Big Dave’s Burger Emporium

It appears as though I was one of the few fans of Big Dave’s, as the doors have been shut and the lights off for quite a while now. I sure hate to see that, because my weekly trip there for a good burger has been interrupted until further notice. Stay hard, Big Dave’s!!!

CLOSED. drove by this place all the time… sadly, never went

Boo– we drove by this weekend and it appears that Big Dave’s is closed. :(What a shame, they had a great burger.

It doesn’t look like much on the outside, heck, it doesn’t look like much on the inside but, one of the best *greasy* hole-​in-​the-​wall burgers I have had in recent memory! Their fries are also top notch: they have a nice peppery kind of seasoning that makes the high calorie intake so much more bearable!
Dave’s also does what the average burger places do, each burger is sold as ½ lb or ¹⁄₃ lb. But they do what the average burger joint does not, by offering all burger options as turkey burgers or chicken sandwiches! They also sell all burgers as baskets, limiting the common a la carte expenses of a place such as it, a burger joint. In short, I’d go back anytime to Dave’s!

This is a really good burger here, more like three and a half stars, but not perfect. For one thing, I did not like the finely shredded cheddar on my cheesburger. I could barely taste it and the layer of cheese was so thick that most of it wasn’t even melted. That was the only thing I didn’t like about the burger. The bun was big and fantastic and the meat was a big charbroiled patty that was just the right combination of crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Delicious. The onion rings were pretty good, not fantastic, but definitely better than they had to be.
The ambience, or lack of, was a major distraction. It felt like I wasn’t in a real restaurant, but like a space that was being used to sell burgers out of this week and maybe something else next week.

Stopped by for some take-​out on my way to poker party on a cold, wet, Friday night. Only one guy manning the joint (he told another customer that Big Dave was away snow skiing) which made for a hectic and slow ordering process. The food however, delivered. All three orders were perfect when I got them back to the house. Very good burger. Had that cooked outdoors taste to me. And the onion rings were awesome. Fries were so-​so as someone else has commented. Good value too, I felt for what I paid for what I got, food wise. Def. will add Big Dave’s to my list of joints to hit for a good burger.

I opened a Unilocal account for the purpose of posting this review. Best burger in Dallas. If you are put off by a ‘hole in the wall’ atmosphere or lack of décor, then go to Jake’s… If you are in it for the food, go see Dave! I have had better fries, I won’t lie… but Dave has the best burger I’ve had in years, and by the time I finished my ½ lb burger, I had no room for fries. Best patty, fixins, and never-​to-​forget the awesome buns from a local bakery. Thanks Dave!

At a friend’s suggestion I visited Big Dave’s earlier this week with a group of coworkers. We made it into Dave’s about 11:45 in the morning on a normal weekday. There were about ten people in line ahead and we were all like wow this place must be really good, so we didn’t mind waiting in line. I should have known something was wrong when right before I placed my order when the cashier flipped a burger and added some cheese to a few others with his bare hands. He then came and took my cash and continued to take my order. During none of this time did I see him put on any gloves, wash his hands, or anything! I let it go since all of my other coworkers had ordered and didn’t want to bother with going someplace else. Well this was when the real pain started. It took approximately 50 minutes in order to get a burger and fries! It was obvious that we were not the only ones frustrated by this due to the volume of customers who kept on going up and asking about their orders. There was no apology, no announcements that they were running behind or short staffed, or any explanation given at all to anyone. This was the first and last experience that I will have with Big Dave’s. You can bet that I’ll sing to the world about how horrific this place is.
To be objective aside from the extremely poor, if any, customer service I would rank the food with two stars. Fries were warm but not hot and burger was burnt on one side. I’d drive the extra mile and head to Jake’s on Beltline and get top notch service and food.

Two dirty thumbs up! Not dirty because I didn’t wash my hands, dirty because after you tackle this monster you will need to! My buddy and I went to lunch yesterday and both ordered the double cheeseburger and neither of us finished it — is what I should have wrote. Fact is we demolished it and both had sever stomach pains after! Next time I will settle for a single. The burgers are flame grilled and have a nice crust on the outside, served with shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions. I would suggest ordering it medium because mine came out almost well done which sucked. Even though it was overcooked it was still a damn good burger! The fries had a good seasoning and the onion rings were awesome! I’ll be back (even though they’re aggies)

Yum!!! Big Daves is a good little dive to grab a burger at — I’m not kidding when I say dive either — this place has about 5 pieces of décor in addition to the tables, chairs, condiments, soda fountain and counter where you order. The burgers are cooked to order so they are super fresh, but you have to wait a little bit for it. The patty is big and juicy. This is a messy burger, but aren’t all GOOD burgers usually messy? I think it’s part of the game really. I upgraded to the onion rings and they were great — crispy and hot. I need to go back here one of these days soon!
Also — I recommended this place to a group of guys at work that are pretty particular about their lunch destinations and they liked it for whatever that’s worth. ;)

I think this place has 5 star potential but the day I went in there was only one guy managing the grill and register. Overall the food was pretty good, could have been great but since one guy can’t possibly manage a lunch crowd my burger was dry and a little burned. The buns are great, toppings fresh, and onion rings solid.
I definitely think it is worth giving this place a chance, could easily be a top 5 burger in dallas.

