Wee little burgers
International restaurant chain bombards Dallas with mini-burgers
Whee, it's baby burgers everywhere with the looming arrival of Burgerim, an international fast-casual chain specializing in gourmet mini-burgers, which is opening restaurants all across Dallas-Fort Worth.
Three locations in the DFW area will open by the end of February, says Jose Garcia, operations manager for Texas. "We have Lewisville, the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, and Town East Mall in Mesquite, all in the process of building out," he says.
A Dallas location will open in the spring at 6770 Abrams Rd., in the same Lake Highlands shopping center as the Alamo Drafthouse.
Burgerim was founded in Israel in 2013, then debuted in the United States in 2016. It's growing at a fast pace: There are currently locations in California, Nevada, Florida, and Tennessee, plus three in Texas — two in Houston and one in Lubbock — and more in the works.
"In the state of Texas, our 3- to 5-year plan is to open 300 locations, and we're planning on 50 locations to be open by the end of 2018," Garcia says.
Their mini-patties are 2.8 ounces each. That's not so small! It's practically a quarter-pounder. You can order them in a single, duo, trio, or a 16-pack, then customize away from a choice of buns, sauces, toppings, and even the kind of patty itself.
Patty options include beef, dry aged beef, Wagyu beef, merguez (spicy beef), turkey, lamb, chicken, salmon, veggie, Spanish beef, or falafel.
The lamb burger gets high marks, as does the unique "tightly-packed" quality of the ground meat. The veggie burger is vegetarian, not vegan, but is made in-house from green lentils, tofu, carrots, and onion.
The burger comes with lettuce, tomato, and onion, but they take the controversial approach of putting those on the bottom — their rationale being that they'll absorb the flavors from above.
You also can choose from nine additional special toppings, including mushrooms, jalapeños, grilled onions, bacon, avocado, fried egg, and choice of cheese from Swiss, cheddar, bleu, or pepper jack. Those sit atop your patty; no absorbing for them.
Their style of fries is unusual: cut into rounds like a thick potato chip. There are also sweet potato fries, home fries, and onion rings; plus wings, chicken tenders, and a trio of salads that include a chopped salad and a salad with grilled chicken.
Sodas are self-serve, from one of those Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers; there is also beer and wine.
Some Burgerims are in malls; two such locations in the works include the Allen Outlet Mall and the North East Mall in Hurst. Others are in strip mall centers. Either way, it's good news for burger fans, Garcia says.
"People like Burgerim because it has an intense menu with a lot of variations," he says.
