Independent Burger

I used to love these burgers and would drive all the way from the Far East side just to have the deliciousness in my tummy.
Now it’s hit or miss EVERY TIME. A little on the expensive side, but new prices also mean lower quality ingredients which is disappointing.
Everything is sustainable and the meat is grass fed and friendly. Love the concept, but not a fan of the smaller portions since they changed the menu.

My family and I thought we would try Independent Burger (finally). Here is my opinion of our experience there:
The good:
1. Burger meat was tasty. You can’t go wrong with grass-​fed beef. We got the Classic Burger. It seemed on the smaller side, but was quite filling. If you have a huge appetite, you will want a double.
2. Brioche buns were delicious.
3. Décor is nice. We sat inside. The patio looked nice but we were there right around evening rush hour and there was a lot of traffic on Mesa. It would have been noisy.
4. Waiter (Eric) was very attentive.
The bad:
1. Toppings on the Classic Burger: no pickles, «pickled cucumbers» instead… just not the same on a burger. The «grilled onion» was funky because it is basically pickled red onion that is thrown on the grill just to get warmed up. Definitely NOT grilled onions like you might be expecting. The Indy sauce is nothing more than mayo & ketchup mixed together… nothing special. Lettuce was a bit soggy.
2. Chili cheese fries: Not really sure how to describe the chili on the fries. It had a weird spice in it which made it not really taste like chili.
3. Sodas: There was a nice selection of pure-​cane sugar sodas but they seemed a tad flat.
My opinion is that Independent Burger’s concept is great, just not well delivered. It’s just another «meh» food experience in El Paso.

We have really enjoyed the lower prices here. I was able to enjoy a double green chili cheese Burger and a small pint of IPA for 11.99. They actually melted the cheese on my burger. Maybe whataburger on Redd and Resler could come take some pointers. Service was awesome and so was the milkshakes. We go at night because it looks better. On a weekend in the day to many children. Last three times we have gone it has been pleasant. Last night it was ²⁄₃ full. Be nice to come here before a movie at the draft house across the street. Very delicious.

Only reason I’m giving this place 3 stars is overall it wasn’t too bad if a place. It’s neat and organized, speedy service but not really the Healthy burger I want In my life. I’m more of the super unhealthy food type person, this burger was some getting used to. It was definitely a place to try though

I need to start off by saying that I have always loved Independent burger since it opened two years ago. My friend and I go once, sometimes twice a week. It’s our favorite place and the wait staff is always so attentive and personable. But we went this last Valentine’s Day for their free shake with purchase of a burger deal and I was looking forward to my usual Smokehouse burger. The cheese on this is usually smoked cheddar, but I got my burger and there was KRAFT American cheese on it; processed, fake cheddar cheese on my burger. I am not picky or one to complain but Independent Burger prides itself on quality and I don’t think Kraft cheese is exactly «quality». This is my favorite burger bar in El Paso and I will no doubt return, but I’d like to see them step up their game a little bit when it comes to taste and quality.

Delicious and cozy spot to eat. We go for brunch and the sweet potato pancakes are delicious! The queso nachos are a huge portion and delicious as well. The staff are always so nice.

This place is pretty good. I enjoy the food, love the desserts, adore the patio… The only reason I don’t come more often is that the setup is a pain in the ass.
Let’s start with the good stuff. I love the kale salad, with chicken, to make it meal. I also like getting their salmon burger. For dessert the homemade ice cream sandwich is a must eat. I’ll be back for that alone.
Now, why I don’t come here more often? You wait to order up at the counter and then try to find a table… Maybe some people like this, it’s just not my favorite. I’d rather sit down, spend some time with the menu, order a drink, etc… Then order. It’s just my personal preference when I go out to eat.

We ate here yesterday and it was fine. They lowered their prices, which was nice, but now they make you pay before you leave and I’m conflicted on whether to tip and how much. I didn’t get table service, which would make the experience infinitely better, but they bring you a check at the end. I left feeling irritated because of it. I don’t want to stiff a waitress (and we did leave a tip) but if I tip, I want to feel like I was served and I didn’t feel like that.

