Burger Factory - Phoenix, Arizona [Solo Stop]

After a long day of work, a good burger was just what the doctor (actually it was me) ordered. A quick Google search on the ubiquitous smartphone informed me that I was only 1.9 miles away from a place called Burger Factory which sounded pretty promising. I mean, if one calls one's restaurant a factory, that implies that one is manufacturing something and not just heating up something from a freezer, right? So I clicked the "navigate" button and set a course due north, toward the Burger Factory.

I pulled into the small, half-full parking lot and was greeted by a neon sign which boldly proclaimed that the establishment before me served Mexican food. Admittedly, I was a bit confused, but was quickly reassured that I had indeed reached the sought-after Burger Factory when I saw the lighted sign in the corner of the parking lot.

I stepped into the decent sized interior and was greeted by menu boards which stretched clear across the back wall behind the counter and boasted not only burgers and Mexican food, but also gyros, french toast and an 8 oz. ribeye steak dinner. Apparently this factory has quite the diversity in product lines. I made a mental note to stop by at a future date to sample the other fare offerings.

In keeping with the ABT goal of comparing apples to apples, (or should I say burgers to burgers) I ordered a regular cheeseburger and a small side of fries. For the Signature Spotlight, I opted for the massive, 8+ dollar King Kong Super Burger which was prominently advertised by a faded placard standing near the register. I also ordered a couple sides of ranch for a small extra charge. I deem ranch to be nearly obligatory to a satisfactory burger and fries experience.

My order arrived in stages, oddly enough. First the fries, then several minutes later the regular cheeseburger, and lastly the King Kong. Both burgers were served on an ordinary sesame seed bun. Thankfully it was not simply pulled out of the plastic bag and dropped on the plate. The inside was grilled on the flat top to achieve a nice char that I'm sure was an improvement. The pro side is that it was the perfect size for the patty.

The burgers at Burger Factory are made with thin, pre-formed, quarter-pound patties that despite their thinness were not dry, but also not very juicy either. The patty has a large circumference which fit the bun quite nicely. I still would prefer my burgers to be a bit thicker though. The beef is cooked on a flat top grill directly behind the counter and they cook them to well done. Perhaps one could ask for a different level of "doneness", but I was not given an option. By default, all the standard burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and thousand island dressing. If cheese is added to the burger, they automatically give you American though I later found out that they also have cheddar and Swiss and it would have been nice have been offered a choice.

Standard Cheeseburger

The cheese is just your average, pre-sliced cheese product that you might find at a chain burger joint so obviously there was nothing special about it. The burger was served with a generous amount of shredded iceberg lettuce and two thick slices of a pretty large tomato, possibly of the Beefsteak variety. Hidden under the mound of lettuce was a small amount of fresh chopped white onion. All of the produce seemed to be quite fresh and of good quality. The thousand island dressing is made in-house (as is the ranch) and was very tasty; I only wished that there had been more on the burger. But since other condiments were available in squeeze bottles on the table I simply added a generous dollop of ketchup instead.

To sum it up, the regular cheeseburger at Burger Factory is not a bad burger, but it's not a spectacular burger either. The patty was a bit too thin for my liking and coupling that with the average bun and cheese slice makes for an underwhelming experience. The saving grace is the fact that the bun-to-burger ratio is spot on, the toppings are of good quality and not added sparingly. Perhaps if a double burger was ordered, that would rectify the thickness issue. Unfortunately this "factory" is more of an assembly line, but they do a pretty decent job of building a burger. My verdict is that this is a slightly above-average burger, but feel free to try it for yourself and let me know if you think I'm wrong.

Final Score: 5.75

Side Notes

The french fries were very, very good. Fried to the perfect crispness, they are thicker than what you might find at many fast food chains. I got a small order and the portion size was huge! The plate was piled high with potato-ey goodness. The ranch is made in-house and was delicious! It had a bit of a garlicky flavor which was unexpected, but I really liked it. Burger Factory also has lots of other sides, such as onion rings and mozzarella sticks.

Signature Spotlight

The King Kong Super Burger is a meat extravaganza! In addition to the standard toppings of lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and thousand island, it also features a generous helping of pastrami and several slices of ham on top of two 1/4 pound beef patties and two cheese slices. I ordered mine without the veggies and it was still about 3 inches thick! This burger is delicious; and is quite possibly one of the tastiest burgers I've ever had especially when dipped in the ranch. Charles, the very friendly and helpful staff member, informed me that it is quite a popular choice for patrons and that they usually sell into the double digits of this burger each day. He also said another favorite for many guests is the bacon and avocado burger. I preferred the King Kong over the standard burger by far and would definitely be up for visiting Burger Factory again just for this burger.

The King Kong Super Burger

Largo Cafe - Quemada, New Mexico [Group Stop]

Stopped with a friend for burgers. Staff was extremely friendly and the burgers were fantastic. Served with a generous portion of fries. A great experience in this little New Mexican town.

Stax Burger Bistro - Scottsdale, Arizona [Group Stop]

It was a beautiful winter day in Arizona when we walked up to the door of Stax Burger Bistro in Scottsdale. In other words it was sunny and quite warm with a slight breeze. Since it was such a nice day, we opted to sit on the semi enclosed patio. The small interior of Stax was very modern looking and is more conducive to a meal with a couple friends or your significant other than a group dining spot. We had been told that this establishment had great burgers so we were here to judge for ourselves.

Stax takes a different approach to burgers in several ways. One is that, to them, a “burger” doesn’t have to be beef. They have quite an impressive variety of different meats for one to choose from, such as, buffalo, turkey, fish, and their “Seasonal” selection which at the time of our visit was antelope. Of course we are looking for the most traditional burger experience so we went for the beef patty.

Another difference here at Stax is that their burgers are quite small. Our server clued us in on their burger philosophy by saying that a Stax burger is “our version of a slider; about a 3 inch burger on a fresh bun.” He also informed us that “most people order two.” I have to say that most of us were a bit dismayed at this revelation, but decided to forge onward with the quest of taste-testing these burgers.

Since Stax doesn’t have a particular menu item that is the pure essence of a traditional cheeseburger, we had to improvise and with the help of our kind server, we soon had our orders in. We settled on a beef patty with cheese, lettuce, barbecue sauce and onions (in the form of one large onion ring). After a relatively long wait (considering how little there was to cook) we were presented with our burgers which were very tastefully served on rectangular, white, glass tableware.

The burgers were indeed small, but were quite tasty. We had all opted for appetizers (see Side Notes below) which turned out to be a good choice because it’s doubtful if any of us would have been able to satisfy our hunger on these small sandwiches. The meat was cooked well and while it wasn’t extremely juicy, it wasn’t dry either. The cheese was of good quality and was nicely melted on the patty. The condiments and produce were also high quality and very fresh. The bun was a small roll that was sliced in half and the top half was skewered in place with a wooden stick.

Despite the small size of the Stax burger we all felt that it was huge on taste and our overall feeling was quite favorable toward this “dwarf burger”. We would have to agree with the server; you really might want to order two in order to satisfy your hunger. While it was not the best burger we had ever encountered it certainly is a quite good one and we’d recommend that you try it for yourself soon.


Final Score: 7.63

"Side" Notes
A couple members ordered the tater tots and a couple ordered the onion rings. Both were fried perfectly and were not overly greasy; each appetizer had the perfect crispness and crunch that one would expect from a well prepared deep fried foodstuff. Two members also sampled the Stax rendition of macaroni and cheese, called Mac & Jack, with quite positive results. Stax also boasts a variety of salads, soups, and dips so be sure to check those out as well.

Note: We did not sample a signature burger at this establishment.

MAP

The Original Hamburger Works - Phoenix, Arizona [Group Stop]

The stenciling on the windows of The Original Hamburger Works told us that we were about to experience an “award winning” hamburger and we were definitely up for the challenge. We stepped into a very roomy, tastefully rustic interior with dim lighting. Everything about this place shouts simple and unsophisticated. We hope that the burgers are the exception.

This establishment has a unique system for serving guests. You place your order at a small window that looks directly into the kitchen. You can see the cooks standing over the grill and working away to fill the orders. The guy behind the counter hands you a little slip and you take it around the corner to the register to pay for your order. When your burgers are done, you take it to the topping and condiment table and add whatever you want. All of us liked this do-it-yourself approach.

A standard burger is called The Big One at The Original Hamburger Works. The Big One is a 1/3 pound mesquite broiled hamburger. We each ordered one and added our favorite cheese. You can choose from the following: Swiss, Cheddar, Jalapeno Jack, American or Provolone. You can also choose your bun here; your choice of white, wheat or onion. For our Signature Spotlight choice, we went with the Fiesta Burger. (See below.)

The service was not very fast, but the place was pretty busy, so we didn’t hold that against them. Upon the arrival of the burgers, each of us made our selections from the available toppings and condiments and prepared to chow down. The burgers looked delicious and after a moment to simply behold the beauty, we dove in. The following is our opinion of The Big One.

In keeping with the no-frills theme, the burgers we served on standard Styrofoam plates. The bun was a regular sesame seed bun, but was grilled nicely and it received high marks from the guys. Although one member commented that his was grilled “slightly too long.” It was the perfect size for the patty.

As previously stated, The Big One is that indeed; it’s clocks in at a third of a pound. While it had pretty good flavor, all of us wished that it had been juicier which caused us to even accuse it of being … dare I say it … dry. The meat is not cooked to order; at least none of us were asked how we would like it cooked.

We were all loving the fact that we could load up our burger the way we wanted and there were many possibilities.  But since we were interested in a standard burger we opted for the usual; lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard and mayo. All of these were very fresh and quite good. The cheese was pretty good, but not excellent; we’d have liked a little thicker slice. Although we did like having the ability to choose.

Overall, we were not overly impressed with this burger. The general consensus was, “Good, but not great.” None of us left hungry, the Big One is filling, but we all felt that the experience left a little to be desired. The Big One has turned out to be our lowest scoring burger thus far. But while we didn’t think this was an “award-winning” burger, you may have a different opinion. And that’s ok; you have the right to be wrong. Just kidding! If you’re up to it, check out The Original Hamburger Works.

Final Score: 6.75

Side Notes

Each of us completed our meal with a side of french fries. We were very pleased with the liberal portion of fries that we were served. They were deep fried to a perfect crispness. The Original Hamburger Works has diverse list of sides other than fries; including onion rings, baked potatoes, zucchini and soup, to name a few.

Signature Spotlight

Every single member of the team was impressed with the Fiesta Burger, our choice for the Signature Spotlight. Each of us preferred this burger over The Big One.

The Fiesta Burger is tasty combination of guacamole, bacon and jalapeno cheese atop a 1/2 pound patty on an onion bun. We opted for the half pound over the standard 1/3 pound and maintain that it was a fantastic choice. This burger was fantastic! We heartily recommend this burger!


Note: The signature burger is not "scored" by the team and therefore has no effect on the total score for this stop. Our total score is based solely on the standard burger. (See our 411 page for details.)

Fast Eddie's Diner - Phoenix, Arizona [Group Stop]

NOTE: This Fast Eddie's location has since closed and is now under different management under a new name.

As we stepped through the door, beneath a sign that proclaimed “Home of the Cosmic Burger”, each of us had a problem that we hoped would be eradicated by our visit to Fast Eddie’s Diner. That problem was a very empty stomach. Fast Eddie’s has quite an impressive selection of great home-style meals and each member had on previous occasions eaten here, but now it was time to put their burgers to the test.

The interior is rather colorful, to say the least, and some might call the “every wall a different color” approach to interior decorating, a little annoying. The walls are covered with retro wall art; everything from Betty Boop to the Three Stooges to Cola advertisements to likenesses of pop culture icons of yesteryear. But since the Arizona Burger Tour is not concerned with the looks of an establishment, but rather how good their burgers are, let’s move on to the important stuff.

We each ordered Fast Eddie’s classic cheeseburger which the menu called simply that, “Cheeseburger”; no fancy names here. The burger comes standard with tomato, iceberg lettuce, red onions, dill pickles and your choice of cheese. You can also choose between French fries, potato salad and cole slaw for your side; we all went with the fries. (You can’t eat a burger without fries can you?) There were a couple choices for the signature burger, but the majority ruled in favor of the 5-Star Burger.

The burgers arrived on brightly colored oval plates; each one a different color. (Either Eddie is colorblind or he just likes variety.) The bun was a very soft Kaiser roll that was grilled slightly. There were no complaints at all with this bun; possibly the best bun of the tour thus far.

The meat was a hand-formed 1/3 lb. patty that was cooked well done, but not overly so. It really was nicely prepared for a patty that was not cooked to order; juicy, but not extremely so. The beef was very flavorful, although the absence of seasoning was noted.

All the team members opted for American cheese except for one, who chose cheddar, and the cheese was very good; a thick slice that was melted perfectly over the patty. The produce, which, as mentioned already, included tomato, lettuce, onion and pickle, was very fresh. One member raved about the generous ring of red onions. Another, who is not particularly fond of pickles, said that he actually enjoyed the very crisp dill pickle slices on this burger. You apply your own ketchup and mustard from squeeze bottles at Fast Eddie’s as the burgers are served condiment-free, and if you want mayo they will bring out little containers of it for you as well.

