Austin’s eco-friendly, beer-happy Hopdoddy Burger Bar opens in Preston Center

by Alexandra Spitzer of The Daily Campus

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"Hop" as in beer, and "doddy" as in the native cow of Aberdeen, Scotland.

DALLAS — Since its first opening, Hopdoddy Burger Bar has been attracting and enticing Austin locals.

The hip and funky burger bar has been the talk of the town ever since founders Larry Perdido and Chuck Smith decided to open the popular joint in 2010.

The former owners of Eddie V’s Prime Seafood and Wildfish Seafood Grille sold both restaurants in 2011 and focused their attention to further develop their newest enterprise, Hopdoddy Burger Bar.

As a result, the swanky burger place has now opened its newest location at Preston Center in Dallas.

The restaurant not only has a cool and trendy atmosphere, but the service is very unique as well. Hopdoddy’s service consists of a three-step process to make the dining experience easier and more enjoyable for customers.

First, you get in line and place your order at the counter.

Next, a server will tell you what number you are.

And last, you will find your given number on your very own reserved table where you can sit down, relax and await your meal.

The name Hopdoddy represents what the restaurant is best known for: its juicy burgers and hand-crafted beer. The name was created to depict the perfect mix between the delicious grub and impressive selection of drinks. The “hop” stands for the beer and the “doddy” is a nickname given to the native cow in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Hopdoddy uses all natural and mainly local ingredients for all of its meals.

The buns are baked twice daily and included choices of challah, seeded wheat or Non-Gluten, baked with Austin’s Bona Dea Baking Company gluten-free flour.

The restaurant also grinds all of its infamous Black Angus beef for each of its 7-ounce patties, to ensure that each burger consists of the freshest and most intricately prepared ingredients. All of the beef is humanely raised and contains no antibiotics or hormones.

Hopdoddy has 12 burgers on the menu, each ranging from a reasonable $5.50 to $12. The standard “Classic Burger” contains Angus beef, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and “sassy sauce.”

The burger can also be supplemented with cheese or bacon per request.

More original burgers include the “Magic Shroom” (Angus beef, Texas goat cheese, field mushrooms, mayonnaise and basil pesto) and the zesty “El Diablo” (Angus beef, pepper jack, roasted Poblano chilies, apple-smoked bacon and chipotle mayo).

The specialty burgers, which are priced at $12, include the “Ahi Tuna Burger” (sushi-grade tuna, sprouts, teriyaki, honey wasabi, Nori chips, pickled ginger and mayonnaise) and the “Primetime” burger (Texas Akaushi beef, brie cheese truffle aioli, arugula, caramelized onions and steak sauce).

Aside from the burgers, Hopdoddy also has salad bowls for those who are looking for a lighter and healthier option.

All greens are organic and fresh and can be enhanced with proteins such as beef, buffalo, tuna, turkey or veggie patty.

To accompany the food selection, Hopdoddy also serves a variety of hand-spun shakes that are churned daily ranging from a caramel & sea salt shake to a Nutella & chocolate pretzels shake.

The restaurant also serves more conventional shakes such as a standard vanilla, chocolate, or even a classic Oreo Cookie shake. And of course, the restaurant would not live up to its name if it did not have a wide selection of handcrafted beers.

Hopdoddy’s large bar takes up a good portion of the venue and has at least seven Texas craft beers on tap.

In addition to the beer, the bar also serves up specialty cocktails such as margaritas including the frozen “Skinny Dip” and the “Doble Fina Margarita."

Hopdoddy prides itself on being environmentally friendly. Over 95 percent of its waste is composted or recycled and the restaurant makes a conscious effort to use environmentally friendly and recyclable materials.

In addition to satisfying customers, Hopdoddy also helps those that are less fortunate by donating over 1 percent of sales to various local charities.

Last year, the Austin restaurant donated over $15,000 to the Austin Disaster Relief Network.

Last weekend, Hopdoddy hosted lunch and dinner for guests to sample a sneak preview of the restaurant’s food and service and to give customers the opportunity to provide their feedback before the restaurant’s grand opening on Wednesday.

Hopdoddy is now open for both lunch and dinner.

Business hours are Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar is located at Preston Center on 6030 Luther Lane.

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