Stopped in for lunch at the new Moonie’s location today. They have only been open six days. The place was busy, almost all the tables were full. No problems with service though. Looks like they have it down. Order at the counter, they bring you the food. It’s a large restaurant (seems larger than their Cedar Park location). Nice space on the corner of the strip mall, so lots of windows.
Burger and fries were about how I remember them from my first visit to their Cedar Park location almost two years ago. Bun is sweet. Patty is 6oz., griddled. Cheddar available. Fries are crispy-coated frozen-ish fries. Bun top-toasted. Overall, burger was OK, but very dry unfortunately. Bottom bun suffered from Dry Bun Syndrome, which did not help. Fries are good for what they are. Onion rings looked good but I did not try any (pricey at $2.99).
So overall, a decent but not great burger in a pleasant atmosphere. A nice option at least to have up here in North 183 Land.
No tipping required. Mayo level is a tad sparse, especially considering the overcooked patty, and bottom bun suffering from Dry Bun Syndrome did not help there.
I concur with the mayo portioning. A little on the light side so the burger was a little dry but then I added ketchup, which I always love on a burger and it moistened it right up. I would have gone and asked for a little mayo but the line was too long. My only real drawback is the single register. The place was packed at lunch on a Saturday and they really could have used another at least for the rush. Although the line was long, it did move pretty well but they lost a lot of potential customers because they saw the line and went elsewhere. But the order to table time was quite reasonable.
I went to the new location friday night and the place was packed. They did seem to fix some of the issues with wait time. They had 1 person writing orders and another ringing them. The line moved quickly and the food came out in less than 10 minutes. That was nice to see. As usual I thought the food was terrific. I also enjoy cheddar so I ate the bacon/ cheddar burger which was too much for me The taste was exceptional and i do love their fries. I had the burger, fries and a huge drink all for $7. I felt no obligation to tip. I would agree the atmosphere in the new one is very cozy !
I like the atmosphere and the singing trio on Wednesdays is unique. Management needs to do something about the long line during peak hours by adding a second register. There should also be a To-Go pick up line for orders that were called in ahead of time. The line is definitely the biggest issue and I’ve been there twice in peak hours and seen several potential customers leave due to the long wait in line.
I was a huge Moonies fan…then the Moon Pies disappeared! And the onion rings went to the wide side, not the nice 1/4 inch thick ones they had been serving…so I had to toss the entire order as they were much too wide. I love the Western Burger and the bun has a great flavor…but please bring back the original onion rings and MOON Pies…its is MOONies after all!!
Yeah, Chris, I was less than impressed. Coke stations were flat and needed carbonation. Sweet tea wasn’t fresh. The burger was cooked somewhat on the rare side and the fries were greasy, greasy, greasy — made my stomach curl. Just not used to eating that much grease on a whole. Had the chili cheese burger and the chili cheese was cold and the onions were miniscule, if existant that the menu stated that it had.
Only went there to meetup with my daughter and granddaughter. It’s not something that I would go to because I love to eat there. It’s okay. The environment inside has potential for a happening place to be, but they have to really get their act together on the cooking mode.
A friend actually ordered and consumed a Cheddar Pour burger from J&J the other day. Here is his photo (which settles the bun-or-no-bun confusion of my first Cheddar Pour post) and his assessment (emphasis mine):
Wow. Bun nicely greased too!
I think my colons may actually drop out of my body.
Pretty good burger underneath it all – 1/2 lb flattened, irregular patty – maybe a spatula mash on a griddle? Fresh fixins – tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion. Toasted buns. Fresh diced jalapenos available at the salsa bar.
It’s really something you have to try – words are inadequate to describe how much f*cking cheese is on this thing.
Didn’t try any sides with the burger, but did get a couple of breakfast tacos, which were huge and good and cheap – buy 1 get 1 free. Probably 6 eggs on each, for under $2 total. Crazy. Place won’t be around long with the quantities they’re serving and low prices. (Burger was less than $7.50, which including a pound of cheddar is pretty cheap as well…)
Burger was a good 7 inches across, with 1/2 lb patty, piles of veggies, and, as you can see, half of a cow’s daily output of cheese. Definitely not a fast food burger.
Popped in to Elevation for lunch today. Got the meal deal at $6.99 for cheeseburger, fries and a drink. I like the Elevation burger–it’s juicy, tastes fresh and comes with real cheddar. Fries are very good also. The burger is nothing amazing, but it’s a solid griddle burger.
Imagine eating one of these with 10x the meat and cheese…see previous post for contest details.
