Tucked in behind of Duval Dance Studio on the Driftway there sits an up and coming culinary sensation called Backyard Burger Bar. This new addition to the restaurant culture of Scituate lives up to its current popular reputation.

    Walking in to this secluded dive bar, you feel like you’ve stepped in to a New England style paradise. Not many new restaurants are able to pull off instant character with walls cluttered by catchy posters and decorations, but the Burger Bar is definitely an exception to the rule.

    Seating area surrounds the focal point of the restaurant: a large horseshoe-shaped wooden bar encircled by stools. A large net hangs from a corner to accent the several pictures and sometimes inappropriate yet comical placards that litter the walls. The décor overall adds to the easygoing atmosphere of the dive bar feel that the restaurant possesses. Senior Mary Mulcahy said, “When I walk I feel like I’m on a Caribbean island.”

    The simple menu reflects the laid back environment. Predictably, burgers dominate the menu. The California Burger stood out to me with its fresh avocado and juicy appeal. The Burger Bar offers white and wheat buns and takes meat temperature to heart. I asked for rare and expected medium rare considering cooks often hesitate to deliver a rare burger. The cooks clearly know their meat and ultimately proved my doubtful expectation wrong.

    The fries were just potato-y enough and accented my burger perfectly. After the main course, dessert called for a cupcake. The server made it a point to note that cupcake flavors change almost daily. I went for a standard chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting. Cupcakes are pretty much always delicious but the Burger Bar’s trumped any that I could make. Senior Erin Gerhard said, “The cupcake were really good, they look like they could be on Cupcake Wars.”

    The bill was a bit disappointing, my burger mounted to a whopping twelve dollars – much higher than expected considering I forgot to glance at the prices when I had the menu.

    Though the expense was a bit much for a casual outing, the overall atmosphere and almost vintage feel of the place combined with the relatively large portions made me walk away happy. So if you’re looking for a good quality casual lunch or a fun dinner with friends head to the Backyard Burger Bar and try splitting a burger to avoid the shock of a large bill. Open Wednesday through Sunday. 17 New Driftway, Scituate, MA