Thunderbird Burgers

CLOSED
Sounds like the inconsistent hours were a sign of troubled times. I’m sure the rent in the area was pretty high for a reasonably priced burger place. There’s a sign in the window indicating that they are closed. Bummer.

A co-​worker and I are continually on a quest for good bbq downtown. We did not find it at Thunderbird. The pork was a bit chewy, and the brisket was not up to Texan standards.
Perhaps the burgers are better, but go somewhere else for bbq.

This emerging burger joint is worth a visit. It’s positioned well above fast food, but isn’t quite gourmet. Burgers are made fresh and cooked to order in a variety of preparations. If you’re not in the mood for a burger, the barbecue is also a good choice, especially the sandwiches.

A good burger joint — Pretty good burgers, there’s definitely more bread than meat — but still tasty. You definitely get decent food for value prices. Try the combo — burger, fries, and soda for $ 2.99 — a recession buster for sure!

This is a sweet spot to have lunch during the week. To get away from the chain restaurants and 16^th street mall madness, and it isn’t too spendy either. I have NOT had the BBQ, but I did have an delicious Avocado, Bacon ad Cheese burger! Yum! And they are pretty large so you will not leave hungry. Fries were meh, nothing to rave about, but overall I’m sure I will be back and try a BBQ sandwich or their wings. Good quick, non-​fancy pants lunch joint. If only I could have a beer at lunch time *sigh*

Welcome to the middle folks.
Note: I haven’t had the BBQ
I sat at the bar and talked to a guy that worked there because he got a DUI and lost his job as a beverage rep. I know this because he told me… which I found odd… as he was the bartender and I’m the drunk that’s supposed to be telling him my problems.
All the same.
I asked how the wings were and he shrugged, I asked hoe the burgers were and he said good and shrugged. There was so much shrugging going on that I though I should clear his tongue so he didn’t choke on it during his sudden seizure.
Since he had poured on the charm so heavily I decided to get my food to go. I live 2 blocks away and the food was still hot when I got in. I took one bite of the burger and thought:
«wow…this defines average.»
The wings were about the same. Strong on vinegar and light on the butter to cut it. I doubt I’ll be back as I’m not huge on BBQ and there are better burgers to be found.

I love this place!
Absolutely the best drink prices in town. A pitcher of beer will run you $ 5 or $ 6 bucks.
Staff is great. The bartender is friendly and welcoming.
Food is wonderful! The fries remind me of McDonalds fries — which we all know are amazing!
I will definitely be back.
5 stars! *****

It says Thunderbird Burgers but it ought to be called Thunderbird BBQ. We haven’t tried them yet but if the burgers are as good as the BBQ, then i guess it’s earned it’s namesake.
The BBQ was fantastic! A bit different but charred in all the right ways. The sauce was excellent. The sides were decent. We haven’t been to many BBQ/​hamburger joints yet in Denver, but this has to be one of the best so far! We’ll keep you posted on our quest…
The cons: Not a great selection of draft beer. The area that the pool table is in is a bit awkward and cramped. Not really sure what’s going on there. It’s difficult to play pool if there’s anybody else in there eating. The available pool sticks we saw had plastic tips on them and the table was crooked. Perhaps we would have stayed and spent more money drinking if the we could have played pool. I know it’s not a pool hall, but what’s the point of having a pool table if you’re not going to keep up with it or provide some decent sticks… just a thought.
The food was good nonetheless and we definitely hope to make it back there again soon, for the food, not the pool!

My personal quest to find Denver’s best burger brought us here. Did I find it? Nope. Did I leave happy and full-​bellied? Yarp!
We both ordered a Double Double burger ($ 7.99) plus a side of fries/​onion rings each ($ 2.99). Both the fries and rings were obviously from a bag but they were cooked decently, and the portion size was more than acceptable imo. The burgers, however, were pretty amazing. First, I was impressed that there was actually a discernable difference between my medium and his medium-​rare (TB is very sports bar-​ish; I kind of expected the cook to scoff at our requests and serve it up «whatever»). Second, the patties were meaty, flavorful (maybe a touch too much pepper for my taste) and the fixings were super fresh. The only thing I didn’t really like was that the bun was a wee bit too thick and bready, but who cares really.
TB serves up some damn fine burgers. I’ll be back!

