Houston is known for having great varieties of food. The space city has a bit of everything, with downtown hosting plenty of restaurants to satisfy any foodie. This article will be focusing on something that is a bit simpler, the cheeseburger.
When one thinks of the ingredients that go into this dish they usually include bread, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and your choice of condiments. This simple arrangement has evolved over the years with many cooks adding different ingredients and ways of making them. Finding the best burger in Houston is a tough task, as many people have different opinions on this important matter.
Asking around and looking online made this task easier and to keep my sanity intact, the list has been shortened to five restaurants in the surrounding area and downtown Houston. The burgers listed were recommended by the staff working at the restaurants I visited as the most popular burgers purchased by customers.
Number five on the list belongs to The Burger Joint, a Houston original. The Burger Joint has three restaurants with the closest to campus being in Webster near Baybrook mall, the inside of the restaurant was something I did not expect. It had a sports bar feel to it which I liked. The staff was friendly and when asked what their most popular burgers was, I was given the rundown of various burgers that were popular along with a secret menu which all sounded good. I went with the Baconey Bacon Burger with cheese, bacon, and bacon aloe sauce. The ingredients altogether made an exceptional burger. Unfortunately, the bread here was on the plain side as well, the side that was recommended was the queso fries which was the best purchase made that night.
Number four belongs to Bacliff’s very own, Stomps Burger Joint. The location of this restaurant was not very far from UHCL and came recommended, so naturally this was one of the first places that I visited. The restaurant was small but had a nice atmosphere, the kitchen was located right next to the booths and you could smell the burgers being cooked while you waited which was nice.
Looking at the menu the most appetizing burger that I decided to order was the Texas Original Burger and a side of curly fries. The burger came with bacon, cheddar and jack cheese blend, BBQ sauce, pickles and onions. The ingredients were perfect together, especially the cheddar and jack cheese mix which gave the patty the most flavor but the bun was a bit plain which took off points. The curly fries were a favorite of mine, they had an excellent taste to them which went well with the burger.
3. Ricky’s Thick N Juicy Burgers
Tucked away inside a shopping center, Ricky’s Thick N Juicy Burgers is easy to miss if you are not paying attention. This restaurant was highly recommended as one of the best spots to go to if you are in Baytown. The restaurant itself was rather small and quite perfect for intimate occasions or just a place to hang out. What made this restaurant stand out amongst the others was that you had a choice of what bread you wanted for your burger, none of the other restaurants on this list had this option.
The burger that was suggested was a simple bacon burger with onion rings on the side, the actual burger itself looked very simple and somewhat plain like the restaurant but once I tasted the actual burger, I was shocked by how tasteful and good it was. The bread that was picked was sourdough so it gave the burger a unique flavor to it, the patty had a wonderful taste to it with the bacon adding to it. The onion rings were another wonderful addition to this meal with it being one of my favorite side orders from the restaurants on this list, overall the restaurant and the meal had a plain and unassuming look to it but looks can be deceiving and Ricky’s Thick N Juicy Burgers is a great example of this.
2. Tookie’s
The number two spot I went too is a Kemah classic. Tookie’s has been serving the local community of Seabrook, La Porte and Clear Lake for over 47 years. While they’ve expanded the menu over the years to include other items, the restaurant is still known for being a place to get a good burger. The menu had a variety of popular burger choices to pick from which made this one of the harder restaurants for choosing a good burger.
Finally, the choice was made to pick and the #99 burger was selected, marinated in wine with cheddar, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and a special blend of spices dressed in mayo this made an exquisite burger. It had a sweet taste to it and the spices gave it an added flavor to it, the bun was extremely flavorful which is something that was appreciated. The sides were French fries and fried boudin balls which also upped the score for this burger.
1. Burger Libre
Finally, the number one spot on this list belongs to La Porte’s very local burger spot, Burger Libre. This restaurant was opened back in 2018 by Russell Ybarra who owns other local restaurants in the surrounding area like Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen, Chimichangas, and Bullritos. The atmosphere gave the feeling of being in an old small-town restaurant, the kitchen is the first thing you see when you enter the restaurant and you can smell what they are cooking which was amazing. The walls are covered in luchador imagery and masks which made it one of the more unique places to visit on this list.
When asked what the most popular burger on the menu was, the worker recommended two burgers: the Bacon Sancho and the Porky Gordo. The Bacon Sancho sounded the most appetizing and was the one that I selected. The burger had applewood bacon, American cheese, Libre sauce, tomato, lettuce, onion and pickles. The actual burger was smaller than the others on the list but it made up for that in taste, which was for a lack of better words, amazing. The bun had a taste of butter which made the burger taste exquisite and mixed with the signature Libre sauce made the experience unforgettable. The sides that went along with it were two Skeleto tacos which came recommended and is the reason why Burger Libre is number one on this list. All in all, this is a restaurant that I highly recommend to anyone wanting to find a good burger in the Houston area.
