A Burger That Competes With O'Sullivan's and Mr. Bartley's

Maybe I was just extra hungry last night, or perhaps it was the appetite-inducing walk through Jamaica Plain beforehand, but last night I had a burger that nearly knocked me off my feet (in a good way!). The place? Zon's, on Perkins Street in JP.

Zon's is a funky, quirky dining spot that wouldn't be out of place in Greenwich Village or Haight-Ashbury, and is certainly a restaurant that just feels "right" in Jamaica Plain, being that it is one of Boston's most offbeat neighborhoods. The food there is terrific, but the burger that I had there last night particularly impressed me. It was a big meatball of a burger, placed (along with a piece of cheddar cheese) in a big onion roll. The burger had a decent amount of pepper and some other seasonings in it and it was basically a big, juicy, piece of heaven--as big as it was, I could have had two, I think.

I have been to O'Sullivan's in Somerville countless times, and Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Cambridge a number of times, too, and to me, these are the two burger joints that set the bar for all the others in the Boston area. Does Zon's come close? I would say so. But because of the size and shape of the burger at Zon's, perhaps it should be compared more closely to O'Sullivan's. And in my opinion, O'Sullivan's does get the nod, but not by much. And if you include the fries in this comparison, it may be a dead heat, since Zon's has delicious hand-cut fries that are browned and salted just right, while O'Sullivan's has those rather nasty potato wedges that have little flavor.

It is all a matter of opinion when it comes to burgers (or any kind of food, for that matter), and the bottom line is, you can't go wrong with O'Sullivan's, Mr. Bartley's, or Zon's when it comes to grabbing a burger that will put a smile on your face. As for Zon's, I know I'll be back soon--I just wish it were a little closer to where I live.