Bow down: Monarch Burger is opening a standalone location on Main Street

by Vicki Duong on May 8th, 2024 at 2:29 PM

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All hail the king! Monarch Burger is opening a standalone location in Mount Pleasant on May 15.

Burger aficionados may remember Monarch Burger’s supremacy in the cozy Upstairs at Campagnolo (RIP), before it moved to The American from 2016 to 2019. Since then, occasional pop-ups across the city have been the only way adoring fans could get their hands on a famous Dirty Burger—until news dropped in February that Monarch Burger was making a comeback inside the food truck of Rosie’s BBQ & Smokehouse.

And now things are royally going to the next level with a standalone brick-and-mortar burger palace on Main Street.

The menu is simple, with only seven items to start, including the famous Dirty burger: a classic cheeseburger inspired by chef Robert Belcham’s childhood hockey practices and the customary burgers that were eaten after.

There will also be a veggie option, and fries made with beef fat that can be dressed up as a spicy loaded poutine topped with pulled pork and hot sauce.

Always one to support local, Monarch uses locally-sourced 66 Acres beef, and the pulled pork and hot sauce used in the poutine come from Rosie’s. Belcham keeps some secrets close to his vest, too, including a personalized recipe for the buns, a special burger sauce, and crunchy pickles handmade the way his mother taught him.

The new spot is the latest from The Narrow Group, which also includes The Narrow, Slim’s BBQ, and Uncle Abe’s. Monarch Burger will feature a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, and will be located next door to Uncle Abe’s at 3034 Main Street.

“The exile is over,” Belcham jokes in a statement. “It’s great to be back where we belong.”