A burger that Towers over the rest

Friday, May 2, 2025 —

EaDo’s revered Moon Tower Inn—located just south of the Esplanade at Navigation—is a venerable Houston institution, having been around since 2010 (with some stops-and-starts, having undergone a few closings and renovations over the years).

I remember hitting it up for a growler fill not too long after we originally moved down to Houston from NYC in 2013, but I’d never previously sampled their burgers before—until now.

And I can’t believe it took me this long.

As an aside, that’s one of the problems when you let data influence your decisions—I’d long heard the burgers were great, but a 4.0 on Yelp (though a solid 4.6 on Google) meant there were other places I ended up seeking out ahead of it. Also having previously been to Moon Tower (even sans food) put a mental note in my head of it not being super-new for me. But I digress.

Today I rectified this particular void in my burger-loving existence, ordering up the Grim Creeper. Moon Tower describes the Grim Creeper as follows:

“Two 1/4-lb Angus beef smash patties, chipotle pimento cheese, bacon, roasted poblano peppers, bnb jalapeños, crispy fried onion, hellstard(tm) & grimm sauce(tm) on a brioche bun. You will probably regret it.”

First off, no way are these bad boys smashed. The patties were real-deal thick AF beef pucks—which, despite a recent tendency toward “true” smashes, are still my preference when it comes to a ground beef delivery vehicle.

The beef was juicy and tender AF, and the perfect canvas to deliver some of the best heat I’ve had at any Houston burger shop. Whatever they’re putting in the hellstard and grimm sauce is a spicy lover’s delight, and truly addictive. I could not get enough of it and was deeply sad after my burger was finished. Reminiscent of Lankford’s Grim Burger in both name and flavor, though I have to say — the last time I had Lankford’s Grim, it didn’t hit anywhere near as hard as Moon Tower’s Grim Creeper.

There’s a new spicy champ in town.

4.75 out of 5 patties 🍔 🍔 🍔 🍔 🍔