Team Moka Bros Throw Healthy Living Out the Window With Burger Box in Sanlitun

After starting off the summer with a new vegan menu, Moka Bros has taken a swing in the opposite direction with Burger Box, a no-fuss burger joint situated just next door to their Nali Patio location. The decor is borderline austere, with a single terrazzo table inviting customers to dine communal style and nod along to classic rock blaring from the speakers. There's also some outdoor seating should you want a quieter, more intimate setting for you to get dirty with your burger.

The exposed kitchen, designed in the style of an American burger diner is well-staffed, and the burgers are served to the table fairly quickly. The speedy service might not, however, be enough to impress all seasoned Beijing burger hunters, and we expect some grumbling with the thin patties, even if they are topped with high-quality ingredients.

Burger Box's four traditional hamburgers are all made with Australian beef, and the standard fare combinations of bacon, egg, avocado, and mushrooms for RMB 55-65 (add an extra RMB 22 or so for fries – substantial but nothing to rave about – and a drink). Then there’s Burger Box's crowning jewel, the KOL-beckoning “Out of The Box,” with enough extras to make the other options look like child's play. For a whopping RMB 158, it comes topped with Iberico ham and shaved black truffles. Of course for that price, no ordinary cheese will do: it has to be brie, of which there's a sizable wedge. The ingredients pair well, although we found most of the savoriness to be just from the salt. 

As for alternative burgers, there's the early fan favorite "What Came First" chicken sandwich, which answers its own question by snubbing the egg. The “What Happened to Peppa” pork option is somewhat unique, opting for a porkchop patty rather than the pulled pork that others have had success with. Finally, the vegetarian "Vurger" option comes with avocado, coleslaw, pickles, lettuce, and their signature BB sauce, an otherwise secret concoction that we're told includes Sriracha and chipotle.

Burger Box may not become the Beijing favorite that Moka Bros has, but it makes for a quick, decent stop for a burger. If you want to give it a try, now is the time, because they are offering buy-one-get-one on all burgers until Aug 18.

Burger Box
Thu-Sun, 11am-11pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-1am. 1/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区 三里屯路三里屯北街81号1层

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Images: Joey Knotts, Tom Arnstein