Friday, February 23, 2024 — On the heels of my not-as-amazing-as-I’d-hoped experience at Flip ’n Patties on my actual birthday this past week, I found myself craving a beef topping combo I know and love. Specifically, a blue cheese and bacon burger.
For the seemingly zillion hamburger options in Houston, there are surprisingly few that offer a blue cheese option. And there seem to be even fewer that let you customize to your heart’s content.
As I studied my burger list to determine where my next adventure would take me, I had three criteria: I definitely wanted it to be a burger joint, not a restaurant with a notable burger. I wanted it to be near the top of the ratings, as I work my way down from highest to lowest. And if it didn’t have blue cheese as a substitute, it at least needed to offer a burger sandwich that came topped with blue cheese in its description.
It didn’t take me long to identify the location that met all three: Hippo Burgers. Hippo’s been on my list for a while, but given its relatively far-flung locations—it actually has 10(!) outposts in the greater Houston area, though the closest to the Galleria is still a 25-minute ride away—it kept getting backburnered.
To my delight, one of Hippo’s primary offerings is the Hippo Blue Burger, and at a 4.3 Yelp / 4.6 Google ranking, Hippos is the 13th-highest rated Hamburger Joint in Houston. With only four places ahead of it I haven’t tried yet, Hippo was the clear choice to satisfy my high-rated blue cheese craving.
However, before diving into the meat, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the Hippo experience. I’m not sure if they all share the same appearance, but the one on the Sam Houston Tollway is connected to a gas station mini mart, and the yellow interior decor—and even the logo!—are eerily evocative of Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse fast food satire Mooby’s.
Despite placing my order in advance, I still had to wait in a line while in-person customers ordered ahead of me, due to there being one cashier. Efficiency is not the name of the game at Hippo. One last quirk — one of Hippo’s differentiators is apparently photographing (and serving!) their burgers upside-down. For the life of me I’m not entirely sure what this is meant to accomplish, though it’s something to talk about.
Anyway, on to the savory (I’d say juicy, but this burger was decided not) details! Right out of the gate I knew I’d be happy with this substantially sized hamburger sandwich, especially after the petite presentation of Flip ‘n’s Puet Burger.
The Hippo Blue Burger is comprised of a 1/2 pound Angus beef patty, bacon, bleu cheese, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes. I added mustard, ketchup, pickles, jalapeños, and a fried egg, delivered on a generously sized (upside down) potato bun. For me, this specific combination of toppings is almost as good as it gets—had they offered banana peppers, it would’ve been an all-time Larry burger.
As it stands, the sandwich overall was enjoyable, primarily because of the heft of the patty and the glorious synergy of the toppings. I could’ve used even more blue cheese crumbles and maybe another strip of bacon, but the flavor mix was mostly on point, and I was also glad I added jalapeños (and received more than one this time!) for some much-needed heat.
Alas, similar to my recent experience with Crypto Burger, the toppings really stole the show, as the meat itself was dry and overcooked. A bit reminiscent of Whataburger (which, I like Whataburger! But I also know exactly what I’m getting myself into when eating at Whataburger, and that is a beef patty more arid than a Houston summer day).
Still, overall I really enjoyed finally trying Hippo, and while I wouldn’t go out of my way, I’d definitely eat it again. The more I dive into this burger adventure, the fewer places I’ve come across that allow the level of full-blown customization that Hippo does (the only enhancement I didn’t see was the ability to add a second patty — not that this particular beef monster needed a friend, but I always appreciate having the option to go full-on gorge). In my experience, Hippo’s modification options are rivaled only by those of burger-chan‘s.
4.25 out of 5 patties.
Best Burgers Near Me 