Crowds were pouring out of the door when the newest location of LunchBox Laboratory opened in downtown Bellevue. The people were eager, not just for a typical hamburger, but ones with titles like “Burger of the Gods,” with a huge beef patty topped with bleu cheese and a gorgonzola spread and candied balsamic onions, or “As Seen on TV Dork Burger,” a burger named for its unique combination of ground duck and pork. When the original LunchBox Laboratory opened in Ballard years ago, it made news as a burger shack unlike any other, with its over-the-top flavors and use of high quality ingredients, and now that it’s come Eastside, it’s prepared to satisfy and entertain food fans with its unique blend of flavor and nostalgia.
Bellevue’s LunchBox Laboratory has both a restaurant and a full bar, with their hours easy to remember – open daily, 11 to 11. Their food is all about classic comforts, with a nod to a TV generation, as the décor is vintage afterschool chic, showing off their collection of metal lunchboxes of classic cartoon and TV shows. What sets their menu apart from other typical burger places is the care that goes into their food – their “super-beef” patties use Kobe-style beef and their Kaiser-style buns are made locally, from Essential Bakery. Their specialty dipping sauces are house-made, they offer handcrafted salts, and while some restaurants have a soup of the day, LunchBox makes different flavors of their Mac du Jour macaroni and cheese daily. They also put their spin on milkshakes, with flavors like their Boston Crème Donut, which literally has chunks of doughnuts mixed into the rich, creamy shake. On their own, the shakes are an indulgence, but they offer a grown-up option to spike a shake with your choice of liquor selections.
Catering to the happy hour crowds, they offer a Kick Ass Hour, with daily specials from 3-6pm and 9pm to close, with a special menu offering items like Dogsticks (mini corndogs on a stick), a tater tot version of nachos called Gavacho’s Nachos, and their happy hour burger combination called Scotty’s Classic Drive-In, which includes mini cheeseburgers and a choice of fries or tater tots. Their cocktails are just as playful, with drinks like the Tang-O-Rita and Kool Kollins using ingredients like Tang or Kool Aid to flavor or color the drink.
LunchBox Laboratory is located at the base of 989 Elements apartment building. Zen Asian Bistro had previously occupied this space.
LunchBox Laboratory
http://lunchboxlaboratory.com/
989 112th Ave NE, Bellevue 98004
425-505-2676
Open 11-11 Daily
