Texas is famous for many things: great weather, live music, sports, and cowboys. Another claim to fame comes in a form of Texas Barbeque, the Lone Star State’s legendary smokey flavored meats that are lovingly cooked for several hours to achieve optimum tenderness and peak flavor.
Although traditionally, barbeque in Texas didn’t include burgers, the state has still made this American classic its own. Here are some of the best places to find burgers in Texas.
Toro Burger Bar
Originally located in El Paso, Toro Burger Bar has also opened restaurants in Horizon City, Lubbock, and even one over the border in Mexico. Open until midnight every day, Toro Burger Bar serves up some incredible burgers. It goes beyond the traditional patty, cheese, and perhaps a slice of bacon, and it created some truly unique recipes.
For example, Toreado Max & Cheese Burger is an Angus beef patty, topped with toreado mac & cheese, and sprinkled with bacon bits, all sandwiched between a toasted bun. Alternatively, there’s the Hawaiian Burger which combines an Angus beef patty, sweet orange teriyaki sauce, bacon, pepper jack cheese, and serrano chile pineapple jam.
If you want something more exotic, you can also try their Wild Boar Burger, Elk Burger, Buffalo Burger, or Kobe Beef Burger.
WinStar Resort
Although the WinStar Resort is just over the border in Oklahoma, it’s only an hour’s drive from the center of Dallas, so it’s closer than some other places within Texas. WinStar is the world’s biggest integrated casino resort, packing in a huge variety of entertainment options.
It’s not just one casino, but rather 18 different gaming venues rolled into one where you can play classic games like roulette and blackjack, as well as unique creations like Criss Cross Poker, a game that shares many similarities with more traditional versions of poker.
Among its many restaurants is NYC Burgers & Dogs. It prides itself on bringing a “little taste of Times Square” without the need for travel. Its all-beef patties are never frozen and the team only starts to prepare them when they’re ordered.
Josephine House
Josephine House in Austin creates a homely feel, inside and out. This small Clarksville cottage has a lawn and patio area for alfresco dining in the sun and a small indoor dining venue that creates an intimate experience.
It serves two burgers only. The first is the Josephine House Burger, a beef patty, topped with Grafton cheddar cheese, grilled red onion, and harissa aioli, all stuffed inside a bun that was made on site.
The second is the Breakfast Burger, a fried egg, crispy bacon, and harissa aioli. Again, these are sandwiched between a grilled bun that’s been freshly made within the restaurant’s quarters.
Maple Leaf Diner
Maple Leaf Diner brings a taste of Canada to Texans with its restaurant on Preston Road in Dallas. It first opened in 2015 and is owned by Michael Delaurier. He and his relatives have been operating restaurants in Canada since the 1960s, but Michael decided to bring a taste of Canada to his wife’s hometown.
Besides many diner favorites, Maple Leaf Diner serves up some classic Canadian dishes including poutine. It’s Pizza Burger made them famous though after it was featured on the Travel Channel’s Food Paradise show.
The Pizza Burger is a beef patty, spicy pepperoni, bacon, several types of pepper, a large square of fried mozzarella, and a generous serving of bolognese sauce. You’ll struggle to not make a mess while you eat it, but it’ll be worth it.
Chris Madrid’s
Opened in 1977, Chris Madrid’s has been serving up tacos and burgers in Beacon Hill for decades. Its website claims to have sold 2,487 burgers using 812 pounds of cheese, although this seems like a very small number for more than 40 years of trading (it’s less than 1 burger per day).
The restaurant focuses on burgers and tacos, and it does them both well. One of the most popular options is “Cheeseburger With Everything”. This burger comes with all the classic accompaniments, cheese, mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and onions. It’s the traditional cheeseburger but cooked to perfection, which is certainly among Texas’ best.
MG’s in Sherman has the Hot Rod Ford burger. It was voted #3 on The Texas Bucket List.