🔒I braved the line to try Bun B’s buzzy burgers. Here’s what they were like 🍔

“A creation so perfect in its simplicity, I was at a loss for how it could be improved upon.”

Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)

HOUSTON – Here in Houston, you can trigger unrelenting cravings in an instant with two simple words: Trill Burgers.

Rapper Bun B’s local fast-casual concept has drummed up much enthusiasm in recent years, cultivating a following through pop-ups. In July 2022, “Good Morning America” dubbed its burgers the best in the country, propelling them to a buzzy, must-eat status. A popular vendor at the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Trill Burgers served more than 41,000 burgers in just 20 days and earned a coveted Gold Buckle Foodie Award for best classic fair food.

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Trill Burgers opened its new brick-and-mortar location Wednesday to immediate crowds: It has a reputation in the city for its meaty, cheesy smashburgers.

Rapper Bun B, who’s real name is Bernard Freeman, co-owns Trill Burgers with California restaurateur Andy Nguyen, publicist Nick Scurfield, and chefs Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares.

“It’s been a dream for us, and it’s actually coming true,” Freeman said in a statement. “It’s been our sole goal to open up an establishment where we can serve you guys Trill Burgers consistently at a high level on a daily basis. And now we’re ready to do it. We are now officially open for business, ready to serve you.”

Eager to try the award-winning wonder and experience the spectacle Trill Burgers seemed to inspire wherever it materialized, I traveled to Montrose. I braved the parking lot, the site of much honking, hollering and mayhem as drivers desperately sought to secure a spot (I witnessed a fender bender), and the line, which trailed outside and wrapped around the restaurant on a 95-degree day, and was rewarded mightily for my efforts.

Trill Burgers’ new outpost offers a short burgercentric menu in a boxy black-and-yellow space on South Shepherd Drive (a former James Coney Island location).

Essentially, there are two burgers at Trill Burgers. The OG Burger, the eatery’s signature smashburger ($11.29), consists of two griddled patties, smashed thin and cooked crisp on their edges, served on a potato roll with melted cheese, caramelized onions, pickles and Trill Sauce. Its companion, the Vegan OG Burger ($14.29), is nearly identical, though vegan. For more meat (or meat substitute) to maw on, try the Triple OG Burger ($13.79) or the Vegan Triple OG Burger ($16.79). French fries are $3.99.

Simply for atmosphere, Trill Burgers was an enjoyable place, (notwithstanding its overloaded lot). Service was welcoming. Customers were excited and their enthusiasm was infectious. There was a shared sense of camaraderie among those who had surrendered their lunch break to the frenzy of the smashburger.

Queued in the slow-shuffling line, my anticipation, and appetite, grew enormously. Through the crowd, I caught tantalizing glimpses into the smoky kitchen, where small balls of ground beef were placed atop the griddle. I watched as a cook smashed the beef into the griddle, spreading it into a rough patty large enough to overhang the edges of a bun. The patties were scraped, flipped and topped with cheese. It was a mesmerizing process.

Once I reached the counter, about half an hour after I arrived, my resolve to be somewhat virtuous and eat light (well, relatively) had weakened. Without hesitation, I ordered the Triple OG Burger combo ($17.78). I wish I had the forethought to order another while I had the chance.

I do want to preface my findings with this disclaimer: I love burgers. And I do mean love. Probably to a fault.

And so, my judgment of the Triple OG Burger: Very good.

After my first bite, I thought “Wow, this is an awesome burger.” I didn’t trust myself, and dug in again. Once more, I thought, “Wow, this is an awesome burger.”

It was superb, the meat charred, tasting faintly of salt, garlic and pepper, covered in melted cheese, paired splendidly with the Trill Sauce, a kind of garlicky mayonnaise ketchup flavor enhancer. The caramelized onions were a delight, sweet and intensely flavored. Everything came together in satisfying bites as juicy as the restaurant’s vibe.

It was a creation so perfect in its simplicity, I was at a loss for how it could be improved upon. The fries, though crisp, well-salted and munchable, were weaklings beside it.

For the sheer gluttony of it, I strongly contemplated rejoining the line to get a second helping. Somehow, I managed to talk myself out of that particular insanity.

Trill Burgers is open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. However, the new 3,236-square-foot restaurant is temporary, serving “as an extended pop-up location for six months while Trill Burgers searches for a permanent home in the Houston area,” per a release.

Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Photos By Dylan McEwan)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)
Trill Burgers (Briana Zamora-Nipper/KPRC 2)

About the Author:

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.