Great American Classics: Burger Joints

This past Friday afternoon, North Texas witnessed a three-alarm blaze destroy historic Goff’s Hamburgers, an iconic burger joint serving the University Park community since 1950. Seeing the longtime icon burn to the ground along with the recent loss of burger luminary Jack Keller, I am feeling rather nostalgic about things related to two all-beef patties on a sesame seed bun.Being a foodie and a former restaurant guy, great hamburger places hold a special place in my heart and are dear to my belly.

While who invented the hamburger may be a contentious topic, there is no questioning that burgers are an American institution. Our own North Texas/Dallas-Fort Worth region is home to a number of superb burger joints.

Here are a five of my favs:

1. Whataburger, a Texas-institution known as the home of the bigger, better burger, Whataburger serves up 100% pure American beef on a big, toasted five-inch bun. The brainchild of Corpus Christi entrepreneurs Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton, Whataburger started up in 1950 and has grown to more than 700 locations across the country. Whataburger is the only fast-food burger chain that actually manages to produce a burger that looks like what they advertise. Whataburger rocks! You can get a burger any time, any day of the week. Try one for breakfast. You’ll be delighted you did.
2. Jake’s Uptown-A group of friends and I minister in downtown Dallas once a month and Jake’s is our go-to spot afterwards. They have a number of spots throughout DFW, but we usually hit the Dallas Uptown location on McKinney Avenue. Hot, fast and mouth-wateringly delicious!
3. JG’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers-located in Northeast Dallas on North Greenville Avenue, these guys serve up a classic burger, complete with the little plastic basket and yellow wax paper.                                                                           
4. Sweetie Pie’s is located out in downtown Decatur and primarily known for their ribeye steaks, these guys dish out a tasty burger. Their Green Chile burger is worth the drive if you’re in the mood for a burger for lunch (note: Sweetie Pie’s does not serve burgers at dinner).
5. Del’s Charcoal Burgers has been serving old-school burgers in old town Richardson for as long as anyone can remember. The flavor is unique and the prices are hard to beat.

These are by no means ALL the great burger joints serving up hot beef patties and slinging fries in the North Texas, DFW area. Please feel free to shoot me a couple of your favorites in response to this post. I look forward to giving them a try.

What are your favorite places to grab a burger?