This place started off great, I didn’t mind paying $ 15+ for a great tasty QUALITY burger. Then they dropped the prices and a definite change in quality was noted especially on the bread, it used to be so good it felt like it melted in your mouth, now it’s chewy and has nothing special to it, the quantity of mushrooms or fries it’s never really consistent from one visit to the next, so it’s hard to know if you’ll be getting enough or too little. They also removed the cool soda fountain bar and flavor syrups they used to have. Their waiters customer service skills leave a lot to be desired. Now it’s just another burger joint, nothing really special…

Drove by this place many times and decided to give it a try. This place is a solid two but not much more. I ordered the the Green Chile Cheese Dog and sweet potatoes fries. The hot dog was covered in seeds because the chef did not take any out. In fact it’s the most seeds I’ve ever seen in a pepper. The sweet potato fries were a bunch of small pieces coated in sugar. And last the peanut butter shake. Very think and the disappointment comes in a straw that was flimsy and not much bigger then a cocktail straw for all intense and purposes as it was impossible to use. Conceptually it’s semi self serve with ordering at the stand, make your own sodas, and find a table with your number. Then it’s brought out. Might be back, but not going out of my way for this one.

I never post anything negative on Unilocal.However, seeing as I really like this place, I think it’s necessary to highlight my disappointment in tonight’s visit.
–clearly they started closing the restaurant at least an hour early because there were was no ice and 2 water flavors out of the usual 12 – 15 out.
–there were no shake straws, which you’d think wouldn’t be a big deal, but the best thing about this place is their «spiked» shakes. Being relegated to eating them with a spoon because the water straws are too thin.
–And to top it off, the guy attending to us as he fervently closed the restaurant all around us (it’s still 30 minutes to closing mind you), is a dick about the straw situation – stating «I didn’t give you any straws because all we have is the thin ones» and then stared blankly.
So, normally – awesome.
Tonite… Or nah.

Ok, so I read on the times that this place changed the prices. I thought, might as well go back. I have been here a hand full of times. I will tell you, I loved it but the prices before were a bit pricey. I’d rather pay those prices while at dinner than at lunch, which is when I typically go.
Now, prices don’t seem that much different. The place was empty as they were just opening. They now have you pay at your table. Sucks because no one really waits on you and you somehow feel obligated to tip.
The customer service is ok. Nothing special, people are nice but not genuine. We didn’t get a goodbye as we were leaving. The employees were too busy talking.
The food, the burger is exceptionally good. They have made the portion sizes smaller. The sweet potato fries were a little nasty. My son and I didn’t eat them. There really wasn’t too many fat ones. Seemed like we had the skins. They don’t sprinkle them with powder sugar, looks like they used regular sugar. Kinda weird. The garlic fries were much better.
Ok, so why the 3 stars. Burger was excellent, prices were average, staff was average, beverage area was sticky and hard to use (suggestion: have the waiter make the drink to actually earn the tip), fries were just okay. Would I come back after checking out the new prices? Maybe if I was in the area. But I wouldn’t drive here as a want.
The meat and burger is great but the atmosphere is nothing worth being excited about.
I think with the culture here in El Paso, there are way too many cheaper places with great food for this place to actually stand out. They need to change a few things… I would state what but then that’s free consulting! Off to eat!

Burgers are good but the chicken is amazing. Their fries are incredible but the ice cream cookie sandwich is what keeps me coming back :-) the only part that keeps them from 5 stars is their drink selection. They have a soda fountain where you make your own drink, not my thing however I’m sure many dig this. They do have soda and beer in bottles too… 4.5 stars :-)

I really wanted to like Independent Burger. Its got a unique, if quirky lay out (Bar service is only accessible once you’ve walked all the way around the restaurant and then you’re staring at patrons eating directly across from you). It has a simple décor but its very aesthetically pleasing. Ultimately though, the food really isn’t that great. I’ve previously eaten at one of their food trucks where they had made burgers and fries. On that occasion the fries were very greasy and soft. Well seasoned though. The cheese burger was messy and the bread soggy from all the juices. I figured this was just nature of the beast being served pre-​made burgers en masse (part of an apt event) so didn’t think much of it.
I ate at the restaurant today at noon and was very underwhelmed. Soggy fries and burgers were not a fluke it seems. I was in the mood for a white wine. Asked for their pinot grigio. They were out. Asked for Chardonnay. They were out. In fact they were out of all white wines. And most of their reds. The waiter apologetically showed me the reds they did have, but there wasn’t enough to pour a glass. So I turned my attention to their beers. They only have 4 beers on tap (one of which is michelob ultra… ugh). I ordered a bottled hefeweizen (Big Bend I believe). Waiter came back with a different hefeweizen. He was quite apologetic and said they were changing their menu. Ok…
I ordered the Buffalo Burger with fries. Postives first. Food came out pretty quick. Very nice presentation (see photo). I ordered medium rare and the burger was prepared perfectly. Now, everyone has their preferences when it comes to fries. Soft soggy fries, no matter how recently cut/​fresh just don’t do it for me. I prefer them crispy. That being said the side of fries I received was a more than generous portion. The fries had a nice seasoning which I believe is unique to independent burger. But I think they were a tad overseasoned.
The buffalo burger was good. Very messy but I expect that with buffalo anything. Blue cheese was very fresh and tasty. The bun was very meh though. Pretty sure its store bought. Like before with the food truck, the bun quickly became soggy from all of the various juices and sauces on the burger. I liked the burger but I’m pretty sure I had a weeks worth of sodium between the fries and the burger.
Service was quick and the waiter (who seemed to be handling the entire store) was polite.
I live near by so I imagine I’ll be back again. The salads look good. Maybe they will have some kind of wine next time.