This BBQ/​Burger place just off of the 16^th St. Mall on Blake Street has a lot going for it, but not enough…
The Great: The pork BBQ is really fantastic. Charred, superb BBQ sauce, nice bun. Fantastic fries.
The Average: The burgers aren’t anything spectacular and the sides are horribly underproportioned. The service is fairly fast, but the line to take orders can sometimes be WAY too long when you only have an hour for lunch.
The Horrid: The price is pretty crazy on certain items. Also… the ethics of the operators can be a bit dodgy: A group of 4 of us ate lunch there a few weeks ago. When my friend’s meal came out, it had potato salad instead of beans. No big deal, right? So my friend simply asks, «Can I get beans instead of the potato salad?» The server nods, and brings back beans. Everything is fine. Well, my friend was balancing his checkbook and there was a discrepancy. They went back and recharged his credit card the $ 1.50 for the beans WITHOUT him knowing it! What BULLSHIT! So, since then, we haven’t been back. I know it’s only $ 1.50, but come on now… don’t be slimy.
SO: Originally 3 stars. MINUS 1 Star for being pricks.

Wanting something different I walked around downtown in search and decided on Thunderbird Burgers & BBQ for lunch. Nice size space, big screen TVs, a bar, friendly staff and pretty good food too. I ordered the blackened chicken sandwich and a grilled chicken salad. If you order a salad let me warn you they are huge, though some pieces of lettuce seemed to be more edible for rabbits than humans, the salad can be a meal itself. So order the side salad instead. I will see the Thunderbird again in the near future and try some other items on their menu.

Ever since I read an enlightening article in the Daily Camera about aptronyms (professionals with a name that is coincidental with their occupation), I’ve been puzzled by the prospect of Thunderbird Burgers.
Check it out here —
You see, one of the business partners in the Thunderbird Colorado endeavor is named Brett Berger. As the article discusses, psychologists are studying whether people like Brett are subconsciously guided into their profession of excellence by their appropriate names — other examples include Usain Bolt, William Wordsworth, etc.
Does Brett Berger make awesome burgers because of his name? Late last Saturday night I decided to conduct my own research. I found that yes, Thunderbird Burgers (and chicken sandwiches) are incredible. Moreover, Brett Berger and his partners’ aptronymical burger prowess was evident in the rest of the restaurant as well. There was beer, live music, friendly staff, and an inviting atmosphere.
All my data points to one conclusion, Thunderbird Burgers are amazing. However, we will need more data to link the name and the burgers, and work towards proving the Theory of Aptronymology.
Please replicate my experiment by testing the burgers yourself. Publish your findings and contribute to the scientific wealth of burger knowledge.

Seen it a few times while running errands downtown. Decided to try it today after stopping by the FedEx across the street.
They serve both burgers and BBQ. I went with the burger option today. At the guy’s recommendation I got the ABC (Avocado, Bacon, and Cheese) burger with fries and a drink. Total was $ 10 and change. The food came out quickly. The patty itself was pretty small/​thin (compared to other burger joints) but cooked nicely with it being medium rare. It seemed like the bun was too much bread compared to the meat. The fries were nothing special, and tasted like oil.
Wouldn’t be opposed to going here for lunch again but still nothing really drawing me back. I might go and get some BBQ next time though.

Anyone I know (and possibly their mom) knows that I could never go vegetarian because I REALLY love hamburgers. These particular burgers are SO scrumptious. They are cooked to perfection and have a variety of delicious options. My personal favorite is the ABC. Avocado, Bacon and Cheese. How can you go wrong? They let you apply your condiments yourself, so you avoid the dreaded mayo blob in the center, unless of course you like that. The blake location is new, so come check it out! I will probably be there every Thursday, so join me for a burger!