Burger review: Del’s Charcoal Burgers in Richardson

by Rob Banes of The Quest for the Ultimate Burger

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With sweet-potato fries.

RICHARDSON — This week's burger rave took our group to historic downtown Richardson to visit Del's Charcoal Burgers, which has been serving burgers since 1957. Other options on the menu include hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and steak sandwiches.

Walking in the restaurant, we smelled the patties cooking over a charcoal grill and occasionally we could see the flames coming over the patties. I placed my order for a bacon cheeseburger with cheddar and grilled onions with a side of fries and a jumbo iced tea. The owner suggested that I go with the sweet potato fries, so I went that route. The owner totaled the order on an old fashioned cash register and I paid my $8.77 and was handed a number. I sat down and about 10 minutes later, my number was called and I picked up my burger.

The bun from Bimbo Bakeries was buttered and toasted and the bottom bun was covered with a bed of cheddar cheese for the patty. Two fairly thick slices of bacon were crossed on top of the patty and they were then covered with thick slices of caramelized white onions. The patty didn't have perfect grill marks like the one Leslie Brenner from the Dallas Morning News showed on a blog post a few weeks ago, but you could tell that it had been cooked over an open flame.

Taking a bite, I tasted a combination of smoke from the grill, sharp cheddar cheese, sweet grilled onions, and the saltiness of the bacon. The thin style patty, which probably weighed four to five ounces, was cooked well done as I expected it to be. The meat was seasoned nicely and had a good flavor but it wasn't as juicy as I would have liked. The hamburger bun did its job and didn't overwhelm the meat of the hamburger. The grilled onions were sliced long and thick and were very tender and flavorful. Finally, the sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and were served with a side of what appeared to be homemade honey mustard dressing, which was a nice match for the fries.

Overall I thought that Del's did a nice job on its preparation of the cheeseburger. The meat was seasoned well, the bacon was crispy and meshed nicely with the grilled onions, the cheddar cheese was shredded but melted nicely along the bottom of the patty, and the bun held up well to the ingredients of the burger. I would like to go back and try a smoked hot dog and maybe a fried Twinkie and a frozen mug of homemade root beer.

Ratings (1-25):

Bun - 19, average hamburger bun, buttered and toasted

Meat - 20, thin flavorful patty, crispy bacon, good seasoning

Appearance - 20, nice blend of bun, caramelized onions, flame grilled patty, melted cheese

Taste - 20, well cooked burger, seasoned well, smoky bacon and sharp cheddar cheese

Overall - 79

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