San Antonio Burger Blog Your complete guide to San Antonio's burger joints

Location



Fatty’s Burgers & More is located at 1624 E. Commerce Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205. In addition to its fine hamburger, its proximity to downtown means we will be returning. The only downside to its location is that is not in the best neighborhood. Not that the sketchy location is something Fatty’s is shy about; a smattering of newspaper clippings praises the restaurant for helping to “revitalize” the area. Let me put it this way: if you need a burger joint to revitalize your area, then your area probably needs some revitalization.


View Larger Map

Parking was plentiful and almost as obvious as this distracting ladder.


The bright yellow building is impossible to miss. This is also one of the rare burger joints that has a website. Can you guess the website’s address? Hint: It is not 299-8110.


Like the rest of the building, the menu was yellow and hard to miss.


The Burger – 8 out of 10



The burger was delicious. We all opted for the “Refs Burger” which has a special bun. The bun was amazing. Slightly sweet and fluffy. But not too fluffy; unlike Lucky Burger the burger-bun ratio on this bad-boy was near perfection. The beef was good quality and plenty juicy. It was well flavored and there was definitely enough of it. I’ve eaten and reviewed a lot of burgers in San Antonio and elsewhere; this burger is a real standout; I personally gave it a 9.


Apparently, plenty of others agree because the place has won numerous awards.



My fellow reviewers generally agreed with my high rankings (though, being people with their own opinions that occasionally differ from mine (AKA losers) the aggregate rating on this burger is not a 9, even though it should be):

Fry Daddy - Good, solid burger. Wins extra points for being served on a deliciously sweet bun. [Editor’s note: Fry Daddy is a fanatical fan of Longhorn Cafe, so the fact that he liked this burger “nearly as much as Longhorn” means that for the average person, thus burger is veritable bovine-perfection in a bun.]

Prefers his Tots Tatered - Surprisingly, an excellent tasting burger that rivals many of the "established" burger joints in town. The patty was definitely hand made (none of that frozen crap), thick, and juicy. What put this burger over the top though was Fatty's fresh home-made buns. You have to order The Ref Burger instead of the Old Fashion and pay 40 cents more to get the home-made bun, but it is well worth it. Fatty's should be on your list to try for the burgers alone.

Hamburglar - The Refs Burger on Fatty's homemade bun was truly dee-licious and PHAT.

Burgermeister Meisterburger - The burger was pretty substantial for an 8 ounce burger. The "homemade" bun added to the burger, but I think by "homemade," they just mean that they spread butter on a normal bun and drop it on the grill or fry surface for a minute. On the Burgermeister Meisterburger scale of greasiness, which obviously should be a new ranking applied to all burgers that we review, I give it a "30 minutes." This rating diminished my overall ranking of the burger. Had the greasiness scale registered a "6 hours," or even a "2 hours," I would have given this burger an 8 or 9 out of 10. In addition, I typically prefer my burgers slightly more well done than the average Joe Blow, so that also devalued my score.

Sides – 5 out of 10

The fries were your standard crispy, salted burger fries, but were not particularly special. What we noticed immediately and really impressed us was the free southern pinto beans. I didn’t know that I needed a bowl of beans with my burger, but now that I’ve been to Fatty’s I don’t know how I’ll ever live without them.



Onion rings were available.

Fatty's doesn't sell tots; naturally Prefers His Tots Tatered felt they were discriminating against him.

Ambiance – 4 out of 10

The yellow building was a nice touch because it can be hard to find some of the more obscure burger joints. Inside, it was all yellow. The place has a sports theme which may have something to do with its proximity to the Carver Academy (founded by local hero David Robinson) and the AT&T Center.





I particularly enjoyed the bathrooms, helpfully labeled “half time.”



I assume the half time label is for the people who order their 2lb burger. Once you’ve had 1lb, I do imagine that you need to take a half time break before continuing. For those of you who are visual learners, I’ve prepared the following helpful series of diagrams.


Price – 8 out of 10

The burgers were very reasonably priced. And considering the quality I think everybody agreed it was well worth the moderate cost. Plus you get free pinto beans. I mean really, what more can we ask for?

Service – 7 out of 10

At Fatty’s you order and pay at the counter. Unlike most places, at Fatty’s, when your burger is ready, they don’t just holler at you to come get your burger from the counter. Instead, they bring it right to your table. This was helpful to the more elderly and less ambulatory members of our group.