Dave’s is the best burger joint in North Dallas. If your looking for a ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall’ burger joint with hand packed beef patties, and all the yummy fixin’s then you want to go to Big Dave’s.
My favorite burger is the Southwest Burger. Get the basket and rings. Love the rings too! Big onion pieces and light, fresh batter.
Now keep in mind that this is a down home business. The food it awesome but not at fast food speed. These are made to order burgers full of juicy goodness. Trust me folks, it’s worth the wait.
I’ve searched for a good burger joint in North Dallas — Big Dave’s is better than Jakes, Snuffer’s, and Red Robbin.

It’s hard to write a review without repeating from all the previous ones.
I ordered the Southwest burger basket and for a second I had a little buyer’s remorse since chipotle mayo, guacamole, swiss, and jalapenos may be a bit much on the same burger. The mayo was unnecessary with all the other toppings and the well prepared burger but it all managed to taste good. The meat itself is something that you dont find very often in other burger joints. I didn’t specify doneness so it was brought out medium well. It was surprisingly juicy and had a slight outer crust to it, a welcome change to the endless Fuddrucker clones out there. It was kinda dripping with those juices too and the fact that there were rolls of paper towels rather than napkins at the tables says something about this place. Even as soft as the bun was, it held together under all the «stuff».
Onion rings here are a good middle of the road, not dried out and not greasy. Just hand breaded and fried up good. There isn’t much more to the menu than that — a variety of burgers and a couple other sandwiches, fries, rings, and drinks. So don’t go here if you don’t wanna get your little fingers dirty or are looking for options like salads. They have good burgers and the stuff that goes with ‘em.

Jenn and I checked out Big Dave’s Burger Emporium for lunch on Friday. I have to say, this is now on my list of favorite burgers in DFW. Now, don’t get me wrong… this is by no means on the same planet as the burger at Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill in Addison or even Kenny’s Burger Joint in Frisco… but it sure as heck put Twisted Root to shame.
You can’t really call Big Dave’s fast food, because there was a wait for our burgers, but I believe it was worth it. The bun was soft. The big beef patty was cooked to a juicy medium, which is way more than I can say for Twisted Root. The shredded cheddar cheese was slightly melted on top of the burger.
Jenn substituted Onion Rings and I stayed with the fries so we could could try both. The onion rings were hot and crispy and delicious. The fries had an interesting seasoning on them that I couldn’t quite decipher but they were good.
Make sure you grab one of the 20% off Frequent Diner cards at the register.
This is unfortunately, too far for me to drive on a regular day for lunch, but I have a feeling we will be eating here quite a bit on my Fridays off.

I love writing good reviews! Big Dave’s is a solidly good burger place. I would easily pass up Kenny’s, Houstons, even Angry Dog for this burger. It’s chargrilled and has a nice flamed cooked flavor. The patty was a little overcooked, but the flavor of the meat made it ok.
When I bit into this monster burger, I got a cheese string from my mouth to the burger. That’s good cheesing. The onion rings were fantastic, the fries were cooked perfectly, but were a tad on the salty side.
Service was friendly and helpful. The thing that could get them to a 5 star would be to work on the décor. It’s decidedly Bachelor-​Sparse. That’s ok, too, though. It’s BYOB, so to go in the evening with a couple of beers would be a lovely, cost-​efficient meal out.
No shakes here, which is a downside for me. I love me a great cheeseburger and a chocolate shake. My epic ass is thanking Dave, though, for keeping them off the menu.

If you’re looking for a good spot to get some tofu and wheat-​grass shots, you’re probably not going to enjoy your trip to Big Dave’s Burger Emporium. While they do offer a black bean burger, I’d go ahead and recommend getting a big, greasy cheeseburger. There are many things that make Dave’s burger an enjoyable experience. Like other reviewers have noted, the burger is not small. This is the kind of burger that steals other hamburgers’ lunch money and makes them thank it for the opportunity. (It’s big.) Anyone can make a massive burger, though. Dave has a great combination of freshly delivered buns (from a bakery who’s name I can’t recall) and a delightful array of fixins that leads to a plethora of different burger combinations that will please nearly everyone.