Disagree with veggies down under...but good burger nonetheless
Had lunch at NXNW today. Fairly pricey burger was just ok. 1/2 lb, grilled, but not much grilled flavor. Burger was suspiciously perfectly circular and uniform in thickness. Fries appeared to be standard-issue frozen and then doused with garlic bits. Did not think the addition of garlic was a great idea. I like garlic, but would rather eat good fries au naturel.
So, burger was just OK. Not up to the level of say a Houston’s burger, which is similar in size but far surpasses my North by Northwest burger in taste.
I swear the last time I went to Kerbey Lane (not often), I had no choice but to suffer through their miserable “home fries” with my burger (said home fries are also bad with their breakfasts). This time I noticed “fresh cut French Fries” as a side option on the menu. Asked the waitress if they have always had them, and she said they were just added to the menu 4-5 months ago, but they’ve always been available as a kind of “secret menu item”. News to me.
So, had a Kerbey Lane burger today. It’s 1/3 lb, so not thin patty and not overwhelmingly grande. Grilled (evidence of grill marks on patty). Cheddar available. Flavor of the burger was pretty good, with a definite grilled/charred taste (which I like). Fries were good–not greasy, and plentiful. Only downside to the burger is that it was quite dry. I believe the menu indicated they use “lean beef”, so there’s an issue right there. As we know, chuck makes the best burger, at 20% fat content. Lean = dry.
Upshot: decent burger and fries, but burger too dry to lure me back.
This place replaced the Bear Rock Cafe, on Parmer. Just learned that it is the second location of a Cedar Park outfit. The main focus seems to be BBQ, but they do have “burgers” in their name, so had to give it a try. I was intrigued to see some crazy signage re “the cheddar pour” as I pulled into the parking lot.
Hmmmmmm
I only just recently learned of this technique via a video I found online, wherein it is referred to as a “cheese skirt“. The Squeeze Inn in Sacramento has been doing it for 30+ years.
The Squeeze Inn cheese skirt looks a bit more appetizing than J & J’s, because it still has the bun and you can eat it like a normal burger, more or less (watch the video). Also, the name “cheese skirt” just sounds a bit less raw than “cheddar pour”. The guy at the counter at J & J explained how they make their version — pile tons of cheddar on the patty as it is cooking on the griddle, throw some ice on the griddle and cover, just like the Squeeze Inn does. But they don’t serve it with a bun* (in spite of the signage on the truck above, which does show a bun), and it looks like theirs ends up with quite a bit more skirt to deal with. He said he likes to fold the skirt up over the meat and eat it that way. The J & J cheddar pour looks like too much cheese for me, so I opted for the regular cheeseburger.
Burger was just ok, nothing special. It was much heftier overall (with all the toppings and whatnot) than the 1/4 lb patty size would make you think, and I did get a bit of a cheese skirt on there, which was a definite bonus. The flavor of the burger was pretty bland. Fries were actually quite bad, covered with some kind of breading. So all in all, not a great burger. The cheese miniskirt was the most appealing part, and I will give them kudos for piling on the veggies, and for the whole cheddar pour idea, as well as the insane amount of signage at the place. It’s certainly a unique place, and they do offer BBQ and breakfast, which might be worth a try.
* Cheddar Pour Update: have found a few references online to J&J’s cheddar pour, and they appear with a bun on the burger, so not sure if the counter guy was right. This blog post includes a photo, and there’s a nice flickr photo of a cheddar pour burger here.
I second that – burgers are quite ho-hum. Fries just terrible (how about a fry that tastes like oh, I don’t know – potato?) Took exactly 20 minutes to get my order during the noon hour.
I miss Bear Rock! OK that ssaid, they have the best bfast taco your gonna find. And the price is just awesome at $1.65 or something like that, and they are HUGE. I got 3 on a buy 2 get 1 free deal and gave the third away, and was stuffed til well beyond lunchtime. As far as the BBQ I’ll get back to that after today. I’m picking some up on the way home.
I read online this morning that the drive through at Hat Creek’s new location on Burnet (in the home of the old Arby’s) was open for business. Have been looking forward to checking them out. They have a trailer near campus, but I’m rarely down there so have never tried their burgers, and have been awaiting the opening of this new location. It did not disappoint today.
Service was quick, no sign that they aren’t even fully open yet. I opted for the “Big Creek Burger”, which consists of two of their 1/5 lb patties. Burger was extremely juicy and tasty. Fries were great. All-in-all, a delicious burger combo. Looking forward to the full opening.
