No Bull Burger Bar opens in the former Three Matadors space, offering house-ground burgers, hand-cut fries , and more
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
There was an audible gasp tore through West Ashley recently when news broke that popular Tex-Mex eatery 3 Matadors Tequileria was closing its doors at 2447 Ashley River Road. But while those mouths were still agape, they were quickly filled with juicy house-ground cheeseburgers and piping-hot hand-cut French fries as owner Travis Glen opened No Bull Burger Bar in the same location that 3 Matadors had called home for the last decade. Glen also assured 3 Matador regulars that they have not had their last margarita, queso, or taco.
According to Glen, he’s currently scouting other locations in West Ashley for a bigger and brighter space to house 3 Matadors that will fit more with the restaurant’s vibe and cuisine. He also says that the food truck will be making periodic appearances at No Bull and continue to be at every Capital One Stadium concert. Meanwhile, the No Bull Burger Bar seems to be fitting in quite well in its new home. And has already been a welcomed addition to the Ashley River Road corridor. Although it has officially been open for a couple weeks, on Saturday, Feb. 7 the Chamber of Commerce will host an official ribbon cutting at No Bull.
Glen, who was born and raised in West Ashley, is the owner of Lucky 17 Restaurant group, which not only owns and operates No Bull and 3 Matadors, but also includes Southern Roots Smokehouse on Savannah Highway and another location in Park Circle in addition to SportsBook of Charleston near the Tanger Outlets.
He says that the name “No Bull” is a meant to be a bit tongue-and-cheek, nodding to the fact that 3 Matador—whose logo was a bull, is no longer at that location—but it also means that there is no filler or other bull (fill in the blank) in their burgers. Glen laughs that a few people have mistook name, thinking perhaps it was a meatless burger joint capitalizing on the plant-based craze. It’s quite the opposite, although there is a house-made black bean burger on the menu that has been getting high marks among local vegetarians.
“Our claim to fame is going to be our signature house-ground, 100 percent fresh burgers,” says Glen. No Bull has its own ground beef blend made with Certified Angus sirloin, short rib, chuck, and no additives. He says it is 100 fresh and made to order, just like everything else on the menu.
It doesn’t take long to figure out that this isn’t just another place to get a standard burger and fries.
“We’re really proud of what we’ve done here,” says Glen. “The details of what we’re, like the way we toast the bun and slice the tomato matter. It’s a legit burger bar.” Glen says they make almost everything in house right down to their signature ketchup.
Each burger on the menu is a well thought out creation designed to be unique from all the other burgers on the menu and other burgers you will get anywhere else. For example, the Gambler has bacon jam, smoked gouda, and caramelized onions while the Southern Charm has fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese. The bistro has thick-cut bacon, goat cheese, and pepper jam while the Hellfire has thick-cut bacon, pepper jam, roasted jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, slaw, and No Bull hot sauce. Then there is the Reuben burger, which comes with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Zippy Sauce, and served on a pretzel bun. If you’re solidly in the smash burger camp, the Smash is also popular, says Glen. Then there is the namesake No Bull burger. Not for the faint of heart, this delicious monstrosity consists of 14 ounces of beef, thick-cut bacon, a sunny side up egg, Swiss and cheddar cheese, mushrooms, caramelized onions, pickles garlic mayo, zippy sauce. In addition ot the burgers the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and chicken tenders have been crowd pleasures and the Loaded Chip Bucket is a showstopper, a beautiful mess that is just begging to be put on Instagram.
No Bull Burger Bar also has a full bar that specializes in top shelf bourbons and has 12 rotating craft beers on tap. When the weather warms back up, there is a large deck out front where there will often be live music.
No Bull Burger Bar is located at 2447 Ashley River Road. For more information, call (843) 414-7894, follow on social media, or visit www.lucky17restaurants.com.
