We love the huge influx of new burger joints that has been happening all over H-Town. Like much of the media, we've covered lots of them. But one nagging question keeps popping up.
How do the older places compare? They rarely get any press coverage. Our sister site, TWTX.co, decided to change that. They go in, and see how Fuddrucker's stacks up to today's burger landscape.
Read more at TWTX.co
On a recent visit to Robard's, we noticed a burger hiding on the very well priced Social Hour menu. Since our quest to find great burgers is continuous, we had to check it out. Our bartender took our order, asking our temperature preference. (Medium rare at a place that knows how to handle ground beef.)
In short order this burger appeared. A half-pound patty of the house grind, made from the USDA prime beef Robard's sources for its steaks. Perfectly medium rare, the patty was rocking a solid char, and its rich, beefy swagger was front and center. Topped with a melty slice of good quality American cheese, and finished with fresh veggies, this burger wowed us. It's an honest-to-Boulud American cheeseburger, without frills, executed extremely well.
Even more amazing is the price: $8, with fries. The best burger bargain in the Woodlands, by far, and one of our favorite burgers in the Woodlands.
Highly recommended. Go check it out.
Update: Robard's excellent Social Hour burger added to the list.
One of the questions we're asked most often is "Where should I eat".
Here is our list of our favorite places to eat burgers in the Woodlands area. This list represents our ideas about the best burgers in the Woodlands. We enjoy burgers at each of these places, and we think you will, too.
Del Frisco's Grille - This more casual American bistro concept from the highly-regarded steakhouse chain knows its beef, and their burgers reflect this expertise. A custom grind featuring aged sirloin is formed into two quarter-pound patties. High quality cheese, fresh, crisp veggies, and an airy, eggy bun complete the package.
Hubbell & Hudson Bistro - What happens when a classically-trained chef with a love for burgers has access to the best ingredients in the world? The Bistro Burger at Hubbell & Hudson Bistro. Chef Austin Simmons starts with a carefully developed custom grind of prime beef, hand formed into a generous patty and cooked to temperature. It's covered with melted, aged cheddar and thick-cut bacon, then toped with handcrafted veggies, included oven-dried tomatoes, two process onions, and three styles of housemade pickles. No sauces are needed to dress up this master course in burger execution. For our money, this is the best burger to be had in the Houston area.
Robard's - Tucked away on the Social Hour menu may be the Woodland's best burger value. This classic steakhouse burger, a half-pound custom grind based on Robard's USDA prime steaks, is stunningly good. The beefy, expertly-handled patty is finished with high-quality cheese and fresh veggies. The value is amazing: This serious burger and excellent fries (parmesan truffle or plain) for $8.
Beck's Prime - Mesquite is the key word at the well established local chain. Certified Angus beef, your choice of cheeses, sauces, and fresh veggies have kept burger lovers coming back to Beck's for decades.
Crisp - This Heights import burst on the Woodlands scene and caused quite a stir with it's Italian-accented take on casual American cuisine. The well executed burger is highlighted by addictive purple onions marinated in balsamic vinegar. It's a surprising blast of acid that pairs nicely with the high quality, hand-formed beef patty.
Fielding's Wood Grille - An obsession with high-quality ingredients and unique flavor profiles elevates Fielding's above the norm. Chef Edel Goncalves starts with 44 Farms angus beef, and artfully combines it with hand-selected cheeses, veggies, and housemade sauces to create some of the most unique burgers we've tasted. We keep coming back to his Texas Blues burger, featuring Point Reyes bleu cheese, pickled red onions, fig jam, and jalapenos.
Grub Burger - This college station import grinds its own beef, bakes its own buns, and combines this solid base with a variety of fresh ingredients to create some unique burger combinations. Don't be afraid to sample the often odd-sounding monthly special - a recent muffuletta burger was a surprising favorite.
Jax Burgers - This local take on an old-school burger joint serves up big, hand-formed patties with plenty of melted cheese and your choice of toppings. There are no gourmet pretentious here - just big, classic burgers executed well.
We're anxiously awaiting the grand opening of Del Frisco's Grille, the newest addition to the Woodlands Hughes Landing Restaurant Row. And sometimes we're not very good at waiting.
During a recent walk-through preview of this beautiful new restaurant, Executive Chef Brian McNamara asked me if I'd eaten lunch. If there's one think I've learned over the years, when a talented chef asks you if you're hungry, the answer is always "yes".
