Houston Burger Power Rankings | Summer 2025
Friday, July 25, 2025 —
Longtime readers will recall that I have rolled out year-end “Favorite Burgers in Houston”lists in each of the past two years, with one of the caveats being that for the burger to be eligible, it had to be new to me that year (in part to help ensure a wide and varying swath of burgers received love). Despite writing about Houston burgers for over two years, I’ve never really compiled a true full-blown proper Power Rankings list.
This list is of course open to any and all burgers from places I’ve consumed hamburgers from in the Greater Houston Area, regardless of when I first ate at a given establishment. While I love data, there isn’t a scientific method here to my ratings. These are the burger places that I get the most visibly excited about when people ask me for my recommendations — the places that, on the infrequent occasions when I want to revisit something I know and love, vault to top of mind.
Given how much time I spend on seeking out what I haven’t had, you know these burger spots are the creme-de-la-creme if I’m hitting them back up on multiple occasions.
I’m batching this list up in segments, with the Top 10 getting full write-ups (though I am still blurbing everything — some just might have more extensive thoughts than others).
Also, here’s the link to my Master Houston Burger Tracking Spreadsheet.
The Top Ten: Houston’s Very Best Most Exquisite Burgers
1) burger-chan. My #1 burger joint of 2023 continues to maintain its lofty perch overlooking everyone else in an incredibly talented and busy Houston burger field. There’s still no comparison for the seemingly limitless custom combinations fans can concoct when eating at burger-chan, though the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink topping offering would mean nothing if the beef and ingredients weren’t exceptional, which—of course they are. Chef Willet’s legendary blend of 44 Farms ground beef and their umami glaze—browned butter, soy, pureed shiitake mushroom, roasted garlic and Worcestershire—ensures this spectacular meat delivery vehicle thoroughly delights each and every time.
2) Old School Burger. Among the most unassuming burger spots in the greater Houston area, this Katy gem is nestled in a random retail center on Mason Road south of I-10, and has been among my favorites since first enjoying its mouthwatering hamburgers in 2023. The fact that it remains this highly ranked despite having since consumed dozens of excellent burgers since then should tell you everything you need to know about the quality of Old School’s burger-slinging expertise. I do not know what their blend or seasoning is, but the preparation is nothing short of marvelous—some of the juiciest, most melt-in-your-mouth beef you’ll find anywhere. Every time I go I always think to myself I’ll try one of their many options, and yet I can never not order the Blue Star Burger—literally the very best blue cheese burger I’ve ever had.
3) Kowbell Burger. Katy is crushing the burger game in its own right. Kowbell hit the scene in late 2023 / early 2024, and this Katy Asian Town delight has been expertly slinging its out-of-this-world concoctions from the jump. While the regular menu offers a terrific range of flavorful options, similar to burger-chan, you can also customize to your heart’s content, and making modifications to already-delicious hamburgers is almost as enjoyable as consuming them. During my last visit I ordered a custom signature tri-blend patty, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, vital farms egg, smoked bacon, roasted kimchee, soy-pickled jalapeños, and Akma sauce burger, and am still thinking about it months later.
4) Clutch City. My #1 of 2024, I also need to get back here on a more frequent basis. While burger-chan technically offers smashburgers, their patties lean on the larger side for a smash—and with that I would say Clutch is probably offering up the best “true” smashburgers in Houston at the moment (which is wild considering how many great spots are currently purveying excellent smashes). Clutch’s excellence is all in the prep: Halal beef with a simple BBQ rub consisting of cumin, salt, pepper and either paprika or cayenne, and the out-of-this-world clutch sauce, comprised of cajun hot sauce, sweet pickle juice, pepper, mayo, mustard, and pureed onion.
5) JLB Eatery. Yes, another Katy fave. I will grant you that this list is a tad skewed toward options that are relatively convenient for me to acquire—though with that said, while that may play in a role in how frequently a given burger spot cycles through my mental rolodex when contemplating where I want to adventure to next, it does not diminish my rankings. If a burger ranks where it ranks on my list, it’s based on its culinary excellence—not geographic prolixity. In any case, JLB is a tribute to burger hedonistic excess in the very best way possible. My favorite, The Crazy Burger, is an absolute monstrosity—two MASSIVE double certified Angus beef patties, double cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, bacon, grilled onions, and thousand island dressing. This thing is absolutely GARGANTUAN and it is probably close to a full day’s worth of calories. And worth every bite.
