Review #6 - Longhorn Cafe
Posted by Fry Daddy | | Posted On Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Longhorn Café – A Love Story
I have loved Longhorn Café since the first time I wrapped my fingers around its signature burger, the Big Juicy. Sitting in the patio dining area on a beautiful Saturday afternoon long ago, I carved the initials “F.D. + L.C.” into an old oak tree. While a typical passerby might suppose L.C. stands for Large Chins or Lucky Charms, those who know me best know what occupies a place in my heart second only to Mrs. Fry Daddy and the Lil’ Fries: my twin loves, Luscious Cheeseburgers and Longhorn Café.
My lady L.C. does have her flaws – her picnic benches can be a bit dirty at times, her fries occasionally not up to par, her staff frequently adorned with too many body piercings – but Longhorn has always been good to me, and our latest visit was no exception.
Our team of reviewers, with significant others and children in tow, arrived at Longhorn Café, located at 17625 Blanco Rd #1, just half a mile south of North Loop 1604, on a beautiful, warm January evening in San Antonio.
While there are other Longhorn Cafes in San Antonio, the word on the street is that the Blanco location is the pick of the Longhorn litter.
The extensive menu was already familiar to many of us . . .
. . . but being creatures of habit, Mrs. Fry Daddy and I ordered our usual: Cheddar Burgers, accompanied by half-baskets of tater tots and onion rings. The Lil’ Fries had a kid’s cheeseburger and fries.
Burger – 8.5 out of 10
Almost everyone gave their burgers high marks. I gave my Cheddar Burger a 9.5 out of 10. The patty was perfectly seasoned (some people have complained Longhorn's patties are a little thin, but I never feel slighted on the beef), the cheddar delicious and plentiful, the lettuce, tomato and pickle (I pass on onions) fresh and crisp, a cool contrast to the warm burger and greasy bun. The buns are fried on the grill next to the burgers, which must be where they get that nice glean.
My only negative comment is that there were a couple too many pickle slices on my burger, but that’s getting a bit picky, even for me. Longhorn Café’s burgers are very near perfection, as far as I’m concerned.
The burgers were served with mayo and mustard. In addition to traditional hamburgers and cheeseburgers, Longhorn offers several other burger options, including an excellent mushroom & swiss burger, a jalapeno cheeseburger (true to Longhorn's San Antonio roots) and a guacamole burger (ordered by Prefers His Tots Tatered and pictured below).
Here’s what my fellow reviewers had to say about their burgers:
Burger Boy – 7 – The Big Juicy was big and juicy.
Hamburglar – 8 - They do love the condiments at Longhorn (there was plenty of mayo and mustard on my burger), but the combination is a winner.
Mrs. Fry Daddy – 10 – In my opinion, this is the only burger worth eating, and it definitely is worth eating.
Where’s the Beef – 8 – I got the Certified Angus Burger, so that may have had something to do with the high score. The bun was delicious too.
Prefers His Tots Tatered – 7.5 – A very solid burger with flavorful seasoning. However, not quite at the level where you would take out-of-town guests to.
Sides – 7 out of 10
Longhorn gets bonus points for having on its menu the sides trifecta – fries, tater tots and onion rings – and for doing a passable job in preparing all of these. The fries are a bit better than average, but nothing spectacular. The tater tots and hand-battered onion rings are the real standouts here (although occasionally the almost unchewable near-outer layer of the onion is fried as well). I would recommend not postponing the onion rings until after you're done with your burger, since they are most delicious when hot.
Multiple other sides, including fried pickles, fried shrooms and chips and queso, are offered at Longhorn (although I have not tried and cannot vouch for any of these). The chocolate milkshake I ordered was frosty and delicious, though.
I give the sides a solid 8 out of 10. My fellow reviewers rated the sides as follows:
Burger Boy – 5 – The fries were average.
Hamburglar – 7 – The tots were fantastic, but the fries were just okay. I don't know if a chocolate shake counts as a side, but the one we had was awesome.
Mrs. Fry Daddy – 7
Where’s the Beef – 6.5 – We got the onion rings and fries. Onion rings were excellent (8), fries were serviceable (5).
Prefers His Tots Tatered – 8 – Tots were extra crispy and the onion rings were definitely hand-battered in buttermilk. Fries, while good, could have been better, which is why Longhorn only gets an 8 here.