Chef McNamara's team is training hard every day, and I was glad to be a guinea pig. Behold their cheeseburger - two well-seasoned patties of aged prime beef, ground with brisket and topped with high quality cheese and fresh veggies.
The burger was outstanding. Del Frisco's is known for it's prime steaks, but it's also going to be a great spot for a more casual meal. I'll be back very soon.
One of my least favorite things to do is to write a bad review about a new, locally owned restaurant. So our review of JerryBuilt burgers was a tough one to write. We loved the concept, we loved their attention to detail... but we didn't love the burger. We visited several times, and the odd beef patty that so put us off the burger was apparently by design. So we shared our impression, which wasn't a good one.
We'd recently heard that there had been some changes at JerryBuilt, first and foremost being a new, improved burger patty. We were invited by JerryBuilt to come sample the new burger, and in the interest of fairness, we decided to give 'em another chance.
We visited the JerryBuilt location in the Woodlands, located just off the ring road surrounding the Woodlands Mall. The location is bright and airy, with ample parking.
Stepping inside, we see that the interior of the restaurant has undergone a subtle refresh since our last visit. But the formula is still the same; counter service, fresh food, lots of options.
We ordered our traditional classic cheeseburger in order to avoid being distracted by too many toppings. In short order the burger arrived, and the presentation had changed since our last visit; gone was the clever but somewhat unwieldy vertical delivery of the burger.
Biting into this burger was a revelation. Gone was the weird texture that ruined the old burger. Front and center was a handmade beef patty, slightly juicy, with an aggressive char and a big, beefy taste. The nice quality American cheese (our choice) and the fresh, crisp vegetables completed this classic burger.
Comparing it to the old, flawed burger was like night and day. This is a very respectable burger, and one we'd not hesitate to order again. We're very pleased that JerryBuilt addressed their problems; they're now an establishment that we can fully recommend.
If you'd given up on JerryBuilt, give them another try. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
JerryBuilt Homegrown Burgers | 1335 Lake Woodlands Dr. (on the mall ring road)
The Woodlands, 77380 | 281-367-2874 | jerrybuiltburgers.com
We love burgers. We love restaurants that specialize in burgers. But sometimes we try to be healthy. Tonight was a case in point. After considering several options, we decided to sample a salad at Grub Burger, remembering how surprised we were by the non-burger "snacks" on the menu.
At the suggestion of Sam, the very friendly and helpful bartender, we started with the Napa salad. Mixed greens are topped with goat cheese, strawberries, mission figs, and toasted almonds. A subtle hazelnut vinaigrette finishes a savory / sweet salad, and at Sam's suggestion we topped it with a grilled chicken patty.
The result was a tasty salad we'd order again. The chicken patty had an interesting texture; it was very coarsely ground, and the chunked texture made the provided knife unnecessary.
Now it was time for dessert. Continuing the nontraditional / healthy theme, we went with a side of tabbouleh.
Bulgar wheat, chopped parsley, to,arose, mint, and cucumber are dressed with lemon juice, and the result is a light, zesty flavor that finished the meal nicely.
It's doubtful that we'll abandon the very good burgers at Grub Burger, but it's good to know that when the mood strikes, choosing healthy options doesn't mean that you're going to have to endure an unpleasant dinner. Give 'em a try.
This fascinating video from 2008, sponsored by Burger King, chronicles people around the world who are tasting their first hamburger.
As the Woodlands grows, many new burger concepts are moving into the area. But savvy locals know that burger joints aren't the only place to get great burgers. Many of the higher-end restaurants offer burgers on their lunch and dinner menus, but they're rarely the focus of the establishment.
But Chef Austin's culinary attention isn't restricted to his superb entrees - the chef has a love of excellent burgers.
The smooth mushroom puree provides a contrasting sort of earthiness, and the sharp, bright flavors of the lemon-infused arugula combine with the acidity and tang of the port demi to create powerful high notes that balance the deep, earthy character. This decidedly untraditional creation is a lush, powerful burger, with a symphony of distinct flavors, and the sum is considerably greater than each of the excellent ingredients that Chef Austin has combined.
Residents of the Woodlands have no shortage of good burger places in the area. From national franchises to local chains to mom-n-pop stores to chef-driven restaurants, folks in the Woodlands can eat burgers every day for a month and not visit the same joint twice.