6) Gastrocraft. A very strong contender for best first-time burger I ate in 2025, Dennis Feray’s ode to the smash is essentially perfect. I enjoyed the 1-Star Double Smash, which comes with two smashed all-beef patties, American cheese, grilled sweet onions, and burger sauce on a toasted brioche bun. I also added a third patty, because triple cheeseburgers are life, and of course, jalapeños. Dennis’ beef is a unique 73/27, seasoned with cayenne and paprika (among a few other spices), and his delicious burger sauce is mayo-based with ketchup, mustard, sriracha, black pepper, and pickle juice—coming together in perfect harmony and resulting in a spice-forward beef hedonist’s dream come true! The only thing keeping Gastro from ranking higher on the list is that the truck only ever sets up shop in the far northeast (typically in Humble or Kingwood)—quite the distance from my typical stomping grounds. If Dennis ever makes a play for the west side of town, watch out, everyone!
7) Hotline Burger. Among the best smash burger joints in Houston, my go-to order is the Jalapeño Burger, which comes with two crispy 100% halal beef patties, ranch sauce, fresh jalapeños, swiss cheese and pickles. I added a third patty—because the only thing better than a double smashburger is a triple—jalapeño relish, grilled onions, and bacon. Based on my order, owner Philip Kim also thoughtfully gave me a container of the even-spicier version of Hotline’s sauce. Phillip’s take on the smashburger is outstandingly delicious, and almost belongs in its own category of excellence. The beef was seasoned and cooked to beyond perfection, and the amalgamation of toppings and methodical integration of meat and veggies elevated the experience to a savory and indulgent euphoric nirvana. Hotline has two locations in town, one at 8880 Bellaire Blvd, and the other at 1585 Highway 6. My first visit was the former, and the second was the latter—I will say that the Highway 6 location didn’t wow me as much the Bellaire Blvd spot. Perhaps it was due to Chef Phillip being the one to serve me at Bellaire, but the food tasted fresher and more savory. Hopefully my next experience at Highway 6 will represent an improvement, as that one’s much easier for me to get to.
8) Moon Tower Inn. Still blown away it took me as long as it did to get to Moon Tower, but after rectifying that mistake this past spring, I discovered what I’d been missing: The Grim Creeper, described as “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.” Nope, zero regrets on this one! The beef was outrageously juicy and tender, 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.
9) Proper Burger. Located in Finn Hall on the first floor of Jones on Main in Downtown, Proper might make the juiciest smashburger I’ve had in Houston. The delivery vehicle for the Blue Cheese & Bacon Burger is fairly straightforward: two 2.5-ounce patties on a potato bun and the eponymous toppings, but the attention to detail and execution are are what elevates Proper to another level: smoked romaine lettuce and A1 Bone Marrow Sauce substantially enhance the overall flavor profile, while the beef—an 80/20 brisket and chuck blend—was exquisitely seasoned and cooked to perfection, dripping with juice and featuring beautiful char ringing the perimeter.
10) Mean Burger. I wish Mean Burger weren’t so darn far. One of the highest-rated burgers anywhere in the Greater Houston area—with dual 4.8s on both Yelp and Google!—this humble Humble burger shop is about a 10-minute drive north of IAH, and is killing the burger game. My go-to the handful of times I’ve gone has been the Mean Bleu Cheese Burger, containing two extremely generously sized patties, bacon and bleu cheese, pickle, raw onion, pickled jalapeños, grilled jalapeños, grilled mushrooms, and thousand island dressing. No gimmicks, just straightforward burger deliciousness.
#11 – #15
These are each excellent in their own right. In a less-crowded field, any of these would be worthy of Top Ten status. I’m going to cop out here and not assign them a number — I find once you start trying to rank too many things that are excellent, it’s difficult to find enough nuance to say “oh this place is clearly #12 vs. this place being #13.”
Basically, any of these could be #11, or #15, or anywhere in between (same for the tiers after this one).
Narwhal Jousting Club – One of the city’s newest entrants to the burger scene; has quickly made its mark with a straightforward-yet-delicious and very cheesy hamburger sandwhich.
