Given that I’m in the business of telling people about great places to eat, my choice was easy. If you’re in a Dayton burger joint rut, you should definitely stretch your legs and get to the 571 Grill and Draft House in New Carlisle.
In 2000, Tim and Brandy Juday decided to leave their careers in retail and purchase an odds–and-ends convenience store along State Route 571, with plans to turn it into a restaurant. They had relatively no experience in the field at the time, but they had some good ideas and they were willing to make changes whenever necessary.
Those changes included constantly updating the restaurant’s interior appearance, being ahead of the craft beer curve 10 years ago and updating their menu options.
After 16 years, 571 Grill and Draft house is well known for their pizza and beer, but the most impressive thing they offer may just be their four signature burgers. The patties are made fresh with a tri-blend of ground chuck, brisket, and chuck flats. All will require multiple napkins, and all are worth the drive.
This is the restaurant’s most popular burger, according to the staff. It’s a bacon cheeseburger supreme—loaded with Applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, jalapenos, onion straws and the highly secretive 571 sauce, all smothered in smoked Gouda cheese. The jalapenos add just the right amount of heat, but don’t overpower the other ingredients.
Conceived by the owners’ daughter, it is the newest weapon in the 571 burger arsenal. This comes with a fried macaroni and cheese ball patty, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese (yes, MORE CHEESE!) and Applewood smoked bacon. The sweet barbecue sauce blends nicely with the bacon’s saltiness.
Speaking of salty and sweet together, this burger is for adventurous taste buds. Smoked Gouda cheese seals in the robust flavors of the burger and Applewood smoked bacon between two slices of a glazed doughnut. Spicy sour cream is added to tone down the richness. You won’t mind getting your hands sticky while sinking your teeth into this delicacy.
Very similar to the Haystack, the Hen House features a fried egg over top of the ingredients before the bun tops it off. The special touch with this particular burger is that, unlike in other restaurants that offer similar burgers, the egg is fried apart from the bacon and burger. So you’re not getting a greasy and gloppy mess on your plate before you even take a bite.
Need something to go with that burger? We recommend the homemade Pub Chips which come with 571 Grill and Draft House's own special dipping sauce. To wash it down, we recommend something from any one of their 14 craft beer taps.
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