Pizza Darling Roberta’s Aims to Conquer Burgers in Bushwick With Burgie’s

Bushwick pizza phenom Roberta’s appears to be gearing up for a foray into burgers and fries. The Brooklyn favorite recently launched a new Instagram account to tease photos for Burgie’s, which appears to be an upcoming casual, counter-service spot from the acclaimed pizza team.

Details are scarce, but according to several of Burgie’s Instagram comments, the burger shop will be located in Bushwick and will be opening up “very soon.” Popular food Instagrammer Mike Chau of Food Baby fame posted a photo of a Burgie’s burger on Tuesday alongside a caption that listed the restaurant’s location — 198 Randolph Street, between Gardner Avenue and Steward Avenue — and an opening date of Saturday. Roberta’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new project.

No menu has been posted yet for Burgie’s, but food photos on the restaurant’s Instagram account show a mix of well-sauced burgers stacked high in takeout boxes alongside sleeves of thick-cut, crispy fries. Photos of the upcoming space show a high-ceilinged dining room with an open kitchen and an expansive counter running alongside one side. A handful of booths and tables are installed along the opposite wall.

Elsewhere, Roberta’s popular pizza shops in Bushwick and Williamsburg have temporarily converted into takeout and delivery-only outposts after the restaurants briefly shut down at the beginning of December due to several staffers contracting COVID-19. Employees skewered management’s handling of the shutdown at the time, sending an open letter to leadership blasting the company for seemingly inadequate employee safety protocols during the COVID-19 crisis. When Roberta’s reopened both locations a week later, only takeout and delivery was allowed.

When Burgie’s opens, the casual burger shop seems built to easily maneuver as a takeout and delivery-first operation, following in the footsteps of many other mid-pandemic restaurant launches.