Champ – An all-time classic; Champ’s generously-sized old-school approach yields one of the more delicious and hedonistic consumptive experience in town.
Stanton’s City Bites – Another Houston staple; Stanton’s stands out for its delicious beef and attentiveness to ingredients and composition.
Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack – I suppose I could have just called this section “The Classics.” Bubba’s is as a real and delicious as it gets; another no-frills hefty and delectable beef delivery experience.
Lankford’s – That makes four straight “Houston Burger Hall of Fame” spots. Lankford’s is one of the OGs of the scene, and the burgers are always special — you can’t go wrong with the Grim Burger.
#16 – #20
Also another super-solid tier — given how many exceptional burger places there are in Houston, any of these would likely be among any other given city’s very best burger options.
Big Burger World – Another Katy gem — though they seem to have moved to a food truck on North Fry Road from their previous brick-and-mortar location, and the last time I tried to order the truck was nowhere to be found. I’m assuming it still exists, and it’s been uniformly outstanding each time — another in the Mean Burger / Champ / Bubba’s huge-patty mold — to be well-deserving of Top 20 status.
Chunk’s Burger – Located a bit off the beaten path in Stafford (nearly in Sugar Land), Chunk’s is almost in a category of its own. While it also evokes the no-frills classiness of the Champs and Old School Burgers of the world, its Double Bam Burger — which comes with two patties, bacon, cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, mustard, and jalapeños — was substantially juicier than several in its cohort. Additionally, while Chunk’s doesn’t explicitly refer to its patties as smashed, I would almost call what they serve a hybrid — they weren’t quite as thin as a traditional smashburger, but they also weren’t enormous. In some regards they were the ideal size — with some smashburgers I still find myself famished even after a double, but this meat delivery vehicle did not need a third patty to slake my insatiable hunger for beef.
Burger Bodega – Along with Clutch City, Burger Bodega might be the other best smashburger in Houston. The flavoring is dynamite, and the overall ambience elevates the entire experience (though admittedly dressing your restaurant up like a bodega is catnip to this New York City native 😊).
Twisted Turban – One of the most unique entries on this list; Twisted Turban is nestled on Highway 6, between Westheimer and the Westpark Tollway. Go with the Diablo Burger, which is comprised of a Serrano-stuffed patty topped with sauteed onions, pickles, jalapeños, jalapeño pepper jack cheese, jalapeño chips, their Diablo sauce, and a jalapeño popper (and add a second patty plus bacon and egg while you’re at it). Talk about hedonistically consumptive. This wonderfully seasoned delicious grass-fed Halal ode to beefy excess absolutely screams “Larry Burger” at anyone who will listen, and was a most worthy selection for my annual birthday dinner burger this past winter.
Feges BBQ – Feges hit my radar after it seeing it ranked #4 on Houston tastemaker Shawn the Food Sheep’s Instagram. And I have to say, one Triple Cheeseburger later, I can see why. I may have it at the back end of my Top 20, but I would listen to arguments for it being a Top 10 burger.
#21 – #25
Same thing I wrote for the #16-#20 range applies here. Quite honestly it’s wild that, say, Brett’s ridiculous triple cheeseburger; Rainbow Lodge’s legendary Wild Game Burger; or any of Rodeo Goat’s delightful concoctions could be outside a Top 20, but again — this is no knock against any of these delicious options and more a testament to Houston’s absurdly great burger scene.
Rodeo Goat – One of the very first burger spots in Houston that got my attention. I don’t get here often enough; though one thing that I do struggle with (and this is a me issue; not Rodeo Goat’s) is its Dallas provenance. If it were Houston-founded, I know I’d feel even more passionately about evangelizing for it.
Rainbow Lodge – You’ll note that almost all of the entries on my Power Rankings are hamburger / smashburger joints (aside from a couple of BBQ spots). That’s not a coincidence. Which is not to say a traditional restaurant that doesn’t intentionally specialize in just hamburgers can’t make a great hamburger (far from it); moreso that the most memorable experiences for me are more often than not at hamburger-specific spots. With that, Rainbow Lodge’s Wild Game Burger is probably the very best restaurant hamburger in town. And I’ve had the burgers at Nancy’s Hustle, Squable, KP’s, il Bracco, Loro, Riel, and many other places.