Ambience – 8.5 out of 10
Not unlike many other San Antonio burger joints, Longhorn is a bit of a dive – tables inside and especially outside can be a bit dirty (although nothing too repulsive), there is often a littering of bits of trash and paper on the ground (probably left behind by droves of other burger lovers who dined earlier in the day), and the birds in the canopy of trees above the picnic tables outside have been known to shower an occasional gift on diners below (as Where’s the Beef, Mrs. Hamburglar, and I myself experienced in the course of our meal, although this triple hit is unparalleled in my history of dining at Longhorn Café). However, the “divey” aspects of this burger joint seldom create discomfort for diners but rather add to its appeal as a laid back place to enjoy great food.
In my opinion, there’s no place better to be on a Friday evening in San Antonio than the patio dining area at Longhorn Café, surrounded by the relaxing background music of the nearby solo guitarist/singer and the glow cast by colored strings of lights strung overhead.
Longhorn Cafe also has adorning its walls an impressive collection of works by the old European masters (okay, just one bad Mona Lisa knock-off and countless neon signs advertising beer).
Apparently, it is an unwritten rule among San Antonio burger joints that a Pac-Man/Galaga video game be somewhere on the premises.
Like Uncle Barney’s, Longhorn gets an extra point for this, bringing my personal rating for ambience to 9 out of 10.
Here are the ratings from my fellow reviewers:
Hamburglar – 7 - Inside dining area is great, but the real catch is the outside eating area with a dilapidated wooden slide that appears to be a child magnet. One word of warning: watch out for the birds - fellow reviewer "Where’s the Beef" was hit in the head by a bird missile.
Burger Boy – 9 - The patio dining is great for the kids, who always seem to find themselves piled up at the bottom of the super-fast slide.
Mrs. Fry Daddy – 9 (10 when guitar guy is there)
Where’s the Beef – 7 – Loses a point or two because I got crapped on by a bird.
Prefers His Tots Tatered – 9 – Great outdoor setting with lights strung above.
Service - 8 out of 10
I think we've established by now that it doesn't take much to succeed in this category. The staff was civil, the burgers and sides took just a few minutes to prepare, and everything came out hot and greasy. And astonishingly, none of our names were mispronounced as our orders were called out.
Price - 9 out 10
The burgers are very reasonably priced, especially given their size and quality. The Cheeseburger (or Cheddar Burger, if your tastes are more refined) costs $4.29 pre-tax. Longhorn makes my short list of places where you can feed a family of four for under $20 and still come away satisfied.
The Slide – 10 out of 10
I knew before arriving at Longhorn on this particular evening that my biggest challenge would be getting a picture of the Slide. If you have not been to Longhorn Café before, you will not appreciate what a big deal the Slide is for the lucky children who go there. The Slide is legendary, and it does not matter to the children who play upon its metallic slopes that there is no jungle gym, sandbox or swing alongside it. In fact, if you have been to Longhorn Café before, you may not recognize the following picture of the Slide, since it does not show the Slide covered by droves of jubilant, shoeless children.
I waited almost the entire evening to take this photo. I still had to tell a few children, including my own, to stand back as I snapped this (although on the edge of the picture you can still make out one desperate little girl trying to be the first back on the Slide before the flash from my camera has even died down).
Like the pied piper, Longhorn’s oversized, weather-beaten, solitary Slide hypnotizes every child who comes to the Café wanting a burger and fries but who ends up leaving them half eaten to answer to the Slide’s siren song. For some reason, the Slide also beckons these children to remove their shoes and socks and run barefoot through the filthy gravel and up and down the ramp leading to the Slide, as well as up and down the Slide itself. (A word to parents: The result of all this shoeless revelry has always been prolonged scrubbing of my kids in a warm bath immediately after returning home, followed by prolonged scrubbing of the bathtub itself.)
Seeing all of the fun the kids were having on the Slide, I must admit I was tempted to try the Slide myself to see what all the fuss was about. However, a mean-looking fifth grader standing at the top of the Slide intimidated me sufficiently to cause me to remain in my seat and watch in silent envy.
i had an amazing run in with the Longhorn Cafe on I-10 and I entirely concur: it is Love. Although it does take a large stomach to tango with these cheeseburgers.
http://doublecheeseblogger.com
Just in from our first trip to LC. We are in from Lubbock and frequent visitors to our home away from home that is SATX, and was in dire need of a good burger. We went to LC after reading your blog in the hotel lobby computer. My wife and I, with our two children, both under 8, loved the atmosphere. Your depiction of the slide was spot on, as we had to pry our kids away to quickly pound down their cheeseburgers, then off again to the slide. I had the double-meat CB, and it was sublime, an easy 9 out of 10. A Friday night well spent. Thanks for the tip!
My family and I frequent the LC on I-10 in Leon Springs after church every Sunday. Unfortunately we have not made it to the original location. However, the Leon Springs location is one of our favorite burger joints, and we, like you, are in search of the best burger joint in the San Antonio area. My husband enjoys their chili cheese burger that must be eaten with a fork on special occasions, but recently we have both been ordering the amazing plain old cheese burger! Yummy! I prefer the onion rings and his choice is the tator tots. There are also great appetizers...including the fried pickles, texas toothpicks(slivers of onions and jalapenos), and gigantic fried mushrooms. This is a wonderful Texas place to take guests, because the menu allows for everyone to find something to their liking...even a great Grilled Chicken salad for those wanting a healthier choice.
The staff at "our Longhorn" is mostly fun...there are a few bus boys that could use a little decorum...ie. don't offer to eat food I have discarded while I am still eating. The cooks and food preparers are always fun with sports banter filling the air. We are sports fanatics and enjoy the back and forth they offer without even knowing it. Sometimes, well, most of the time, the tables are a little sticky, but lay down a paper towel and all is well.
The Longhorn Cafe is a great place for those days when you just can't decide what sounds good, when friends come to visit, or a regular after church eating place. There is something for everyone and it's affordability for our family of 4 1/2 makes it our burger joint of choice!
I would argue you cannot use the words great hamburger and made with shredded lettuce in the same sentence!!
Juicy burgers that get an 8.5 being tasty and greasy (which we like). But they loose 2 points for being served with a cold bun and barely warm burger. Not acceptable given the relatively small crowd, there at the time, if you are looking for the perfect burger in SA like we are. The staff was friendly. So far in our search, we rank Bobbie Jay's and Cheesy Jane's better for consistently being good, tasty and hot when served.
The longhorn cafe, is by far the best when it comes to burgers and Service! I've live in S.A for over 30 years and have never had a better burger. Now I work on fort hood with the army and have always taken my army buddies to eat there on the weekends. I recommend this place to anyone who loves burgers!
Let me start by saying I have always been a big fan of LC. Since I moved to San Antonio in 1993, this was the first place I stopped for hamburgers. The food has always been great and the service was great as well. It pains me that this location on Blanco has been on the decline of late. The previous 3 trips to this location I have gotten my food cold and incorrect. The last trip on 9/17/2011 has been my last trip to LC. I had my wife place an order to go so we could eat at home, she had called in the order at 7:15 PM and they gave her the estimated time of 20-25 minutes that my order would be completed. I did not receive my order until 7:50 PM. When I got home, my order was incorrect and missing. So I drove back to get my order correct and it was not corrected up to par. I ordered 2 hamburgers, 1 basket of tater tots with cheese and 1 basket of fried pickles. The burgers were fine. My tater tots came with a cheese cup, this is the first time I have ever gotten this as an order from there, before I would always be given in a plastic container with aluminum foil and tater tots with shredded cheese melted on the tots. My fried pickles were missing completely. After I got back with the "corrected order" my tater tots had shredded cheese that had not been melted and my burgers and fried pickles were cold. I was very agitated after this that my wife called the manager of the Blanco location and they stated that they will be giving us a refund for the meal. I don't think a refund will make me want to come back here no matter how good the hamburgers are, I just they could go back to the glory days when they were about service.
We are traveling from Florida to California. We read your blog and took your advice and made the stop for our "texas burger". We loved the rustic atmosphere, parking was great, as we are pulling a 28 foot trailer and had no problem getting in or out. The location right off of the interstate was also convenient.
The burgers were awsome with a large variety to choose from. I wish I would have tried the fried mushrooms, as many people were ordering them and they looked awsome. Instead I had the onion rings and my husband had the chili cheese fries. Both were delish. They prices were also a bonus.
In a nutshell, it was a real treat after a long day on the road. Loved it!!!! Thank you
It would be just awsome if all the burger joints had locations listed as well, still the list is surely helpful-
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