Best Burger in Aiken Part 13 - Sliders

Location - Sliders Sports Bar & Grill, 3566 Richland Ave. W, Aiken, SC 29801
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If you know me and are familiar with Aiken, you probably know one of my gripes: why all the growth to the south side along Whiskey and almost none to the north/north-west (no, not Kanye's kid)? It's getting awful crowded down that way (traffic can be an absolute nightmare on an average Friday or Saturday evening, alone) and there are some great spots that could use some fresh paint and people on the north side of Aiken. And businesses already in place would benefit from some regional and national chains bringing people to this side of town. Win-win-win.

But that's three wins. Where did that third one come from? I'll tell you.

The main reason I think some of the incoming businesses (as well as those looking to expand) need to reconsider their location is a group of 3,600 - 3,800 people located in prime position on the north side, looking for great places to eat at (and shop as well): USC Aiken. Particularly, the students of USC Aiken.

As an alumn (alumnus, alumna) of the school and now someone who lives really close to the school, I know the pain of wanting something from a particular place but having to fight 15-20 minutes worth of traffic to get there whether via the bypass to Whiskey or through downtown to Whiskey. And that's just one way! When I was a student, I never lived on campus (living with the parents saved money) but even then I knew the pain of wanting Chick-fil-a and having to plan, practically, my entire lunch around that. Or wanting to grab some Moe's or Zaxby's and having to plan at least an extra 30 minutes for heading there before class. It's a real pain in the you-know-what.

Yes, I know there is downtown with plenty of good food, drinking and shopping options, but that is still downtown which means a short drive. USC Aiken students (and faculty and staff as well as all those associated with Aiken Regional) deserve and need something that they can walk to (yes, people. You can walk to the area around Walmart that I am talking about. I do it at once every other week or so. 10 minutes one way is a low price to pay).

So, I cannot begin to tell you how happy it has made me in the last few years as new places have popped up close to campus. It started with the "new" Walmart several years ago (I guess over 10 now...) and the shopping center next to it that allowed places like Firehouse (you're welcome, Glenn), Wing Place then Tokyo Grill, Ferrando's, and Ni Hao to move in. Before that, I'm pretty sure Mi Rancho was already there, but that's great too! After Walmart was built (one of the rare good things associated with that Goliath has been that shopping mall next to it), your typical fast food places have come in (all hail McDonald's and Burger King).

And let's not forget Barbecue Barn's short, but successful life (come back, please) as well as Groucho's, Dunkin Donuts and Quizno's (R.I.P... somebody, bring me back my Quizno's!) and, now Zaxby's. I have to say that DD and Zaxby's are, by far, my favorites simply because they are chains that already had successful businesses in Aiken on the south side and decided to open up closer to the college.

But, seriously, where are the unique places? Where is the variety in the food and the "only in Aiken" type stuff. Again, I realize Downtown Aiken is just a short drive away, but the students and others around there crave variety and places they can go and hang out. Mi Rancho has been, quite honestly, the only place for that right next to the school outside of downtown.

But now, the owner of Econo Lodge has stepped in/up and I hope it pays off for him. He brought to us the latest in my burger quest: Sliders Sports Bar & Grill (as well as a liquor store and a frozen yogurt shop). Absolute brilliance, in my opinion. You can stay at the motel, grab a bottle of liquor for later, then hit up the sports bar and grill before getting dessert at the fro-yo place. All, without having to crank up the car.

But I also feel that Sliders could be the answer for the students who live on campus and around it. And my experience with the place, so far, will show you why.

First, let me show you the burger, then I'll tell you a bit more about the place. Say hello to the Cheddar Bacon Burger:

I have to say, for a new place that is still working to find its identity, this is a solid place and the burger and pub chips show that. The burger was super juicy (nice, light pink in the middle) and tasted pretty good. The cheddar and bacon did a nice job of adding to it, as well; although, I felt it was a tad too juicy. What do I mean? Well, every bite had juice pouring out of it so it could have been slightly over marinated or under cooked a touch too much. But I'm not really going to complain about a burger that wasn't dry.

Now, I know what you're thinking. It looks a little small. Well, if you think about cheeseburger/hamburger sliders, they are small. And that is the name of this place, after all. But this is still bigger than typical sliders and the location may not be named for those types of burgers. I don't know.

Something interesting is that, aside from the bacon and cheese, everything is under the cheddar-wrapped patty (yup, they did a great job of melting the cheese just right to where it wrapped almost all he way around the burger). And that is arugula, not iceberg lettuce on there. And did I mention bacon? It's crispy and there is plenty of it.

Now, I cheated a bit. The night before I ate this burger, I went with some buddies and tried another item off the menu and I wasn't disappointed, either. I had the fries with my sriracha blue chicken sandwich (may have butchered the name, but they didn't butcher the taste... oooo, what a pun!). So, I naturally had to try the chips for my second trip and I have to say, they were pretty good. Nice and thin, crispy with a little salt. May could have used some pepper or something else to spice it up, but overall, they weren't burnt or flimsy and nasty.

Now, let me talk about what it's like on the inside. This is the closest place to a chain that I have been to, yet, as far as what it looks like on the inside. Seriously, you walk in and you'd almost swear you were at a small Buffalo Wild Wings. The colors say B-dubs, the multiple TVs on sports channels say B-dubs, the sports memorabilia on the walls says B-dubs... the only thing that doesn't are the servers and bartenders. They say, "Welcome to Sliders." But it's quieter, than B-dubs, at least for now. And I honestly hope that changes as the students figure out about this place because I think they finally have a hangout for watching sports events closer to their dorms and apartments.

And, small things in life moment, I loved how they used old 6-pack beer containers to hold your condiments, utensils and napkins. I have a bunch of these laying around my pantry from the "grab-a-6-pack" section in Kroger, and now I know what they can be used for!

Now, where would I rank this burger? In the middle. Right below Malia's and above Grumpy's.

Your current rankings:
1) Magnolia Cafe & Market
2) Betsy's on the Corner
3) Brew Pub
4) Ray's
5) Playoffs
6) Malia's
7) Sliders
8) Grumpy's
9) Midway Grill
10) Red Shed
11) City Bs
12) Blue Top

Now, why did I do it that way? Because I can, that's why. No, seriously it's because I didn't think it was quite as good as the Malia's burger (which, I am told is ranked entirely too low by some friends) and above Grumpy's because I feel like they are better than Grumpy's as far as quickness of service goes as well as in the taste of the burger. And they have room to grow being new kids on the block, but with a solid base under them. I would say the size is equal to what you find at City Bs, for those that have visited there.

Price: The price was pretty good at around $8 for the burger and chips and a water to drink. From what I saw on their menu (which, by the way also features some Indian treats since the owner is of Indian descent) they are really working hard at keeping the prices reasonable. And slightly varied, too.
Ambience: Buffalo Wild Wings, Jr. "BWW II" or "BWW, Jr." would be on the back of this guy's jersey if he was in the NFL. But WAY quieter (again, just for now, I hope). And they have a back deck! Come on, as the temps get cooler, you college kids need to get down there to enjoy it with a pail of beers. My one gripe about the interior is that we need to get some USCA jerseys and pictures on the walls. That close to the school, there needs to be more Cardinal and Navy than Orange and Purple or Garnet and Black.

So, there you have it. Another one in the books, and this time I may have avoided controversy. Yay me! Originality, 5 stars (heh heh). As usual, go try and make your own opinion.