Brett’s BBQ – The pride and joy of Katy BBQ, their wonderful triple cheeseburger is absolutely massive, and probably underrated (by me) in the #21-#25 range. Just not sure who I’d move out of the Top 20 for it.
Johnny Good Burger – I really enjoyed Johnny Good Burger’s take on the modern burger — the patties are hefty, but the construction and toppings on the burger are somewhat evocative of a smashburger experience. Flavors are on point, and this will fill you up quickly.
Not a Damn Chance Burger – The only national (that I’m aware of) chain on this list — and certainly the only entrant that also has a location in my hometown of NYC — initially I was a bit skeptical of NADC due to the overwhelming hype, but thankfully the flavor and cook on smashes backed the expectations up. The biggest downside to NADC is it being located directly across the street from Rodeo Goat — if the franchise opened a spot in, say, Katy, I feel strongly that they would kill it.
#26 – #30
Tasty spots that are each absolutely worthy of your burger-loving time.
Bussit Down Eatery – Super-unique food truck on North Fry Rd in Katy. The SuppaRay14K Cinnaburger is a must-try — like nothing else I’ve eaten in Houston.
Stack Burger – Unassuming burger stand right in Downtown, offering a super-solid all-around burger experience.
Loaded Burger – South of the Medical Center, Loaded is a lot of fun and offers some of the most distinctive toppings you’ll find at any burger place in Houston.
Hippo Burgers – Mini-chain that has a bit of a fast food / Mooby’s (the McDonald’s satire from the View Askewniverse films) vibe going on. I recall it being dry, but substantive and flavorful enough to merit top 30 inclusion.
Burger Joint – I unabashedly love Burger Joint, though despite the fact that it only has two locations, I always mentally compartmentalize it in my head as a chain, which (not Burger Joint’s fault) ends up knocking it down a peg or two. Not that chains can’t be excellent! I guess I’m just a bit of a romantic when it comes to the artfulness, tenacity, and uncompromising ideals of a completely independent business. At the end of the day though, I’d put the Smoke Stack — Angus beef stacked with pulled pork, mac & cheese, fried egg, slaw, and mayo — up against almost any entrant on this list, and it would probably win often in a blind taste test.
On the Bubble
Five more that are noteworthy and knocking on the door of the Top 30.
Boo’s Burgers – The long-awaited pop-up maestro finally opened up his first brick-and-mortar on the Esplanade in EaDo just this past week, and I have to say — it was very much worth the wait. Outstandingly delicious 44 Farms beef patties — notably, my buddy Chris remarked that Boo’s was another example of the “in-between” smash we’ve been seeing at a few spots (I also mentioned it in the write-up on Chunk’s); not quite a full-blown patty, but not as thin as one would expect from a traditional smash — and a uniformly excellent top-to-bottom beef delivery vehicle. Look at how lovingly this was prepared and presented! Really the only thing keeping it from Top 30 status is that I literally just ate it for the first time for lunch today. I suspect following future visits this will climb considerably in these Power Rankings.
Fresh & Furious – A super-new entrant to the Houston burger scene (just opened in May 2025!), similar to Boo’s I would also characterize Fresh & Furious’ patties as in-betweeners. Lots of promise and potential here, and looking forward to revisiting.
Bad Buns and Boss Bites – I’m lopping these two together, since they are essentially located next to each other (7 minutes away), offer similar experiences, specialize in Halal, and both enjoy alliterative B-themed nomenclature –though the former is a brick-and-mortar restaurant and the latter a food truck. Bad Buns offers a very tasty Halal smashburger, and their char and juiciness is worthy of attention. Boss Bites’ take on the smash was similar, though not quite as juicy or charred. I can see one if not both of these rising into the top 30 following subsequent visits.
Crypto Burger – It’s been a minute since the one time I tried Crypto (a year and a half ago)and I really wanted to love it, but I remember the Bull Run Burger falling just a bit short of expectations for me. However, there was enough promise that I’ve recently returned it to my to-do list, and I think it’s worthy of bubble status. I have a feeling if I order the fan-favorite Bunqua Burger on my next visit, we could see this truck move on up in the rankings.
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