Top 50 Hamburgers in Texas

When I'm looking for an eating reference, I read Texas Monthly. I've been "depending" upon them for 35 years. They have a list in the back and it's organized by city. They review the top dollar places and the common places.

I still remember going to the Rio Grande Valley in 1982 and eating at their recommendation in Reynosa, Mexico. The "especial de casa" was about 4 plates worth of food that included typical Tex-Mex border fare, as well as mashed potatoes and gravy and onion rings!!! the Texas Monthly review is how I found La Fogata in San Antonio.

Through the years, Texas Monthly has done articles on Best BBQ in Texas 3 times. I have a separate post on Texas BBQ and much of it was because of their information. They also did Country Cafes - and between 1985 and 1989 I ate at about 20 of them. My favorite was Schoenneman's in Brenham. While the name has changed, there's still a cafe there and they were glad I came by on a recent trip to Blue Bell ... but that's another posting.

In 2009, Texas Monthly did and article on the Top 50 Hamburgers in Texas. The info is below. I've only eaten at a few of these places (indicated with ***), and will try to eat at more - time and health permitting!

Enjoy!

From Texas Monthly ...
The list is ranked in order of our preference from one to fifty, with the name of the restaurant first. The exact burger we sampled is listed–if you haven’t had it, go try it before you leave a comment. The same place may offer burger variations that range from great to good to yuck. Trust us on this–we ate at more than 250 places to choose the top 50.

1. The Grape, Dallas, Classic Cheeseburger
2. Counter Cafe, Austin, Counter Burger
3. Alamo Springs Cafe, Fredericksburg, Cheeseburger (with green chiles on a jalapeno-cheese bun)
4. Toro Burger Bar, El Paso, Toro Burger
5. The Cove, San Antonio, Texas Burger
6. The Porch, Dallas, The Stodg
7. Perini Ranch Steakhouse, Buffalo Gap, Hamburger Steak on a Bun
8. Dutch’s, Fort Worth, Bacon and Bleu Cheese Burger
9. Beck’s Prime***, Houston, Bacon Cheeseburger
10. Orlando’s, Lubbock, Cheeseburger in Paradise
11. White Buffalo Bar, Gage Hotel Marathon, Buffalo Burger
12. Cover 3, Austin, Chop-House Burger (with cheese and bacon)
13. Burger Fresh, Conroe, 1/2 Pound Burger
14. Burger Tex II, Austin, Burgogi Burger
15. Twisted Root Burger Co., Dallas, Hamburger
16. Max’s Wine Dive, Austin and Houston, Kobe Beef Burger
17. Love Shack, Fort Worth, Dirty Love Burger
18. Fatty’s Burgers & More, San Antonio, Ref Burger
19. MoMak’s Backyard Malts & Burgers, San Antonio, MoMak Classic Burger
20. Kelly’s Eastside, Plano, Southwestern Burger
21. Big’z Burger Joint, San Antonio, Big’z Famous No. 1
22. Chicken Oil Co., Bryan, Snuffy Burger
23. Cafe Michael Burger, Galveston, Tiki Burger
24. Burgers, Fries and Cherry Pies, Midland, The French Connection Burger
25. Mockingbird Bistro, Houston, American Kobe Beef Burger
26. Parkside, Austin, Cheeseburger
27. Black Sheep Lodge, Austin, Black Buffalo Burger
28. Miss Hattie’s Cafe and Saloon, San Angelo, Miss Hattie Burger
29. Mel’s Country Cafe, Tomball, Double Hamburger
30. Roaring Fork, Austin, Half Ass Burger (also in San Antonio)
31. Gene’s Tasty Burger, Wichita Falls, Frisco Burger
32. Cliff Cafe, Dallas, Brie and Granny Smith Burger
33. Bracken Store Cafe, San Antonio, Bean and Frito Burger
34. Sam’s Deli Diner, Houston, Hamburger
35. Dry Creek Cafe, Houston, The Regular (with asadero cheese)
36. Hamburger Store, Jefferson, Build-Your-Own Burger
37. Mighty Fine, Austin, Hamburger
38. Roadhouse, Bastrop, Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger
39. Lankford Grocery and Market, Houston, Old-Fashioned Hamburger
40. Classics Burgers and “Moore,” Kerrville, Cheeseburger
41. Koffee Kup Family Restaurant, Hico, Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger
42. Hruska’s Store and Bakery***, Ellinger, Cheeseburger
43. Rosco’s Burger Inn***, El Paso, Rosco Burger
44. Port Aransas Brewing Company, Port Aransas, Stopher Burger
45. Goode Company Hamburgers and Taqueria***, Houston, Mesquite Burger
46. Snuffer’s Restaurant and Bar, Dallas, Green Chile Swissburger
47. Fred’s Texas Cafe, Fort Worth, Diablo Burger
48. Speedy’s Burger, Houston, Hamburguesa Mexicana
49. Gourmet Burger Grill, San Antonio, Hamburger
50. Jakes, Dallas, #1 Jakes Special

page dedication - to Lynn, who asked for a good place to eat when he was in El Paso