A cult burger truck puts down permanent roots in the beating heart of wine country.
After a long day tasting cabernet and chardonnay, there’s every chance you’ll need a burger. And not just any burger, but the kind that Normal Van has forged a reputation for – the juicy, saucy, dripping, salty, squishy sort that shows no mercy to tabletops or pant legs. Owners Rob Webster and Jess Waldron go the extra mile, sourcing produce from nearby growers and fashioning almost everything from scratch.
The flagship Normal Burger pulls no punches, the Dirty Clean Food beef patty’s deep flavour poking through the shouty chorus of house pickles, yellow cheese and tangy special sauce.
You can taste it. The flagship Normal Burger pulls no punches, the Dirty Clean Food beef patty’s deep flavour poking through the shouty chorus of house pickles, yellow cheese and tangy special sauce. Nor does a fried chicken number that offsets the sting of a buffalo glaze with a torrent of cooling ranch dressing. As for the chips, they’re every bit as crisp and assertively seasoned as you’d hope, made even better by pulpy, smoky tomato ketchup.
All the richness adds up quick, but well-chosen beers and wines offer relief, as does the genuine sense of hospitality that pervades the pergola-shaded courtyard. Roll up your sleeves, grab some serviettes and take it from a member of the chipper team: “If you don’t roll out of here, you’re not doing it right.”
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