Everyone agreed that this was a very great burger. The flavors of each component blended well to create the ultimate taste of a quality burger. One member commented that the burger had great taste from the very first bite and he didn’t even add any condiments. Overall, the classic cheeseburger at Fast Eddie’s was very well liked by all team members and we would heartily recommend it to you. Stop by Fast Eddie’s soon and give this burger a try.

Final Score: 8.25

Side Notes

As mentioned above, you can choose between French fries, potato salad and cole slaw for your side at Fast Eddie’s. We can’t speak for the cole slaw or potato salad since we all ordered the fries, but we can tell you that the fries are good. There was nothing spectacular about these crinkle-cut fries, but the liberal portion that we were served, along with the fact that they were fried to the perfect crispness, made us quite pleased with them. The waitress also provided ranch upon request, at no extra charge.

Signature Spotlight

The 5-Star Burger is comprised of the same patty, bun, and produce as the classic cheeseburger. The difference lies in the Monterey Jack cheese and the so-called “Cosmic Mix” that accompanies it. The “Cosmic Mix”, which is diced jalapeños, tomato and onion, is set atop the patty and then tucked in by a blanket of Monterey Jack cheese that melts over it, effectively sealing it in to prevent it from falling all over you as you devour the burger. The 5-Star Burger has a little kick to it because of the Cosmic Mix, as you might expect, but it had really great flavor. If you like a little spice, then give the 5-Star Burger a go.


Note: The signature burger is not "scored" by the team and therefore has no effect on the total score for this stop. Our total score is based solely on the standard burger. (See our 411 page for details.)

Delux Burger - Phoenix, Arizona [Group Stop]

As we approached the entrance to Delux Burger at 32nd Street & Camelback, I feared that we might be waiting for awhile to get a table; the place was busy! (Delux Burger, by the way, is nestled in a small corner of the Safeway shopping center and can be easily missed if you're not looking for it.) We stepped through the glass doors, into the tastefully modern interior and were greeted by a hostess who assuaged my fears when she asked if we would prefer a seat inside or on the patio. Since it was another beautiful day in the Valley of the Sun, we decided on a table outside.

In spite of the heavy crowd, our server (who introduced himself as Dave) appeared very shortly with ice water and we placed our order of a round of “classic standard burgers”, a delux burger (see Signature Spotlight below) and two baskets of “delux combination” fries.

It seems that the manager found out that we were there and she came out to introduce herself to us and very pleasantly and politely attempted to milk every detail about the Arizona Burger Tour from us. We, of course, were not very forthcoming with our top secret approach to burger-touring and kept the details pretty close to the chest. We explained our quest for the best burgers in the state and … but I digress …

The classic standard burger at Delux was a beauty to behold when Dave set the plates on the table. Served with all the fixin's on the side so you can put it together exactly how you like it, this burger caused us to salivate the moment we laid eyes on it.

The rather large-looking bun is (and I quote from the menu) a “toasted hand-crafted brioche bun” that is buttered and grilled to perfection. There was a bit of disagreement amongst us about the bun. Some felt it was a little to large, while others would have liked to have it a little thicker to accommodate the very juicy patty. This comes down to personal preference, of course. Nevertheless, it was very soft and extremely tasty.

The meat is a 9 oz. patty that is hand-formed and cooked to order; no frozen patties here! The menu states that it consists of “fresh ground, all natural, grain-fed, certified premium beef”, which is quite a mouthful; literally and figuratively. The beef had the flavor of good quality meat and even though it sort of looked small on the large bun, the slightly over ½ lb. patty was quite filling and very juicy.

At Delux you have your choice of cheese; American, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Swiss. The classic standard burger also comes with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and pickles, all of which were very fresh and had great flavor. They also have quite an impressive assortment of condiments available upon request, including several types of mustard. Each table is served with a small dish of ketchup and their own special aioli sauce. The special sauce, Dave told us, is supposed to be for the fries, but many people enjoy it on their burgers. Never ones to back down from a challenge (especially one involving food), we tried it and had to agree that it was quite good.

As the plates were cleared away, we realized that we had just sampled one of the best burgers that we had ever had. Some of the words that were tossed around were, Fantastic! Excellent! Amazing! and Spectacular! In short, we heartily recommend this burger to anyone, anywhere! It is worth a long drive to experience this burger; unless of course, you live in Miami or New York City or Anchorage. That might be pushing it a bit.

