Burgerology opens in Stony Brook

Are burgers the new pizza? Maybe not yet, but consider this: To make way for the newest Burgerology, in Stony Brook, a brick pizza oven had to be smashed to bits.

"They'd built the whole restaurant and bar around the oven, and we could not get it out without breaking it into a million pieces," said John Falcicchio, who manages the six-week-old location on Route 347 in a space that used to be occupied by an Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. "We had some trying days here."

After the Galatoulas family leased the space late last fall for what would be their fifth Long Island location — others are in Rockville Centre, Huntington, Patchogue, and Syosset, and there is one in Astoria — Burgerology opened in March after a few months of build out. There's plenty of brick, a mural of Einstein and other scientific luminaries, seating for about 100 people and an indoor-outdoor bar that lends a relaxed open-air vibe. The menu, focused on burgers, fries, milkshakes and oversized cocktails, is the same as in all of the sister restaurants.

The chain that Eddie and Georgia Galatoulas launched in Rockville Centre in 2017 is growing rapidly, said Falcicchio. Even during the depths of the early pandemic, Burgerology opened its biggest location in Patchogue, in April 2020; a Burgerology Express followed in Syosset this April (April 2021, that is) sporting a compressed menu — seven burgers instead of 16, plus a few salads, fried-chicken sandwiches and milkshakes. "Our concept translated well to takeout and delivery," Falcicchio said. "Burgers and fries keep well during transport." Danny Panagatos is a partner in the Stony Brook location.

The bill of fare is a canon of calories, from apps such as onion rings and fried cheese curds to prime-beef burgers, buttermilk-fried chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, mac-and-cheese, tacos, milkshakes and sundaes. It's the food of girding comfort, such as The Double Trouble burger — a tower of two patties, two kinds of cheese (Cheddar and American), bacon and house sauce, plus lettuce, tomatoes and pickles; it comes on a toasted torta bun, and fitting it all into your mouth is a puzzle. That burger costs $18.95, three bucks more than the baseline classic cheeseburger (topped with American cheese). Most apps fall between $8 and $12, while mac-and-cheese clocks in from $11 to $14 and ornate milkshakes start at $14. The drinks menu runs to several pages, from 12 taps of beer to popsicle mojitos, margaritas, 100-ounce beer towers, Red Bull mules and $40 giant flasks full of things such as peach sangria. The lab theme extends to spritzers that come smoking from the addition of dry ice.

Will this be the last Burgerology for awhile? Not by a long shot, said Falcicchio: Another is on deck for Farmingdale, and the chain is soon expanding into Westchester County.

Burgerology is open daily for lunch and dinner, unlocking the doors at 11:30 a.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m on the weekends. Find it on the north side of Route 347 at 2302B Nesconset Hwy. in Stony Brook. burgerologyusa.com