I returned to Dave’s again after about 3 months. I was disappointed with the food again. The burger was undercooked, lettece was wilty and the fries were re-​fryed again. What a disappointment for a potential good burger joint. The last time I was there I told the cook the fires were cold, so he stuck them in the fryer again, why not fresh fryes for my trouble to tell them they sucked. I think I have had my run with them. So long Dave.

It looks like they’ve worked some things out and maybe added a few burger ingredients. First, the fries are much better. They still taste fresh, but they let them cook a bit longer until they get a nice crust on the outside and get warm and flaky on the inside with a liberal dusting of mixed spices. They’ve ‘fancied up’ some of the burgers too, with guac and BBQ sauces. Overall, you can’t beat their burgers-​and-​fries for under $ 20 + BYOB anywhere North Dallas. Alas, the hours are still The Suck. Why close at 8pm during the week at FOUR PM on Saturday, which essentially means you cut out half of week’s dinner crowd.

So I was psyched to learn that a new burger joint had opened in Addison, one that could ease the pain of the nearby Mooyah gone bad. After reading Joe F’s enthusiastic review I could not wait, so I jumped in the car at lunch the next day and headed to Big Dave’s. However, I felt Joe might have been sporting Aggie-​colored glasses on his visit.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to hype about Big Dave’s. This place makes a good solid patty with quality meat and a nice char-​broil flavor. Fresh buns perfectly complement the meat. Ample cheese use is also a plus, whether it be shredded cheddar or a thick slice of swiss. Finally the fries are thick and crispy on the outside and soft inside.
So what is my problem? There’s not much to the décor but it’s obvious this is a work in progress so that is fine. Despite the mound of burger you get, I have problems with some of the prices. It’s an extra buck for cheese and another one for mushrooms (the few I saw). A BBQ Cheddar burger was $ 2 bucks more and the basket weighed in at over $ 9. I would have even been OK with that if the burger was prepared as requested. I’m not sure if Dave and his friends are still learning but every burger I have had has been served well-​done, despite promises of medium rare. All the good work done to that point fizzled with the dry patty.
Finally, I like the fact that Dave graduated from A&M a few years back and has ventured out to create a quality burger place… and I’m guessing he has a few buds as partners and co-​workers. I wanted to like this place in the worst way but I have to be honest when I say that I didn’t feel anyone was very friendly. When you have only 4 customers at lunch-​time, I would think that you would try and generate some sort of bond with them. When I visited the new JC’s everyone was so nice, they made me want to return. At Dave’s, you get a smile if you are a single 23 year-​old female but that seems about it. Again, even that is fine if you knock your burgers out of the park.
I think Dave’s will grow into itself if they want to. In the interim I am giving this three stars on quality of ingredients and potential.

Aggie fans have another haven besides Tupinamba in the North Dallas area because, according to their Web site, Big Dave’s is the brainchild of another Aggie alum.
I’ve been anxiously watching this place get built for a while now. In between my frequent trips to the neigboring 7-​Eleven and dry cleaners, I always made sure to check if they were open for business.
Saturday, my prayers of having a burger joint I could walk to on a weekend morning if I was still too drunk to drive were answered. The décor is pretty sparse at the moment, but they’ve got a tv which is all that really matters to me. More importantly was the meat sizzling away on the grill seemingly calling my name (I was still drunk).
I ordered the BBQ burger (½ lb meat, cheddar cheese, grilled jalapenos, bbq sauce) with fries and a drink. It was a little over $ 10 which is what I’d normally pay at Snuffer’s so not bad.
When the burger came out the first thing I noticed was the fact that it was huge. A ½ lb patty didn’t really seem to do this bad boy justice. The second thing I noticed was the jalapenos were grilled not just pickled in vinegar like every other freaking place in town. I need smokey heat people (ha.. .sounds like something a 70s porn director would announce on the set). The third thing I noticed was that I’d reverted back to my days as a toddler because I was drooling on myself and had the sudden urge to pee my pants.
Taking the first bite didn’t really quell that urge either.. .it was sweet, spicy, tangy and all the other great tastes you get from a properly cooked burger. They cook it at a high heat so the juices are kept in and the outside of the meat has a nice crust on it. Wash it down with a root beer (or BYOB, heyoooooo!) and you’re good to go.
The fries didn’t do anything for me, but to be honest I wasn’t really in the mood to eat them after I ate my burger. The urge to curl up on the table was far far greater.
I’m keeping my expectations high for this place and hopefully traffic will improve over the next few weeks.
BONUS: My roommate let me know that they have a $ 4.99 daily lunch special