Final Score: 9.17

Side Notes

We ordered the combo fries, which is a nice mix of french fries and sweet potato fries. They are served in a miniature shopping cart that really rolls and is emblazoned with the Delux logo. While the french fries were good, there were not extraordinary. None of us did any back-flips over the sweet potato fries either. The aioli sauce was very good on the fries.

Signature Spotlight

The delux burger was very, very good as well, and marks the first specialty burger thus far on the tour that we have actually enjoyed. It sports a bleu and gruyere cheese blend, caramelized onions, baby arugula, and applewood smoked bacon “mixture” on a toasted demi-baguette roll. It was extremely flavorful and we recommend trying this burger.



This is not the entire burger pictured here. This is just one section after it had been divided for us all to sample.

Note: The signature burger is not "scored" by the team and therefore has no effect on the total score for this stop. Our total score is based solely on the standard burger. (See our 411 page for details.)

Lenny's Burgers - Glendale, Arizona [Group Stop]

NOTE: This Lenny's location has since closed and is now Moe's Burger.

The sky was spitting a little drizzle (not enough to call it rain) as we walked into Lenny's in downtown Glendale. We were all a little excited about this stop for the simple fact that this tiny burger joint happens to be a favorite of several of the members of the tour; a place to grab a good burger. The small interior was packed with patrons (as usual) as we stepped up to the counter and placed our orders. The walls are adorned with the numerous awards that Lenny's has received over the years, Best Milkshake, Best French Fries, Best Burger. The ABT is about to see if they can live up to their previous accolades.

In keeping with our guidelines of trying each establishment's version of a standard/traditional burger, we each ordered one of Lenny's ¼ lb. burgers with our preference of toppings. Lenny's menu has a few suggestions for quick, easy ordering, but they are willing to let you order yours exactly how you want it. This is a good thing considering the fact that some of our members would rather die than have a pickle on their burger. Cheese is not standard on Lenny's burgers, but it was offered as an option for an extra charge.

The burgers arrived and each famished member of the team dove into their burgers with gusto. The burgers are served in a manner traditional of many burger joints, in those red, plastic baskets that have the appearance of a woven basket. The burgers are wrapped in plain white paper wrappers to either keep them warm or to hold it all together when you chow down.

The bun was a standard sesame seed hamburger bun. Nothing remarkable about it and we felt it would have helped to have grilled it. We did feel that it was just a little too much bread for the thin ¼ lb. patty.

The meat is a very thin patty that was grilled nicely, but certainly not a hand formed patty. While we can't say for certain, it did not appear to be fresh ground beef, but looked like a frozen patty. It didn't seem to have any seasoning on it either. Lenny's has the option to make your burger a single, double, triple or quadruple, with each patty being a ¼ lb. We all agreed that it probably would have been better to order at least a double. While some members felt the patty's juiciness was perfect, others would have liked it to be a bit juicier, although this was just a matter of personal preference.

You can order the condiments and produce that you want at Lenny's and everyone was very satisfied with both. The cheese was pretty good, but also unremarkable. We later found out that it was American, but we couldn't tell from the taste.

The overall flavor of a Lenny's Burger is very good. It is a consistent burger that may not be the absolute best, but is definitely a good burger.

But don't take our word as the final say on the matter, stop in and see for yourself.

Final Score: 7.10

Side Notes

Lenny's french fries are very tasty and become phenomenal when dipped in their ranch (available for an extra charge). Their milkshakes are fabulous. Everyone agreed that they are superb. We sampled the Peanut Butter & Chocolate variety. This is a must-have if you love shakes.

Signature Spotlight

We opted for the Teriyaki Burger for our sampling of a Lenny's specialty. We were disappointed when we opened the wrapper and discovered a burger that looked identical to the one we had just devoured. Upon closer examination, we saw that the distinguishing characteristic of this burger was a small dab of teriyaki sauce on the top and bottom buns. That was it. And while it did give the burger a nice flavor (the teriyaki sauce was the only condiment on the burger) we all thought it was lacking something. One thing we thought would improve the burger, was if the patty were actually marinated in teriyaki sauce rather than just having a little of it squirted on the bun. But again, this was just our opinion.


NOTE: The signature burger is not "scored" by the team and therefore has no effect on the total score for this stop. Our total score is based solely on the standard burger. (See our 411 page for details.)