Hopdoddy Burger Bar: An Austin, TX-Based Concept Taking Over the West Coast

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The concept of Hopdoddy Burger Bar is all about feeling good about what you’re biting into. Their main staples are their all-natural, humanely-raised, house-ground burgers that arrive on fresh baked brioche buns and washed down with craft beers. The atmosphere is lively with service that is fast-paced but still takes time to be friendly. Hopdoddy Burger Bar is also a bit of a do-gooder with one particular menu item, which I’ll tell you about below.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s first location is in Austin, TX and since then their business has expanded to multiple locations in Texas and California and locations in Arizona and Colorado. Many of their locations are fast-casual and mostly located in higher-end shopping centers. With a glance around the restaurant, you will find it’s a more family atmosphere, with lots of moms rocking their Lululemons (I’m not hatin’…but appreciatin’). The location I went to was at a shopping center called The Point in El Segundo, CA and I was able to take a break and have table service with my foodie-friend, Ray of DoodonFood.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar 
The Point, 850 S. Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245
https://www.hopdoddy.com/

Front – Doble Fina Margarita Back – Bubbly Blonde

If you’ve been paying attention to my posts here at Girls on Food, I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m not the beer aficionado like our blogger Elizabeth is. I figured since Hopdoddy’s menu is influenced by the original Austin location, why not stick with southwest-ish cocktails? Ray started with the Doble Fina Margarita featuring silver tequila, fresh lime juice, triple sec and sweet agave. Ray allowed me to have a sip and I was impressed with the freshness of the sweet and sour blend. A lot of chain restaurants use pre-packaged sweet and sour mixes, that will leave you with a raging hangover the next morning. The margarita here was made with ingredients so fresh, you could taste it. (side note: Ray was not in pain the next morning).

My cocktail of choice was the Bubbly Blonde, St. Germaine, lemon, orange, topped with sparkling wine and a fresh basil leaf. I’m a fan of white wine spritzers and I thought the mason jar was a fun glass to serve it in. The basil adds a herbal note not commonly found in spritzers. I could totally picture an Austin-raised blonde, like Amber Heard, sipping on one of these. It’s light, fizzy and floral from the St. Germaine.

 

 

Thunderbird with Truffle Fries

The Thunderbird surprised us upon arrival, in a fantastic way. When we saw there was a chicken burger on the menu, we both assumed it would be more like a chicken breast grilled. Nope! We were wrong and the ground chicken patty was packed with flavors and so moist. This burger was sandwiched with applewood smoked bacon, pepper jack, avocado, seared poblanos, pico de gallo, avocado, chipotle mayo and red leaf lettuce. This burger beautifully pairs Tex-Mex flavors in every juicy bite. The Truffle Fries are my favorite kind, Kennebec fries with parmesan cheese, parsley and an aioli on the side.

Goodnight/Good Cause Burger

For every purchase of the Goodnight/Good Cause Burger, all Hopdoddy locations will donate $1 of the sale to a charity (charities rotate among locations). The manager Dan told me he was never more proud to be an employee than when he personally got to deliver a check to a charity. See their site for more info.

For lovers of a more wet, finger-lickin’ burger, this is your jam. This burger is packed with angus beef, Tilamook cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, jalapeños, a hickory BBQ sauce, red leaf lettuce and a beefsteak tomato. This burger is the epitome what how I think a Texan burger should be, sweet, spicy, smokey and cheesey goodness altogether. And, you don’t have to feel completely guilty about consumption. It’s all for a good cause.

I hope this Texas-born burger joint becomes one of America’s next great chains. Since they have a charitable outlook along with flavorful burgers, I believe karma will reward this business superbly.

Julianne

Actress and Founder of Girls on Food: I was born and raised in the suburbs of Sacramento, California. I grew up a typical “McDonald’s kid”. I was very picky about what I ate and refused to try new foods. No fun, I know. My Mom started taking me on trips to Europe when I was a teenager and that’s when my palate for finer foods began to develop. Some of my most memorable favorite meals include Veal Bolognese in Rome, Gyros in Athens, Paella in Lisbon and Duck L’Orange in Paris. While this helped me grow out of a fast food phase, I still eat out quite a bit. I know I should be at home cooking, but I love dining out. I started working in restaurants in various front of the house positions at age 15. Since my start, I’ve worked in every casual restaurant setting you can think of: a teriyaki stand, brewery, sushi nightclub, trendy Mexican, family-style Italian, American diner, pizza parlor and even a BLT themed food truck. I can't help but notice that many of the LA food bloggers don't have any sort of background working in a restaurant. A lot of my perspective on food and dining out comes from my years of experience in the biz. Since starting this blog, I have shot appearances on a couple of cooking competition shows as a taster (including MasterChef Junior and another upcoming show). We have also started producing a Youtube Channel. IMDb page here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2023647/ For this site I contribute content from all over Los Angeles (and the world) to showcase my favorite fine-dining spots, steakhouses, exclusive supper clubs, Hollywood nightlife and our very own #GOFx events, which I plan and coordinate.

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