First Look: Pinpoint Burger Bar Has a Cake Shake, Poutine & Global Burgers

Pinpoint Burger Bar recently opened on Lemmon Avenue near Mia’s Tex Mex. It’s a flash of new in an otherwise drab-ish strip of stores. As its name implies, the focus is burgers, all of which are appointed to a specific spot on the globe, like the British-inspired Red Coat.

But before we get into the specifics of the burgers, we’re going to start with the last, or what is traditionally the last part of a meal. Because just like how nobody puts Baby in a corner, nobody puts Pinpoint’s cake shake at the end.

Gluttony is best served with whipped cream on top and here the tapered white hat atop the cake shake is pitch perfect. This cool treat, which in all honestly should probably be shared among two or three people, starts with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a large slice of dark chocolate cake. The two are then married under the whiz of a mixer that sounds, perhaps ironically, a bit like a dentist’s office drill.

The extra-thick shake is, thank the lord, served with an extra-large straw, otherwise, one might pass out trying to persuade the Mississippi mud into their cakehole. And while you can’t see any chunks of cake in the plastic cup, the instant it hits your wildly ecstatic taste buds you realize it didn't dissipate. In fact, the cake is the most prominent taste and texture. The cake pulls a mutiny on the vanilla ice cream.

Gluttony can also be served with brown gravy and melted cheese curds on top. Pinpoint honed in on Canada for this highly underrated classic, poutine fries, which the owner says have been verified as legit by Canadian customers. As opposed to the cake shake, order your own here because, well, this won’t induce a diabetic coma, but also it will save you from fighting or speed eating.

The burger menu is based on different flavors around the globe. The classic is an all-American with a one-third-pound patty that is flamed grilled and served on a fresh brioche bun with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onions. The Red Coat is served with garlic aioli and a side cup of melted cheddar cheese on a pretzel bun. The Aussie has cheese, bacon, pineapple, beetroot, egg, caramelized onions and barbecue sauce.

The Bof Sandwich is a Denmark classic with grilled onion, crispy onion, beetroot, Swiss cheese and egg topped with brown gravy on a pretzel bun. The Mexican-inspired Paisano has queso fresco, ham, pico de gallo, avocado and jalapeños. The Honolulu is described as Musubi on a bun that has Spam, teriyaki, pineapple and a spicy thousand island dressing.

We didn’t try any of the salads, because, well, you’ve read about the chocolate cake shake already. That'd be a joke to order a salad and cake shake in one visit; you'd probably have to fill out a special IRS form if you did. They also have wings (10 for $11) and the chunky mango habanero looked interesting.

Pinpoint Burger Bar has some stools at the counter allowing diners to watch a bit of the kitchen and a baseball game or whatever else might be on the TV above. The staff is friendly and chatted while we were there. Get over soon and try any of their burgers, welcome them to the neighborhood and embrace gluttony.

Pinpoint Burger Bar, 4422 Lemmon Ave. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday.