Portland burger lovers were crushed by last fall’s news that all the Burger Stevens carts closed. And by Portland burger lovers, I mean me — and my husband and two kids. We are burger aficionados and look forward to Friday night, which is when we head to a restaurant or cart to eat burgers (often with my in-laws).
When I heard that Podnah’s Pit, a long-running and highly lauded Texas-style barbecue joint on Northeast Killingsworth, opened the Lone Star Burger Bar at the former La Taq space right next door, I knew we needed to visit. Especially since they included a kids’ burger on the menu.
We visited on a rainy Thursday evening and found a table quickly at one of the spacious and cozy booths. Well some of us did, my husband dropped us off in front of the restaurant and circled until he found a parking spot. Side note: I didn’t spy any high chairs.
Once my husband joined us, we looked over the concise menu. There’s a cheeseburger, green chile cheeseburger and bacon cheeseburger — each with a hefty patty. The kids’ burger features a ¼ pound patty and includes fries. Classic and Coney Island-style hot dogs (served with a meat-sauce topping), and fries and onion rings make up the rest of the menu. According to their Instagram, Lone Star often has a special burger of the day, but there wasn’t one on our visit.
My husband and I each ordered the cheeseburger ($14). We also got an order of onion rings ($8) and fries ($2.50 when added to a burger). And my kids each got the kids’ burgers sans ketchup ($7.50).
What’s special about Lone Star Burger Bar is that the beef is ground in house daily and it’s a mix of brisket, sirloin and chuck. This makes for an outstanding meaty taste and a run-down-your-arms juicy burger. And you will need two hands to hold this burger — the patty is half a pound of deliciousness. The toppings add the perfect punch without diminishing that flavorful beef taste: delicately shaved red onion, pickles, American cheese and smoked tomato aioli. And the large burger bun from Dos Hermanos Bakery may seem too big when your plate is set down in front of you, but it’s wonderfully soft and again perfectly compliments the ground-beef mix.
When my kids took their first bites of the kids’ burger that comes with ketchup and American cheese, they immediately yummed in appreciation, their eyes going wide. “These burgers taste real and authentic,” noted my younger child.
The fries were also exceptional. The potatoes have got their skins on and are fried to a deep, golden brown. We all noted how good they were. And the onion rings with their wide cut and delicate batter might be up there as the all-time best onion rings I’ve ever had. “The onions don’t fall out!” noted my older kiddo.
In fact, we spent the rest of the meal playing “Rank This Portland Burger.” We had a lively conversation talking about all the burgers we’ve had in Portland and which were our favorites, including places now shuttered. My oldest child and I ranked Lone Star in our No. 2 spot. (Mid City Smash is my No.1 and Monster Smash is their No. 1.) My husband and younger child ranked it as No. 3. My husband still yearns for the perfect Grain & Gristle burger he once had and liked Burger Stevens a little more. But that means Lone Star is still at the top of burgers we’ve eaten in Portland. It’s a ways out of our neighborhood, so it won’t quite be on a weekly rotation, but as my older child and husband agreed: “This place is worth the drive!”
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