’re pretty good, they kind of clash with the burger. Even so, I still wish there was more nachos. They’re that good.

While it may seem like I’m knocking Naughty Nachos’ Burger and Nachos combo, I do think they’re pretty good. The burger patty itself is tasty enough and, if they don’t put too much barbecue sauce, I think this would be a great burger to get… with fries. The nachos are fantastic but they do take away from the burger a little. I do think I may go back to Naughty Nachos to try the other stuff first.

Have you tried Naughty Nachos’ Burgers? How about their nachos? Let me know what you thought of them in the comments section below!