Sentenced to Burgatory!

Bless me hamburger gods, for I have sinned!  Send me to Burgatory!  No really…Burgatory, a cheekily named restaurant located at The Pointe in Robinson, delivers unique options for burger lovers.

Owned by partners Mike Hanley and Jerry DiLembo, Burgatory was born out of both gentlemen’s love of burgers.  After many travels and sampling burgers along the way, the two felt that Pittsburgh was lacking. But that did not mean it was easy to come up with the name of the restaurant.  

“One night, Jerry and I were struggling to come up with a fun and creative name for our concept,” said Hanley.  “Jerry started talking about how in Italian his name, DiLembo, means limbo....as in purgatory.  And as soon as he said purgatory, we both said, ‘BURGATORY!’”

With menu items as distinctive (and as uniquely named!) as the restaurant itself, there is something for everyone at Burgatory.  The “Farmer Brown” burger includes an over easy egg.  The “Meet Your Maker” burger includes Gruyere cheese and truffle aioli.  Not a beef fan?  Maybe the “The Crab Shack” or “Phat Patti’s Veggie” burgers are for you.  Not a sandwich or burger person?  No problem! A number of salads including the “Sonoma Grilled Chicken” and “Green Apple and Quinoa” are available.

Besides burgers, the restaurant is known for its milkshakes.  Described as “Heavenly” on the menu, choices include: “Campire S’mores,” “PB&J,” and “Salted Nutella Crunch.”  There are even special shakes for the over 21 crowd!  “Hard Shakes,” like “Monkey Business” and “Grand Dad’s Secret,” are spiked with liquors that compliment the flavors of each.

“We tried to put things on the menu that we love and want to eat,” said DiLembo.  Hanley included, “As far as the names, we always just try to have fun with them and we think they lend themselves to that.” According to the owners the “Morty's Steakhouse Burger” and “Caramel Pretzel” shake are the most popular items on the menu.

The uniqueness does not stop at the menu. The décor also lends itself to the Burgatory experience.  A warm and modern atmosphere is created with the use of natural materials like repurposed barn wood, stained paneling, stone and steel.  Hanley and DiLembo wanted to make the space casual, but also a little refined. “Using natural materials in our design is consistent with our approach to the high quality natural ingredients we use in our food & drinks,” said Hanley.

The gentlemen clearly have a passion for all that they put into their restaurant, but always have their customers in mind. “We want to wow our guests by giving them warm hospitality, gracious service and scrumptious food and drink,” said DiLembo. “We really enjoy making people's day,” added Hanley.

Ready to spend some time lingering in Burgatory? To learn more about the restaurant, visit the website www.BurgatoryBar.com or follow on Twitter and Facebook.