I love this place and feel like I have reviewed it before. If I have sorry just understand I have had a drink and am to lazy to check. So on my check in I said the cucumber mule was too sweet. So I went to the bar and the bartender offered to make another. I declined and asked for a little more vodka. I appreciate bartenders who can appreciate my personal tastes.
I had the quinoa salad and got some really good suggestions from the waitress for next time since there is no way anyone can eat that whole salad by themselves. Great fries. My 6 year old had the grilled cheese that I (naturally) tasted. It was delicious. It looks like a lot of bread with little cheese. But the cheese is strong so it works.
Go have a burger the burgers are wonderful. Oh and always ask for ping pong on the patio.

Simply the best burger I have ever had, ever.
Cooked perfectly, fresh ingredients. Definitely check it out. Bacon to the 3^rd and you cannot go wrong.

Amazing concept, less than perfect execution.
It had a great menu and a playful drink bar, but some of our food items arrived cold. I ordered the «Bacon to the 3^rd» and it was as good –but that’s as far as it goes. Perhaps it’s ambiance initially gave me much higher expectations. With just two of us, our bill ran shy of $ 50. I felt that you were paying for the contemporary feel more than the meal. Worth a stop if you’re in the west side of El Paso, but probably not worth a trip solely for it.

One of my favorites when I am in El Paso. I was fortunate enough to live in the mixed use development and probably ate there once a week after my first intro. Burgers are inventive and high quality. And (at least they used to) have a gluten-​free bun available for those of us with a food allergy. While my favorite is no longer on the menu, there are many good choices… crunchy peanut butter is incredible on a burger!
Shakes, and adult shakes, are worth the calories. The Three Wise Men is a fav. And save room for an ice cream sandwich — they might just be revolutionary. Try the Cub Scout!

Independent Burger definitely brings new options of eating great tasting hamburgers.
I’ve had their green chile burger which get a 5 star for sure! I’ve also had th turkey burger on wheat bread. This one get a 3.5 star. It definitely lacks taste.
The place is clean and very contemporary with awesome service. On a cool day enjoy the patio.

Independent Burger has a good variety of both classic and creative burgers, which for the most party are very tasty. I’ve been working my way through their menu, my favorites are the Bacon to the 3^rd burger, which has bacon, Jamon Serrano (which we’ll call Spanish Bacon), and bacon jam, and the Gaucho burger which has Argentinian chorizo and chimichurri.
I recommend getting chili cheese or loaded fries because truthfully the burgers are a little small for the price, especially since they are smaller than Crave’s (same owner), and that kinda bugs me, but they still pass my taste test.
Here’s my test of when a ‘gourmet’ burger is good and when it isn’t: I don’t eat mayo, I don’t eat disguised mayo (and aioli is just pretentious for ‘mayo’), and in my experience gourmet places love making their own little special whatever sauce, which is usually just mayo + something. Independent burger has such a sauce, ‘indy’ sauce, which is on everything. You know a burger is good, when it has a special taste WITHOUT the «special» sauce. Independent burger passes this test.
The desserts are okay, they’ve got some tempting stuff, but none of them beat getting Gelato from across the parking lot.
Though the staff is friendly, service still leaves a little to be desired, especially because they’re in that nebulous state of not having table service, but still having waiters bring your burgers and drinks, if you’re not doing the soda maker (which I don’t) drink refills don’t come around often. The crowd can be frustrating at times, so I try to avoid peak hours. But most importantly… THIS PLACE IS IN DIRE NEED OF WI-​FI!!! Cell phone connectivity sucks in the area.