Burger News
Acclaimed Dallas restaurant with sky high burgers opens in Deep Ellum
An acclaimed North Dallas burger joint has expanded, with a new location in Deep Ellum: Sky Rocket Burger, the intrepid little restaurant that opened on Frankford Rd. in 2018, just opened a branch at 111 S. Hall St., in the space that was previously occupied by Wild About Harry's.
The opening reflects not only an expansion but a partnership with a new team that is helping take the concept to a higher level.
The original was opened by Scott Wagner and his wife Tia, two California transplants with a dream to flip burgers. Their approach: keep it simple, do it well.
"We do burgers and fries, it's pretty basic," Scott says. "But we use Angus beef — brisket and chuck, fresh not frozen — and we grind our meat on location. That's kind of our niche."
The couple has now partnered with a team that includes Alan Talebi, who is also an investor in successful Deep Ellum spots such as Vidorra and Stirr.
"We're all pretty big foodies," Talebi says. "We were looking for an opportunity to get more involved in the restaurant business when we visited the original Sky Rocket, and could not believe how good it was. We were eating there a lot. Part of the reason we wanted to do this was so that we could have their burgers closer to where we live."
Talebi cites all of the careful steps that Sky Rocket takes to ensure their food is tops. The buns are baked specially for them, and they're buttered and toasted. French fries are hand-cut, and they use russet potatoes and leave the skin on.
It's enough to have earned them a slot on a 2018 Best Burgers list, a nod from Eater, and, surely best of all, 4.5 stars on Yelp.
And they've tried to keep the prices as low as possible, with burgers going for $5 to $6.
The menu really is pretty simple: single, double, or triple burger, with or without cheese; grilled cheese sandwich; and French fries, topped with grated cheddar or left unadorned.
"It's the same exact menu, and everything is fresh and up to par," Talebi says. They'll also serve beer and wine.
And the story doesn't end in Deep Ellum. "We're about to sign a deal in Arlington," Talebi says.
