Restaurant Review: Burger Bodega

Nearby the corner of Shepherd Drive and Washington Avenue is a restaurant that has enjoyed a great deal of success since their opening in late 2022. This is of course Burger Bodega, a retro stylized burger joint located in the building of a former 1930s fire station. The Houston themed restaurant serves smash burgers with what they call a touch of New York style. Since their opening, they have commonly had a line stretching out the door during both lunch and dinner hours, but what is all the hype really about? Today it’s time to find out what kind of pull this recent burger joint has that gets people to line up outside in the Texas heat each day.

Experience & Ambience

The restaurant’s exterior totes a prominent display of bright yellow and red over an otherwise white building. The windows are plastered with countless retro advertising stickers that help support the restaurant’s classic burger joint vibe. The interior is Houston themed, with various Houston oriented items decorating shelving on the walls to emulate the atmosphere of a bodega. These goods are paired with neon signs and urban inspired accents to create a very unique ambience that is notably enjoyable. Though thoroughly decorated, it is quite small with only half the bottom floor dedicated to seating and very limited space for the ever present line of customers to stand while waiting to place their orders. An upstairs terrace is visible from the street and noted as a place for patrons to sit online, although thus far I have only seen it blocked off for “staff only.” This lack of space leads to people in line as well as those awaiting their food standing in the walkways between tables and lines stretching out the door. After waiting through the line, customers order and pay at the counter, then await the call of their name in whatever open space that they can find.

Let’s talk about the food, starting with the burger since that is their staple dish. Unfortunately, the only positive thing I can say about their smash burgers is that the edges of their patties are nicely crispy, which does improve the overall texture of the dish. Aside from that, the patties were dry and overcooked, which I will also grant is somewhat common for smash burgers. What was more disappointing was that it tasted completely unseasoned, like ground beef without even a hint of salt or any other flavor for that matter. More still, the toppings, besides the cheese, were almost unnoticeable and their bun was comparable to what you would find at any fast food chain with all the air firmly squashed out of it. The burger was disappointing to say the least. The chopped cheese sandwich was on a similar level with the toppings hardly making a showing at all, and the bread just as crushed as the burger. While it had slightly more flavor than the smash burger, this was mostly due to the extra large helping of grease present in the sandwich. As for the sides, I am not certain that I could tell the difference between their fries and the ones you can find in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. Lastly, the Vietnamese coffee shake was more similar to vanilla in terms of flavor. While the overall texture was good, only a small hint of coffee was detectable in the shake, which feels a bit misleading when the beverage is named after a particularly strong coffee drink.

Prices & Rating

Due to their minimalistic menu, it is quite easy to break down the prices. In fact there are more shakes on the menu than burgers and sides combined, which you can pick up for $6.50. As far as mains go there are two options, the first of which is a simple smash burger which runs from $8 to $13 depending on how many patties you want. The only other option is a chopped cheese sandwich for $11 to $13 based on whether you get it spicy, regular, or with impossible meat. Finally, sides of fries run from $3.50 to $9 depending on the amount of toppings. While the prices are somewhat cheap overall, they aren’t dissimilar to the average $10 to $15 burgers that can be found throughout the city.

The best thing that this restaurant has going for it is its image. They have successfully captured the feel of a classic burger joint that meets modern times, with some local Houston flair on top of that. It would make for an enjoyable atmosphere, if the current popularity of the restaurant did not inhibit customer’s ability to sit at a table or even find an open place to stand during the peak hours of the day. Due to the almost constant line out the door it is unlikely that you will find an open table, but before you ask about the wait for one, just know that you may receive a similar response to the one I got: “I don’t know, depends on how stupid they are” referring to the other customers in line. I found that their employee’s response pretty accurately depicts the way they view their patrons at this establishment. Still most significantly, the food was extremely underwhelming. You could easily find several better burgers in the Heights at a similar price point, and without an unappreciated side of attitude. While it is always more enjoyable to write a favorable review for a business that is doing something right, it is important to remain impartial, and this is a restaurant that I could not possibly grant my recommendation.

The Entire Menu

The Smash Burger comes as a single, double, or triple with smashed patties, American cheese, grilled onions, house-made pickles, bodega sauce, and a potato bun.

The Chopped Cheese Sandwich comes in the normal, spicy, or impossible varieties with two chopped patties, American cheese, onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and bodega sauce on a hoagie style bun.

Fries can come Chopped with beef, cheese sauce, onions, bell peppers, and bodega sauce. Another option is Screwed which comes with cheese sauce, onions, and bodega sauce or the final option, Plain.

Milkshakes come in a variety of flavors including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, Vietnamese coffee, mango lassi, and cookies & cream