Burgers abound in Texas, with options across this red meat-loving state at fast food joints, roadside stands, steakhouses, bars and basically anywhere with a food menu. Naturally, there’s a large divide between what’s available and what’s actually good, but between the major cities, suburbs and small towns, there are hundreds of solid burgers ready to appease your hunger.
But burgers, similar to a good martini, are personal. Some people like big, beefy steakhouse-style burgers, while others prefer thinner patties and easier-to-wield smash burgers. Certain diners want a bare-bones burger — just meat, bread, cheese and maybe a condiment — while others want to dress theirs up with all manner of artisan accoutrement. There are no wrong answers, as long as the end result is you wrapping your hands around a pillowy bun. But that abundance, paired with the choose-your-own-adventure nature of burgers, makes it difficult to definitively rank the best. And yet…these are 10 of our favorite burgers in Texas right now. Eat them, love them and then move on, because you’re likely to find another great burger just around the corner.
JewBoy Burgers
Austin
This Austin favorite quickly made a name for itself, initially as a food truck and then as a burger-slinging diner. Founder Mo Pittle grew up in El Paso, and he channels a mix of Jewish and Texas border culture in the restaurant, which is evident in the menu — and the lucha libre-themed decor. First-timers should start with the eponymous JewBoy. Freshly ground beef is smashed with sautéed onions on the flat top grill and then topped with hot, melty cheese, chopped lettuce, pickles and mustard and served on a potato bun. It’s glorious. From there, branch out to other fun options, like the Oy Vay Guey with Hatch chiles and pepperjack, the Yenta, which enlists a latke as a topping, or the Goyim, which places grilled pastrami, bacon and melted Swiss atop a burger patty.
NADC Burger
Austin
NADC (Not a Damn Chance) Burger is what happens when a Michelin-starred chef decides to tackle burgers. Phillip Frankland Lee — who’s also behind Sushi by Scratch Restaurants and Pasta Bar — worked on the recipe for two years before unveiling the little burger spot in the back of Idle Hands on Rainey Street. The menu is simple: There’s one burger, a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. The NADC Burger is meticulously prepared, with wagyu beef, American cheese, secret sauce, onions, pickles and jalapeños on a toasted bun. It’s best not to deviate from that winning formula.
Salt & Time
Austin
Salt & Time is a butcher shop/restaurant, and that bodes well for diners because butcher shops know meat. And in this case, Salt & Time uses a half-pound of beef — the patty is made from daily steak trimmings — to make its two-handed Butcher’s Burger. Set your elbows on the table and dive into the burger, which comes topped with mayo, sour pickles and optional cheese on a brioche bun. It’s served with beef fat French fries, lest you thought there wouldn’t be more beef in this scenario.
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Burger Bodega
Houston
This pop-up turned restaurant leans into bodega culture, with shelves full of snacks and a counter where you can order smash burgers, chopped cheese sandwiches and fries. The burger starts with two patties that are seared and smashed until crispy, then adds American cheese, grilled onions, housemade pickles and “bodega sauce” on a potato bun. That’s all you need for a good time, but you can request jalapeños or habaneros if you’re feeling spicy.
Burger-Chan
Houston
Chef Willet Feng pairs classic American burgers with Asian accents, and the menu reflects his past experience cooking Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines. If you don’t want to make decisions, try one of the signature items, like the classic Burger-Chan, with two thin patties, cheddar, sauteed onions, lettuce, tomato and Thousand Island dressing. Or try the Spicy, with pepperjack, pickled jalapeños, soy serrano peppers and sambal mayo. Otherwise you can build your own burger, checking off the items you want, starting with smashed patties or larger, five-ounce patties and moving into various cheeses, veggies, sauces and extras, like seared Spam, kimchi relish and scallion aioli. The burgers are juicy, the toppings fresh and the flavors intense.
Stanton’s City Bites
Houston
Stanton’s City Bites got its start in 1961 as a family-run grocery store and has since evolved into a restaurant known for its burgers and sandwiches. The burger menu is extensive and includes everything from old-school cheeseburgers to over-the-top options featuring fried eggs, onion rings and hashbrowns. We’re partial to the classic half-pound burger topped with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions, but it’s worth making your way through the menu to try decadent variations like the Miss Piggie, with candied bacon and a hashbrown, or the Chili Cheeseburger, with house chili, habanero mustard, bacon, grilled onions and cheese.
Keller’s Drive-In
Dallas
Keller’s is a Dallas institution dating back to 1950. The roadside burger stand hasn’t changed much since then — even the prices feel like throwbacks, with burgers starting around $3 — and the nostalgia is dialed up to 11. The No. 5 Special is a popular choice, consisting of a double patty topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and special dressing, but the simple menu also includes hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, fries, tater tots and onion rings. Staffers take orders through car windows, and diners eat inside their car or seated on truck tailgates. Keller’s also sells beer, which through some legal loophole wizardry is legal to drink in your car.
Sky Rocket Burger
Dallas
Burgers, fries, tots and shakes. That’s the menu at Sky Rocket Burger, where they take core competencies seriously. Those burgers are available as singles, doubles or triples, and all are served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo and a secret sauce. The patties are nicely griddled, the cheese is melted, and the toppings are fresh and crunchy, so there’s a lot to like about the food here. Since opening its original location in the fun-loving Deep Ellum neighborhood, Sky Rocket has expanded to a few more locations in North Texas, giving you more opportunities to apply burgers to your life.
Mr. Juicy
San Antonio
First off, great name. Second, Mr. Juicy comes from multi-time James Beard Award nominee Andrew Weissman, who’s applying his formal training to burgers, fries and shakes. Mr. Juicy’s menu is simple: Get a hamburger, cheeseburger or a double of either, cooked to your temperature specifications, and festooned with your choice of toppings. The latter includes lettuce/tomato/onion, bacon, jalapeños and mushrooms, plus “wet sauce,” which is better than it sounds because it’s basically a silky au poivre sauce that can be lovingly draped over your burger on request. Consider it an homage to Weissman’s much-loved La Rêve, which has long since closed but was once one of the best French restaurants in the country.
Jon’s Grille
Fort Worth
Jon’s Grille is the latest project from Fort Worth restaurateur Jon Bonnell, whose other concepts are the higher-end Bonnell’s and Waters Restaurant. Jon’s Grille, however, is a casual ode to Texas beef, featuring its own crossbreed of Akaushi and Angus cattle. Burgers come in two sizes — the one-third-pound “flatty” and the half-pound “fatty” — and are available classic or dressed up with toppings like roasted garlic-smoked serrano aioli and balsamic onions. The full menu also features starters like queso and guac, plus smoked meats, sandwiches and salads, but it’s hard to look past those burgers.
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