Jens B.
Yelp
Ahh.. how I remember the early days of HopDoddy down on South Congress Avenue. As we used to do frequently back then, we were on our way for some Silver Train Margaritas at Guero's and noticed folks queuing up on the pavement. Upon further investigation, the line was for Hop's. They were getting some great press, the ultimate burger place and 40mins to 1 hr waits. Yeah.. not for us. Burger is a burger in my eyes and in my youth I worked at the Burger Chef on S. Lamar.
Meanwhile back in our hood, a couple of years ago up popped Lil'Doddy Burger Lab. We paid no mind, until we happened to meet a very engaging, fiesty young lady at the bar in our neighborhood favorite Mexican joint. She had been working at Hop's for years and was a trainer or some sort. We laughed had a drink or two and promised to visit. Which we eventually did. Upon our first arrival, there was plenty of parking and the interior was much larger than it looked from the outside. You are greated by a large bar on the left and dining tables on the right. We took our usual place at the bar and picked up a menu.
Pretty diverse selection here. From Hot Nashville Chicky sammies, to many different Burger types, shakes and a fairly large array of French Frie's in bowls. It was definitely a reminder of my age when looking at a $13.95 burger from the days of a 60 cent Super Shef from Burger Chef.. :) We opted for a fry bowl, seemed the thing to do and split a Llano Poblano burger on this visit. The Parmesan Truffle fries were tasty, crisp and thin. Lots of flavor and easily enough for the both of us. Llano burger was sloppy, dripping with Chipolte Aioli goodness. Very tasty indeed.
We enjoyed a couple of Margarita's and casual conversation with folks at the bar. Having a full bar is a nice touch. We have been back several times, if not just for a night cap and some fries. There are some items I keep forgetting to try, the Hot Chicky sammie looks like something I need to get my teeth into on our next visit. Would I wait in line to get in...seriously doubt it. Luckily we haven't run into that challenge yet, but they seem to be hopping most of the time we drop by.