Hamburglar
4:37 pm on November 1, 2009 Permalink
| Reply
Had the same as pictured above. Agree that the burger is quite tasty, although it does not travel so well. By the time the burger arrived home, the lettuce had become flat and limp, same with the meager slice of onion. The pickles held up well, were good, and of an appropriate quantity. The cheddar added a nice sharpness to the overall burger taste. Don’t recall much detail about the bun, other than it seemed to hold up well throughout the meal. All and all a good burger that is probably better enjoyed hot and fresh on the premises.
The standout to the meal were the french fries. Thin sliced, with plenty of evidence of the skins being left on, they were perfectly crisp on the outside. Unlike the burger, they traveled well and were still in great condition upon arrival at home. Only complaint would be the average size of each fry, as we tended to end up with many small pieces that were not as conducive to ketchup dipping.
Hat Creek would become a go to burger stop if not for the stiff competition of both Hillbert’s and Top Notch, both of whom are less than a mile from the house. Hat Creek’s burger does not stand out enough to have me go the extra mile past the above mentioned burger joints. I will surely drop in from time to time, but location and proximity of other burger favorites will preclude me from becoming a Hat Creek regular.
Stopped in for lunch at the new Moonie’s location today. They have only been open six days. The place was busy, almost all the tables were full. No problems with service though. Looks like they have it down. Order at the counter, they bring you the food. It’s a large restaurant (seems larger than their Cedar Park location). Nice space on the corner of the strip mall, so lots of windows.
Hamburglar 3:03 pm on January 13, 2010 Permalink |
Looks a little sparse on the mayo. Do you feel obligated to leave a tip since they bring the burger out to you?
Chris 3:16 pm on January 13, 2010 Permalink |
No tipping required. Mayo level is a tad sparse, especially considering the overcooked patty, and bottom bun suffering from Dry Bun Syndrome did not help there.
Marty 7:38 pm on January 16, 2010 Permalink |
I concur with the mayo portioning. A little on the light side so the burger was a little dry but then I added ketchup, which I always love on a burger and it moistened it right up. I would have gone and asked for a little mayo but the line was too long. My only real drawback is the single register. The place was packed at lunch on a Saturday and they really could have used another at least for the rush. Although the line was long, it did move pretty well but they lost a lot of potential customers because they saw the line and went elsewhere. But the order to table time was quite reasonable.
Christina 3:00 pm on January 25, 2010 Permalink |
I went to the new location friday night and the place was packed. They did seem to fix some of the issues with wait time. They had 1 person writing orders and another ringing them. The line moved quickly and the food came out in less than 10 minutes. That was nice to see. As usual I thought the food was terrific. I also enjoy cheddar so I ate the bacon/ cheddar burger which was too much for me
The taste was exceptional and i do love their fries. I had the burger, fries and a huge drink all for $7. I felt no obligation to tip. I would agree the atmosphere in the new one is very cozy !
Debora 10:09 am on February 25, 2010 Permalink |
I like the atmosphere and the singing trio on Wednesdays is unique. Management needs to do something about the long line during peak hours by adding a second register. There should also be a To-Go pick up line for orders that were called in ahead of time. The line is definitely the biggest issue and I’ve been there twice in peak hours and seen several potential customers leave due to the long wait in line.
Keli 1:16 pm on March 10, 2010 Permalink |
I guess I am the only one that found the fries to be not so tasty.
Laura 11:17 am on June 12, 2010 Permalink |
Wow, I disagree….my entire family loves Moonies. One of the better burgers in Austin.
Cindy 10:23 am on October 13, 2010 Permalink |
I was a huge Moonies fan…then the Moon Pies disappeared! And the onion rings went to the wide side, not the nice 1/4 inch thick ones they had been serving…so I had to toss the entire order as they were much too wide. I love the Western Burger and the bun has a great flavor…but please bring back the original onion rings and MOON Pies…its is MOONies after all!!
Kathryn 8:20 pm on December 20, 2010 Permalink |
Yeah, Chris, I was less than impressed. Coke stations were flat and needed carbonation. Sweet tea wasn’t fresh. The burger was cooked somewhat on the rare side and the fries were greasy, greasy, greasy — made my stomach curl. Just not used to eating that much grease on a whole. Had the chili cheese burger and the chili cheese was cold and the onions were miniscule, if existant that the menu stated that it had.
Only went there to meetup with my daughter and granddaughter. It’s not something that I would go to because I love to eat there. It’s okay. The environment inside has potential for a happening place to be, but they have to really get their act together on the cooking mode.