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BurgerFi Woodlands Waterway location |
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Cheese is generously applied on the bacon cheeseburger at BurgerFi |
How does it compare to other "better burgers"? I enjoyed it more than Five Guys, but less than Smashburger or Beck's Prime. My biggest complaint was the size. Rarely do I feel hungry after eating an upscale burger, but about one and a half of these would have been perfect. For light eaters this may be a positive.
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Yes, that is a single onion ring on the left. |
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Brisket Burger at BurgerFi |
UPDATE: Sadly, the Rockabilly Diner has closed.
The Houston City Council is making it tough on food trucks. While many are operating in the city, they face an unaccommodating legal environment that makes it tougher for these creative mobile kitchens to offer a great experience for their customers.
Seating? No can do. Shaded seating? You're kidding, right?
These factors alone put food trucks at a huge disadvantage compared to standalone restaurants. Eating standing up isn't any fun. Eating standing up under a hot Texas sun is even less fun. Yet customers will endure these inconveniences if the food is good enough.
Even with these stumbling blocks, food trucks persevere, and some even thrive. Hopefully the city council will someday change these anticompetitive regulations and let trucks compete without artificial barriers (that seem to be written by brick-and-mortar restaurant associations.)
Until then, some trucks will take refuge outside the city limits of Houston, where the regulations are based on health and safety, and not make-believe fantasies of back-of-the-truck drug deals and apron-wearing terrorists operating behind the grill. (You can't make this stuff up.)
Enter the Rockabilly Diner, a food truck located just west of Kuykendall on FM 2920 (the first major road south of the Woodlands.) Eschewing both the hipsters and the silly regulations found Inside The Loop, Rockabilly converted a vacant spot near a busy intersection into an al fresco location for lunch or dinner that's a real change from the typical suburban restaurant.
Parking is ample, and the bright yellow trailer houses a modern kitchen that would be right at home in a small mom-and-pop restaurant.
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The kitchen at Rockabilly Diner |
At the back of the property is a small seating pavilion, with a pair of picnic tables and a sturdy fan providing a breeze even when Mother Nature isn't cooperative.
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Seating area at Rockabilly Diner |
The entire property is clean, neat, and well kept, with little homey touches that remind you that Rockabilly isn't a corporate concept cashing in on the food truck craze.
Stepping up to the counter, we're immediately greeted by Chad McMullen, a Brooklyn transplant who's been in Texas long enough to add "y'all" to his vocabulary. Chad is passionate about burgers, and his enthusiasm comes through loud and clear. And his excitement is resonating with customers - Rockabilly has recently extended its hours from 11am to 8pm, serving the dinner crowd as well as those craving a burger for lunch.
On this, our first visit, we followed Chad's suggestions, and ordered a Bacon and Cheese Rockaburger. Based around a hand-formed one-third pound beef patty, it's topped with your choice of several cheeses, generously sliced bacon cooked on the griddle right beside the patty, and the usual array of traditional burger toppings.
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Burgers and bacon coexisting on the griddle at Rockabilly Diner |
Nothing was started until our order was placed - no precooked patties here. Or even precooked bacon, something that's very common at even the best burger joints. We applaud Chad's dedication. Another interesting observation: Chad covers the burger patty with a lid on the grill, the same technique that Ricky Craig at Hubcap Grill uses to such great effect.
After a reasonable time for cooking and production, our burger appeared, wrapped in foil and placed within an insulated foam carrier. This burger is packaged to travel well, but the only vacation in its future was into my stomach.
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Bacon and Cheese Rockaburger at Rockabilly Diner |
All this attention to detail was put to the test when we bit into the Rockaburger. The coarsely ground beef was cooked medium well, but the covered griddling technique resulted in a nicely juicy patty, and perfectly melted cheese (pepper jack, as was Chad's recommendation). The beefy flavor was front and center, seasoned gently with salt and pepper. The hot-off-the-griddle bacon added a nice smoky counterpoint, and had a firm, dense, chewy consistency. Veggies were crisp and fresh. Our only disappointment was a slight one - a rather pedestrian bun that was neither toasted or griddled, but it did it's job holding everything together.
All in all, a very good burger, and one that we look forward to enjoying again.
There was a considerably lunch rush of Houstonians enjoying a burger in the great outdoors, comfortably seated alongside friends and strangers under the pavilion. It's a shame that every food truck can't offer this sort of experience to its guests, but we're happy that the Rockabilly Diner has picked a location that allows for this kind of great experience.
We'll be back.
Rockabilly Diner | 6149 FM 2920 (Just west of Kuykendahl), Spring
rockabillyconcessions@gmail.com